Think that Frankenstein's Monster is an easy role to play? Just walk round with bolts on the side of yourhead and make grunts? Well, that's what Lon Chaney Jnr does with the fourth entry to the series - and he still doesn't bring what Boris Karloff did to the role. It's all in the eyes, you see, and Boris could do it whereas Lon doesn't - which surprised me, I have to admit, because he has such an expressive face in The Wolf Man. Maybe his face simply didn't "fit" with Jack Pierce's make up. Or maybe Karloff made too strong an impression. They do try - even throwing in a bunch of scenes with a cute little girl, but it never does work.At least Bela Lugosi is back, the bullets didn't kill him, dragging the monster to see another son of Frankenstein, played by Cedric Hardwicke (Colin Clive was dead and Rathbone too busy as Sherlock Holmes - "quick, we need someone English and classy..."). I get Hardwicke mixed up at times with Lionel Atwill (useful thing: Atwill is slightly chubbier) which makes it tricky since they both play doctors who are friends in this movie and frequently wear the same white coat.
Hardwicke like most Frankensteins makes a vague attempt at being decent and not revive the monster but is influenced by another doctor, in this case Atwill, as well as Lugosi pressure. Atwill looks on to proceedings most of the time with a glint in his eye as if to say "if I were the lead I'd really cut loose" but he never does really, which is a shame, though his presence always keeps things lively (his essentially kinkiness always sneaked through the camera, somehow, did it, Atwill).
Lending class to the film is Evelyn Ankers (as Hardwicke's daughter - granddaughter of Frankenstein) and Ralph Bellamy as her prosecutor boyfriend (even in his male juvenile leads, Bellamy seems as if he's playing the Ralph Bellamy part and we're waiting for some other bloke to come and sweep Ankers off her feet).
This film gets off to a creaky start with yet another mob burning down a castle and the funny sight of Ygor and the monster just strolling into town up the main street passing ducks and a girl in pigtails (surely Ygor would have realised by now that discretion was the better part of valor), then improves with Hardwicke and Atwill come along, sogs down again, but really perks for a rousing finale, with a whole bunch of great brain transplant stuff - the Monster wants a little girls brain, Hardwicke wants to put in a scientists, Lugosi wants his in there (was ever a body so popular) - great moment when its Lugosi and a very satisfying explosive finale. The "ghost" bit comes from when Hardwick talks to the ghost of his dad, who hear is not played by Clive but Hardwicke.
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