Universal's First Monster Mash
Slickly produced, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" was the first of Universal's monster pairings. This 1943 sequel remains a memorable showcase for Lon Chaney Jr.'s tragic werewolf - highlighted by excellent transformation sequences. Due to post-production tampering, Bela Lugosi's portrayal of the Frankenstein Monster proved less effective (the studio eliminated all references to his blindness). Nevertheless, Bela has a priceless moment when the Monster displays a wicked smile after regaining his full power. The long-awaited "rumble in the castle" is a horror-movie classic. "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" may not represent great art, but it's nostalgic fun.

THE FIRST MONSTER TEAM UP IN THE HISTORY OF FILM MAKING!
I'm sure when this film hit theaters, kids couldn't wait to go see this! Although it doesn't deliver that much in the way of the two monsters meeting, it has one of the most memorable beginnings in any of the Universal horror films. This film is actually the sequel to two films 'The Ghost Of Frankenstein' and 'The Wolfman' and the beginning of this film deals with the Wolfman. A very atmospheric graveyard scene with two grave robbers finding their way to the Talbot mausoleum. They break in and find the seemingly final resting place of Larry Talbot A.K.A. The Wolfman. This is a very chilling scene and it one of the finest moments in the entire franchise's history. Exit Chaney as the monster as he wanted to keep the Wolfman as "his baby" so, the studio brings in poor old Bela Lugosi to play the monster who has become a walking zombie at this point. Lugosi was not all that young anymore so, they had to have a stunt man play the monster in some scenes adding to the confusion. In the last installment Igor's brain was put in the monster's skull and the monster talked with Igor's voice. This was carried over to this film but, the end result was too ridiculous(even for Universal's standards!)so, the dialogue was cut leaving the film an incoherent mess and Lugosi wondering around like a dolt! It's a mixed bag to say the least and this could be next to the worst film in the 'Frankenstein' series. Even with all these flaws and problems, I do enjoy watching this film from time to time. This is available on DVD on the Frankenstein Legacy collection and in a double bill with 'House of Frankenstein' The DVD transfer is very good for both films. I wish somehow they could find that cut footage with Lugosi talking, it would be most interesting to see the film the way it was intended originally. ;-( I rate this film 3 1/4 stars.

Releasing the Monster Again
There is a full moon over a graveyard. Two men approach the TALBOT mausoleum and break in. They find the casket of Lawrence Talbot and search for a gold ring. Things go awry! Next a constable finds an injured man in the street. Taken to a hospital he quickly revives. But a full moon brings out a new side to his character, and the result is an anti-social act. Would psychoanalysis cure him? Can medical science prevent recurring bad times? The doctor consults a thick book and finds a definition that covers his delusion. The police Inspector and the doctor visit the mausoleum and find the empty casket. How can that be?

Lawrence Talbot escapes from the hospital, and find the old gypsy woman who can help him. They travel to a rural village to find Dr. Frankenstein, only to learn he has died! The villagers hated him and his monster. Another full moon transforms Talbot into a werewolf. Soon a dead girl is found, and the villagers form a well-armed posse to hunt the wolf at night. Talbot flees, and falls into an icy chamber. The next morning he finds a body encased in ice. Frankenstein's Monster has survived! Alive, he leads Talbot to Dr. Frankenstein's secret store of documents, but do not find what is sought. Talbot gets to meet the daughter Baroness Frankenstein by posing as a buyer for the lands and ruined castle, a unique location. But she has no records, she says.

Outside the peasants of Vasaria are celebrating the Festival of New Wine. [Did they know the secret of drinking red wine to counteract fats?] "Life is short and death is long, so drink up." The more oppressed a people, the wilder their celebrations. Doctor Mannering find Talbot and wants to bring him back to England to cure him. The happy festival is disturbed by the appearance of the Monster in the town square, like a stock market crash bringing an end to exuberant times. The people gather together and resolve to put an end to the Monster and its terrorism. The Baroness and Doctor Mannering go to the castle to search for Frankenstein's diary and the Secret of Life and Death. Doctor Mannering decides to repair the machines in order to put an end to the Monster that periodically creates havoc among the people. His intentions are good.

But Mannering is seduced by dreams of power, and decides to increase the power of the Monster! The Baroness intervenes and pulls a switch, causing the machinery to fail. But the Monster breaks loose and attacks Mannering and the Baroness. The wolfman breaks loose to attack the Monster, letting the Doctor and the Baroness escape. One of the peasants blows up the dam and the flood flushes away the castle, the wolfman, and the Monster. Is this the end? The moral to this fable is to beware of creating a powerful monster that will escape from control and oppress the people. [This story in this film is not as good as some others in this series.]

FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN PROMISES MUCH ----- BUT DOES IT DELIVER?
IN AN NUTSHELL: THIS FILM IS INCLUDED IN THE 'WOLFMAN LEGACY COLL' on DVD!

Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman, Directed by Roy William Neill stars both Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolfman and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein. Screenwriter Curt Siodmak, who wrote the original Wolfman with Lon Chaney the year before, gave life back to both deceased monsters and the result was interesting and promising.

