- Ain't you afraid? - Of old Ygor? No.
- I say that I, for one, will not. - Enough!
He'll be met exactly as arranged.
Now, friends, on his deathbed...
the old Baron Frankenstein gave me this chest of papers...
to deliver to his son, and deliver it I shall.
Haven't we had enough of that name here?
There was a time when our village was prosperous and happy. Look at it now.
Forsaken, desolate, shunned by every traveller, and why?
Because of these Frankensteins.
We live in the black shadow of that cursed place up on the hill...
where only that crazy Ygor, with his broken neck, dares to stay.
And now we go to the railway station to welcome another Frankenstein.
This one is probably just as bad as his father...
who created a monster in the devil's own image.
It's in the blood, I tell you.
We've said these same words a thousand times, and they get us nowhere.
Fine talk, Herr Inspector.
But Baron Frankenstein does arrive tonight to claim his heritage.
- And then what? - Yes, what then?
That's true, but he'll find no friends here.
Nothing but locked doors and darkened windows...
locked hearts and bitter hatred.
Let that, too, be a part of the Frankenstein heritage.
Come, gentlemen.
We'll be there soon, darling.
That's good. So I can see Amelia.
That's right. Amelia will be there waiting for you, and so glad to see you.
What strange-looking country.
Not much like America, is it?
On my first trip to Europe, I was prepared for anything...
but I'm glad we went to London and Paris first.
We must be getting close to the village now.
It's exciting, isn't it?
Out there in the darkness, a new life lies before us.
No more college classrooms or faculty meetings.
- I feel rather like an explorer. - That's what it is.
We're going to explore something so foreign to us...
we can't even imagine what it'll be like.
A medieval castle. I wonder if there's a moat.
And a drawbridge, and a great tall, dark tower.
And battlements. Perhaps there's a haunted room.
Yes, there's sure to be a haunted room. The castle itself is supposed to be haunted.
- Because of... - Yes.
Because of the things my father did there.
I remember the stories Mother used to tell me when I was quite young in England.
It wasn't my father's fault that the being he created...
became a senseless, murderous monster. He was right.
You understand that, don't you, dear? He was right.
It was the unforeseen blunder of a stupid assistant...
that gave his creation the brain of a killer instead of a normal one.
And how my father was made to suffer for that mistake.
His name has become synonymous with horror and monsters.
Why, nine out of ten people...
call that misshapen creature of my father's experiments...
Frankenstein.
- Herr Baron Frankenstein? - Yes.
I will see that madam and the bags are placed in the car.
The Burgomaster's on the platform waiting for you.
Thank you.
- Herr Baron Frankenstein? - Yes.
I am Burgomaster of the village.
It's a great pleasure to see you, Herr Burgomaster.
These are the gentlemen of the council.
We come to meet you, not to greet you.
I deliver you these, on the instructions of your late father.
Thank you.
The large box contains certain papers pertaining to the estate.
- The small one, the key that will open it. - Thank you, I...
It is unfortunate that we cannot offer you a more cheerful welcome.
But we can't.
Herr Burgomaster, gentlemen of the council, villagers.
I quite realise that it was my father's misfortune...
to be the unwilling, unknowing cause of tragedy.
I'm so sorry that I don't remember him...
because I've been told that he was a good man.
And I know how greatly your tragedy must have weighed upon his mind.
I can't undo the wrongs that you've suffered...
but I beg of you, let the dead past remain buried.
My wife and I, and our son...
we want so much to be your friends.
There is a car waiting, Herr Baron.
Thank you. Thank you for your courtesy.
- There's my little darling! - Amelia!
I am glad to see you, Benson.
- Thank you, sir. Should I take this? - No, just take my coat, will you?
I'm so glad to see you.
Bless you.
What a comfort to find you here.
- Welcome, madam. Good evening, sir. - Good evening, Amelia.
Peter had better go right to bed. It's been a long trip.
Come along, darling.
Amelia, are the bedrooms cheery?
Yes, madam, quite cheery.
I think you'll be surprised.
It's medieval. It's exciting, exhilarating.
You really feel that you belong here already?
Yes, I think I do.
Why? Don't you like it?
It all seems so unreal, but I'm excited, too.
Good night, Daddy!
Daddy, look at me. I'm way up here on a mountain.
Good night, son.
I'll go and freshen up a bit and see that Peter is put to bed.
I'm terribly glad you're here with me.
Amelia, wait for me. I don't want to get lost.
Where did you get those other servants? They look like Tyroleans.
They are. None of the people of this province would serve here...
no matter what I offered to pay them.
Strange, superstitious creatures.
- Where's the library, if there is a library? - Here it is, sir.
I think you're rather like your father, sir.
If only I could have some small portion of his genius.
Think of it, Benson.
