5 Monstrous Facts About ‘Son of Frankenstein’
Svengoolie takes us back to the lab with the 1939 Bela Lugosi/ Boris Karloff match-up Son of Frankenstein, showing on Saturday, October 5, on his MeTV series, Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie. Though less well-known than 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein, this movie — which follows Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s son, Wolf, as he returns to his father’s castle and takes up the monstrous family business — is far from forgettable. In fact, it revived the Universal horror film (and gave Lugosi a break when he really, really needed it).
So hop up on the slab and get a load of these electrifying facts about Son of Frankenstein.
1It Revived Universal Horror Films
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Many of us think of the ’30s as a peak era of Universal monsters — after all, Dracula and Frankenstein both came out in 1931, with The Mummy and Bride of Frankenstein soon to follow. But the studio took a break from horror after 1936’s Dracula’s Daughter, a film which was rushed into production with only a semi-completed script, and didn’t reach the levels of box office success that previous Universal monster films did.
Universal were inspired to go back to the genre after a five-week repertory screening of Frankenstein and Dracula sold out at a theater in L.A. in 1938. That successful run let to a national re-release of Frankenstein and Dracula, as well as plans for this film, which was originally called After Frankenstein.
2It Was Bela Lugosi’s First Movie in Years
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Lugosi had experienced a bit of a career decline in the years before Son of Frankenstein; in 1937, he had to withdraw from the lead role in the serial film The Secret of Treasure Island due to back pain, and didn’t work for a year. In 1938, he was invited to make a personal appearance at the L.A. theater that was showing Dracula and Frankenstein; this, as well as the revival’s success, led the studio to cast him in Son of Frankenstein, where he played Ygor, an eerie blacksmith who has gained possession of Frankenstein’s monster.
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3It Was the Fifth Movie That Lugosi & Karloff Made Together
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Though the men were famous for their supposed rivalry, they actually appeared in eight films together. Their first joint film was 1934’s The Black Cat; promotional materials claimed the film to be “the monster of ‘Frankenstein’ plus the monster of ‘Dracula,’ plus the ‘monstrousness’ of Edgar Allan Poe, all combined by the master makers of screen mysteries to give you the absolute apex in super-shivery.” Though critics were not all sold on the film — the New York Times referred to it as “more foolish than horrible” upon release— it was a hit, and led to the actors to again meet up in 1935’s The Raven, among others.
Just because both men were stars of Son of Frankenstein, though, doesn’t mean they were paid the same. Lugosi famously made only around $4,000, while Karloff brought home $30,000 for this film.
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4Peter Lorre Turned Down a Starring Role
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Peter Lorre, who had spent the first part of the decade playing a vile villain in classics like M and The Man Who Knew Too Much, was originally approached for the role of Wolf, the son of Dr. Frankenstein. However, Lorre feared being typecast, as he put it, as a “meanie.” Starting in 1937, he had begun appearing as the titular detective in the Mr. Moto films, and didn’t want to go back to doing genre movies. Basil Rathbone played Wolf instead. And perhaps Lorre was right that staying away from horror was good for his career — just a few years later, Lorre picked up two of his most iconic roles, in 1941’s The Maltese Falcon and 1942’s Casablanca.
5It Was the Final Time Karloff Played Frankenstein’s Monster on the Big Screen
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Considering how deeply the creature is entwined with Boris Karloff’s legacy, it’s a little surprising that he only played the Monster three times on film — in Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and this movie. Karloff’s decision to move on was attributed to the uncomfortable makeup required to portray the character. It took hours a day to apply, and was so heavy that it was physically painful for him to wear. Karloff later commented, “After Son, I decided the character no longer had any potentialities – the makeup did all the work. Anybody who can take that makeup every morning deserves respect.” He would only don the Monster costume a handful of other times in his life, including on the TV show Route 66, where he joined Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney Jr playing themselves, in an episode that ended in them putting on their old monster costumes, one final time.
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Frankenstein
October 2024
Frankenstein’s monster has haunted us onscreen for nearly 100 years. Celebrate the O.G. creature in the movies and culture.
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