After the release of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Universal saw the potential in having many of their monsters crossover. While that film had two monsters, Universal decided the next one would have several monsters coming together. In addition to the Frankenstein monster and the Wolf Man, Dracula would also be added, but some others were considered. Originally, the Mummy, the Ape Woman, the Mad Ghoul, and the Invisible Man would appear, but these were ultimately dropped. Erle C. Kenton, who previously directed The Ghost of Frankenstein, would be taking the helms for this ambitious crossover. Lon Chaney Jr. returned to play the Wolf Man, alongside Boris Karloff in what became his last Universal monster movie. However, the Frankenstein monster would be played by Western actor Glenn Strange and Dracula would be played by John Carradine. Following a 1944 LA/NY premiere, House of Frankenstein was released in 1945.
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Synopsis
Dr. Gustav Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchback assistant Daniel (J. Carrol Naish) break out of prison during a thunderstorm. They kill traveling showman Professor Lampini (George Zucco) and take over his horror show as part of their revenge scheme. Niemann plans on getting revenge on Bürgermeister Hussman (Sig Ruman), who put him in prison for his horrible experiments. In the process, Niemann revives Dracula (John Carradine), who agrees to help him get his revenge on the Bürgermeister. Though he succeeds in killing the Bürgermeister, Dracula ends up dying by sunlight as Niemann and Daniel make their escape. They travel to Visaria and uncover Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) and Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) frozen. After they’re thawed out, Niemann promises Talbot a cure but is really only interested in reviving the monster. What sort of terrors await within the House of Frankenstein?
Review
House of Frankenstein has a somewhat disjointed story, but it also has a lot to offer for horror fans. First off, the fact that there are so many monsters together in one film is pretty impressive. Admittedly, it’s disappointing that only Lon Chaney Jr. plays the monster he’s most well-known for, that being the Wolf Man. John Carradine makes for a solid Dracula, but he lacks the menace and charm of Bela Lugosi. Glenn Strange does a fairly good job as Frankenstein’s monster, though he mostly comes off as shambling, clumsy, and inarticulate. It’s also somewhat surreal to see a movie with Boris Karloff acting opposite Frankenstein’s monster instead of playing him. Speaking of, for this being his last performance in a Universal monster movie, Karloff does a great job. J. Carrol Naish also gives a good performance as the hunchbacked Daniel, who comes off sympathetic despite being a villain.
Like in his previous appearances as the Wolf Man, Chaney delivers a great performance as the tragic monster. This time, he’s given a love interest in the gypsy girl Ilonka (Elena Verdugo), who is both beautiful and likable. She and Chaney have great chemistry together, which makes their relationship all the more tragic, even if it’s somewhat brief. Speaking of brief, almost as soon as Carradine is introduced as Dracula, he’s killed off halfway into the film. Also, Frankenstein’s monster doesn’t get up until the last ten minutes of the film, meaning the monsters aren’t on-screen together. At roughly 70 minutes long, the film goes by quickly, but you almost wish it was longer. This is a film where its highlights outweigh the rest of the film, which comes off as a jumbled mess. Overall, House of Frankenstein doesn’t entirely succeed, but it has some moments that stand out.
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