F R A N K E N S T E I N :
A BREAKDOWN OF THE MONSTER'S EIGHT APPEARANCES
IN THE CLASSIC UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HORROR FILMS
OF THE 1930s AND 1940s.
THE MAD SCIENTIST: Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), who left his position at the university when his experiments in “chemical galvanism” and “electrobiology” became too controversial. He continues his work away from disapproving eyes.
THE ASSISTANT: Fritz, the hunchbacked dwarf, played by Dwight Frye, who was neither.
THE LAB: An abandoned watchtower near Goldstat.
THE MONSTER: Boris Karloff, in his first of three outings as the monster.
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THE FIRST MOVIE:
- At no time is Henry Frankenstein referred to as a doctor.
- Henry’s best friend Victor (John Boles) has an unrequited love for Henry’s fiancée Elizabeth.
- The monster is brought to life by the beyond-
ultraviolet rays found in lightning. - The monster is terrified of fire.
- Henry’s lab is located far from the Frankenstein home.
- The above-
mentioned home is a large mansion with wood- paneled interiors. - The monster is evil because Henry mistakenly installed a criminal brain in his skull.
FAMILIAR TROPES THAT WILL BE RE-
- The monster is credited as “ ? ”
- The lab equipment sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises.
- “It’s alive! It’s alive! It’s alive!” (spoken by Henry Frankenstein)
- An attempt is made to destroy the monster by dissecting him.
- A little girl shows kindness to the monster; it ends badly.
- A grieving parent (Ludwig) carries the lifeless body of his child (Maria) through the town square.
- A mob of torch-
wielding villagers search the countryside for Maria’s killer. - The monster apparently dies, helplessly pinned under a fallen beam inside a burning windmill.
- The words “a good cast is worth repeating” placed above the closing credits.
THE HAPPY ENDING: Victor, nearly killed by the monster, recovers with Elizabeth (Mae Clark) by his side. The Baron drinks a toast to his son, and to the House of Frankenstein.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
- In the original novel by Mary W. Shelley, Frankenstein’s first name was Victor, and his best friend was named Henry. In this movie, the reverse is true.
- The subplot of Victor’s secret desire for Henry’s fiancée goes absolutely nowhere.
- Except for the opening and closing credits, there is no musical score at all.
- At one point, the Baron mentions that his son is working in “an old ruined windmill.” Apparently the old boy is psychic, because the windmill doesn’t come into the story until much later.
- The “dramatic sky” backdrop (used during the scenes where the villagers are pursuing the monster) completely destroys the illusion that the action is happening outdoors; it looks exactly like what it is: a large, very wrinkled cloth suspended from the studio ceiling.
THE MAD SCIENTIST: Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive again) has learned his lesson after the events of the first movie. That is, until the EVEN MADDER SCIENTIST, Dr Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), coerces the reluctant Henry into creating a mate for the monster.
THE ASSISTANT: Karl (Dwight Frye again, but playing a different part this time).
THE LAB: The same abandoned watchtower from the first film.
THE MONSTER: again played by Boris Karloff, who receives top billing this time, calling himself simply “Karloff.” The monster looks much the same, although the fire in the windmill burned away much of his hair.
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
The monster somehow survived the inferno at the end of Frankenstein.
The monster responds to kindness. He enjoys companionship, music, wine and a good cigar.
The monster is capable of speech.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
The monster’s mate (Elsa Lanchester) is credited as “ ? ” just as Karloff was in the first film.
The lab equipment sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises.
“She’s alive! Alive!” (spoken by Henry Frankenstein)
The monster is disgusted by his reflection in the water.
A mob of torch-
The monster apparently dies (again) by blowing himself up in the old watchtower, along with the “bride” and Dr Pretorius.
The words “a good cast is worth repeating” appear above the closing credits.
THE HAPPY ENDING: Victor and Elizabeth hold each other close as the watchtower is completely destroyed in the distance.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
- Maria’s grieving father Ludwig has inexplicably been renamed Hans.
- This is the only sequel that begins with the monster conscious and alert. In all the following films, he is discovered lying in a dormant state.
- Brunette Valerie Hobson replaces blonde Mae Clark in the role of Elizabeth.
- The Frankenstein home looks completely different. It now appears to constructed of stone, with elaborate vaulted ceilings.
