SHOCKtober! Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Let’s keep rolling with the old school monster movies, shall we?
This one is a classic mash up as Lon Chaney’s Wolf Man is removed from his grave, resurrected, and quickly decides he needs to find a way to end his life as the ol’ silver bullet apparently didn’t work. Off he goes to find Dr. Frankenstein, hoping the man who figured out the secret of life also knows the secret of death. Unfortunately, upon arrival, Chaney discovers that the Doc is dead and his notes have been lost. Fortunately, he finds Frankenstein’s monster (played this time by Bela Lugosi), who also would like to be rid of his curse and granted the ability to die. Both of them are in luck, as another doctor comes along, willing to figure out a way to send the two monsters to the afterlife.
I love Lon Chaney. We started SHOCKtober with a late Chaney movie, so it’s good to talk about the role that made him famous. The Wolf Man is a sad character as he knows he’s done terrible things, but is unable to prevent them from happening or from stopping himself. Bela Lugosi, on the other hand, comes off as a little goofy in the role of the monster and I definitely prefer Karloff’s take. Lugosi looks old and is just a few years away from doing Plan 9 from Outer Space. In fact, many of the scenes here are done with a stand-in, and it’s rather obvious.
Despite this, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is still a fun popcorn flick. It’s difficult not to enjoy the makeup, the special effects, and the models passing as set pieces. If you’re looking to buy it, this movie comes in the Wolf Man set.
