My Review of Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)

 

Written by Curt Siodmak 

Directed by Roy William Neill

Maleva (re the Wolf Man): "He is not insane. He simply wants to die."

For one of these characters, it's their first sequel and for the other, it's a fourth in this particular continuity. Yup, these two characters just to meet with one another.

However, there was the issue that the last time both characters appeared, they died. However in the Universal Monsters World, death doesn't really mean anything. Also despite the name order in the movie title, one had more screentime than the other.

The Wolf Man aka, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) turned out not to be dead. He also didn't waste time in killing a local police officer or finding out that a lot of time has passed since being killed off in his own movie.

In a lot of ways, this movie felt more like a Wolf Man sequel with a side order of Frankenstein (Bela Lugosi). Larry wanted to die and found himself reunited with Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), who still couldn't give him the release he wanted.

Not that it matter because Larry managed to uncover Frankenstein's body and teamed up with Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey) and  Dr. Frank Mannering (Patric Knowles). However they were more interested in resurrecting Frankenstein than helping the Wolf Man himself.

Where this film somewhat doesn't stick the landing was the actual meeting of the two monsters themselves. It happened way too late into the movie and it ended on a frustrating cliffhanger where both of their respective fates were left unknown.

- Bela Lugosi really went from Dracula to Frankenstein monster in the manner of twelve years.

- Larry's father died of grief in between movies. There wee also plans to have Lon Chaney Jr play both roles before Bela Lugosi was cast as Frankenstein's monster.

- These two would clash again in House Of Frankenstein (1944) and House Of Dracula (1945) along with other monsters.

- Chronology: Four years since the events since The Wolf Man (1941) and The Ghost Of Frankenstein (1942). Set in Cardiff and the village of Vasaria.

I admire the fact that Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man got the ball rolling for these crossover events but it's a disappointing start with not enough interaction between both monsters. I'll catch up with the other ones soon.

Rating: 6 out of 10 

My Review of The Wolf Man (1941)

Written by Curt Siodmak

Directed by George Wagner

Larry Talbot: "It isn't a wolf... it's a werewolf!"

Earlier this year I reviewed and didn't much care for Wolf Man (2025). Of course I had to go and find the original version to watch. I'm also on an Universal Monsters binge.

Our titular character happened to be Larry Talbot (Lou Chaney Jr). He's of a generation of Talbot men who returned home to be with his father, Sir John (Claude Rains). However, Larry's attention was drawn to his telescope.

Larry's attention was also drawn to Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers) and he went about wooing her in the weirdest way possible. He also bought a cane with a silver wolf on top and both him, Gwen and the latter's friend, Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) took a visit to get their fortune told by gypsy Bela (Bela Lugosi). For all their sake, they should've stayed at home that night

It turned out that Bela was a werewolf and he attacked and killed Jenny. Larry's attempts to save Jenny resulted in Bela's death and a grim warning from gypsy elder Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya). One werewolf died and another was activated in his place.

The other werewolf was of course, Larry. Larry of course was in denial about what happened to him until he had to face up to his reality. There's a love triangle of sorts between Larry, Gwen and the latter's fiancé, Frank Andrews (Patric Knowles) but it's not as fleshed out as it could've been.

A lot of time was spent in the last act with the likes of Captain Paul Montford (Ralph Bellamy), Dr Lloyd (Warren William) and the villagers trying to catch the Wolf Man. By the end of the movie, things ended rather badly for poor Larry Talbot.

- Mythos that were discussed included wolfsbane and the pentagram symbol. There's a gorgeous trippy moment where Larry transformed into the Wolf Man.

- Bela Lugosi (Bela) previously played Dracula (1931) and Claude Rains was The Invisible Man (1933).

- There's a few sequels and remakes/reboots that I will get to watching and reviewing.

- Chronology: Set in Llanwelly, Wales. Larry returned home because his brother died.

The Wolf Man (1941) definitely hit the right spot for a horror classic. The practical effects for the titular character look great, the night scenes are beautifully shot. There's a tragic love triangle, even if it's not fully explored and that tragic ending.

Rating: 8 out of 10