- The Burghermeister bears no resemblance to the same character in the previous film.
- Henry’s father, Baron Frankenstein, disappears between scenes. He is apparently alive and well (if unseen) at the beginning of the film, then people begin referring to Henry as “Baron.” Oddly, no one offers condolences, or seems in the least bit upset by the elder Frankenstein’s sudden passing.
- Though the servants are shown in several scenes of the previous film, we’ve never seen Minnie before.
- Henry’s best friend Victor is nowhere to be seen.
- Tiny little people who live in jars? Really? Well, some find this scene “whimsical,” I suppose...
- The monster seems to forget his fear of fire when he’s hungry enough. At one point, he reaches right into a roaring campfire, attempting to retrieve the cooking meat.
- The old blind man is informed by one of the villagers: “Frankenstein made him out of dead bodies!” Has this become common knowledge?
- This time, the creation process involves releasing large kites into the electrical storm, as well as a device called a “cosmic diffuser.”
- Isn’t it convenient that the entire lab can be “blown into atoms” by pulling a single lever?
- Considering that the monster is virtually indestructible, why would the “bride,” created through almost identical means, perish in the blast?
THE MAD SCIENTIST: Wolf Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), the now-
THE ASSISTANT: Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a half-
THE LAB: Supposedly the same old lab, but with major differences (see below):
THE MONSTER: Boris Karloff, playing the monster for his third and final time. He now wears a fur tunic over his suit coat.
SCENE-
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
- The monster survived the destruction of the lab at the end of Bride of Frankenstein. I assume that Dr Pretorius and the “bride” did not, although they are not mentioned one way or the other.
- Henry and Elizabeth Frankenstein at some point after the second film had a son. Henry later died a miserable death, related in some vague way to his creation of the monster. No mention is made of Elizabeth’s fate.
- Wolf was raised in England. His wife Elsa is American. His son Peter is insufferable.
- Wolf firmly believes his father was a great man, whose reputation was unfairly tarnished by events beyond his control.
- The current burghermeister delivers to Wolf a wooden box containing all of his father’s papers on creating the monster.
- Of the first seven films, this is the only one in which an automobile is seen.
- Inspector Krogh lost his arm as a child, when the monster attacked him.
- The village in which Henry created the monster is also called Frankenstein (Funny how that never came up before!).
- The Frankenstein family tree can be traced back over 700 years.
- The structure housing the lab was built in Roman times.
- Sometime earlier, the monster was struck by lightning and fell ill. Ygor befriended the monster and took care of him.
- Ygor, driven by a desire for revenge, has the monster murder the men who sentenced him to hang.
- Wolf realizes that his father’s machinery was actually capturing cosmic rays, a concept unknown a generation earlier.
- A thorough examination reveals that the monster’s blood pressure, blood chemistry and heart function are radically different than a normal human being’s.
- When Ygor attempts to assault Wolf with a hammer, Wolf shoots him three times, apparently killing him.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
- Lionel Atwill in his first of five appearances, playing a different role each time.
- Wolf knows he should destroy the monster, but can’t bring himself to do it.
- Grave robbing and creation footage from the first film is reused as a flashback scene.
- The lab equipment still sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises.
- During the reanimation sequence, the monster’s neck-
bolt electrodes begin to smoke. - “It’s alive! Yes, alive! Alive!” (spoken by Wolf Frankenstein)
- The monster is disgusted by his reflection in the mirror.
- A character named “Elsa” is in the film (possibly a nod to Elsa Lanchester?).
- A mob of tool-
wielding villagers attempt to storm the castle gates. - Ygor plays his horn to control the monster.
- The monster apparently dies (yet again) after Wolf knocks him into the pit of molten sulphur.
THE HAPPY ENDING: Joyous villagers cheer the young Baron and his family, as they depart on the train. (Apparently they’re celebrating that Wolf won’t be causing any more death and destruction, at least locally! Even better: he’s taking his annoying son with him!)
