For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Revived from his eternal rest, a man cursed with lycanthropy seeks out a famous doctor to help cure him only to find his still-alive monster nearby and begin fighting each other for control of the situation as they both race to come up with their own cure for their conditions.This here was quite the fun and enjoyable effort. One of the film's better elements here is the absolutely fun beginning here as this one really starts off great. The first two-thirds are brilliant, as the creepy grave-robbing of the coffin that revives him is pure Gothic charm that nicely leads into the brief institutionalization scenes in the sanitarium where they all struggle to piece his identity together alongside the fun scenes of his werewolf side out hunting the streets. There's plenty to like here with this one following the desperate search for the cure that it carries the film into a really strong part filled with lots of fun times. Since the search takes him to the legendary Frankenstein laboratory in the remote village where they are none too happy for him to be there, there's plenty of fun to be had here with his arrival there with the superstitious locals and in his efforts for help stumbles across the creature and uses it for help, this picks up that absolutely full Gothic atmosphere usually featured in these efforts and gets plenty of use here. That also leads into the reasoning for seeking out Frankenstein which is also very well conceived and plausibly plotted that really helps the film out, since it would all be lost without that crucial plot element. These are all great and are often spiced up with little parts here and there throughout this one that makes the film fun. That also means the titular fight is well conceived, rather than just being limited to a few grappling moves and strangle holds this one moves around a little causing a little destruction along the way and is one of the best parts of the film. Its finale is also one of the bright spots here, melding the action of the fight alongside the locals' plan to wash away the castle in grand fashion when their plan comes to fruition, really ending this on a high-note. Cap all of this off with a great sense of fun and it's one of the better entries in either storyline, though there are several things in this one that really doesn't work in here. The most notable is a song and dance section in the middle that seems really out of place and at a very odd point in the film. It sticks out like a sore thumb and isn't quite for everyone with its cheesy appearances, lame choreography and really slows the film down. The second half is also a little bit of a disappointment, at least until the final showdown, as it veers off course and becomes a sad mixture of several different story lines showing his intention of doing away the curse and their growing distrust of them at the castle that are quite clichéd trappings which don't quite gel at all. Overall, though, these are all to really complain about.Today's Rating/PG: Violence.

Sequel to "The Wolf Man" (1941) and Follow Up to "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942), War Time Audiences were Promised a Battle but were Delivered more of a Short but Energetic Encounter.The "Bela Lugosi as the Monster" Infamy, perhaps Spawns from Uninformed Viewers Unaware that the Script Originally called for Frankenstein's Creation to be Blind, a Fact Heldover from "Ghost". This Accounts for the Outstretched Gait (that ironically became synonymous with the Monster).That Information, along with "Monster Dialog" were Omitted from the Released Film (without on screen mention) and the rest is Universal Monster Movie History.Lon Chaney Jr. is Resurrected as the "Wolf Man" and burdened with even more Self-Pity along with Lycanthropy. Always with Interesting and Remarkable Casts, this Entry in the Series contains Lionel Atwill, Patrick Knowles, Ilona Massey, Maria Ouspenskaya, with Dwight Frye in a Cameo. Only the Gypsy Woman and Chaney are Reprising a Role.The Frankenstein Family Legacy is Represented by the "Baroness Elsa" (Massey) and the Doctor Succumbing to a Temptation to Play "God", is Larry Talbot's Physician, Dr. FRANK Mannering (Knowles).Overall, a Fun-Fest, the First "Monster Team-Up" (a marketing trick employed again and again), is about On Par with "Ghost" but doesn't quite have the same Impact as the Formula was Wearing Thin. More of an Injected Effort was Needed from the Studio's Serum and the Next One managed to be more Lively if Nothing Else.

Amidst all the character/actor flip-flops, only Lon Chaney Jr. and Maria Ouspenskaya reprise their roles from the original 1941 picture, "The Wolf Man". Even there however, a concession had to be made from the prior movie in the series, as Chaney gave up the Frankenstein Monster role from "The Ghost of Frankenstein" to Bela Lugosi, who to my thinking should have been left content as the iconic screen Dracula. Oh well, Universal had a winning combination with it's monster line-up so they had to find a way to keep it going.It was interesting for me catching 'Ghost' and 'Meets' back to back as I was able to make the observation that Chaney started out in his Frankenstein role of the prior film looking a lot like Boris Karloff's creature, and then coming around to resemble himself more and more as the picture progressed. Here, the Monster bears Lugosi's appearance right from the outset. He probably should have studied Karloff's gait in the original "Frankenstein" film because he looked a bit unsteady from scene to scene.So the full moon treatment gets a pretty good workout in this picture with an improved looking Wolf Man to go up against The Monster. For the Forties, I always thought the film makers did a pretty good job with the transformation that Chaney went through to become his own iconic character. His tussle with the Monster was actually a pretty lively affair, leading to my conclusion that it had to be a couple of stunt doubles taking some of those nasty bumps as they bounced off the lab equipment in the castle basement ruins. They made it look pretty wild.My thanks to Turner Classics for their annual October revisit to this series, as I managed to record this film, "Ghost of Frankenstein" and "House of Frankenstein" all on the same night, leaving me to watch them at my leisure. What better way is there to gear up for Halloween?

Poor Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) can't even get to rest in peace. As this movie opens, two grave robbers enter his crypt, searching for money and valuables. When Larry awakes, he's all too aware of the situation facing him, and he desperately wants to learn how he might be permanently laid to rest. He seeks out the gypsy woman Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), who gives him the name of Dr. Frankenstein. After some more digging, Larry learns that Dr. F is dead...but his Monster (Bela Lugosi) isn't.A sequel to both "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and "The Wolf Man", this movie is good fun for any devotee of this era of Universal horror. It's not as thickly atmospheric as their best works, but Curt Siodmaks' screenplay is good. The story is a believable enough extension of the preceding movies, and the creation of Old World flavour by producer George Waggner (director of "The Wolf Man") and director Roy William Neill is impressive. The opening sequence is spooky and well executed, nicely setting up the action that follows.Chaney Jr. again earns our sympathies as the bedevilled Larry. You wonder if he'll ever catch a break. Ilona Massey has an appropriately aloof and aristocratic air about her as Frankensteins' daughter Elsa. Knowles is very fine in support, as is Lionel Atwill as a solicitous mayor, Dennis Hoey as a police inspector, and Rex Evans and Dwight Frye as villagers. It sure is nice seeing Maleva again, and Ouspenskaya is appealing in her performance as Maleva earnestly tries to assist Larry. Lugosi shambles adequately, but he leaves little to no impression as the Monster.The title fight between the iconic creatures is a long time coming, and is over fairly quickly, but it's still entertaining when it happens.Seven out of 10.