Product Details

• Actors: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe
• Directors: Erle C. Kenton
• Writers: Curt Siodmak, Edward T. Lowe Jr.
• Producers: Paul Malvern
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: September 16, 1997
• Run Time: 71 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302526167
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,186 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The first of Universal's all-star monster tag-team bouts, House of Frankenstein boasts Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's monster, plus a menacing mad scientist (played with hammy glee by Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant (J. Carroll Naish). It's really more like two films. Karloff and Naish escape prison and find the skeleton of Dracula, resurrecting the dapper vampire (played by a dignified John Carradine) and unleashing him on an unsuspecting town. In the second half, the not-so-good doctor investigates the ruins of Castle Frankenstein (left from the cataclysmic conclusion of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman) and finds the frozen bodies of the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney) and the Monster (Glenn Strange, picking up creature-feature tips from former flathead Karloff, no doubt). He proceeds to revive them, with the expected results: murder, mayhem, and a bad end for all. The screenplay has a slapdash quality about it, notably the Dracula sequences which dismiss Universal's most dignified monster with almost no fanfare, and Erle C. Kenton's direction only rises above perfunctory for the conclusion, a mad monster brawl with some arresting moments. But while it's hardly the best of the Universal horrors, the high monster quotient makes it a fun if undercooked entry in the genre. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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

By	Dave. K (Staten Island, Ny) - See all my reviews

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.

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

By	Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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. ;-)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Return of Boris Karloff..., October 8, 2007

By	D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.