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES (Oh, where do I begin?):
- The Frankenstein home has become a full-
fledged castle, bearing no resemblance to either of the homes shown in the previous movies. The interior sets are German Expressionism taken to a ridiculous extreme. The main staircase, for one example, looks like something M. C. Escher designed after a three- day bender. - Henry’s lab, once located far from his family’s land, is now 100 yards from the castle. Instead
of a watchtower, it's an odd-
looking egg- shaped structure, built over a bubbling sulphur pit. Strangely enough, the molten sulphur doesn’t seem to render the lab uncomfortably warm or humid. - The inside of the lab looks nothing at all like the lab in the previous films. Of course, it shouldn’t look like anything but a pile of rubble, based on the closing scene of Bride of Frankenstein.
- It’s never made clear when these films are supposed to be set, but there is a conspicuous lack of automobiles – with the exception of the one shown in this movie.
- For no apparent reason, the late Henry Frankenstein is consistently referred to as “Heinrich von Frankenstein.”
- Wolf acknowledges that many people mistakenly believe that “Frankenstein” is the name of the monster, rather than the man who created him.
- Ygor says that the monster “can not be destroyed. Can not die. Your father made him live for always.” Even though the monster somehow survived two different situations that would have killed anyone else, this is the first time outright immortality has been mentioned.
- When Wolf diddles the monster's neck-
bolts, it is obvious they are merely glued to the the skin of Boris Karloff's neck. - There is no mention of the monster ripping off a child’s arm in either of the two earlier movies.
- Ygor asks if Wolf is a doctor, like his father. Henry Frankenstein was never referred to as a doctor in the previous films.
- After his botched hanging, Ygor was incorrectly pronounced dead by Dr Burgher. (If he were on the village council, would he be Burgher Burgher? Just asking...)
- All eight of the monster’s victims showed discoloration at the base of the neck and a burst heart. Why would the heart necessarily burst in every case?
- Wolf postulates that the monster’s hyper-
pituitary condition accounts for his great size. Isn’t he that large because Henry Frankenstein built him that way? - If cosmic rays were unheard of in Henry Frankenstein’s time, why did he employ a “cosmic diffuser” in Bride of Frankenstein?
- Is there any good reason why a large mirror is needed in a laboratory?
- The local villagers fear and hate the name “Frankenstein,” but it’s never occurred to them to change the name of their village, even though the baron has been absent for decades.
- Donnie Dunagan shows zero acting talent in this film, yet three years later would deliver a good performance as the voice of Bambi in the Disney animated film. Go figure!
- Despite (or because of) the film’s over-
the- Son of Frankenstein the most entertaining entry of the series (Your actual mileage may vary.).top acting, direction and set design, I find
THE NOT-
THE ASSISTANT: The bitter, jealous Dr Bohmer (Lionel Atwill in his second appearance), once Ludwig Frankenstein’s mentor, until a botched experiment ruined his career. Bohmer betrays Ludwig by substituting Ygor’s evil brain for the “good” one.
THE LAB: Ludwig Frankenstein’s sanitarium, “a large house with a high wall” in the village of Vasaria.
THE MONSTER: Played by paunchy Lon Chaney Jr. This will be his only turn as the monster, but he will return in the remaining four films as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man.
SCENE STEALING SUPPORTING ACTOR: Janet Ann Gallow as little Cloestine Hussman, who shows kindness to the monster.
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
- Ygor did not die from his gunshot wounds inflicted in Son of Frankenstein.
- The monster survived the molten sulphur, which at some point, cooled and hardened. When the villagers dynamited the castle, the monster was freed from his sulphur tomb.
- Henry and Elizabeth Frankenstein obviously had a second son that was never mentioned before.
- Ludwig hides his father’s wooden box, containing his notes on creating the monster, behind some false books in his library.
- The Ygor/monster fusion is blind because the brain and the body were incompatible blood types.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
A mob of torch-
Ygor and the monster hit the road in search of Henry Frankenstein’s secrets of life and death.
- The village of Vasaria.
- A little girl shows kindness to the monster. It ends badly.
- A character named “Elsa” is in the film.
- Lionel Atwill is again in the cast, but playing a different character.
- Ludwig mentions that “the terrible consequences of his creation” somehow resulted in his father’s death, but, again, no details are given.
- Grave robbing and creation footage from the first film is reused as a flashback scene.
- Ygor plays his horn to control the monster.
- Bela Lugosi’s character rescues Lon Chaney’s character in a stolen horse and wagon (In the next installment, Chaney will return the favor).
