mark.waltz
Watchable, if unremarkable, this is the second Universal horror film to tie three of their monsters together: Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the wolf man. Having appeared in several films with Bela Lugosi, the tall and lanky John Carradine must have felt a sense of irony when he was asked to play the count in "House of Frankenstein". But he didn't make it half way through the movie, yet managed to find a way back here where he all of a sudden is seeking release. Lon Chaney Jr. returns for the fourth time as the wolf man, also trying again to find release. As for Glenn Strange as the monster, well, old Frankie boy has come back from the dead so many times, he should change his name to Phoenix.Carradine does his best to make the part his own, but he lacks Lugosi's old European manner and appears to be trying too hard to settle in. Chaney goes over the top as he did in "House of Frankenstein", making me glad that there was no "House of Woof Woof". Martha O'Driscoll and Jane Adams are the female members of the set, with pretty Adams playing a hunchbacked nurse, working for noble doctor Onslow Stevens who is biting more than he can chew providing monster cures. Lionel Atwill returns in yet another part, Still entertaining, this is just a sign of desperation from Universal studios, rushing out a script and making as good of a use of the back lot as it can. There are moments when it seems extremely intelligent, and others that really cross the line of dramatic license. Stevens comes off best in the cast, while Chaney goes way overboard and Glenn Strange just seems to be sleep walking as the monster who somehow ends up in cahoots with Chaney's monster wolf once again. A slew of strange minor characters try to add atmosphere but don't really add much but unnecessary groans.
LeonLouisRicci
This Finale to the Highly Popular and Entertaining Universal Monster Series is an Underrated and Creepy Spook Show that has Moments of Horror and Terror and takes Itself, Surprisingly, very Serious Indeed.The Usual Suspects are Gathered in Dr. Edelmann's (Onslow Stevens) "Cure-All" Castle as Dracula (John Carradine) enters the Doctor's House and makes it His Own. Coffin in Tow (with the essential layer of home turf) the Count Politely asks for a Cure.Things Quickly become less Polite and more Terrifying as the Movie Progresses. Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolfman) is in the Waiting Room, and You know why He is there, and He and the Good Doctor (at least for now) literally Fall Upon Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange) and here We go Again.The Film is Rich with a Rousing and very Effective Musical Score, some Surreal SFX from John Fulton, a Gloomy Set beneath the Earth with Webby Weeds that is Dank, Dark and Foreboding, and for one Final Fear, a Beautiful Female Hunchback Nurse (Jane Adams) that is one of the Film's Ultimate Tragedies.Stevens gives an Outstanding Performance as the Doctor as He Adds another Monster to the Mix and gives the Film it's Driving Doom Laden Center.Overall, there are Real Chills and Thrills in this Curtain Call for the Series and does not Disappoint. It needs to be Looked at Again with less Jaded and Tired Eyes.Because as it Stands this Monster Movie Delivered a Horror of a Horror Movie that is more than just a Wrap. The Package Inside is Indeed a Respectable and a Credible Entry with its "Famous Monsters".Note...Lionel Atwill makes a short appearance as the "Inspector", it was to be one of His last Films as He died a Year later.
ferbs54
Released in December 1945, "House of Dracula" is the penultimate entry in Universal's classic series of monster movies, stretching from 1931's "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" all the way to 1948's "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." Like its immediate predecessor, 1944's "House of Frankenstein," and the 1948 film, it is an all-star monster mash-up, featuring Dracula for the fifth time (after the original, 1936's "Dracula's Daughter," 1943's "Son of Dracula" and the '44 film), Franky for the seventh time (after the 1931 film, 1935's "Bride of Frankenstein," 1939's "Son of Frankenstein," 1942's "Ghost of Frankenstein," 1943's "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and the '44 film), and the Wolf Man for the fourth time (following 1941's original classic "The Wolf Man," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" and the '44 film). Whew! Clocking in at a brief 67 minutes, this entry certainly makes for a compact addition to this legendary series, and like all the others, makes for a splendid entertainment for both the kiddies and their parents.In this one, Lawrence Talbot (wonderfully played, as always, by Lon Chaney, Jr.) visits still another medical expert to help rid himself of his lycanthropic curse. He arrives at the castle home of Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) in the fictitious hamlet of Visaria (a locale that, due to the townspeople's Teutonic names and the doctor's oceanfront pile, the viewer must assume to be in northern Germany), only to learn that the good doctor is busy with another patient. Just the night before, by an incredible coincidence, one Baron Latos had appeared in the doctor's sitting room in the wee hours of the A.M. The stranger