Franchises: Universal's Dracula Series. House of Dracula (1945)

And now, we come to the film that, while not the exact final entry of Universal Horror's second wave, is the last serious outing for the classic monsters, as the rest of the movies featuring them would be the Abbott and Costello Meet movies in the late 40's and 50's. When I was a little kid reading about these old monster flicks at my school's library, I learned of House of Dracula in the Crestwood House book on the Wolf Man. Not only did the title stick in my mind more than House of Frankenstein, what really caught my attention was learning that Larry Talbot is finally cured of his werewolfism (the book also said that Larry dies in the fire at the end shortly after being cured, one of a number things Crestwood House got wrong). I first saw the movie itself on VHS when I was 15, not long after I'd first seen House of Frankenstein and been disappointed by it. Thus, I went into House of Dracula with lower expectations, which worked out well, as I can remember rather enjoying it on my first watch. In fact, while neither movie is ever going to be lauded as an unappreciated gem, I think I might like this just a little bit more than House of Frankenstein. While it is something of a rehash of that movie, with much of the same cast and crew, as well as the same line-up of monsters, including another mad doctor and a hunchback, the way the latter two are realized is very different than in the previous movie, and in general. Also, though we, again, don't get a full-on monster brawl, the Wolf Man is only in two scenes, and Frankenstein's monster is sidelined until the very end, the story isn't as episodic, John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. have more to do with their respective roles, and there are some truly exceptional scenes and sequences. But, at the same time, the screenwriter made some ill-advised "medical explanations" for Dracula and Larry's conditions, and unlike the previous movie, this was very clearly another low-budget affair.

In the early morning hours, Count Dracula arrives at the castle home of renowned physician Dr. Franz Edelmann in Visaria. Initially posing as Baron Latos, he leads Edelmann to the cellar, revealing a coffin sporting the Dracula crest. He admits who and what he is to Edelmann, explaining he's come to him in hopes that he can cure him of his vampirism. Initially skeptical, Edelmann decides to take on Dracula's case. Meeting with the Count the following night, he treats him with the first in a series of blood transfusions. At the same time, Lawrence Talbot arrives and is anxious to see Edelmann himself. But when he's told the doctor can't be disturbed, he rushes out of the castle, exclaiming that there isn't time. After the transfusion, Edelmann is told of Talbot, then gets a call from Inspector Holtz in the village. He and his nurse, Milizia, head to the jail, where Holtz tells them that Talbot arrived earlier and demanded he be locked up. The three of them go to see him in his cell, where he tells Edelmann of his werewolf curse. Like with Dracula, Edelmann is skeptical, until the full moon rises and Talbot becomes the Wolf Man in front of them. The next day, after examining Talbot, Edelmann tells him that his transformations are caused by pressure on the brain, coupled with his belief in the full moon causing the change. Though he knows of a possible way to treat him, preparations will take some time. Unable to bear the idea of transforming again, Talbot tries to commit suicide by throwing himself off a cliff and into the sea below. Edelmann, believing he may have been swept into a cave along the coastline, follows him down into the cave. Though attacked by the Wolf Man, he's saved when the moon sets, and he then finds that the cave's temperature and humidity are ideal for growing the plants necessary for the operation. They also discover the comatose Frankenstein monster, clutching the skeleton of Dr. Niemann. Edelmann brings the Monster up to the castle, planning to revive him, but is convinced that it's too risky for everyone involved. However, his other patient, Dracula, is beginning to lose interest in a cure and is intent on seducing Milizia. And while Edelmann learns of his scheme and manages to destroy him, Dracula contaminates him with his own blood, leading him to develop a sinister persona intent on reviving the Monster and using him for his own gain.

Though House of Frankenstein wasn't a massive financial hit in 1944, it was successful enough to warrant yet another follow-up. Thus, the studio once again put the delayed script of The Wolf Man vs. Dracula into development, this time with the intention of John Carradine reprising the role of the latter from the previous movie. However, the script required major revisions in order to please the censors, leading producer Paul Malvern, returning from House of Frankenstein, to assign that film's screenwriter, Edward T. Lowe, to overhaul much of it. Lowe was the one who added Frankenstein's monster into the mix yet again, and continued re-writing it right up until the day before shooting was to begin. And while House of Frankenstein received its ultimate title in post-production, it was suggested to Lowe that this film be titled House of Dracula during the re-writes.

