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.
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.