Here, in this very study...
the luminous facets of his brilliant mind conceived his outstanding theory...
of the source of life.
Here, he planned a miracle...
and saw it come to pass.
A miracle that the good people of Frankenstein called a monster.
They call it a lot worse than that, sir.
Such stories as I've never heard.
- Would you like a brandy, sir? - Yes, thank you, Benson.
"My son.
"Herein you will find my faiths, my beliefs, and my unfoldments.
"A complete diary of my experiments, charts, and secret formulas.
"In short, the sum total of my knowledge, such as it is.
"Perhaps you will regard my work with ridicule or even with distaste.
"If so, destroy these records.
"But if you, like me, burn with the irresistible desire...
"to penetrate the unknown, carry on.
"Even though the path is cruel and torturous, carry on.
"Like every seeker after truth...
"you will be hated, blasphemed, and condemned.
"But mayhap where I have failed, you will succeed.
"You have inherited the fortune of the Frankensteins.
"I trust you will not inherit their fate."
To you, sir.
Our Father...
help me be a good little boy, and bless Mummy and Daddy. Amen.
Good night, my darling.
I'll close the curtains, madam, so the lightning won't bother him.
Please don't close them, 'cause I like lightning.
He isn't afraid of anything, is he, madam?
His father has taught him never to be afraid, and he isn't.
Do you think he'll be all right here?
Yes, madam. Nothing can happen to him. I'll leave my door open.
Please do.
Why do you suppose they ever built in these beds in this strange position?
An old superstition.
"If the house is filled with dread, place the beds at head-to-head."
Come on, gentlemen, see! More bags for Frankenstein.
- Good evening, Inspector. - Good evening.
- The Baron is in, I know. - Yes, but...
A policeman.
- Herr Baron Frankenstein? - Yes.
I am Inspector Krogh of the district police.
I am glad to see you, Inspector. Benson, take the Inspector's cape.
Yes, sir.
- Won't you come in? - Thank you.
- Come over and dry out by the fire. - Thank you.
I've been studying some old papers of my father's.
- Care for a brandy? - Thank you, no.
I have come here, Herr Baron, to assure you of protection.
- Protection? From whom? - From a virulent and fatal poison.
Am I to be poisoned, then?
You are poisoned already by your name.
To the best of my knowledge, it has served my family faithfully for over 700 years.
You recommend that I change it to, say, Smith?
I'm afraid that wouldn't help.
You might change your name, but you can't erase the brand. That's indelible.
As long as you continue to live in this place, you're in danger.
You're speaking in riddles, Herr Inspector. Danger from whom?
The Burgomaster and his inhospitable villagers?
I think I can guarantee to control their animosity, but not their fears.
What are they afraid of, ghosts?
Perhaps.
I'm afraid I don't believe in them. Do you?
When they commit murder, yes.
- You're referring to the monster. - Perhaps.
My dear Inspector, he was destroyed years ago.
Perhaps.
Can we stick to facts, Inspector?
That my father instilled life into a dead man is perfectly true.
But I'm also convinced that stories of this creature...
have been so greatly exaggerated in the telling and the retelling...
that the simple folk of this neighbourhood now believe him to have been...
the most fiendish monster that ever walked this earth.
Do you honestly know of one criminal act that this poor creature committed?
Did you ever even see him?
The most vivid recollection of my life.
I was but a child at the time, about the age of your own son.
The monster had escaped and was ravaging the countryside...
killing, maiming, terrorising.
One night, he burst into our house.
My father took a gun and fired at him...
but the savage brute sent him crashing to a corner.
Then he grabbed me by the arm.
One doesn't easily forget, Herr Baron, an arm torn out by the roots.
No, I...
My lifelong ambition was to have been a soldier.
But for this...
I, who command seven gendarmes in a little mountain village...
might have been a general.
I wish I could do something to...
- Won't you change your mind for brandy? - Thank you, Baron.
I apologise if I've aroused your sympathy...
but I have found that by explaining my affliction...
it ceases to be quite such a curiosity.
You said there have been other murders committed since the destruction of the...
- Of my father's work. - Yes.
- How do you account for it? - Well, I can't.
Neither can the special agents imported for the purpose from Scotland Yard...
and the Sureté Francaise.
There have been six, all unsolved...
and all men of some prominence in the village.
In each case, the autopsy disclosed that death was caused by a violent concussion.
There were no marks on the bodies...
except a slight discoloration or bruise at the base of the brain.
But the hearts of all the victims were ruptured.
In fact, they had burst.
Hence the local superstition of the murdering ghost.
Need I add that it is always alluded to as Frankenstein?
Now it's rumoured that you, like your father, are a scientist.
The villagers have seen the strange instruments that preceded you.
That's why I've come to warn you.
Inspector Krogh, I should indeed seem ungrateful...
if I were not to thank you for your interest in my welfare.