Chief among those who returned from the previous film was director Erle C. Kenton, once more at the suggestion of Paul Malvern. Following House of Dracula, Kenton would direct one more Universal horror film, 1946's The Cat Creeps (despite the title, this film is not related to The Cat and the Canary or the lost 1930 sound version, also called The Cat Creeps), which would also prove to be his last horror film altogether. In addition, these two movies mark the last stretch of his feature directing career, as he would direct just four more films, two of which were for Universal, before moving on to television. He directed episodes of Racket Squad, Big Town, Public Defender, Telephone Time, and The Texan, among others. Kenton retired by the time the 60's came around and died of Parkinson's disease in 1980, at the age of 83. One sad little footnote to this is that Malvern said he visited Kenton shortly before his death but the disease had taken such a toll on him that he didn't know who Malvern even was.

While Universal would go on to produce films such as The Cat Creeps and She-Wolf of London, both in 1946, before the studio's second horror wave officially ended when it became Universal-International that same year, House of Dracula is, as I said, definitely the end of an era. Most significantly, until Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948, it marked the end of the classic incarnations of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf Man, as it was the last straightforward film featuring them. Significantly, this and the last of the Inner Sanctum series, Pillow of Death, marked the end of Lon Chaney Jr.'s contract with the studio, which he'd had since Man Made Monster. It would also prove to be Lionel Atwill's final appearance in a Universal horror film before his death from cancer in 1946. And though he would continue working at the studio until early 1947, when he was replaced by Bud Westmore as head of the makeup department, this would be the last time Jack Pierce would apply the makeups he'd originally created for the Monster and the Wolf Man.

Like its predecessor, the story of House of Dracula is built around a "mad doctor" character, but Dr. Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) is a very different character than Dr. Niemann. At the beginning of the movie, Edelmann is something of a saint of a doctor. He has a reputation as a good and caring man, and has done much for people with his medical practice. Lately, he's been working on cultivating a substance derived from a special type of plant which can be used to soften bone tissue, hoping to use it to cure his nurse, Nina, of her hunched back. He's so renowned in his profession that both Count Dracula and Larry Talbot come to him for help with their respective curses. Though Edelmann is initially skeptical of what they each claim to be, it doesn't take him long to become convinced otherwise (it's weird how he's initially skeptical of Larry being a werewolf, despite knowing by that point that Dracula is indeed a vampire) and he does everything he can to help them. Finding a bizarre parasite in Dracula's blood, he begins administering an anti-toxin through transfusions, while he tries to help Larry by cultivating more of the plant in order to soften his skull and release the pressure on the brain he feels is behind his transformations. Moreover, when Larry attempts suicide by jumping off a cliff and into the ocean below, Edelmann attempts to rescue him by tracking him down into the seaside caves along the cliffs. This leads to him almost getting killed by the Wolf Man, but fortunately for him, the full moon sets and the sun comes up, turning Larry back to normal. Edelmann then discovers that the temperature and humidity in the caves make it possible to cultivate the plants before the next full moon cycle. And when he and Larry discover Frankenstein's monster in the cave, Edelmann takes pity on him as well, feeling that destroying him would be murder and attempts to revive him. But Larry and Nina manage to convince him that doing so is too dangerous. He then learns that Dracula is seducing his other nurse, Milizia, and attempts to destroy him with a transfusion meant to purify him with his own blood. However, Edelmann ends up becoming contaminated with the Count's blood, and though he does manage to destroy Dracula with sunlight, the worst is yet to come.

Immediately after Dracula's destruction, we see the effect his blood has on Edelmann: he begins to sporadically change into a power-hungry, evil version of himself, very much like Mr. Hyde. After transforming the first time, he begins working to revive the Frankenstein monster, boasting, "They tried to kill you but they couldn't. Frankenstein gave you eternal life, power, which time cannot destroy. The secret of immortality, which will soon be mine." Onslow Stevens plays evil just as well as he does sympathetic, with a crooked,

sneering smile and a definite sinister layer to his voice. He is over-the-top for the most part, but he also manages to be effectively chilling in a scene where, when his gardener, Siegfried, rides into town, Edelmann runs after him and climbs up onto the wagon with him. Initially coming off as benevolent, as they ride on, Siegfried becomes afraid of Edelmann, as he keeps his hand on his shoulder while looking at him evilly. Edelmann, naturally, picks up on this, leading to this exchange: "What's the matter, Siegfried? You act as

