Themes: Werewolves, Doctors and Patients, Experiments Gone Awry
Main Cast: Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Martha O'Driscoll, Lionel Atwill, Glenn Strange, Jane Adams
Release Year: 1945
Country: US
Run Time: 67 minutes
Plot
This Universal "monster rally", an immediate sequel to House of Frankenstein, would seem to have been deliberately designed as the final entry in the studio's B-horror cycle. Onslow Stevens plays psychiatrist Dr. Edelman, who suddenly has a thriving business when two of Universal's "fright" personalities come calling. Count Dracula (John Carradine) wishes to be weaned away from his vampiric tendencies, while Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney), aka the Wolfman, wants to be cured of his werewolfism. Edelman does his best to help, simultaneously attempting to bring the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange) back to life. Unfortunately, Edelman inherits the madness, killer instincts and other antisocial habits of his celebrated patients. Only Lawrence Talbot manages to escape from Edelman's lab unscathed, ambling off into the sunset with heroine Militza (Martha O'Driscoll). Universal contract starlet Jane Adams, perennially cast as unfortunate young women with physical afflictions, plays Edelman's faithful hunchbacked nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Onslow Stevens - Dr. Edelman; Ludwig Stossel - Zeigfried; Skelton Knaggs - Steinmuhl; Dick Dickinson - Villager; Fred Cordova - Gendarme; Carey Harrison - Gendarme; Harry Lamont - Villager; Gregory Muradian - Johannes; Beatrice Gray - Mother; Joe Bernard - Brahms
Credit
John B. Goodman - Art Director, Martin Obzina - Art Director, Vera West - Costume Designer, Erle C. Kenton - Director, Russell Schoengarth - Editor, Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score), Edgar "Cookie" Fairchild - Composer (Music Score), John P. Fulton - Cinematographer, George Robinson - Cinematographer, Paul Malvern - Producer, Edward T. Lowe - Screenwriter
The main plot is that both Dracula and Larry Talbot are both seeking a cure from their respective monster afflictions from Dr. Edelmann (Onslow Stevens).
Dracula actually appears to be searching for a cure for his vampirism. Somehow Dracula survived his destruction by sunlight exposure from the previous film House of Frankenstein and initially seeks to be cured of his vampirism at the hands of the doctor as he seems apparently tired of his monster nature. But after re-meeting the doctor's beautiful assistant whom he knew in his alias of "Baron Latos", Dracula's monsterous nature reasserts itself and infects Edelmann through a blood transfusion of his vampire blood, which turns Edelmann into a Jekyll and Hyde like creature. Though Edelmann succeeds in destroying Dracula, Edelmann realizes that he is slowly degrading into a murderous monster himself.
Lawrence Talbot soon arrives at Edelmann's castle, seeking a cure for the curse that turns him into a werewolf (As with Dracula, his return from destruction dealt at the end of the previous entry is not explained, but his recuperative ability via moonlight has already been established in the earlier Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). The Frankenstein Monster plays a minor role in this film, only being found during Talbot's attempt at suicide by drowning in the ocean late in the film. The Monster does not actually go into action until almost the climactic finish, which results in Talbot finally being cured of his affliction and falling in love with Edelmann's attractive assistant, Miliza Morrelle (Martha O'Driscoll) and killing the Hyde like version of Edelmann. The Frankenstein Monster once again burned to death in yet another fire destruction of the castle he is in.
Also appearing in the film is Jane Adams, whose character, Nina, is a hunchback and was thus billed as one of the monsters in the film. In fact, her character is portrayed sympathetically and the use of an attractive actress to play an otherwise misshapen individual is notable for the time.
Although Glenn Strange appears as the Monster in most of the film, footage of Chaney as the Monster from The Ghost of Frankenstein and Boris Karloff from Bride of Frankenstein was recycled. In the Ted Newsom documentary "100 Years of Horror", Carradine suggested his portrayal of Dracula was meant to reflect the description of the character in the 1897 Bram Stoker novel. Universal only agreed upon Carradine having a thin moustache.
