Customer Reviews

House of Frankenstein [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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. ;-)

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.

After teaming up Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolfman in 1942 had improved box-office successes for Universal's horror series, this film went one better and introduced John Carradine's Dracula into the mix. Quite why Bela Lugosi, the greatest of all vampires, was replaced by the over-melodramatic Carradine isn't clear, but this film, for all it's titanic glory, lacks something. It has a lot to recommend it though - veterans Lionel Attwill, Lon Chaney Jr, J Carroll Naish - even Boris Karloff returned to the series, playing the unpleasant Dr Neimann. But best of all is Glenn Strange as the eponymous Monster. Strange played the role in three major films (including 'Abbott and Costello Meet...') but has never got the recognition he deserved. Admittedly, his Monster is given little to do, but he is singularly terrifying and sympathetic in every scene he's in. Of the four actors to play the Monster in this series, he is second only to Karloff. Naish is effective as the sorrowful hunchback hopelessly besotted to a singularly stupid and cruel gypsy girl, and Chaney is his usual bovine self, tortured with having to share his life with his hairy alter-ego. Interestingly, he is killed at the end of this film, but is it really the end for him? Don't be too sure.

It's hard to believe how much better HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN looks 55 years after it was made. No doubt about it..the ideas were beginning to wear a bit thin...but when you consider how marvelous Hans J. Salter's musical score was in saving even the worst scenes of the film..YOU HAVE TO LOVE IT! Carradine's Dracula is a different twist from Lugosi's original, Chaney's Wolfman still has our sympathy (even though he's frustrated with his lot in life), Karloff is obsessed with picking apart brains and recreating life, and Naish's Hunchback character is in love with a gypsy woman..who prefers a man with fangs! The monster's appearance at the end is very brief, but the entire film is packaged very well..including the cameos by Lionel Atwill and George Zucco. Can you imagine what the film would've been like with THE MUMMY and THE INVISIBLE MAN too...both characters were originally part of the picture, but bumped at the last minute! Anyway...I still say: Nice job Universal.

This 1944 follow-up to "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" lacks the moody atmosphere and slickness of its predecessor. "House of Frankenstein" wastes the Universal gallery of monsters in a terribly contrived story. Though Boris Karloff returns to the fold as Dr. Niemann, the actor wishes he were in another film - preferably a Val Lewton production. Director Erle C. Kenton would do a better job with the immediate sequel, "House of Dracula" (1945).

1944's "House of Frankenstein" was one of a string of short horror films seeking to capitalize on the existing stable of classic Universal Pictures monsters. In this entry, Boris Karloff gets to play a demented mad scientist named Niemann, who escapes from prison and goes in search of the missing research of his idol, Dr. Frankenstein. Along the way, he finds Dracula (played by John Carradine), confined to a coffin by a wooden stake, and liberates him to take revenge on Niemann's enemies.

Niemann, Dracula, and Niemann's hunchbacked assistant arrive at the ruined Castle Frankenstein, where they find not only the late doctor's research notes, but also the Frankenstein and Wolfman monsters, frozen in an icy cavern under the castle. Niemann revives the two monsters and sets about his evil experiments. The suspicious inhabitants of the local village storm the castle, setting up a thrill-packed if campy conclusion.

The pacing of the movie is hectic and the story rather disjointed; the viewer may well suspect that the intent was to pack as many monsters into the film as possible. Fortunately, the movie succeeds in being good creepy fun almost in spite of itself, thanks to Karloff's gleeful turn as mad scientist and Lon Chaney Jr's reprise of his role as agonized man/werewolf.

the first of the "several rolled into one" scenerio, here we have what i consider to be the best one that universal made. i agree that the film is slightly cheap-looking, but that is what makes these old horror films such a delight.
great to see boris karloff again, and even better that he is the lead. he plays the role of the mad scientist with devilish glee. he gives the best performance by far. j. carrol naish ably supports him, as they both travel the country searching for frankenstein's old castle and the remains of his infamous creature.karloff and naish are the dominant characters. at least the film has the good sense to be set in different places where the various monsters are based.
it is true that this comes across as two films put together; the first half dedicated to dracula, then the rest centres around the wolfman and frankenstein's creature.
on the negative side, lon chaney jnr. should have come into the film much earlier. plus his werewolf scenes are too limited. glenn strange merely has a walk-on part, and has practically nothing to do except cause anarchy. john carradine as dracula is rather wooden. yes, he looks the part, but is ultimately unimpressive. the under-rated lionel atwill should have had more screentime.
still, there is plenty going on to keep horror fans happy.

This is definitly one of the best classic horror films of all time. Karloff and Chaney,Jr give great perfomances, but Frankensein's monster needed more screen time

What do you get when you bring in some of the great monsters together in one film? In this case, nothing. Although it has a mad scientist (Boris Karloff, he doesn't play the monster), a werewolf (Lon Chaney Jr), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange), Dracula (John Carradine), and a hunchback (who falls in love with a dancing gypsy...does this sound familiar?), the viewer never gets to see a big fight scene.

Dr. Niemann (Karloff) and his assistant (the hunchback) escape from prison through divine intervention. Early in the movie, Universal Studios seems to be stepping away from the idea of creating life from death to be against the laws of nature. As a result, whenever these experiments occur, lightning flashes across the sky as if the heavens are shouting a resounding, "Stop!" Here, the lightning trashes the prison to free Dr. Niemann. Is this a tip to modern science?

For those of you who grew up thinking of Dracula being Bela Lugosi, then John Carradine will be a shock. He seems more like an English magician than a vampire. There seems to be more emphasis on mesmerism than on supernatural powers. Anyway, he does not interact with the others. There is merely one scene with him talking to Dr. Niemann, and it is over. The audience is left wondering why he was here.

Is this movie worth seeing? Oddly enough, I would say so. As a fan of the Universal Studios monsters, I have to feed my addiction. Seeing horror movies in black and white just seems right. Is this the best of the movies? Not really, I would recommend seeing "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein," and "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" before seeing this movie.