though you were afraid." "Oh, no, sir. Why should I be afraid?" "Of the night, perhaps?" "I'm not afraid of the night." "Your hands are trembling, Siegfried." "Are they?" "Siegfried." "Yes, sir?" "I believe I know what you're afraid of." "Do you?" "You're afraid of me." "Of you, sir?" "Cause if you weren't, you'd look at me, Siegfried." Siegfried does look at Edelmann and, terrified at what he sees, makes the horses go faster. They continue: "So you are afraid of me. You're driving faster and

faster so you can get into the village and tell the police." "Why? Why should I want to tell the police anything?" "Because you're afraid I'm going to kill you!" "Kill me, doctor?!" "Yes! You've seen what happens to your old friend! He doesn't want anybody but himself to know about that!" "No, doctor! I will never tell!" "That's right, Siegfried! You never will!" Edelmann then attacks, grabbing Siegfried by the throat and forcing him to the back of the wagon. After they enter the village and fall

out of the back, Edelmann is chased through the village by a mob. He makes it back to his house and, returning to himself, is able to put on a front of respectability for Inspector Holtz and the villagers. In fact, because Edelmann tore open Siegfried's throat, Holtz and the others think its Larry's doing, though the doctor is able to convince them otherwise.

Knowing his time is limited, Edelmann initially intends to operate on Nina but, with the full moon coming soon, opts to help Larry instead. Following his second transformation into his evil self, Edelmann confesses to Larry, who saw him leave with Siegfried, what's happened to him. He then asks Larry to say nothing to Holtz so he can, hopefully, help Nina. He also tells him that, if he's unable to destroy the evil that dwells within him, "You must do it for me." And sure enough, immediately after it's revealed that Larry has been

cured of his werewolfism, Edelmann becomes evil again and manages to resurrect the Frankenstein monster and make him stronger than he's ever been. Even worse, Nina catches him at this and he kills her through strangulation. But when he's confronted by Larry and the police, throwing Holtz into some machinery, Larry keeps his promise to Edelmann by shooting him dead. He reverts back to himself and gives Larry a grateful smile before collapsing. 

Though Onslow Stevens didn't have to wear any extensive makeup, there is a noticeable change in his appearance when he switches to the evil persona, as his hair becomes wild and he develops dark circles around his eyes. He also goes through a transformation sequence all his own the first time. After pacing around, feeling strange, Edelmann watches his reflection in a mirror disappear, a very well-done effect which suggests that he is a vampire himself in some manner. You also see the dark circles appear under his eyes here,

and he collapses in his chair, as thoughts race through his head. We actually see Dracula's influence talk hold of him, as well as an internal battle where his good side tries to dissuade the bad from going through with his plan to revive Frankenstein's monster and use him to terrorize the village. Most disturbingly, you see him planning to cure Nina's deformity in order to make her his bride, with a shot of the evil Edelmann creepily beckoning the improved Nina towards him. 

While he got off to a lackluster start in the role in the previous film, John Carradine proves himself to be quite a good Dracula here, and this time with a significant role in the story. In fact, for the first time, Dracula is, initially, portrayed in something of a sympathetic light. Like Countess Zaleska in Dracula's Daughter, he comes to Dr. Edelmann for release from his vampirism, which he calls, "A curse of misery and horror against which I'm powerless to fight alone." Though Edelmann is put off by his brashness in showing up at 5:00 in the morning and placing his coffin in the house's cellar, he decides to go through with it, seeing it as a challenge to medical science. After examining a sample of Dracula's blood, Edelmann tells the Count that he intends to treat him through periodical transfusions over a span of time. Dracula goes along with the first treatment, but the next time he comes in, he attempts to seduce Edelmann's nurse, Milizia, whom he's met before. From then on out, he foregoes any interest of a cure and only works to take Milizia away. That leads us into the big question: did he say he wanted to be cured just as a ruse to be able to get to Milizia, or did he really mean it at first but, when he saw her again, his monstrous instincts took over? Had he only realized she was there when he came for his first treatment, I would've said the latter. But when he first arrives at Edelmann's home at the beginning, he looks in on Milizia as she sleeps in a creepy manner, before introducing himself to the doctor. Between that and his already getting his coffin into Edelmann's cellar without his knowledge, I think this is a case of evil is as evil does and that he never had any interest in being cured.

