Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors: #15

Halloween season simply isn’t Halloween season without a regular dose of classic Universal horror (1923-1963). Every day this October, I’ll be giving you a steady IV drip of it by counting down Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors!

#15. House of Frankenstein (1944- dir. Erle C. Kenton)

I don’t care if they’re schlocky—Universal’s monster rallies scratch a sweet spot that movies with just one creature never could. The Mummy? That guy’s totally lonesome. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man? Closer, but not quite there yet, guys. Erle C. Kenton’s House movies? Ahh, that’s the sweet relief I’ve been craving. One of the best and most monster-crammed rallies is House of Frankenstein. “FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER! WOLF MAN! DRACULA! HUNCHBACK! MAD DOCTOR!... All the Screen's Titans of Terror - Together in the Greatest of All SCREEN SENSATIONS!” went the ballyhoo. The cast is killer with Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, Glenn Strange as the monster, John Carradine making his elegant debut as the count, and Karloff taking one last bow in a Frankenstein picture a the mad scientist. The one major flaw is the film’s split structure that prevents all of the monsters from ever sharing screen time together.  If you see any other flaws in this big heap of wonderful, I’m not sure if we can be friends anymore.

Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors: #25

Halloween season simply isn’t Halloween season without a regular dose of classic Universal horror (1923-1963). Every day this October, I’ll be giving you a steady IV drip of it by counting down Psychobabble’s 31 Favorite Universal Horrors!

#25. House of Dracula (1945- dir. Erle C. Kenton)

Not nearly as much fun as Erle C. Kenton’s previous monster-rally house, House of Dracula does improve on its Frankensteinian predecessor in some ways. The film’s three monster’s are better integrated (though there still seems to be an unwillingness to find much for the Frankenstein Monster to do) since Dracula is not dispatched before the other creeps even appear this time. John Carradine continues to make an interesting and elegant vampire, and the mad scientist plot to cure vampirism is pretty original. Plus, you just can’t go wrong any time Universal’s three main monsters share the screen.

366 Days at the Drive-In: Day 258

The Date: June 14

The Movie: House of Dracula (1945)

What Is It?: The golden age monsters reunite for one last go round before hooking up with Abbott and Costello and swooshing into parody for good. Not that this story is serious stuff. John Carradine’s Dracula seeks a cure for his vampirism as Lon Chaney’s Larry Talbot does the same for his werewolfism. Onslow Stevens is the mad doctor who tries to accommodate them and Poni Adams is the rare female hunchbacked assistant.

Why Today?: Today is World Blood Donor Day. Just don’t donate any to Dracula.