But I can assure you I am not engaged in any black magic...
nor in the creation of monsters, however the villagers may think.
Nevertheless, Herr Baron, I stand ready when you need help.
I shall not need it.
When you need help, you have but to ring the alarm bell in the tower...
and I shall hear it wherever I may be and hasten to your assistance.
- Good night, Herr Baron. - Good night and thank you, Inspector.
Darling, this is Inspector Krogh of the police.
- How do you do? - Madam.
He called to assure us that he's at our service.
It's very good of you, Inspector.
Perhaps you'll honour us one night soon at dinner.
Madam, I...
I shall be honoured, madam.
Wasn't he odd?
Yes. He said if the villagers bothered us, he'd take a hand.
We seem to be rather undesirable characters.
They'll change their attitude when they get to know us a little better.
What a dreadful storm. What awful lightning!
It's magnificent.
Nothing in nature is terrifying when one understands it.
Think of it, darling.
My father drew that very lightning from heaven and forced it to his own will...
to bring life to a being that he created with his own hands.
Why should we fear anything?
Thank you, Benson.
Well, hello!
Good morning, son.
- Did you have a nice sleep? - Yes.
- What are you going to do now? - I'm going out hunting.
- What are you going to get? - Elephants and tigers.
That's fine. You better come along down here. There's some stairs over there.
You see, it isn't so bad in daylight, is it?
No, but I just hope we don't have any more nights like last night.
It's nights like that that make beautiful mornings like this.
I'm going to look over the estate...
and I'm going to take my gun with me, too.
You never can tell what you'll see, can you, Peter?
You might see some rhinoceros or alligators.
What's that, Daddy?
That? That's a boar.
Like Aunt Fanny?
No, Peter, not like Aunt Fanny. A wild boar.
I hope I don't have teeth like that.
- Why, darling? - They'd be too hard to clean.
Now you run along with Amelia. Don't go far.
- Goodbye, Peter. - Goodbye.
What's that weird-looking structure across the ravine?
That's my father's laboratory.
They blew the roof off when the monster was destroyed.
I can't wait to see inside it.
Sulphur.
Hey, you, come down here!
Come on, hurry up.
Come on, get up.
Why did you try to kill me?
- I thought you came here to kill me. - That's a fine story.
It's all right for you people to hate me, but attempted murder is another thing.
Who are you?
My name is Ygor.
Let me go, Frankenstein.
- I'm turning you over to Inspector Krogh. - No!
- Not give me to Krogh. - Why?
Krogh not want dead man. Ygor is dead.
What are you talking about?
You see that?
They hanged me once, Frankenstein.
They broke my neck.
They said I was dead.
Then they cut me down.
Hanged you?
- Why did they hang you? - Because I stole bodies...
- they said. - Yes. Well, what are you doing here?
They threw me in here long ago.
They wouldn't bury me in holy place like churchyard...
because I stole bodies, they said.
So Ygor is dead.
You Dr. Frankenstein, like your father?
Yes, but I can't mend a broken neck.
Nobody can mend Ygor's neck.
It's all right.
So you doctor?
Yes, I'm a doctor, amongst other things.
You come with me.
My grandfather.
My father.
Is this what you wanted to show me?
He's alive!
- How long has he been here? - Long time.
He is my friend.
He does things for me.
- Has he always been here? - Nearly always.
This is place of the dead.
We're all dead here.
- But he's not dead. - No, not dead.
Asleep.
Sick.
He has been so many months.
What happened?
- Did you... - Oh, no.
It happened one night when he was outside.
Outside?
Yes. He was...
hunting.
There was a great storm.
He was standing under tree...
when lightning strike.
- How did he get in here? - I find him and bring him home.
But he walks no more.
Evidence of trauma...
exactly the same as a human being.
- He was supposed to be destroyed. - No.
He cannot be destroyed.
Cannot die.
Your father made him live for always.
Now he is sick.
Make him well, Frankenstein.
- I don't know whether I... - Your father made him.
And Heinrich Frankenstein was your father, too.
Do you mean to imply then that...
that is my brother?
But his mother was lightning.
Electricity. We'll see.
I'll get my instruments from the castle. We'll take him up there.
No!
You cannot take him away.
Just up there in the old laboratory...
where I have light and room.
Please. You understand.
No one must see him, Frankenstein.
But does anyone know that he's here?
Good.
And no one will know that he is here...
until your creation, Father, walks again.
What's going on at Castle Frankenstein?
The whole village is alarmed with anxiety.
- Our men report nothing but quiet. - Quiet?
There's nothing so ominous as quiet. Besides, it isn't quiet.
From the cemetery on Crag Hill...
Hans Stenble can see Castle Frankenstein with his field glasses.