The scene between Dracula and Milizia at the piano is, without a doubt, Carradine's best moment in the role, as he manages to be both seductive and genuinely creepy. When he first comes in, she's playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, but as she falls under his spell, she begins playing a different, eerie piece of music. He tells her, "You're creating it, for me... It's beautiful. It's the music of the world from which I come." Though Milizia says she's frightened of the visions the music is giving her, Dracula says it will make her long to be in the

world of the dead. With that, her playing grows more intense and creepy, but when she reaches for the crucifix she wears around her neck and brings it into view, Dracula recoils and the music goes back to the sonata. She then attempts to take a blood sample from him, but he puts her back under his power, telling her, "The music will come to you again. My world is waiting for you... It is a world without fear. It is like the music. Beautiful. Beautiful." Later, Dracula draws Milizia out to him in the courtyard and makes her remove the

crucifix. But before he can escape with her, Edelmann, now aware of what he's up to, tells Dracula they need to perform another transfusion. During the procedure, Dracula uses his hypnotic powers to incapacitate both Edelmann and Nina, then reverses the blood-flow, contaminating the doctor's blood with his own. He, again, tries to make off with Milizia, but Edelmann awakens in time to ward him off with a cross. And then, Dracula dies in an embarrassingly stupid way. He

runs back to his coffin in the cellar, allowing Edelmann to pull it into the light of the rising sun and reduce him to a skeleton. (I've never understood why Dracula doesn't just escape into the shadows whenever he's caught in a situation like this, as he did the same thing all the way back in the original film.) But his influence remains, as his blood soon causes Edelmann to swing back and forth between himself and the new evil personality.

Like in the previous film, Carradine's Dracula is, physically, very much like that of the original Bram Stoker novel, specifically in the mustache, bits of gray in his hair, and his being a very thin man. And like before, his tuxedo, cape, and top hat work well for him. However, his weakness is that he's never really menacing. Creepy, yes, but you're never really truly scared of him, as with Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee later on. And as effectively charming as he is, he just can't compete with Lugosi's exotic attraction. That said, it is too bad that Carradine never got a really good chance to hone the role, as he did have potential for it. 

Also like in the previous film, Dracula's powers are realized through some very well done special effects. In something of a reverse from before, we see his bat form change to his human one in shadow, while we see him become a bat right on camera, and then back to human when he goes to Milizia in her room. These effects are very impressive, especially the latter. As for the fake bat, they show it more than in House of Frankenstein, and while it's not amazing, it's utilized better than the fake bats in a number of

future vampire movies, including the Hammer flicks. They also nicely pull off a shot of Dracula casting no reflection in a large mirror while he and Milizia are standing next to it, and then maintaining it when the two of them walk out the door, with the camera panning over to show them going out together. And then, they do it in reverse, as they go out the door and the camera pans back to the mirror, again showing only Milizia's reflection. Finally, as dumb as the circumstances are, the effect of Dracula disintegrating into a skeleton as he's destroyed is well-done; again, it works like the reverse of his resurrection in the previous movie.

Like Dracula before him, Larry Talbot suddenly shows up at Dr. Edelmann's home, with no explanation as to how he's alive again after Ilonka shot him with the silver bullet (given how easy it is to revive Dracula, and how we know that Larry can be resurrected by the full moon itself, I have no problem with there not being an explanation). Though he's repeating himself by this point, panicking and running out when he's told Edelmann can't see him just yet, and giving a tortured explanation of his werewolfism, Lon Chaney Jr., this time sporting his Inner Sanctum mustache, still manages to be likable, sympathetic, and pitiable as Larry. Though Edelmann suggests a potential cure, Larry can't bear the thought of becoming the Wolf Man again and attempts suicide by jumping off the seaside cliff the castle is built on. However, he gets washed into a cave, where he does transform again, and nearly kills Edelmann when he comes searching for him. Upon returning to normal, Larry is told that the plants necessary for the operation can be easily cultivated in the cavern, which happens to lead into the castle through an ancient torture chamber. He tries to be optimistic but, because of his past disappointments, even after the operation, he still fears it won't work. Despite Nina and Milizia's reassurance and encouragement, he admits to the latter that he can't help but see the night as something evil and ugly, especially when the full moon is out.