was received by the doctor with amazingly good grace (how many of us would engage a top-hatted stranger with such accommodating conversation at 5 A.M.?) and soon revealed that he was no less a personage than Count Dracula himself, seeking a cure for his own monstrous curse. (As in the '44 film, the old neck nosher is played here by John Carradine, with suavity to spare.) Edelmann eventually agrees to take both these new patients on, and his lot is made even more problematic when he discovers--in still another fantastic co-inkydence, one that propels the film into the realms of the surreal--the dormant body of the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange, for the second time) in the sea caves beneath his home! (At this point, the viewer might understandably begin to wonder when the Invisible Man and the Mummy will be making their entrances!) And life grows even more harried for the put-upon doctor, when he realizes that the sneaky count has turned him into one of the bloodsucking undead...and with an overriding desire to revive the Frankenstein monster...."House of Dracula" (a more appropriate title would be "House of Edelmann," of course) is a remarkable film for several reasons. In it, both Dracula AND the Wolf Man profess a desire to be cured of their earthly lot (Dracula seeks a "release from a curse of misery and horror against which I'm powerless to fight alone"; Talbot bemoans his "life of misery and despair"), and for the first time, a scientific explanation is given for both of their maladies (a blood parasite and a "different species of antibodies" for the vampire; "pressure upon certain parts of the brain" coupled with self-hypnosis and hormonal changes, in the case of Talbot). Even more startling, perhaps, is the series' first FEMALE hunchback: Nina, the assistant of Dr. Edelmann, played by Jane Adams. Although grouped with the other monsters in the film's promotional poster under the tagline "The Devil's Own Brood," Nina is actually the kindest, most sympathetic character in the entire film, and despite her deformity, prettier than her fellow assistant Miliza (Martha O'Driscoll). The fact that Nina IS such a sympathetic character only makes her ultimate fate seem like an undeserved gyp. Continuing its pseudoscientific bent, "House of Dracula" gives us some plausible solutions for the monsters' problem: blood transfusions for the count, and utilizing the spores of the "clavaria formosa" plant, to effect a reshaping of the cranial cavity, for Talbot. Besides these novel plot points, the film boasts an oftentimes remarkable use of light and shadow (DOP George Robinson had previously lent his considerable skills to films such as "The Mummy's Tomb," "Franky Meets the Wolf Man," "Son of Dracula," "Cobra Woman" and "House of Frankenstein"). The special FX by John P. Fulton are just fine--including Larry's transformations, the Drac-to-bat changes, and especially the beautiful ocean backdrop behind Edelmann's castle--while the film's direction, by Erle C. Kenton ("Island of Lost Souls," "Ghost of Frankenstein," "House of Frankenstein"), is taut and atmospheric. The film boasts several memorable scenes, including Talbot's initial jail-cell transformation; Miliza playing increasingly haunting piano music, as Dracula's spell overwhelms her; Edelmann watching his mirrored reflection slowly fade and disappear, a telltale sign of his new vampiric condition; and a surrealistic fantasy/dream sequence that Edelmann suffers. On the down side, it can fairly be said that Carradine is an unusual casting choice to play the count, that Dracula is too easily disposed of, and that the film itself wraps up way too abruptly. And (spoiler ahead) how is it even possible for the vampire Edelmann to be done in by conventional bullets? Quibbles aside, though, the film is as fun as can be, and even lets the newly cured Lawrence Talbot enjoy a happy ending, for a change! Of course, Larry would soon be in for a fairly serious relapse, as the events of "A & C Meet Franky" would clearly detail. Here's hoping that he at least had three good years between these two films....
AaronCapenBanner
Erle C. Kenton returns to direct this final entry in the "Frankenstein" & "Wolf Man" sagas(not counting the farcical "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein") Here, through an unfortunate case of lazy & indifferent writing, both Dracula(again played by John Carradine) & The Wolf Man(played by Lon Chaney Jr.) are alive again without explanation, seeking the aid of Dr. Edelmann(played by Onslow Stevens) to finally cure them of their maladies, though Dracula is insincere, and will once again be destroyed by sunlight. Larry Talbot and Dr. Edelmann also come across the Frankenstein monster in a cave(with the skeleton of Dr. Niemann) that harbors a plant that will enable Talbot to be finally cured of his curse. Sadly, Dracula poisons the good doctor with his blood, causing him to become a killer, forcing a most tragic end for him and his hunchbacked assistant Nina(played by Jane Adams).Poorly written and paced film is a most disappointing end to the series, though it was nice to see Larry Talbot finally cured, the lack of explanations here is annoying, and the plot incredibly contrived and coincidence driven, leading to a rushed and abrupt ending. A shame.