The servants have been moving large crates and boxes into the old laboratory.
They even have old Ygor helping them.
We Frankensteinians are as nervous as cats.
We grovel at the howl of a wolf.
When the wind slams the door or a shutter...
we tremble in our shoes and hide ourselves like frightened rabbits.
And always will with a Frankenstein in our midst.
What's he doing? That's all we want to know.
Yes, we want to know.
Let's get Ygor here and make him tell us.
Yes!
All right, Ygor, make it fast.
Ready?
Ready!
No!
What's the matter with you? What are you doing?
He cannot come in here. No one.
You want me to make him well? Very well, then. I'll need some help.
This man is not just my servant.
He's been with me for years, helping me with my experiments.
I need him now to make notes.
All right, I'll not make him well.
But if he tells...
All right, come along, Benson.
Get your notes, Benson.
Iris contracted.
Marked sclerectasia.
Mental abnormality.
Considerable osteodermia in the frontal region.
Apparently these are the exterior electrodes.
The means by which my father inducted the vital energy into the body.
Systolic pressure, over 300.
Diastolic, over 220. Three times normal.
Definite hyperpituitary. Minus 65.
That accounts for his great size.
No human heart could possibly function like that...
especially in his condition.
It's beating at over 250 to the minute.
He's completely superhuman.
Get your notes, Benson.
Left ventricular preponderance.
And look at this, Benson.
- Do you know what those are? - No.
Bullets. Two bullets in his heart.
But he still lives.
I've never seen blood like that before.
Polymorphocellular.
Extreme hemachrosis.
The alpha leukocytes apparently do not dissolve.
The structure of the blood is quite different from that of a normal human being.
The cells seem to be battling one another...
as if they had a conscious life of their own.
- What was in those boxes? - All kinds of things. Machines.
- What kind of machines? - All kinds.
Wheels turn around, electric lightnings come out.
Bottles, big ones, little ones.
Medicine. All kinds.
He doctor. I don't understand his business.
I am blacksmith.
Body snatcher, you mean?
Yes.
Has he asked you to rob any graves?
- To get him a body? - No!
Tell us the truth, or we'll hang you again and make a better job of it next time.
No, you no can hang me again. Can they?
No, that's been settled. You were hanged and pronounced dead.
But he was not dead.
He was pronounced dead by Dr. Burgher.
And all the others Burgher's pronounced dead for the last 30 years...
have been dead, haven't they?
If Ygor came to life again, it's the devil's work, not the court's.
You mean that if he commits another crime, he can't be hanged again?
- Yes, but... - I do nothing.
I help Frankenstein.
He good man. He pay me money.
Well, you watch him.
And if he starts to do anything like his father and you don't tell us...
I'll see that you hang again.
You? Alone?
It took eight men before to say I was to be hanged.
The same eight will find you guilty again.
So?
- The same eight aren't here, Weber. - No?
Well, I'm one of the eight, and I'll be one again with pleasure.
You, Neumüller.
You were one.
And I, too.
Yes. You, too, Lang.
That's right. I remember.
That's all here now?
Yes.
The other six are all dead.
They die. Dead.
I die. Live.
Quiet! That'll be all, Ygor.
Go back to Castle Frankenstein and be careful.
- You spit on me! - I am sorry. I cough.
You see, bone get stuck in my throat.
The results of my extensive examinations establish beyond doubt...
that the creature was brought to life originally...
by an electrical impulse of terrifying potency.
It appears that my father thought that he could extract from lightning...
some super-violet ray of life-giving properties.
From a careful analysis of his electrical hookup...
I've learned that he actually attracted cosmic rays...
which neither he, nor anyone else in the world of science at that time...
even knew existed.
Of course, since then, many of our most profound scientists...
have come to believe that these rays are actually the very source of life itself.
This creature is indeed a monster.
There is not one part of his physical being that's like that of human beings.
From his warped brain...
down to the tiniest argumentative cell of his huge carcass...
he's unearthly.
Every fantastic story told of him by the people of Frankenstein...
I now believe to be absolutely true.
I, as a man...
should destroy him.
But as a scientist...
I should do everything in my power to bring him back to conscious life...
so that the world can study his abnormal functions.
That would vindicate my father...
and his name would be enshrined among the immortals.
Benson, turn on the generator.
- Stop! - Quiet, you fool!
It's no good, Ygor. I've done everything I can.
I'm afraid we'll never get him out of this coma.
Come on, Benson.
Take off these electrodes.
I'm not going to work at Castle Frankenstein any longer.
I've seen enough to make me suspicious. I'm going to quit.
No, you're not.
You'll stay there and report to me everything you see and hear.
I'll call there myself this afternoon.
You'll be well repaid.
Now go back and don't tell anyone you've seen me.
- Understand? - Yes, sir.