While Chaney does repeat himself for the first act, House of Dracula later gives him something different to play as Larry Talbot: concern and empathy for someone else who suffers like him. After managing, along with Nina, to talk Edelmann out of reviving the Frankenstein monster, Larry becomes concerned for the good doctor when he sees him sneak onto Siegfried's wagon and later come running back, with the villagers in hot pursuit. He confronts him about it, saying he didn't tell Inspector Holtz what he knew out of gratitude

for his helping him, and offers to help him if he can at all. Edelmann then confesses that he's been cursed by Dracula's tainted blood and that it causes him to transform into an evil version of himself. He asks Larry not to say anything so he can eventually perform the same operation on Nina, but also asks that, if he can't do what has to be done when time comes, he do it for him. Larry silently complies, especially since, as Edelmann himself notes, he knows what it's like to be cursed with turning into a

monster. At the end of the movie, Larry gets two meaningful moments. One is when the full moon rises again... and nothing happens. He's finally free. Chaney plays this moment beautifully, silently going from apprehension as the moon comes over the horizon to silent realization and happiness at the thought of no longer being tormented. And then, when he and the others witness the evil-possessed Edelmann revive the Monster and kill Nina and Holtz, Larry keeps his promise and mercifully kills him. Not counting when he unknowingly killed Bela, this is the only time Larry himself intentionally kills someone, and it's something he does very reluctantly. But he doesn't have time to mourn, as the furious Monster attacks him for killing his savior, and Larry manages to fight him off and escape with Milizia and the villagers.

Like in House of Frankenstein, a major disappointment for monster fans is that Larry only becomes the Wolf Man twice and for very brief periods; this time around, both instances are at the beginning of the film. Again, I've heard it was due to a scarcity of yak hair because of the war. However, Chaney does get to do a little more this time around. When he transforms in the jail cell in front of Edelmann, Milizia, and Holtz, he gets to thrash around, reaching for them through the bars, attempt to rip out the bars on the window, and then grab the main bars and shake them, all while snarling ferociously (the same vocalizations heard in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). And after Larry attempts suicide, only to get washed into the cave along the shoreline, the Wolf Man attacks and nearly kills Edelmann when he follows him down. Fortunately for the doctor, the full moon sets and Larry reverts to normal.

Makeup-wise, while there isn't much to say about the Wolf Man that hasn't already been said, I've always felt that it looks slightly different than in House of Frankenstein. I can't quite put my finger on why I think that (I think it has something to do with the canine nose, which looks darker than before, as well as his hair, which looks sparser and more well-manicured), but I believe there is a difference her. And when it comes to the transformations, the filmmakers, yet again, show how far they'd come by this point. Like the major

one in the previous film, the transformation in the jail cell is very fast, taking around twenty seconds and going through twelve or more phases to the makeup in that time, with Jack Pierce initially applying the hair on set but then having to go back to the makeup chair with Chaney when it came time for the wolf nose. Chaney probably appreciated that, unlike in the last movie, he's sitting down and resting his head up against the cell's wall when he changes, and that this is the

only time he goes from man-to-werewolf on camera. He does go from the Wolf Man back to Larry onscreen in the cave (which I just realized is the only time he does so in any of these movies while he's alive) but, after that, the Wolf Man is essentially no more, since Larry is later cured... at least up until Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein several years later.

That leads us into a big no-no the movie commits: attempting to give a medical explanation for both Dracula's vampirism and Larry's werewolfism. After examining a sample of his blood, Edelmann tells Dracula that it's infested with a strange parasite and thus, has an anti-toxin prepared to counteract it. He does make some progress with it, at one point telling Dracula that an unusual type of antibody has appeared as a result of the treatments, and when he learns of Dracula's evil intentions for Milizia, Edelmann attempts to destroy him with

a transfusion meant to purify his blood even more, but we know how badly that backfires. His explanation for the Wolf Man is even more ridiculous. Upon making some x-rays of Larry's skull, Edelmann tells him that there's pressure on certain parts of his brain. He continues, "This condition, coupled with your belief that the moon can bring about a change, accomplishes exactly that. During the period in which your reasoning processes give way to self-hypnosis, the glands which govern your metabolism get out of control.

