Halloween Horrorfest 2018: FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)

This is a really important film because it’s the first time I know of where a movie studio acknowledged two of its characters existed in the same continuum.  We look around the firmament nowadays and see everyone--including the failed attempt by Universal to make this magic happen again--trying to desperately create their own ‘Cinematic Universes,’ and these attempt always forget what this film taught us...namely, that these things have to happen organically and not be forced into existence.  The Universal of the 30‘s and 40‘s didn’t plan for this to happen.  It just did.

And that’s probably why this film seems so...ordinary.  An argument can be made that this actually marks the beginning of the end of the Universal Age of Horror.  It’s just business as usual, with the crossover marking a desperation for a sequel.  There’s not much to say about this film.

The thing I took away from this re-watch is how interesting Lon Chaney Jr.’s physicality is.  We sometimes look at the acting in these films as lame and over-the-top; I have vivid memories of Chaney’s Lawrence Talbot being a running gag on the cartoon series Freakazoid.  But it seems to me that Chaney put a lot of thought into how to play this role.  I got the sense that his Talbot is a man in a constant state of holding back because he’s intimate with the beast within.  And when Chaney is the Wolfman, he’s in a constant state of motion, as if the beast is intent on making the most out of his release.  Chaney--who bears the distinction of playing four out of the five major Universal Monsters--is probably the best part of the film.

Lugosi, however, is another story.  I can’t get over
how tired Bela looks playing the role he initially turned down because he would have no dialogue.  I felt sad for this Frankenstein Monster, and not for the reason I usually feel sad for him.  All that make-up doesn’t hide the fact that Lugosi seems miserable playing second fiddle to Chaney and his displeasure interferes in my enjoyment of the all-too-brief climactic confrontation.

I do think you should see this film if you’re interested in the history of our genre, or if you are into the Universal Monster Cycle.  You just have to be prepared to accept that by this time, series fatigue had set in and what you’re going to watch is more of a comedown after the sublime gothic heights of the beginning.

You can still head over to my Twitter Page to vote on tomorrow’s Halloween Horrorfest Movie of the Day.  We’re now less than a week to the finish line.  The Big Finale is coming up, so be sure to be part of the ride!