While this is probably the best of the first three Frankenstein movies, there is virtually no continuity. They completely ignore what happened in the first two movies and just make up a new story about the past. So in the fours years since Bride Of Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein has moved to America, had a son, died and his son is a married adult with a child of his own. He decides to go back to the old family mansion, thinking he can make the locals love him and restore the name of Frankenstein. When he gets there his servants from America are already there and have prepared the house. Finding out his butler's name is Benson was hilarious to me and I couldn't stop thinking about it. He decides to repair his dad's laboratory which has a hole in the roof from when he killed the monster. Even though he never had a laboratory(he worked in an old windmill that was destroyed) and the monster destroyed himself and Dr. Pretorius' lab at the same time. Although they completely changed the back story, it's still better than the first two. Did I mention that Wolf Frankenstein's son is possibly the worst child actor to have ever been caught on film? Plus he has a ridiculous perm and an accent that makes him almost impossible to understand. Sometimes it sounds Cajun but I'm not really sure. This is the first time ever I would recommend not seeing the earlier movies first. If you haven't seen them already, start here.

I now realize where a good deal of Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" was drawn from. Since it is primarily from the first film and "Bride," I now see how the idea of the return to the castle works. The one armed guy, the game of darts, and the railroad station bits are out of this movie. Also, the book with all the secrets, "How I Did It," is a hilarious response to the book found in this film. This is good. It has the atmosphere, the townsfolk, the village masters, the fears from previous years, and so on. Karloff is the monster again and he is manipulated by Lugosi's Ygor. Of course, it's more of the same. The Son can't help himself. He has to go back and recreate his father's experiments. He loses track of the incredible danger he is putting his family through. The door is also left open for further sequels.

The Third Frankenstein Film from Universal is a Lot of Things. It has a Heavy, Weighty Appeal with a Handsome, Gothic, Expressionistic Mounting and a Number of Fine, Melodramatic Performances from the Period's Iconic Horror Actors.Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lionel Atwill all Deliver Outstanding Characters that Come to Life and give the Picture a Rich Atmosphere of Living-Dread. The Surprise here may be Bela Lugosi in a Meaty Role of "Ygor". Lugosi is Ever Present with a Large Amount of Screen Time and becomes Central to the Plot as He Takes Control of the Movie and the Monster.Rathbone has Never been More Nervous and Out of His Skin. He becomes Borderline Insane as Things Spiral Out of Control and His Acting sets the Film on an Edge of Eccentricity. Electricity Cuts the Frame as Thunderstorms and Mad-Lab Gizmos Whizz and Whirr as the Movie takes place in a Surreal World with Everything Enormous and Foreboding.The Sets of Humongous Doors and Arches that Reach the Sky, Adorned with Gargoyles and Attachments that are Barely Accessible by mere Humans. The Art-Design Competes with the Baroque Characters in its Ability to Attract the Eye.Atwill is Remarkable as the "Inspector" with Memorable Lines and a Presence that is Unforgettable. Even Frankenstein's Wife and Child are in on the Action and the Pathos.Overall, it is a Winner of a Movie by any Standard and is only Overshadowed by the Two Previous Films that were so Good as to Render this one Third Best by Comparison, but Only by Comparison.This is a Rich and Rewarding Film with Highlights Galore, Full of Grotesqueries in a Gorgeous Production.

Excellent film - this third film did loose any of the story, chills and horror of the first two in the series.The son of Henry Frankenstein, Wolf von Frankenstein returns to his family's manor home from the United States. He is not received well for the town folks still feel anger towards Wolf's father for what they blame the Monster for (see the first two films). Wolf is handed a briefcase by the local Burgomaster which contains all of his father's notes. Trouble soon starts when Wolf finds the Monster in Ygor's care. The Monster is in a coma and will soon be revived.Wonderful film. The casting is terrific, story highly interesting, cinematography outstanding - everything just great as the previous two films. Worth watching! 9.5/10