FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN

Lon Chaney and Bela Lugosi

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943). Director: Roy William Neill. Colorized.

Awakened in his tomb, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) seeks the help of the gypsy woman Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) to finally rid himself of the curse of werewolf-ism. The pair initially wind up in the town of Frankenstein, where Talbot attempts to find the doctor's diary, inexplicably believing that he can learn the secret of ending his immortality in there. Instead he finds the monster (Bela Lugosi). A doctor, Mannering (Patric Knowles), follows Talbot's trail, and discovers he has reached out to Frankenstein's granddaughter, Elsa (Ilona Massey) to ask her aid in finding the diary. As Elsa and Mannering bond, eventually the two monsters engage in a brief battle that seems to finish both of them off. 

Dennis Hoey and Patric Knowles

Right away you can see the slapdash quality of the picture when according to the opening credits the main stars of the picture are not Chaney and Lugosi, but Knowles and Massey! Everything in the movie seems thrown together in great haste to bring the thing quickly into theaters. Chaney repeats his Wolfman role and is adequate, the great Lugosi is better, Knowles is professional, and Massey is vaguely attractive. Dennis Hoey as Inspector Owen, Lionel Atwill as the Mayor, Rex Evans as bar owner Vazec, and the wonderful Ouspenskaya are more on the mark. But even back in the day the meeting of these two great monsters must have been a big disappointment to the fans. 

Verdict: Not one of the better Franky movies. **1/2. 

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

Karloff and Lugosi

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939). Director: Rowland V. Lee. Colorized.

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone of Hillbillies in a Haunted House) arrives in the town where his father created his monster with his wife Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and little boy, Peter (Donnie Dunagan), in tow. No one in the village is pleased to see this new Frankenstein, but at least the Inspector (Lionel Atwill of Captain America). whose arm was torn off by the monster, is willing to provide protection for him. Wolf learns that not only is the monster still alive, but that the malevolent Ygor (Bela Lugosi of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) has been using him to kill off those who sentenced him to die for graverobbing. (Instead he just wound up with a broken neck.) The monster has been inactive since being struck by lightning, but Wolf stupidly decides to revive him. Naturally havoc ensues ...

Rathbone and Hutchinson

Son of Frankenstein is a fun and absorbing picture with weird art deco sets and some terrific performances. Lugosi arguably gives the best performance of his career as the gleefully conniving and cackling Ygor. Rathbone, Hutchinson and Atwill are also excellent, and little Dunagan gets by on sheer adorableness. Karloff is basically mute in this but still quite effective. The film has genuine suspense and moves at a swift pace. If there's any problem with the movie it's that Wolf Frankenstein is essentially an asshole, endangering his wife and child, and never really gets his comeuppance for this. The film also has a very interesting score by Frank Skinner. 

Verdict: Wonderful old Universal horror flick. ***1/4. 

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Elsa Lancaster and Colin Clive

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). Director: James Whale.

Outrageous, campy, over-the-top and even bordering on the edges of schlock at times, Bride of Frankenstein is still a fascinating and highly entertaining picture, fast-paced (it just never stops), and beautifully photographed by John J. Mescall, with a fine score by Franz Waxman and rich art direction by Charles D. Hall. The monster survived the fire at the end of Frankenstein, and meets up with the nutty Dr. Pretorius (a gleeful Ernest Thesiger), who kidnaps Elizabeth (now played by Valerie Hobson) to force Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) to make his monster a mate. Dwight Frye is back as another sinister, grave-robbing assistant. The film is, oddly, very contemporary in its casual amorality and scenes of black comedy (interspersed with pathos, such as the long scene between the monster and the kindly blind violinist -- O.P. Heggie -- which also borders on black comedy). Una O'Connor as the hysterical maid Minnie is perhaps more irritating than amusing. The little people that Dr. Pretorius created and shows off to Henry have nothing to do with Shelley's novel and remind one of the later Attack of the Puppet People. Alternately child-like and frightening, Boris Karloff (billed as "Karloff" above the title) is magnificent. John Carradine has a small role as a hunter. Followed by Son of Frankenstein.

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this sequel is much more entertaining than the original. ***.