- Ludwig considers destroying the monster by dissecting him; he knows he should destroy the monster, but can’t bring himself to do it.
- Somewhat different lab equipment that nevertheless sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises.
- During the reanimation sequence, the monster’s neck-
bolt electrodes begin to smoke. - An oil lamp strikes the floor, starting a fire.
- An second mob of torch-
wielding villagers storm Ludwig’s sanitarium. - Lionel Atwill’s character is electrocuted when he stumbles against an electrical switch panel. This leads to explosions and an uncontrollable fire.
- The monster apparently dies (yeah, right!), along with Ludwig and Bohmer, as the sanitarium burns to the ground.
THE HAPPY ENDING: Elsa and her manfriend Erik (Ralph Bellamy) literally walk off into the dawning of a new day.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
The office of burghermeister is now called “mayor” for some reason.
The monster is rejuvenated when he is struck by lightning. Isn’t this the very thing that made him ill in Son of Frankenstein?
Ygor states that “the second son of Frankenstein” has all of his father’s secrets. Apparently, Wolf gave his father’s wooden box to his younger brother, but how could Ygor know this?
The monster wears his fur tunic from the previous film only in the first few scenes,
when he is still encrusted in sulphur. After that, his dark suit looks as if it
has been professionally dry-
Despite the monster’s obvious body stitching and cranial clamps, the villagers of Vasaria consider him nothing more exotic than your common, everyday “madman.”
How much time has passed since Son of Frankenstein? Wolf’s younger brother is middle-
Why does Ludwig recognize Ygor? When could they possibly have met? And what about Ygor’s nonsensical line: “How does it feels to face a man you thought your brother had killed?” I wonder if it’s possible that in an earlier draft of the script, this scene was written for Ygor and Wolf Frankenstein...
The monster also seems to recognize Ludwig. Why would he? Again, I have to wonder if this scene was originally written for Wolf Frankenstein, whom the monster would indeed recognize.
Ludwig agrees to treat the monster so that Ygor won’t reveal the terrible Frankenstein secret. Secret!? How is it possible that such a lurid story didn’t reach Vasaria long ago?
The late Henry Frankenstein is once again referred to an Heinrich Frankenstein (but without the “von”).
The pattern in Elsa’s dress seem to suggest two arms reaching up to cup her breasts (or am I the only one who noticed this?).
Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Lionel Atwill closely resemble each other, making some of their scenes together a bit confusing.
Ludwig imagines that the ghost of his late father visits him. This phantom does not look or sound like Colin Clive, the actor who played Henry Frankenstein in the first two films. The discrepancy is compounded by the fact that old footage of Clive was used earlier in the film!
Sorry, but I’m still not clear on how putting Ygor’s brain in the monster’s body will automatically result in Bohmer becoming head of the medical commission or chancellor of the university...
Based on what we learned in the first film, shouldn’t Ygor’s brain have been instantly recognizable as a criminal brain? Especially to a brain specialist?
If the monster’s blood chemistry is so unusual, it’s amazing that anyone’s blood would be compatible.
Even with Ygor’s brain in his skull, does it make sense that the monster now speaks with Bela Lugosi’s voice?
(This is the first of four “team-
THE WELL-
THE ASSISTANT: none whatsoever!
THE LAB: The ruins of Ludwig Frankenstein’s sanitarium.
THE MONSTER: Bela Lugosi, struggling to appear taller than the hulking Lon Chaney Jr.
GUEST STAR: Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr) seeks out Ludwig Frankenstein’s help, only to discover that the doctor is dead.
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
- The monster did not perish in the sanitarium fire, but instead fell into the ice caverns beneath and was frozen.
- Ludwig Frankenstein’s daughter Elsa is now Baroness, implying that her Uncle Wolf, Aunt Elsa and (thank God!) Cousin Peter are all dead.
- Is it postulated that draining power from the monster should kill him. The same
process should also work for the death-
wishing Talbot. - Ludwig’s machinery is powered by turbines driven by water flowing from the dam just up the hill.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
- The first use of “drip into place” opening credits.
- Talbot’s incessant whining and self-
pity: “But you don’t understand!” “Why can’t you understand!” “Isn’t there someone who could understand!” and other variations. - “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may become a werewolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.” (spoken by one of the grave robbers)
- An oil lamp strikes the floor, starting a fire.