I'd like very much to visit the village, but I'm ashamed to say I don't dare.
I think you're very wise, madam. There's a definite feeling of tension there...
and I'm sure you'll be much better off not to risk the discourtesy of the villagers.
Yes, that's what Wolf said.
I suspect the Baron, too, finds time heavy on his hands here.
No, never. He's almost constantly in his laboratory.
- Laboratory? - Yes.
He's fixed over his father's old one, you know.
He's deep in some experiment.
I see. What sort of experiment?
I'm sure I don't know. I never bother him at times like this.
He's terribly preoccupied now.
But as soon as his problem's solved, he'll be as gay as a lark again.
He's like that.
- Is he in his laboratory now? - No.
He came in to lunch looking grey as a ghost.
I could see he was on pins and needles...
so I suggested that he go out into the open air for a while.
He's been gone for hours.
- You don't mind being left alone? - Not in the daytime, but at night...
- Good afternoon, Inspector. - Good afternoon, Herr Baron.
- I trust you enjoyed your walk. - Yes, very much.
There's nothing like a good walk through the woods for clearing one's mind.
- Won't you sit down? - Thank you.
Yes, you scientists must have to have clear minds and steady nerves.
The Baroness has just been telling me that you're knee-deep in experiments.
- Yes. - And working in your father's laboratory?
The villagers call it "the Monster's home."
Haven't seen him stalking about by any chance, have you?
No.
- I fear he'll never stalk again. - That's a relief.
But I'm curious to know why you chose that place to work.
- It was my father's. - But without a roof?
I sealed it up with some heavy canvas.
Don't the sulphur fumes bother you?
- No, not at all. - Sulphur fumes?
Forgive me, perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned that. I thought madam knew.
- Tell me. - You see, our family history states...
that the structure was built by the Romans over a natural sulphur pit...
and used by them as mineral baths.
One of the first health resorts, perhaps.
Health resort.
Yes, possibly.
But during the succeeding centuries, the boiling sulphur increased in its intensity...
until now, I believe, it is over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Exactly. - Even the stoutest Roman...
couldn't venture into that today...
without being parboiled to the bones in just a few moments.
Wolf, you do pick the strangest places.
I'd like to see how you fixed it up.
I'll have you come there some time and parboil you.
Well, hello!
- Mother, may I come in? - Come on in, son.
Peter, this is Inspector Krogh.
- How do you do? - How do you do, sir?
You're not supposed to shake hands with a left hand.
I'm sorry. That was very rude of me.
You're not supposed to wear gloves in the house, either.
- Son. - Sorry again.
But, you see, I only have one real arm. This one isn't mine.
Well, whose is it?
You see, Inspector Krogh lost his other real arm...
in the war.
He's a soldier.
- Are you a general? - No, he's more than a general.
He's an inspector.
Well, I'm a soldier myself, and I've been hunting all day long.
Hunting? Did you get anything?
Yes, a few elephants and a few tigers.
Did you have a nice long nap, darling?
No, not a very long nap.
A giant came in here and woke me up.
A giant? What an imagination.
No, Amelia, it wasn't imagination.
It was a giant and he woke me up.
And when I got up, he had a hold of my arm.
Did you chase him away with your gun?
No, he was a nice giant.
I gave him my picture book and then he went away.
Are there lots of giants around here?
Only one that I ever heard of.
That must have been him, then.
Perhaps.
You're pretty much of a giant yourself, aren't you?
Aren't we getting heavy?
Excuse me, Inspector.
I'll take him up to the nursery. It's almost his suppertime.
Here we go.
It must be that book Jack the Giant Killer...
that's got into his head with his great imagination.
Here we go up the big mountain.
Duck your head.
Hold tight. We're almost there.
Here we are.
Now, Peter...
I want you to tell me all about the elephants, the tigers...
and that giant.
Really, Daddy, there weren't any elephants and tigers.
I just made-believe that.
- But what about the giant? - What giant?
The one you gave your storybook to.
He's real.
What did he look like?
He was a great big man with a hairy coat on.
And he walked like this.
What an imagination!
Yes. See you later, son.
What a boy!
Going out, Herr Baron?
Yes, I just remembered a thing I have to check in my laboratory.
I almost forgot the time. I'm getting sort of absent-minded.
I'll have to hurry, if you'll excuse me.
Ygor!
How did he get out of here?
You make him well with your lightning.
After you go, he get up and walk.
Now he's all right again.
Come.
Good man.
He must never get out again. Never.
He just do what I tell him, always.
See?
Go.
No one must know that he's here.
No one know now, but you and Benson man.
He'll never tell.
No, he will never tell.
Come.
Igor.
Ygor, I made him walk, but I haven't made him well.
He isn't well here. You understand?
I must continue my experiments.
He's well enough for me...
and you no touch him again.