Like a steam engine without a balance wheel. When this happens, the glands generate an abnormal supply of certain hormones. In your case, those which bring about the physical transformation which you experience." Thus, he plans to use a substance derived from rare plants to soften Larry's skull and reshape it in order to get rid of the pressure. And to that, I'm like, "Oh, give me a break!" Trying to explain it to begin with is bad enough, but saying it's a result of pressure on

the brain, fueled by self-delusion? He's still talking as if Larry simply believes he's a werewolf, rather than actually being one. Not to mention that, apparently, a blood parasite is why Dracula is immortal, can turn into a bat, is vulnerable to sunlight, and repelled by religious symbols. These explanations are not only stupid but they rob the characters of their supernatural, mythic qualities. I'm not saying it can't work at all but, in the context of these films, being a werewolf or a vampire should simply be a supernatural curse.

Another thing House of Dracula has in common with its predecessor is a hunchback character, but it majorly subverts expectations in that it's one of Edelmann's nurses, Nina (Jane Adams). Like Daniel in the previous film, she's billed as something of a monster in the advertising, along with Edelmann as a "mad doctor," but she's as far removed from a monster as you can get. She's a very sweet, caring woman who admires Edelmann for the work he's doing to help people, particularly in his cultivation of the plant necessary to create the substance which softens bone. In fact, while he's promised to use it to cure her of her hunched back, Nina is willing to live with it a little while longer in order for Larry to have his operation before the next full moon. Nina also becomes concerned when she sees how strange Milizia is acting at one point, leading to her learning that Baron Latos is actually Dracula and informing Edelmann of his evil intentions for Milizia. And it doesn't take much for her to learn that something is wrong with the doctor himself, as she overhears him attempting to revive Frankenstein's monster, something she and Larry pleaded with him not to do earlier. Unfortunately, she's killed by Edelmann's evil side near the end of the film, and in a pretty brutal fashion, as he grabs her by the neck and tosses her down the stairs leading into the caverns below. It's actually quite cruel, given what a nice person she was and how Edelmann worked tirelessly to cure her of her affliction.

Milizia Morelle (Martha O'Driscoll), Edelmann's other nurse, is more of a standard example of such a character, but she's just as lovely and caring as Nina, especially when it comes to Larry, whom she becomes something of a love interest for. She hopes to see him freed from his curse, and also tries to comfort him when he's worried that Edelmann may have failed to help him as well. Significantly, Milizia becomes a target for Dracula, whom she met previously, as he begins attempting to seduce and make off with her. Like most of his victims, she's powerless to fight against him, despite her crucifix being a momentary obstacle for him, and it's only thanks to Edelmann that she's saved. In the end, she and Larry are the only inhabitants of Edelmann's home who make it out of the movie alive.

In his final appearance in one of these movies, Lionel Atwill, for the third time, plays an inspector, this time named Holtz. Despite the fact that he was terminally ill by this point, he still gives the role, as small as it is, his all. As was often the case, he makes Holtz into a perfectly respectable authority figure, one who, for a change, is aware of Larry's werewolfism. Because of this, when Edelmann's evil persona kills Siegfried, the savagery of the crime makes him and the others believe it was the Wolf Man's doing. Despite being told that it

couldn't have been Larry, Holtz is intent on finding the killer, whom he knows ran to Edelmann's house. However, he doesn't believe it's Edelmann himself, and only learns the hard way during the climax, when the mad doctor throws him into some electrix machinery. Siegfried (Ludwig Stossel), Edelmann's gardener, has only one notable scene, when he's terrorized and eventually murdered by Edelmann as they ride towards the village. But while his brother, Steinmuhl (Skelton Knaggs), is

also not in the film much and doesn't have much to his character other than being something a troublemaker, according to Holtz, and determined to find his brother's killer during the third act, he's more memorable because of the actor playing him. Knaggs was a very odd-looking guy, with a soft, creepy voice, and he adds a weird vibe to every part of the movie he's in.

