House of Frankenstein

Director - Erle C. Kenton (House of Dracula, The Ghost of Frankenstein)

Starring - Boris Karloff (Fear Chamber, Black Sabbath), Lon Chaney Jr. (The Wolfman, The Alligator People), and J. Carrol Naish (The Monster Maker, Dracula vs. Frankenstein)

Release Date - 1944

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "All together!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

    When Umbrella Entertainment sent over their Retro Horror Triple Feature Volume 1 I was so excited to review three of the Universal Frankenstein films that I didn't realize that the three films in the set were not consecutive sequels.  The set included The Bride of Frankenstein, a sequel to the original film, Son of Frankenstein which is the follow up to Bride, and House of Frankenstein which followed The Ghost of Frankenstein.  The later of which is not included in the set.  Regardless, I had seen all the Frankenstein films previously and was looking forward to revisiting the three in this set and reviewing them.  

     A deranged man, who was once an aspiring scientist, escapes from jail along with his hunchback assistant and make their way to Frankenstein's castle in hopes of finding his journal so they can continue their work.  However, they soon find that his castle has been destroyed and in the rubble they find the Wolfman and his monster frozen.  They thaw the two and use them find his journals they can keep Frankenstein's legacy going.  

     The film takes place after the events of The Ghost of Frankenstein which is not included in the set but you don't necessarily need to watch it to follow the film.  It only answers the "why are they frozen?" question.  This, like Son of Frankenstein, is not the high point of the franchise but is a solid enough sequel.  The acting in this one is fantastic.  One of the few consistent aspects of the franchise is the acting.  This time around we see Karloff portraying a different character.  His "Frankenstein" like character is just as intense as Colin Clive's performance in the first two films.  His character has a little more personality but doesn't make the viewer forget about the previous scientist.  In the role of the monster we have Glenn Strange who would portray him in several of the Frankenstein sequels.  His look is different but still reminiscent of the original Frankenstein and the performances are a little more stiff than Karloff's but not bad.  We once again see Chaney reprising his role as The Wolfman which he had became recognized for.  His character is not the star of the film but he still delivers a fantastic performance as always.  The story for this one once again gives us a similar story to the first three films but building up on what was introduced in  The Ghost of Frankenstein with the big Universal monsters coming together.  We once again follow a scientist working on Frankenstein's experiments along with Dracula, the Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster getting thrown into the mix.  It's not the vs. film horror fans are looking for and it's extremely cheesy but it's enjoyable for the most part.  Finally, the creatures look great with some great make-up effects and costumes but don't expect any blood or gore.  Overall, House of Frankenstein is cheesy, campy, but fun.  It's the most original horror films but it's an enjoyable entry in this iconic franchise.