- Talbot and the old gypsy woman hit the road in search of Frankenstein’s secrets of life and death.
- The village of Vasaria is again the setting.
- A grieving parent carries the body of his child through the town square.
- A mob of rifle-
wielding villagers chase the Wolf Man into the hills near the castle ruins. - Lionel Atwill, playing yet another new part (the mayor of Vasaria).
- A character named “Elsa” is in the film.
- The Baroness mentions “the horrible death” of her grandfather Henry, but, yet again, no details are given.
- Presumably, Elsa dumped Erik sometime after Ghost of Frankenstein.
- Lon Chaney’s character rescues Bela Lugosi’s character in a stolen horse and wagon.
- Mannering knows he should destroy the monster, but can’t bring himself to do it.
- Talbot becomes impatient when Mannering seems to be devoting more attention to reanimating the monster than curing his werewolf problem.
- The lab equipment sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises, yada yada yada.
- During the reanimation sequence, the monster’s neck-
bolt electrodes begin to smoke. - The pulling of a single lever causes the lab equipment to explode, and the ceiling beams to collapse.
- Both the monster and the Wolf Man apparently die (as floodwaters destroy the castle).
THE HAPPY ENDING: Elsa and Mannering escape the castle just in time.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
- The minute-
long tracking shot at the film’s opening –grave robbers coming over the hill, through the gates, across the cemetery and up to the Talbot family crypt– is a minor cinematic marvel. - After transforming into the Wolf Man, Talbot has the presence of mind to remove his hospital gown and dress himself in his trademark dark shirt and gray slacks before leaving the hospital to shred the throat of his latest victim. Then, returning to his hospital room, he removes his clothing and redons his gown before passing out.
- For a guy who obsesses constantly about his werewolf transformations, isn’t it odd how often the full moon catches Talbot completely off guard?
- Ludwig Frankenstein’s "large house with a high wall" has been upgraded to a castle.
- If you awoke to find yourself in an ice cavern, lying in snow, soaking wet and freezing, would your first impulse be to stroll around and explore the place?
- Ludwig’s daughter Elsa is now played by Ilona Massey, replacing Evelyn Ankers, making it a case of “Ankers Away.” (I’m deeply ashamed I said that...)
- Since becoming Baroness, Elsa has picked up a slight accent she never had before.
- Talbot tells Dr Mannering that “Dr Frankenstein left a diary.” How could he know this? Is it just wishful thinking?
- A musical number? In the middle of a horror film?? Admittedly the guy singing is
kind of creepy-
looking, but still... - It sure wasn't hard finding Talbot and the monster hiding in the vast ruins of the castle! They were almost in plain sight, with their campfire giving off a telltale column of smoke!
- The hiding place where Ludwig kept his father's papers is more elaborate than shown in Ghost of Frankenstein.
- The monster no longer appears to be blind, or have Ygor’s personality. Although, with Lugosi now playing the part, the monster now looks more like Ygor.
- Henry Frankenstein’s notes mention that the monster’s life span will equal a hundred human lifetimes. I still don’t recall Henry saying anything in the early movies about the monster having an exceptionally long life span. He seemed impressed that it was alive at all!
- Ludwig’s machines survived the blaze of the last film amazingly well, requiring only some rewiring.
- Why does the monster now have a beauty mark on his lower right cheek?
- This is the last Frankenstein movie to have a member of the Frankenstein family as a character.
(Actually two movies in one. The first portion of the film involves Dr Niemann’s dealings with Dracula, who then is apparently killed. The second part is about Niemann’s attempt to cure the Wolf Man and reanimate the Frankenstein monster.)
THE MAD SCIENTIST: Dr Gustav Niemann (Boris Karloff!) is an admirer of Frankenstein’s work. He was imprisoned for fifteen years for attempting to transplant a human brain into the skull of a dog. Hopefully, it was a large dog, or a small brain.
THE ASSISTANT: Daniel, a hunchback and Niemann’s former cellmate. He gladly kills for Niemann, who promises to (someday!) make Daniel’s contorted body normal.
THE LAB: Niemann’s castle in (where else?) Visaria, which has undergone a spelling change.
THE MONSTER: Glenn Strange, in his first of three times playing the monster.
