MonsterVision99 Frankenstein sequels are always fun to watch, even the ones that aren't as great as the first two, like this one for example.Ghost of Frankestein (1942) its a pretty good sequel, it may not be as chilling, riveting, captivating or enjoyable as the first film or even the previous sequels, but its good enough that you wont be disappointed, the only thing that Frankenstein fans may not like its that Boris Karloff isn't the monster in this one, the monster in this film is played by Lon Chaney Jr and he does a great job I must say, he isn't as comfortable in the role as Karloff was but he is pretty decent, after all, he is the great Lon Chaney Jr.Its well made, for the most part, it never becomes boring or tedious, even if some scenes are not executed in the best of ways, like the ending, its not that its a bad ending but its somewhat underwhelming. Of course it may bother you that many people who died in the previous film are here alive and well, and some of the plot points felt a bit forced, but overall I think its a delightful watch. Its well paced, it features some really good performances, like Bela Lugosi as Ygor, and delivers all the goods you would expect from an Universal horror film.

Hitchcoc Once again a village is assaulted by monsters. The town is called Frankenstein and those guys are wandering around up in the castle. Soon a lightning storm causes our boy to go berserk. There are numerous Frankenstein related characters that populate this one, including the great Lon Chaney, Jr. who give this rendition of the monster. Lugosi is there as is the inimitable Lionel Atwell. The story is a bit rambling and not as atmospheric as many of the others. It is still part of the canon and that makes it worthwhile. Modern producers are often vilified for not coming up with new and original subject matter. Well, they were already doing that in the thirties and forties.

Rainey Dawn While this fourth film may not be as strong of a story as the first three films in the series it is watchable - worth watching if you are into the Universal Classic Monsters.In this fourth film installment you will find out just how strong willed Ygor is. The original doctor's son, Ludwig, and Ygor seeks to restore the Monster to his full power and wants to rid the criminal brain that is inside of the Monster and transplant a new brain put into him. Will they succeed? Who's brain will be transplanted into the Monster? I enjoyed this film as much as I did the first three films in the series even if the story is a bit weaker than the others.In this film it is Lon Chaney, Jr. as The Monster. I think he did a fine job with his performance - as he was trying to fill the shoes of Boris Karloff in the role and is not an easy task. 8/10

Dan Franzen (dfranzen70) Here we go again. In the grand tradition of Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939) comes the fourth in Universal's series. This time around, the crazy doctor of the title is Ludwig (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), the brother of Basil Rathbone's character in Son of and the (other) son of Colin Clive's original Dr. Frankenstein in the original and Bride of movies.A generation or so has passed since the villagers last destroyed the Monster in a sulphur pit. But, of course, he's only mostly dead, and his old pal Ygor (Bela Lugosi) holds vigil outside the old Frankenstein castle, hoping the creature will revive himself. At the same time, angry villagers are mobilizing; they decide that there's a Frankenstein curse that's prohibiting their crops from growing and businesses outside of town (named after Frankenstein, for some reason) are refusing to deal with them. The curse must be broken, so off the villagers go to burn down the castle. The explosion indeed wakes up the preserved Monster, and he's reunited with his old pal Ygor.There's another Frankenstein a village or so away, as the crow flies - Ludwig. Ludwig, who runs an insane asylum out of his house, also works for the police; when the Monster is captured and put on trial, the good doctor is called in to deal with the situation. But Ygor, he's a cunning sort, and he persuades Ludwig to get the Monster remanded to Ludwig's own castle so that Dr. Frankenstein can work on giving the Monster a nice, new brain. (There appears to be some brain damage for the big guy; he can't speak, as he could - haltingly - in previous films, and simple logic isn't his forte.) Ygor, he of the broken neck from being ineptly hanged, wants his own brain to be placed in the creature's cranium.The setting is as eerie and stark as in other Universal monster movies. Hidden rooms, long staircases, vaulted ceilings - it's a realtor's dream. Ludwig also has a grown daughter Elsa (Evelyn Ankers, another Universal staple), who's probably named after Elsa Lanchester, who starred in Bride of Frankenstein. Elsa's boyfriend is Erik Ernst (Ralph Bellamy), who's stuck between the mob rule of the town and his fondness of the Frankensteins. Lionel Atwill plays one of Dr. Frankenstein's doctor associates. Lon Chaney, Jr., by the way, grunts his way around a macabre set as the Monster itself.For a movie that's the fourth in a series, Ghost of Frankenstein (so named, perhaps, because the ghost of the original Doctor appears) is competently acted, directed, and shot. No, more than that, it's expertly done. There's some overacting (Ankers), to be sure, but overall it's a very well realized hidden gem among Universal's many horror movies of the early 20th century.