For this year’s 31 Nights of Horror Challenge, the Day 28 prompt was Classic Monster. I love classic monster movies and wanted to choose one that I had not seen for a very long time. What better choice than to include ALL of the classics in one movie. That can only be Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Storyline
The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster, who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula’s reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula’s bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur, but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein all running rampant.
Out Thoughts on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
What a fun movie! It has been a very long time since either Michele or I have seen this one. Probably more than 45 years so it was like seeing it for the first time.
This is such a cool concept and a decent story to boot. Of course it is cheesy and slapstick but what do you expect?
This is the last film that Universal’s Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man appeared in together. It’s a wonderful and funny finale to Universal’s original monster film series. This film is well worth watching.
Bud Abbott & Lou Costello are just as funny as always – throw in Universal’s Monsters and you have one of the best, if not then the best, comedy-horror film ever made.
This one is a film that the whole family can enjoy – even if they are not into classic horror they can easily enjoy the comedy in the film. This one can easily make a great family Halloween film.
8 out of 10
Trivia
Lou Costello didn’t want to make the movie, declaring, “No way I’ll do that crap. My little girl could write something better than this.” A $50,000 advance in salary and the signing of director Charles Barton, the team’s good friend and the man some call their best director, convinced him otherwise.
Although he would play similar vampires, ghouls, zombies, et al, in other films since Dracula (1931), this would be only the second, and last, time that Bela Lugosi would play Dracula in a feature film.
Originally the Mummy was to be included in the cast of monsters, but that idea was eventually dropped.
The animation sequences of Dracula-as-a-bat and Dracula-changing-from-bat-to-Dracula were done by Universal-International’s animator, Walter Lantz (of “Woody Woodpecker” fame).
