Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Directed by Rowland V. Lee, Son of Frankenstein (1939) tells the story of Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, the son of infamous scientist Henry Frankenstein. In an attempt to redeem his father’s name, Wolf moves his wife Elsa and young son Peter to their family castle. However, he quickly realizes that this will not be an easy task as the villagers hold a deep resentment towards the Frankenstein family due to past events involving Henry’s Monster. The only person who offers Wolf any friendship is Inspector Krogh, a local police officer with an artificial arm from a childhood encounter with the creature. While exploring the castle, Wolf crosses paths with Ygor, a deformed blacksmith who managed to survive being hanged for grave-robbing.

In the crypt where his grandfather and father are laid to rest, Wolf discovers the comatose body of the Monster. On Henry’s sarcophagus is written ‘Heinrich von Frankenstein’, but someone has added ‘Maker of Monsters’ in chalk. In an attempt to prove Henry’s claims and redeem his family’s reputation, Wolf decides to bring the Monster back to life. Using a torch, he erases the word ‘Monsters’ from the creature’s chest and replaces it with ‘Men’. Once revived, however, the Monster only responds to Ygor’s commands. Ygor orders the Monster to commit a series of murders, while Peter shares stories of a friendly giant who visits him at night and whom he even gave a picture book to.