If you want him to be well, you must keep him here always.
- Understand? - I keep him here.
You sent for me, sir?
Yes, Benson. Inspector Krogh is still in the library.
I can't stand his suspicious look, so I called you in here.
Yes, sir.
- Benson, it's alive! - Alive? You mean...
- Yes, alive! - But you said our experiment...
I know. I, too, at first thought that we failed, but I've actually seen it walk.
Walk?
It's like some huge animal.
Never in my life have I known cold fear...
until that moment that I felt his hand on my shoulder.
I was like a child's doll in those huge hands.
He could have crushed me as I would have crushed an eggshell.
- How did you escape him, sir? - Ygor came in.
It's amazing the control he exercises over that thing.
It's hypnosis, or something more elemental perhaps.
- What are you going to do about it? - Do? Continue my experiments.
- But what if he... - I'm not worried.
He's dangerous, of course, but he loves Ygor and obeys him.
My problem is how to make Ygor obey me.
But what about madam and Master Peter, sir?
Oh, yes, I'll have to send them away.
I'll suggest tonight that they make a trip to Brussels.
Get some tickets for the noon train tomorrow.
I hope you forgive me speaking my way, but I've served you for many years.
I think it would be better if you called in Inspector Krogh and told him everything.
No, I will not!
I have begun this thing and I'll finish it. I'll not be halted by anything...
till I'm the complete master of this living, breathing, intelligent creature...
my father dreamed of creating.
- Herr Neumüller. How are you? - Fine, Schmidt.
- Thank you. - I hope you don't feel I'm an intruder.
Not at all, Inspector.
Well, I practically invited myself to dinner, but I...
No, of course not.
It's a great pleasure to have you. You're our first guest.
I never thought I'd have the privilege of being entertained at Castle Frankenstein.
No, it's a great pleasure to have you here. You see, you're our first guest.
You just said that, didn't you, dear?
Well, you are.
Where is Benson? Why isn't he serving dinner?
We don't know, madam.
He went up to the nursery for the baby's supper tray...
and we haven't seen him since.
Have you seen him, Wolf?
Yes, dear.
I sent him over to the laboratory to get some notes for me...
that I want to work on after dinner tonight.
But how long ago?
Perhaps my instructions were a little complicated...
and he may have become confused.
You know, he hates to make mistakes.
That awful knocker.
Fritz, will you see who it is, please?
Wolf, couldn't we install an old-fashioned doorbell?
That boom almost makes me jump out of my skin.
Yes, dear, I'll have a bell put in.
The knocker must have been used in the old days to arouse the entire household.
A sort of call to arms in times of danger.
It's one of your men, Inspector.
There has been an accident in the village. A sudden death.
He requested that you come at once.
I'm terribly sorry. Please excuse me.
What a shame to leave a delicious dinner like this for so sordid a thing as...
I trust that nothing has happened to your butler, madam.
- Thank you. - Good night.
Baron.
I think you ought to try and find Benson. I'm terribly worried about him.
- Yes, I will. - But don't go alone.
Silly. I'll be all right.
- What's the matter with him? - He's asleep.
- Have you seen Benson? - Yes.
- When? - About two hours ago.
- Where? - Here.
He say you tell him monster walk again.
He came to see.
Monster walk.
Benson run!
Where did he run to? He isn't at the castle.
He just run away in the woods.
That thing's enough to scare anyone.
I didn't think Benson would come here.
Are you telling me the truth? You didn't kill him?
No.
Why, I scare him to death. I don't have to kill him to death.
Where does the ladder into the sulphur pit lead to?
- A cave. - A cave?
It's warm. We stay there in winter.
- Where does the cave lead to? - Just cave.
My deepest sympathies, Frau Neumüller.
How did it happen?
He must have been asleep and fallen off his wagon.
The wheels passed over his legs breaking them, and crushing his chest.
See here?
Will you all leave while Dr. Burgher and I make out the death certificates?
Any other marks or bruises?
Examine the back of the neck.
- You don't think that... - Perhaps.
We won't know until you perform an autopsy.
Examine the heart, and report to me at once.
- What happened to Benson? - I don't know, really, dear.
I've been working him pretty hard lately.
Maybe he just wanted to go out and get drunk.
But Benson doesn't drink.
Well, perhaps he does sometimes.
He'll be back in the morning bright and early. You'll see.
- Don't worry about him. - It's you I'm worried about.
You aren't yourself.
Are you keeping something from me?
No, darling.
Is this place getting on your nerves?
I hate it here, Wolf.
- I'm terribly afraid all the time. - I'm sorry, dear.
I'm going to send you and Peter away in the morning.
I want you to take a trip to Brussels, and I'll follow you in a few days.
I've tried so desperately to match your bravery, but...
My dear.
I'll be all right.
