Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman
Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman
In 1943, Universal Pictures released a film that was both a sequel to The Son of Frankenstein and The Wolfman, called Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman. The idea of the film supposedly came about at the commissary at Universal Studios when it is said that screenwriter Curt Siodmak joked to producer George Waggner that he had a great title for a new film in the Monsters series, "Frankenstein Wolfs The Meat Man", he supposedly said he needed a down payment for a new car. Thus was born Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman. The film would be written by Siodmak and directed by Roy William Neill.
The film stars Lon Chaney Jr reprising his role as Larry Talbot/The Wolfman, Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's Monster (a role that he turned down originally in 1931, which was given instead to Boris Karloff, and launched Karloff as a horror film star, and from then on Lugosi was rarely given leading roles again), Ilona Massey as Baroness Elsa Frankenstein, Patric Knowles as Dr. Mannering, Lionel Atwill as Mayor, Maria Ouspenskaya reprising her role as Maleva from the Wolfman), This would also be the last film to feature horror legend Dwight Frye before his death soon after the film's release. The casting of the film was great and featured some big names in horror such as Lugosi, Chaney, Atwill, and Frye. Definitely the most stand out role is that of Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot/The Wolfman. The sadness of the character is even further intensified in this film, as through the entire film his only desire is to die, so that his curse may be ended. For some reason the silver cane didn't kill him in the previous film (Universal is good at ignoring its own movie rules, and resurrecting monsters that were popular if it means making a buck from them in another movie...and that is kind of the sole purpose of this film, to make a few dollars for the company).
This would be the first of the "monster mash" films, really the idea behind these films are to entertain audiences who can't get enough of the monsters and want to see the monsters face off against each other, really a cash grab to capitalize on the success of the Universal Monsters franchises. Honestly even though that is the case, Lon Chaney Jr. puts in a really great performance, and his story arc is really well done. The film is really two main acts, the first being the resurrection of Larry Talbot, and him seeking a way to free himself from the curse that he suffers. He finds out about Frankenstein's experiments, and thinks that maybe that if he had figured out the secrets to life, then maybe he could help him find death. But finding the castle in ruins and Frankenstein dead, he then finds and befriends Frankenstein's monster, and finds out that Frankenstein had a daughter. So he poses that he is looking to buy the property, as a way to meet Frankenstein's daughter, and tells her his plan. She refuses, as any sensible person would, but as luck would have it, he is reacquainted with Dr. Mannerling, who was his doctor at the B Ward of the hospital where he was being treated for a head injury after his resurrection (the headwound might have been caused by where his father killed him with the silver headed cane?). The doctor, Frankenstein's daughter (granddaughter of the original Dr. Frankenstein by the way), Larry Talbot, and Frankenstein's Monster reconstruct the laboratory, but instead of destroying the monsters...well I am sure you can guess what happens next.
This isn't a bad film, but it also isn't a great film either, it received generally negative reviews when it was released, and though the critics have softened their views on the film, the film still holds a low score on Rotten Tomatoes. For his part Lon Chaney Jr is great in this film, and plays the character with all of his heart and soul, and I think that is the best part of the film. Bela Lugosi has just a few minutes of screentime, and much of that is actually done by stand ins as Lugosi was struggling with fatigue while filming this movie. The other roles are honestly quite forgettable, and nothing really special about anything else in the film, even for those looking to see the monsters face off, don't get to experience it until the last few minutes of the film, much of the rest of the film is Talbot trying to find a way to die and end the curse, which is good, but the rest of the film isn't as good as Chaney is, and it all kind of falls apart. Basically you have on character doing a great serious role, while no one else seems to have their heart in it at all, resulting in a lackluster film that feels like nothing more than a way to cash in a popular franchise.
I enjoyed this film, but I don't know if it is a film that I necessarily recommend, and it is definitely not a must-see, but it is a film worth seeing and there are some cool things about it. I also like the wonderful special effects achieved through the use of models at the end of the film, I thought those looked really good for the time period. Overall it is a fun piece of horror history, worth checking out, but not really one that you will likely be watching repeatedly.
A few interesting facts though:
- In Alien Vs. Predator, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman is playing on a television
- In the 1962 film King Kong vs Godzilla the same music used in the fight scene between the Frankenstein and the Wolfman is used in the battle scene between Godzilla and King Kong,
- I am not 100% sure but I think that the song B Ward by UK punk band Rudimentary Peni might be referencing this film based on the lyrics.
- This is the first film that uses the Full Moon mythology for Talbot becoming the Wolfman, and the last line in the poem is changed for this film and all films that would follow, to:
"Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers at night
will turn into a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright."
The film stars Lon Chaney Jr reprising his role as Larry Talbot/The Wolfman, Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's Monster (a role that he turned down originally in 1931, which was given instead to Boris Karloff, and launched Karloff as a horror film star, and from then on Lugosi was rarely given leading roles again), Ilona Massey as Baroness Elsa Frankenstein, Patric Knowles as Dr. Mannering, Lionel Atwill as Mayor, Maria Ouspenskaya reprising her role as Maleva from the Wolfman), This would also be the last film to feature horror legend Dwight Frye before his death soon after the film's release. The casting of the film was great and featured some big names in horror such as Lugosi, Chaney, Atwill, and Frye. Definitely the most stand out role is that of Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot/The Wolfman. The sadness of the character is even further intensified in this film, as through the entire film his only desire is to die, so that his curse may be ended. For some reason the silver cane didn't kill him in the previous film (Universal is good at ignoring its own movie rules, and resurrecting monsters that were popular if it means making a buck from them in another movie...and that is kind of the sole purpose of this film, to make a few dollars for the company).
This isn't a bad film, but it also isn't a great film either, it received generally negative reviews when it was released, and though the critics have softened their views on the film, the film still holds a low score on Rotten Tomatoes. For his part Lon Chaney Jr is great in this film, and plays the character with all of his heart and soul, and I think that is the best part of the film. Bela Lugosi has just a few minutes of screentime, and much of that is actually done by stand ins as Lugosi was struggling with fatigue while filming this movie. The other roles are honestly quite forgettable, and nothing really special about anything else in the film, even for those looking to see the monsters face off, don't get to experience it until the last few minutes of the film, much of the rest of the film is Talbot trying to find a way to die and end the curse, which is good, but the rest of the film isn't as good as Chaney is, and it all kind of falls apart. Basically you have on character doing a great serious role, while no one else seems to have their heart in it at all, resulting in a lackluster film that feels like nothing more than a way to cash in a popular franchise.
I enjoyed this film, but I don't know if it is a film that I necessarily recommend, and it is definitely not a must-see, but it is a film worth seeing and there are some cool things about it. I also like the wonderful special effects achieved through the use of models at the end of the film, I thought those looked really good for the time period. Overall it is a fun piece of horror history, worth checking out, but not really one that you will likely be watching repeatedly.
A few interesting facts though:
- In Alien Vs. Predator, Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman is playing on a television
- In the 1962 film King Kong vs Godzilla the same music used in the fight scene between the Frankenstein and the Wolfman is used in the battle scene between Godzilla and King Kong,
- I am not 100% sure but I think that the song B Ward by UK punk band Rudimentary Peni might be referencing this film based on the lyrics.
- This is the first film that uses the Full Moon mythology for Talbot becoming the Wolfman, and the last line in the poem is changed for this film and all films that would follow, to:
"Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers at night
will turn into a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms and the moon is full and bright."
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