Glenn Strange's second outing as the Frankenstein monster is just more of the same as his first one, only in this case, it's actually worse. After he's discovered in the cavern beneath Dr. Edelmann's come, covered in mud and quicksand (the stuff they used was, according to Strange, extremely cold, and Lon Chaney Jr. plied him with alcohol so he wouldn't freeze), he, once again, spends 98% of the movie lying around in the lab. Moreover, once Edelmann is talked out of trying to revive him, you could easily forget the Monster is even in the movie, as he's not seen again until Edelmann is contaminated with Dracula's blood and his evil side begins working to resurrect him (the only time you see him do anything before the climax is when the evil Edelmann imagines sending him to wreak havoc in the village). While the Monster's role in House of Frankenstein's story ultimately didn't amount to much, at least it seemed significant, given Dr. Niemann's obsession with reviving him; here, it's a complete afterthought, and when he finally does rise at the end of the movie, he doesn't get to do much other than lurch around the lab and knock a policeman to the floor. When Larry kills Edelmann, the Monster glares angrily at him for killing his savior and attempts to attack him. However, Larry pushes over some shelves filled with volatile chemicals that ignite and start a fire, which overwhelms the Monster and he eventually burns up with Edelmann's body. Unfortunately, even here Strange got the short end of the stick, as much of the shots of the Monster flailing around the lab is stock footage of Chaney and his stunt double from The Ghost of Frankenstein.

Even more so than in the previous movie, Erle C. Kenton and cinematographer George Robinson make extensive use of low lighting, with lots of dark shadows and high contrasts, though I've read that, in this case, it was a means to cover up the film's very low budget. Nevertheless, it still makes the movie feel effectively moody, with imagery such as Dracula's shadow appearing on the wall of Milizia's bedroom when he arrives at the beginning and when Larry looks out at the full moon from the

corner of his jail cell. Speaking of which, the exterior night scenes come off as very inky black, sometimes with the full moon ever present in the background. One image that I especially like is when, after killing Siegfried, the evil Dr. Edelmann is chased through the village and, at one point, runs past a hotel and around a corner, his shadow growing enormous on the face of the hotel itself. That's straight out of German Expressionism, as is Edelmann's attack and murder of Nina being done completely through shadows, and it's nice to see

that it was still an influence, even this late in the game. There are some other noteworthy shots, such as close-ups of Dracula's eyes when he uses his hypnotic power on Milizia at the piano, the aforementioned shot of Dracula standing by a large mirror without casting a reflection, and a blurry POV shot from Nina when Dracula uses his power on her during the latter transfusion scene.

One of the most memorable scenes is when Dr. Edelmann's evil self first takes him over. After beginning to feel the effect of Dracula's blood and seeing his reflection in the mirror disappear, Edelmann collapses in his chair and we see what's going on in his mind through a montage in the center of a circle of swirling mist. We see a transparent image of Dracula approaching the screen, pointing at a similar image of Edelmann, which he's superimposed over, and when the two of

them come together, we see the evil Edelmann for the first time. He's then shown looming over the comatose Frankenstein monster, his better self trying to talk him out of whatever he has planned, only for the evil side to rebuff him and send him away. We next see the evil Edelmann sending the Monster out into a rainstorm, where he rampages through the village and countryside, and then, images of swirling water and medical instruments appear over Edelmann's face, followed by a shot of him and Milizia operating on Nina, and finally, that

eerie image of Nina, cured of her hunchback, walking towards the eagerly awaiting Edelmann while dressed like a bride. He reaches for her, ending the montage and leading his now in control evil self to begin attempting to revive the Monster.

Like with the yak hair necessary for the Wolf Man makeup, money was tight when it came to the production design and art direction, so they had to use sets that had been used in previous movies. Fortunately, unlike the sprawling House of Frankenstein, this film is set almost entirely at Dr. Edelmann's home, which is an old castle that he's managed to turn into a comfortable dwelling. Much of the upstairs area is made up of well-furnished rooms, like Edelmann's study and office, the

waiting room in the large foyer beyond the front door, which also houses the piano, and the bedrooms on the second floor. However, on the ground floor is the operating room where he gives Dracula his blood transfusions and, most importantly, Edelmann's laboratory, with shelves full of volatile liquids, electrical equipment, a large table for when he becomes interested in the Frankenstein monster (some of that equipment is taken from the movie, The Invisible Woman), and a

greenhouse-like section where he initially grows the special plants he makes use of. The grounds of Edelmann's home are made up of some lovely courtyards and patios, as well as a spot where Siegfried's gardening equipment is housed, and it all sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the base of which is lined with some caves where Edelmann is nearly killed by the Wolf Man, as well as where the Monster is discovered in the quicksand. Edelmann and Larry also discover that the caves lead into an old torture chamber beneath the castle, with a

stairway that leads up through the floor of the laboratory. It's here where they later take advantage of the cavern's humidity to cultivate enough of the plants necessary to help Larry before the next full moon. And elsewhere is a cellar area where Dracula's coffin is stored.

