Dr. Gustav Niemann escapes prison and revives Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster, seeking revenge while unleashing chaos. House of Frankenstein is a thoroughly enjoyable Universal monster movie. I also love the fact that all of the heavy hitters are together in one movie. It’s value for money and actually works. It reminds me …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 26- House of Frankenstein (1944)
The Mummy’s Ghost continues Universal’s Kharis series as the bandaged high priest, controlled by a modern cult, returns to claim his ancient love, Ananka, whose spirit now inhabits a young woman. It’s a solid entry in the Mummy series that whiles away a hour but is a bit too formulaic for my tastes. Lon Chaney …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 25- The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)
A scientist uses an escapee from a psychiatric hospital as a guinea pig for his invisibility serum. It works and Robert Griffin goes on a revenge spree. Whilst Jon Hall was great in The Invisible Agent, his character here is so bland and frankly unlikeable especially as a lead character. But at least we also …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 24- The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944)
Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) arrives in the American South after being invited by an occult-obsessed heiress, Katherine Caldwell. Their marriage unleashes a chilling vampire curse, forcing her loved ones to confront the undead threat. In this entry, Chaney becomes Dracula and is, as ever, excellent. There’s great suspense, and interesting twists on the by …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 23- Son of Dracula (1943)
You should know the story by now… If this remake was a recipe, the ingredients would be- 3 parts lavish sets 3 parts opulent costumes 3 parts beautiful Technicolor 1 part horror Do you see where the problem lies? Also, Claude Rains feels miscast here. There’s not enough of him and he isn’t grotesque enough. …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 22- The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Before Freddy vs Jason and Alien vs Predator, there was a horror cross-over that was actually worth seeing and it was made decades before. Obviously, if you’re going to make a cross-over, make sure the stars from the originals can star. Hence, the fact that Lon Chaney Jr and Bela Lugosi appear in this film …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 21- Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
This film takes place 30 years after the events of The Mummy’s Hand. A high priest travels to America with the mummy to react revenge on what happened before. There’s much to love about The Mummy’s Tomb whether it’s the moody black and white photography in which shadows are brilliantly used (more proto-Goth) or the …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 20- The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)
The grandson of the original Invisible Man uses his formula to spy on the N*zis and help the war effort. This was an unexpected turn for the Invisible Man series. Claude Rains returns and is as good as ever as are the rest of the cast with the villains being suitably over the top and …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 19- The Invisible Agent (1942)
From IMDB- ‘Dr. Frankenstein's plans to replace the brain of his monster are hijacked by his scheming and malevolent assistant Ygor.’ Lon Chaney must have felt the pressure on him filling the very big boots (literally) of Boris Karloff regarding depicting The Monster but he needn’t have worried. He's fine, as are the rest of …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 18- The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Larry Talbot returns to Wales from America after being away for 18 years. He's back to attend his brothers funeral and reunite with his estranged father. One night when he's taking a walk with a pretty woman he's chatted up, she is attacked by a wolf until Larry intervenes to save her. He is bitten …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 17- The Wolf Man (1941)
Meathook Cinema 