GUEST STARS: John Carradine as Dracula, and Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man.
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
- Niemann’s brother was a one-
time assistant of Henry Frankenstein. This is how Niemann became familiar with Frankenstein’s work, and eventually to emulate it. - Niemann finds both the monster and the Wolf Man frozen in the ice cavern we last saw in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
- Visaria is at least 152 kilometers (about 95 miles) from the village of Frankenstein.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
- A hunchbacked assistant.
- Niemann and Daniel hit the road in search of Frankenstein’s secrets of life and death.
- Niemann, driven by a desire for revenge, has Daniel kidnap the men who sent him to prison.
- Lionel Atwill, playing another police inspector (Inspector Arnz).
- “I see glimpses of a strange world, of people who are dead... and yet alive. It frightens me...” (spoken to Dracula by Lita, a potential victim of Dracula’s otherworldly charms).
- Lita’s husband Carl immediately recognizes the Dracula crest.
- Sunlight turns Dracula to a skeleton, apparently killing him.
THE HAPPY ENDING TO THE FIRST PART: Lita and Carl are safely reunited after their harrowing brush with Dracula. They are not seen, mentioned, or even thought of for the remainder of the movie.
FAMILIAR TROPES, CONTINUED:
- “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may become a werewolf when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright.” (spoken by Daniel, then later by Ilonka.)
- “The triumphant climax of Frankenstein’s genius!” (Niemann, speaking about the monster)
- Ilonka develops a crush on Talbot.
- Talbot becomes impatient when Niemann seems to be devoting more attention to reanimating the monster than curing his werewolf problem.
- That lab equipment that still sparks and pops and makes a lot of buzzing noises.
- During the reanimation sequence, the monster’s neck-
bolt electrodes begin to smoke. - A mob of torch-
wielding villagers storm Niemann’s castle. - The monster hurls Daniel through the glass of a high window.
- Villagers torment the monster with torches.
- The Wolf Man is apparently killed with a silver bullet.
- The monster apparently dies when he and Niemann become trapped in quicksand.
THE HAPPY ENDING TO THE SECOND PART: None. Credits roll immediately after both heads dip below the quicksand.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
Professor Lampini’s hat and pipe resemble those of the old Baron in the first film.
- A major geographical revision: all the events that took place in Ludwig Frankenstein’s sanitarium in Vasaria over the last two movies now apparently took place in village Frankenstein.
- A hunchback in love with a gypsy woman? Isn’t that another movie entirely?
- When Talbot is released from the ice, his clothes are clean, pressed and dry.
- The place where Frankenstein’s records are hidden is different yet again. And when
did they get returned to their hiding place, anyway? Dr. Mannering was in mid-
experiment when the flood hit. - Niemann’s lab is equipped with exactly the same equipment that Ludwig Frankenstein
had, right down to turbine-
driven generators. They must be standard issue in Vaseria/Viseria.
(A “wrap-
THE NOT-
THE ASSISTANT: Nina, (Jane Adams) the beautiful hunchback, who is too nice for her own good. She is killed while trying to calm a deranged Edelmann.
THE LAB: Dr Edelmann’s castle in (you guessed it!) Visaria. (There seem to be a bunch of castles in this tiny village, don’t you think?)
THE MONSTER: Glenn Strange is back, but with nothing to do.
ALSO STARRING: John Carradine as Dracula, and a mustached Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. Each seeks out Dr Edelmann for help with their conditions.
SCENE-
PREMISES ESTABLISHED IN THIS MOVIE:
- Certain mold spores have the medical application of softening the bones.
- Werewolfism is caused by excess cranial pressure, and can be cured by softening the skull to allow the pressure to lessen gradually.
- Vampirism is caused by a rare blood condition, and could possibly be cured by a series of transfusions.
- Talbot and Dr Edelmann find the dormant monster (and Niemann’s skeleton) in a mud floe beneath the castle.
After Edelmann’s blood is tainted, he develops a “Jekyll & Hyde” personality, murderous one minute, lucid the next.
FAMILIAR TROPES:
- “Drip into place” opening credits.
- A hunchbacked assistant.
- Edelmann immediately recognizes the Dracula Crest.
- Lionel Atwill, playing yet another police inspector (Inspector Holtz).