For the fourth time in a Frankenstein-related movie, the village of Visaria is where the story is set and, yet again, it's slightly different than what we saw before, namely in that it's now suddenly near the seaside. Regardless, it's that same "Little Europe" backlot set we've seen in so many movies up to this point, and we see quite a bit of it during the sequence where Edelmann is chased through the streets after killing Siegfried. When the chase extends outside the village and into the country

leading up to Edelmann's castle, we see him jump a picket fence and into a small graveyard, at the end of which is the large stone-wall surrounding his castle's grounds. Back in the village, the only building we see the interior of is the jail, which has a bare sort of look to it that, weirdly enough, kind of reminds me of the sets seen back in Son of Frankenstein, I guess because of the fair amount of empty space, the blank walls, and slightly exaggerated archways.

Though he was working with a small amount of money, John P. Fulton, in one of his last movies for Universal before moving on, still managed to create some fantastic visual effects, like the onscreen Dracula bat and Wolf Man transformations, as well as some well-done matte paintings and compositing work. This is used mainly to create the illusion that Edelmann's castle is on a seaside cliff and it looks really good in the wide shots of the castle overlooking the ocean, as well as when you see the ocean in the background of some shots. The same also goes for the shots of the full moon setting and rising in the horizon.

The movie's low budget is very evident in the amount of stock footage used. Like in some previous movies, such as Son of Dracula, there are shots of the full moon taken from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, and in the montage during Edelmann's first transformation, footage of the Monster's rampage in Visaria and the countryside is taken from Bride of Frankenstein, specifically when he's stomping through the village after escaping the jail and running through the

graveyard. And like I said earlier, the ending in the burning lab makes extensive use of the ending of The Ghost of Frankenstein, including a close-up of Lon Chaney Jr. in the Monster makeup in that film, and even the wooden beams falling on him, despite the structure of Ludwig Frankenstein's lab and home not matching Edelmann's. And because of all this stock footage, we see three other people playing the Monster besides Glenn Strange: Boris Karloff, Chaney, and Chaney's stunt double, Eddie Parker.

Footage from previous movies isn't the only thing that's reused to compensate for the lack of budget, as we once again have a music score cobbled together from material made from numerous other movies. The opening credits feature a rehash of Son of Frankenstein's opening theme, and you hear just about all of the themes and motifs from the 40's Frankenstein movies that you should know by heart at this point, as well as some of the original music composed for House of Frankenstein. Music from Black Friday, Man Made Monster (the first time I heard that music here, I recognized it from Universal's American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla), The Invisible Man's Revenge, and even the Sherlock Holmes movie, The Scarlet Claw, is also used, and while they were mostly absent from the previous movie, the Wolf Man's leitmotifs return here, although they're re-orchestrated in a much faster manner that I don't like at all. However, the eerie piano piece that Milizia plays while under Dracula's hypnotic control is genuinely creepy and memorable.

Viewing it in context, I think it was a good idea for Universal to call it quits on this franchise after House of Dracula. While Erle C. Kenton did the best he could and did manage to get a lot of good stuff out of this rather weak script, such as some good performances by just about all of the cast, giving John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. more to do in their respective roles, some truly great scenes like Dracula's seduction of Milizia at the piano and the chase through the village, impressive visual effects work, nicely moody cinematography, and nice, if recycled, sets, it still has its major weak points. Chief among them are the very ill-advised attempt to give scientific explanations for Dracula and Larry Talbot's maladies and side-lining the Frankenstein monster to the point where he might as well not even be in the movie, as well as the use of stock footage and the almost completely derivative music score. But above everything else, it had just been beaten to death by this point and I don't know what else they could have done with it. Still, I do recommend it for classic monster fans, and I actually do find myself enjoying it a bit more than House of Frankenstein.