The visuals are provided mostly via the use of miniatures and remnants of the old Frankenstein set with Universal's european village backlot set thrown in for atmosphere. Though the plot is hardly ground-breaking it does move fast and hold the interest of the audience. Some scenes in the village were so classically overplayed that they were reinvented by Mel Brooks in 'Young Frankenstein' to great effect.

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: OK FOR YOUNGSTERS TOO!

The 73 minute monster mash builds to a stunning climax which includes a wrestling match between the Wolfman and a recharged Frankenstein who once again leaves the scene believed to be dead. Of course we all know these monsters have at least 9 lives and we are grateful for each one of them.

Naturally, the film takes an ominous turn after Dr. Mannering [Patric Knowles] suddenly and without any motive turns into a mad scientist [after all his first name is Frank] and decides to give the monsters added strength rather than drain the life from them. He says he wants to see what they can do?! It was only about 8 minutes before the end of the film, so this really does not fit the story very well, but it looks and plays well.

Despite the dark tone the film is NOT full of gore or violence that would preclude it from being shown to youngsters.

BOTTOM LINE: A BETTER WOLFMAN FILM THAN A FRANKENSTEIN FILM

Essentially, Bela Lugosi just does not seem to be Frankenstein. If there is a big flaw in the film, this is it. In fact, all his dialogue and the reasoning for his appearing to be blind are deleted from the final version of the film. Apparently, a talking Frankenstein that sounded like Dracula was simply NOT believable. Also, there is a much darker tone to this film than the earlier Wolfman film as Lawrence Talbot has just 1 goal -- to die! As a fan, naturally I want our monsters to live forever, so this motivation is rather disturbing to me but the film is still rather worthwhile and interesting.

The Stiffest Monster Ever ...
This text refers to the version found on the Wolfman Legacy Colection. With the exception of what looks to be damage to the print itself during the opening credits the transfer to DVD is stellar.

The first half of this picture stands up well alongside any of the best of the horror films Universal Studios ever made. The story (by Curt Siodmak) is an exciting one that seldom dragged. The direction by Roy William Neil is well paced and made good use of Siodmak's terse scripting. The characters introduced were uniformly strong and the actors who portrayed them did more than just walk through the lines. Patric Knowles was solid as the surgeon/scientist who tries to help the cursed Talbot. Maria Ouspenskaya reprised her role as the gypsy woman who working to protect the cursed Lawrence Talbot and Lon Chaney came up with (what was probably) his best performance as that character. The emotional depth he brought to the role of an average man afflicted with something that's neither his fault or within his ability to control is compelling to this day.

The problems with this film begin when the character of the Monster was introduced. Bela Lugosi's performance as the creature is terrible but it apparently wasn't his fault. The monster had finished the last film blinded and running around speaking with Ygor's voice. After production began someone in some branch of some executive think tank decided to make a few changes. Of course, all this happened after Lugosi had been filmed stumbling around like a wooden dummy. Continuity went in the tank and Lugosi ended up groping around the sets as a stick-figure monster. Given what ended up on the screen (to say nothing of the lousy reviews Lugosi had to have known he'd be getting) one can only sympathize with him. It was, literally, the stiffest portrayal of the monster ever filmed. (It might even be the stiffest portrayal of anything ever filmed, anywhere). It's beyond ridiculous and that's being generous. But it wasn't Bela's fault.

Still, this film still never deteriorated to the point of being really bad. Even the characters introduced after the monster-with-all-his-body-parts-in-splints shows up are developed reasonably well. Ilona Massey brought a level of intelligence to the role of the Baroness Frankenstein that kept the part from being just filler that placed an attractive feminine presence on the screen. Lionel Atwill (one of Universal Studios' great utility players) turned in his usual strong work as the mayor of the town plagued by monster's shadow. His part was a cliché, but, as he generally did, he managed to inject it with a measure of depth. The bond that forms between Talbot and the creature (two beings made outcasts through circumstances beyond their control) is an emotionally provocative one. The (inevitable) decision by the curiousity driven Mannering (Knowles) is convincing as is the horror displayed by the Baroness Frankenstein (Massey) when she realizes his true intent.

The picture is plagued by the usual clichés that dogged films of that era. Some of the situations are too obviously contrived. The villagers (from the typical Hollywood village in Central Europe) are so backward they belong in the twelfth century. The confrontation between the monsters is disappointing (Lugosi is just too stiff) and the models of buildings used for panoramic shots are obviously models (the "bricks" used are ridiculously large for full sized structures). When the "castle" is "destroyed" it looks like a model being washed away by tap water. The problems don't overshadow the pluses though. The cinematography is excellent and the use of lighting and shadows (particularly through the first twenty minutes of the film) is nothing short of spectacular. Most of the sets are very good as well. The only exceptions are the few cases where models were used. The script has many strong points and the actors involved in the project all gave it their full effort.

The result was a film that retained its capacity to be enjoyed even after some of the elements went downhill.