- “The triumphant climax to Frankenstein’s genius!” (Edelmann speaking of the monster)
- Edelmann knows he shouldn’t reanimate the monster... and doesn’t, at least not until he turns evil.
- “It frightens me... It makes me see strange things. People who are dead, yet they’re alive... I’m afraid.” (spoken to Dracula by Miliza, a potential victim of Dracula’s otherworldly charms.
- Dracula is exposed to sunlight and turns into a skeleton. Again.
- Miliza develops a crush on Talbot.
- The lab equipment sparks and pops and... well, you know.
- During the reanimation sequence, the monster’s neck-
bolt electrodes begin to smoke. - A mob of torch-
wielding villagers storm Edelmann’s castle. - Lionel Atwill’s character is electrocuted when he stumbles against a electrical switch panel (again). This leads to explosions and an uncontrollable fire.
- The monster apparently dies, once again pinned under a fallen beam as the lab burns.
THE HAPPY ENDING: Talbot is cured of his condition, although this occurs somewhat before the end of the film.
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
- No explanation is given as to how Dracula or Talbot survived the events of House of Frankenstein.
- Does anyone else think that when John Carradine wears a top hat, he looks like Mandrake the Magician?
- Does anyone else remember Mandrake the Magician?
- Talbot says he came to Visaria to only see Dr Edelmann. When last we saw Talbot, wasn’t he already in Visaria? In fact, didn’t he die there?
- The jail cell seems to contain the Wolf Man quite well. How is it nobody thought of this years ago?
- Since he “lies helpless during the day,” why doesn’t Dracula have a lock inside the coffin?
- Why would Edelmann (not a mad scientist-
type) have all the pertinent equipment needed to reanimate the monster? Does everyone in Vasaria/Visaria have this stuff in their house? - Based on their accents, Steinmuhl and his brother don’t sound like they’re from the same planet, let alone the same family!
(A comedy vehicle for the popular duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that reunites the Frankenstein monster, the Wolf Man and Dracula one last time. Strictly for laughs, with no connection to the storyline of the previous movies.)
THE CURVACEOUS MAD SCIENTIST: Dr Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert) has convinced Costello that she is smitten with him. In reality, she plans to transplant his simple brain into the skull of the Frankenstein monster. Dracula feels this will make the volatile monster easier to control.
THE ASSISTANT: Dr Stevens (Charles Bradstreet), a straight-
THE LAB: A spooky castle on a desolate island, somewhere in the United States.
THE MONSTER: Glenn Strange, who plays the ultimate straight man to Costello’s manic shrieks and facial contortions.
ALSO STARRING: Dracula (Bela Lugosi!), who has made the monster his slave; Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr, sans mustache), who is trying to stop Dracula at any cost.
SCENE STEALING SUPPORTING ACTOR: Frank Ferguson as the constantly agitated McDougal.
FAMILIAR TROPES AND COMEDIC ELEMENTS:
- Dracula and the monster ship themselves to America in packing crates!
- Abbott immediately recognizes the Dracula crest.
- The monster has regained his ability to speak, although all he ever says is “Yes, master!” to Dracula.
- Talbot continues to whine about his “problem.”
- In one scene, Abbott and Talbot wear nearly identical clothing, in order to set up a mistaken identity gag later in the movie.
- No sparking, popping lab equipment this time. Dracula reanimates the monster by touching what appears to be a flashlight battery to the monster’s neck bolts.
- The monster hurls Dr. Mornay through the glass of a high window.
THE FUNNY ENDING: Abbott & Costello escape the clutches of Dracula, the Wolf Man
and the Frankenstein monster, only to find themselves face-
OVERSIGHTS AND ODDITIES:
- I don’t know how long it normally took to get from England to America in 1948, but Larry Talbot manages it in less than 24 hours!
- Talbot turns into the Wolf Man no less that four times, which must be a record.
- I attribute Talbot’s relapse to his shaving off the mustache.
- The monster again forgets his fear of fire, and walks right into the flames.
- Since this was to be the last hurrah for the Universal Studios monster films (at
least until Van Helsing attempted to revive the franchise in 2004, with disastrous
results), the on-
screen “demises” of Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein monster were comparatively tame. Perhaps the overall lighter tone of the film precluded them from getting too grisly.
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