4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very flawed, but with Karloff and Chaney its still a lot of fun, November 30, 2008
This review is from: House of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Released in 1944 and directed by Erle C. Kenton, House of Frankenstein is the 2nd crossover movie and the first to feature, Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolf Man and Dracula; the previous installment Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man only featured the Monster and the Wolf Man. I suppose it was just a matter of time before the big 3 were in a movie together. After the success of Frankenstein and Dracula they soon had sequels and both started to run out of steam. To be honest outside of the original Dracula by Tod Browning I was never into the Dracula series and actually I'm not that big a fan of the original. I enjoy it, but it's my least favorite movie that I've seen by Tod Browning.
I mostly enjoyed the Frankenstein series though; the original is a brilliant masterpiece as is Bride of Frankenstein. The combination of star Boris Karloff and director James Whale was a match made in cinema heaven. But in the 3rd part Son of Frankenstein, Whale was gone, but Karloff returned. While enjoyable it was lacking a little bit and it was saved by Karloff even if he wasn't given much to do except shuffle around. It's been years since I've seen Ghost of Frankenstein, which was directed by Erle C. Kenton, but I do remember not liking it at all.
Going into House of Frankenstein I was unsure what to expect; I didn't like Ghost of Frankenstein, which was done by Kenton and I didn't like the follow up to this movie House of Dracula also done by Kenton. The previous installment Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man despite it's flaws was overall pretty good seeing as it had a decent director in Roy William Neill and an excellent writer in Curt Siodmak and here in House of Frankenstein Boris Karloff makes his big return to the series, but he isn't playing the Monster that role is now played by Glenn Strange who takes the role over from Bela Lugosi who previously played the Monster.
House of Frankenstein mostly gets over well with the audience, but there are some flaws, but despite the flaws House of Frankenstein is a semi-classic. This marks the return of Boris Karloff and was the first time Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. appeared in a movie together so for fans this was a great treat. Watching my favorite horror actor in Karloff teamed with another of my all time favorite horror actors in Chaney was such a joy to watch.
House of Frankenstein gets off to a solid start it does slow down a little bit. The biggest letdown is the fact Count Dracula now played by John Carradine never shares the screen with the Monster or the Wolf Man. So if you are expecting a 3 way showdown you'll be very disappointed. Carradine only appears for a few minutes and quite honestly his scenes were rather pointless. He serves no real purpose to the plot. Another letdown is the Wolf Man and the Monster actually have no scenes together and Chaney only turns into the Wolf Man twice very briefly and finally the Monster doesn't come alive until the final 10-minutes or so, but it strapped down and doesn't actually get to walk around until the final couple of minutes.
But despite these flaws there is a certain charm House of Frankenstein has even if it could have been a lot better. The script was written by Edward T. Lowe based off a story by the Iconic Curt Siodmak, who wrote such genre classics, as The Wolf Man, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and I Walked with a Zombie. The script by Edward T. Lowe was good, but at times not very interesting. The characters though are fairly well done, but the only problem is Chaney is giving little to do. For the most part all he does is say the same lines as the previous part, but Chaney is still great here, but slightly failed by his writer. Overall the script is good, but at times just not interesting.
Director Erle C. Kenton does a fairly good ob; as I stated he also did Ghost of Frankenstein and House of Dracula and I wasn't into either flick. But here he does well, but he also has an excellent cast to work with. Some of the problems aren't due to him, but he also never elevates the movie. He does a good job, but nothing great.
John Carradine gets some heat as Dracula, but in fairness he really wasn't bad. Look bottom line is he's some big shoes to fill in. Bela Lugosi was by far the best Dracula and taking over that role is damn near impossible. But I liked Carradine as Dracula, he isn't as good as Lugosi, but he does bring more to the role than most people give him credit for.
Glenn Strange takes over the role as the Frankenstein Monster and it's quite hard to rate his performance since for most of the movie he isn't alive and when he becomes alive he's strapped down until the final couple of minutes. But I liked the way he looked; he does look a little like Karloff did when he played the Monster and his movements were pretty good. Again seeing as he's in the movie so briefly it's tough to rate, but based on the other installments with Strange, I'd rate him as my 2nd favorite Monster behind Karloff obviously.
And speaking of Boris Karloff it was great to see him back in the series. This time he plays Dr. Gustav Niemann who is pretty much an evil version of Dr. Frankenstein. Karloff always is great and I love him as a villain. He's quite cold in House of Frankenstein, no humanity at all and that is why he's so great since he brought such humanity when he played the Monster. Sadly Karloff isn't really given the best of dialogue, but what he has he works it and this was another great performance by Karloff.
Lon Chaney Jr. is brilliant as Larry Talbot, but he mostly just recites the same lines as he had in the previous, but Chaney is so great in the role it's easy to overlook and his scenes with Karloff were brilliant and a great treat for the fans. But I have to say J. Carrol Naish as Daniel the Hunchback assistant to Dr. Gustav Niemann steals the show.
Overall House of Frankenstein is a fun watch despite at times not being very interesting, but it's never really boring and is a fun watch to fans of the Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies. Don't go in expecting much, but overall it's a fun if not very flawed movie.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Karloff Returns to the Series as the Mad Doctor, September 1, 2000
This review is from: House of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The Universal Frankenstein saga continues with Boris Karloff returning to the series that he helped start. This time, however, Boris stays out of the monster suit and plays the mad doctor. The movie effectively blends a Dracula segment with a Frankenstein story and keeps the Wolfman and the hunchback around for good measure. John Carradine is smooth as silk as Dracula. His performance isn't as mysterious as Bela Lugosi's or as menacing as Christopher Lee's, but he does well in a costarring role. Glenn Strange plays the Frankenstein monster for the first time. Lon Chaney, Jr is back again as Larry "The Wolfman" Talbot. Being frozen in ice for a year (since "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman") hasn't chilled his discontent. He still anguishes over his beastly supernatural tendencies, but he manages to display some very human yearnings for the gypsy-dancing girl, Ilonka (Elena Verdugo). The "man-into-werewolf" transformation under the mesmerizing influence of the full moon is still the stuff of childhood nightmares. J. Carroll Naish as the resident hunchback adds pathos to a minor role. Boris Karloff is dignified and quietly insane as Dr. Niemann. His unholy zeal to find Dr. Frankenstein's records and continue his diabolical work in brain transplants is the catalyst that advances the story. The dark humor and the intelligent nuances of the early James Whale entries in this series are replaced in this film by a fast-paced, horror-comics level story. Only the Universal "monster factory" could pull these wildly diverse elements together and bring everything to the inevitable conclusion in one hour and eleven minutes. In the realm of classic horror films, this is a second string entry. Regardless, it's an entertaining flick for those who need the occasional "monster movie" jolt. Suspend disbelief and enjoy the ride. ;-)
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Clash of the Century, April 26, 2003
A Kid's Review
This review is from: House of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN is probobly the best in the Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula series. Originily entitled THE DEVILS BROOD (or BLOOD, as it says on the back cover,) HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN originally had some other monsters put togeather with the three main ones. Vincent Price as THE INVISIBLE MAN,
Acqquinetta as THE CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN, Tom Tyler as THE MUMMY,
and finally David Bruce as THE MAD GHOUL. Even without those monsters, HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN remains a clasic.
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