There's a good girl.
- Where are you going? - To get Peter.
I'll feel better having him in here with me.
No!
Good morning, Inspector. You're up rather early, aren't you?
You're early yourself, Baron. I came to inquire about your butler.
Have you found him, dead or alive?
No, but he'll be back. He's done this sort of thing before.
These sudden disappearances. Can I give you a light?
Thank you, no.
He was in the war, you know. He was wounded in the head.
It makes him rather funny at times.
But don't worry about him.
I'm going down to the village. Will you come along with me?
The village? There's not a shop open.
No, I'm going to the railroad station.
My wife and child are going away for a slight holiday.
So?
So, you see, I have to do all the arranging myself...
- now that that stupid Benson's gone. - I'm afraid I must ask you not to go, Baron.
Neither you, nor your wife, or child.
That accidental death that called me from your dinner last night...
was another burst heart.
Listen.
Ygor, shut up! He's been playing that thing all night.
There's a mob at your gate.
They have a strange notion that you had something to do with it.
Silly, isn't it?
Silly? They're mad. I'll go down there and tell them so.
- No, you won't go, Baron. - Why?
We'll talk it over...
inside.
All right, if you like.
- Inspector. - Madam.
My dear, I assume from the Inspector's attitude and pointed implications...
- That I'm under arrest. - Arrest?
It appears we've returned to the Middle Ages.
The villagers have laid siege to the castle and are crying out for blood!
Madam, I...
A man is murdered a mile away, and do you know what killed him?
My name.
The very name of Frankenstein burst his heart.
And now the happy little villagers are clamouring for my blood!
I'm afraid the Baron is in a humorous mood this morning.
I suppose it has its humorous side, but you're not under arrest, madam.
I'm merely here to guarantee you protection against any unprovoked assault.
Unprovoked assault!
Inspector, you mean it isn't safe for us to leave?
I'm afraid not, madam.
But is there any reason why you shouldn't be perfectly safe here?
If one simple-minded villager as much as sets foot inside that door...
I'll shoot him like a dog! You can tell them that for me...
as long as you won't allow me to tell them myself.
I've never seen him so violent.
Madam, last night I missed my dinner, and this morning I've had no breakfast.
Now, do you think...
Certainly. I'll order some at once. If you'll...
Herr Baron, shall we go into the library?
I prefer to remain here, thank you.
Shall we go into the library?
I don't mind telling you, Inspector, that as a guest in my own house...
you'll find me extremely disagreeable.
Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main
- May I come in? - Come in, Inspector, please.
Thank you. Hello, young man.
- Your mother said I could visit you. - Hello, General.
I'll be back in a moment, darling. Excuse me, please.
You see, I have no young son of my own.
Oh, that's too bad.
- Have you done any more hunting lately? - Yes.
- Has the giant paid you any more visits? - Yes.
- He's a great big fellow, I imagine. - Yes.
So big, possibly, he can hardly get through that door?
No, he doesn't come through the door.
No? Where does he come in? Through the window? The fireplace?
- Through the wall. - Through the wall?
- Where? - Over there.
That's very interesting.
You're not afraid of him at all, are you, Peter?
No, he's a nice giant. He gave me a watch.
- A watch? - Yes.
- Would you like to see it? - Very much.
Thank you.
Yes, it's a very nice watch. A very...
nice watch.
Peter, shall we go downstairs and have some nice hot chocolate?
Yes.
- If the General will come with me. - I'll be very pleased, sir.
Here we go.
- Hurry up. - All right, I'm coming.
Superstitious, blundering idiot!
Prying, insinuating, accusing. I'll kick him out of the house!
I'll not be heckled by a stupid, intolerable policeman.
Wolf, the way you're carrying on...
if I were a policeman, I'd be suspicious myself.
- You would? - Yes, I would.
Mysterious things have happened. A murder in the village.
Our own dear Benson disappears for no reason.
They probably think you, like your father, have created another monster or...
He's got even you, my own wife, believing that I...
I believe nothing. I don't care about Krogh.
But I'm afraid for you, for Peter.
And only you, Wolf, can restore my confidence.
Please, darling, Elsa, please have faith in me!
I'm sorry that I lost control of myself.
I've no reason for being nervous like this. But I've been working too hard.
A terrific experiment, one that I wanted to surprise you with...
one that would establish me and my work. My work...
as something outstanding in the world of science.
But believe me, darling, there's nothing to be afraid of.
I wouldn't be afraid if I hadn't, for the first time, sensed you were afraid.
Me? Oh, silly.
Everything's under control. I'll not lose my temper again. You'll see.
Inspector.
Sorry, young man. I shan't be able to take chocolate with you.
Tell your father and mother I'll be back very soon.
- Goodbye, General. - Krantz, remain here on guard.
