Karloff's final turn as the Monster certainly doesn't allow him to go out with a bang. Despite having one of the better casts in the series, Son is an overlong and boring venture that never really goes anywhere. We've seen it done already with Frankenstein himself, why do we need to see his son (who should know better) make the same mistakes?

That said, Holmes-veteran Rathbone puts on a great show as the tormented doctor, one might even say he's better than Colin Clive, but it's still a case of been there, done that with this movie. Of course, Karloff is still perfect as the monster (now sporting a stylish caveman vest), even having lost all his "humanity" and intelligence from the previous film. Once again, it pales in comparison to Bride Of Frankenstein, and just doesn't seem as important or interesting as it was in that film. On the other hand, Bela Lugosi takes over for Dwight Frye's maniac characters as the broken-necked sociopath Ygor, the man keeping the Monster alive after his supposed demise at the end of the previous film.

As Karloff did in the other movies, Lugosi steals the show in Son Of Frankenstein with his evil yet likeable character. His demented flute playing and unnatural facial expressions certainly leave a lasting impression. You have to wonder if this wasn't Lugosi's revenge in a way, for having given up the Monster part to Karloff. We'll probably never know now, but that would be my guess.

The story once again concerns the Frankenstein family's struggles with their patriarchs creation. They seem to be drawn to the Monster, no matter how hard they try to avoid him, he's always waiting for a moment of weakness to once again strike at them (including the doctor's son in this entry). Aside from new characters and a different setting though, Son Of Frankenstein follows the same basic story as the other films in the series and just can't stay interesting.

Even being the least of the series though, this is by no means a bad movie, and for those who've never seen the other films, you may well enjoy it more than I did. Obviously, anyone who would seek out this film (before the DVD releases anyway) is enough of a fan of the series to enjoy it anyway. (Red, 6/15/04)

Directed By: Rowland V.Lee.
Written By: Wyllis Cooper.

Starring: Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lionel Atwill.