While having lunch at the studio commissary, screenwriter Curt Siodmak was meeting with producer George Waggner about a new idea. Jokingly, Siodmak proposed the title “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man“, only to be given the go-ahead by Waggner. Following the success of Dracula, Bela Lugosi was offered the role of the monster in Frankenstein but turned it down. Years later, he played the villainous hunchback Ygor in Son of Frankenstein and The Ghost of Frankenstein. Since Lon Chaney Jr. would be returning as Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man, Lugosi found himself donning the monster makeup. Though originally given dialogue, that was scrapped when test audiences mocked the monster speaking with a Hungarian accent. Roy William Neill, best known for his Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies, was given the director’s chair. After some production issues mostly related to 60-year-old Lugosi, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was released in 1943.
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Synopsis
Graverobbers Franzec (Don Barclay) and Vazec (Rex Evans) unknowingly uncover the tomb of Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.). He’s brought back to life thanks to the moon and ends up hospitalized and overseen by Dr. Mannering (Patric Knowles). Larry tries convincing him and Inspector Owen (Dennis Hoey) that he’s a werewolf, but they don’t believe him. While the two investigate Talbot’s story, he makes his escape and tracks down the gypsy Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) for help. She tells him that only Dr. Frankenstein can help, so they travel to Vasaria only to find that he passed away. Talbot turns into the wolfman, kills a young woman, and is chased out of town by an angry mob. He finds the ruins of Frankenstein castle, uncovers the monster (Bela Lugosi), and asks Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey) for help. Dr. Mannering gets involved, and a fight between the monster and the wolfman erupts.
Review
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a film that promises a lot but doesn’t fully deliver on its promises. Admittedly, there are some positive qualities here, the highlights being the beginning and ending sequences of the film. Unlike the last few monster movies he appeared in, Chaney gives a great performance, clearly taking the role very seriously. You sympathize with his plight and how he wants to die, clearly seeing no hope in ridding the curse. Once he transforms, he’s giving his all, displaying tons of physicality, and is pretty terrifying as a bloodthirsty wolfman. As ironic as Bela Lugosi playing the Frankenstein monster is, he’s not as bad as you’d think given his age. He gives plenty of facial expressions, but he walks very stereotypically, lumbering about with his arms stretched out. Oddly enough, it’s this interpretation that everyone seems to emulate when they try playing the monster.
Universal regulars Illona Massey and Patric Knowles do a good job, as do Lionel Atwill and Maria Ouspenskaya. The opening sequence of the graverobbers uncovering Talbot’s tomb is creepy and foreboding with just the right amount of atmosphere. The final fight between the Frankenstein monster and the wolfman is pretty entertaining, though it’s over and done with fast. However, once Talbot uncovers the monster, that’s when the movie starts to drag as he tries to find Frankenstein’s journal. With its $1.20 million budget, the filmmakers were able to expand the production more than before, and it definitely shows. There are plenty of wide-open sequences with tons of extras, tons of large sets, and elaborately-staged action sequences. Admittedly, there are plenty of plot contrivances that contradict what happened in previous films, but continuity clearly wasn’t their priority. Overall, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a mess, but an enjoyable mess nonetheless.
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