Now I can go to the lab.
I mean, I must go to the lab. Only for a minute, dear.
I won't be long, really.
No touch him, Frankenstein!
No touch him...
or something happens to you worse than dying.
- How long has he been here? - All night.
You liar! He was in the village.
- You made him kill Herr Neumüller. - Yes, why not?
Neumüller kills me.
Eight men say Ygor hang.
Now eight men dead.
- All dead! - You crazy fool!
If Krogh finds him, he'll kill him. Then he won't be any good to either of us.
You get out of here. If I find you hanging around here again, I'll...
He's mine! He no belong to you!
You go away, not me!
Get back!
Where is everybody?
The Baron's in the library, sir. The rest of the family are at dinner.
I've had to send to Bandleheim for additional police.
Krantz, you report to Sgt. Schiller at the lower gate.
- The crowd is becoming unmanageable. - Herr Inspector.
Come in.
Good evening, Inspector. I thought that I'd see you sooner.
Sorry. I've been busy. Very busy indeed, for me.
My job is usually a rather sleepy one.
- Have a drink? - Thank you, no.
I'm afraid I shall require all the wits I've got tonight.
I've never seen you disturbed before, Inspector.
- You've even forgotten to take off your hat. - Not forgotten, Herr Baron.
Merely a matter of form.
My business tonight is official, not social.
Rather a crude custom, I agree...
but a custom.
Well, sir, what news from the front?
Another death. Another inquest.
When did it occur? This afternoon?
No. Sometime last night.
It was only discovered late this morning.
Herr Lang, this time.
The village apothecary.
A very old and dear friend.
He'll be mourned.
- Too bad. - Yes, isn't it?
Herr Lang? Never heard of him before. Oh, well.
I suppose the villagers will say I killed him, just the same.
No, not that you killed him, but that you know who did.
Really? But of course I know who did.
Haven't you heard? The Monster!
Yes, that's what they think.
Is it the old legendary monster of my father's time...
or am I supposed to have whipped one up...
as a housewife whips up an omelette?
I've been here over a month, you know.
Your wife and child are in danger.
So? From what?
- You tried to send them away. - I will tomorrow, in spite of you.
You forget I have my hat on.
Meaning that I'm under arrest?
Yes.
I promised your arrest to the villagers to keep them quiet for the moment.
For the murder of Lang and Neumüller?
No. For the murder of Benson.
A technical charge, for the time being.
Why don't you search the laboratory? You have my permission.
I've searched it already without your permission...
with two men the other night.
We found nothing incriminating but a very large table...
fit for a giant.
Yes, it was my father's.
I reconstructed it out of curiosity.
Why don't you search it again?
By George...
I think I know who your monster may be.
Good. Who?
Old Ygor.
Of course. Why not?
Everybody wants to hang old Ygor again...
yet he has a perfect alibi.
He was constantly under observation when every murder was committed.
It's curious that the entire jury that hanged him is dead.
But he was never seen at the scene of the crime.
Yet it would be too simple to hang old Ygor.
I don't trust him!
I'm gonna find him and kick him off the estate...
with your permission.
Yes.
If you like.
Amelia, you can put Peter to bed at once, but stay with him.
Yes, madam.
Inspector, I'm more terrified every minute.
Madam, I personally guarantee to get you and your son out of here in the morning.
And Wolf. He's a bundle of uncontrollable nerves and...
Yes. I'm going in now to comfort him.
Thank you.
Come in.
- Did you find Ygor? - Yes, I got rid of him. Have a drink?
How did you get rid of him?
I killed him! He tried to murder me with his hammer, so I shot him.
- What are you gonna do about it? - Compliment you.
For it is he who undoubtedly killed Benson.
He's dead. Murdered.
I just found his body in a secret passageway off the nursery.
Here's his watch.
It was in the possession of your son.
And here's a bit of chain that was attached to Benson's vest.
But Ygor didn't do it, nor did you.
Nor was it done by any ghost. There's a monster afoot and you know it.
He's in your control.
By heaven, I think you're a worse fiend than your father.
Where is this monster? Where is he?
I'll stay by your side until you confess.
And if you don't, I'll feed you to the villagers...
like the Romans fed Christians to the lions.
I wouldn't put it past you.
In the meantime, will you have a drink?
Or would you like to play darts?
Amelia!
Where is Peter, Amelia? Where is he?
He's gone!
Peter!
- What is it? - Peter's gone!
I'm going to the laboratory!
Here we are.
Peter!
Open the door!
Daddy!
Oh, baby.
Herewith I deed to you the castle and the estates of Frankenstein.
Do with them what you will.
And may happiness and peace of mind be restored to you all.
Goodbye.
- Goodbye, gentlemen. - Goodbye, Baron.
- Goodbye, Peter. - Goodbye, General.