Sunday, January 3, 2010

Day 296: House of Frankenstein (1943) - Rank 2.5/5

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The last of the Frankenstein series was definitely the most difficult when it came to engaging myself in its plot. It's funny that I found it more trying, because I found "House of Dracula" so much fun. Both films are similar in the sense that they're merely an amalgamation of several franchises, featuring Frankenstein! Wolf Man! Dracula!..um...Hunchback! (though not of the Notre Dame variety)...and the ever ambivalent, staple, generic Mad Scientist...! The mad scientist, in this scenario, is played by Karloff, who passes his bolts onto Glenn Strange (a worthy successor to Karloff that went on to play the monster in two other films).

The story seems to be all over the place as Karloff's Dr. Niemann attempts to exact revenge on an old foe. Dracula (John Carradine) is clumsily lost off of the back of a wagon, exposed to sunlight and quickly dies. The Wolf Man slips out of Niemann's grip and wreaks havoc on the nearby village, leaving the titular Frankenstein monster with about ten minutes screen time. I suppose it's no more orderly than "House of Dracula," but I felt like "House of Dracula" was more tongue-in-cheek, making the monster mayhem a bit more fun.

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