Review of House of Frankenstein (1944) by Brian R — 29 Jul 2008

Despite its many problems, this movie is a lot of butter-popcorn-soaked fun. Boris Karloff pretty much carries the majority of this movie (ironically not cast in the role of Frankenstein's monster, but as a Frankenstein type of mad scientist), and I could watch the guy do yard work and it would be charismatic and interesting.

Lon Chaney Jr. returns once again as Larry Talbot, following up his character's story from 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'. This film is essentially billed as a monster mash with Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, and Dracula all in one fun-filled horror package, however Dracula (played by John Carradine, who makes a good go of it, but lacks the gravitas of Bela Lugosi) feels shoehorned in, and the movie's plot essentially grinds to a halt while indulging a disposable subplot involving his character and none of the other lead characters.

The film isn't as well shot as most of the other Universal monster movies that I've seen, which is a shame given how well photographed most of the other films from this era are. Still, it's a fun movie that's engaging, and definately a must-see if you liked 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man' since it is essentially a direct sequel.