Why so much hype?

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Despite the title of the movie, Boris Karloff isn't in it much. He's fun when he is, though. He was the one thing missing in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, so it's nice that the boys could finally do a movie with him. The story here finds the duo working at a hotel. Abbott's the hotel detective and Costello's a bellboy who keeps getting into trouble. Suddenly dead bodies are popping up all over the hotel and all clues point to poor dumb Lou. Very funny comedy murder mystery. Lou seems to be having a great time in this one. Nice support from Alan Mowbray, James Flavin, Roland Winters, and Lenore Aubert. More Karloff would've been nice but the movie succeeds anyway.

Costello plays a bellhop who gets himself caught up in a murder and soon becomes the number one suspect. His only alibi is that the police think he's too stupid to have done it. Over the next few days, more murders pop up, and Costello may be the only one who can crack the case.I have to admit that this was my first Abbott and Costello film. Outside of "Who's on First", I didn't really know who they were. But this was a fine introduction, as it was funny, and a pretty good mystery. Even after it was solved, I'm still not completely sure I understand it. But that's just more reason to watch it again.Anyone who is going to watch this one should be made aware of one thing: the title, as written sometimes, is misleading. Boris Karloff is not the killer. In fact Boris Karloff isn't even in the movie. He does play a character in the film, but that character is not himself. (Exactly what role he plays in the film is hard to say... his motives are quite odd.)

Bud & Lou find themselves at the center of a murder mystery, the chief suspect? Why Lou Costello of course.As a comedy, Meet The Killer offers nothing fresh to what we haven't seen before from the boys prior to this 1949 offering, not that the comedy doesn't deliver, because it does, very much so. Be it Freddie (Costello) being too stupid to be hypnotised by the shifty Swami (Boris Karloff), or a wonderful sequence of events down in the creepy caverns, it's fun and very diverting. However, the strength in "Meet The Killer" is that it works very well as a whodunit mystery, a ream of characters, all acting oddly, come and go to keep the viewer guessing right through to the cheery pay off. It's entertaining on two fronts and has a cast clearly having fun into the bargain. Super shadowy photography by Charles Van Enger as well. Enjoy!Now, about that Tortoise? 7/10

I'm only slightly familiar with Abbott and Costello, but I enjoy seeing their movies from time to time, particularly those involving Universal horror film stars like Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and - in this case - Boris Karloff.But, as other reviewers have noted, Karloff has only a glorified cameo in this movie. I read online that he was added to the film at a late stage, replacing another character, and you can really tell; he feels shoehorned into the plot, and in fact his presence muddles and confuses the resolution of the major conflict! To be perfectly blunt, the whole plot feels muddled. It's not very well-developed, yet it's also complicated enough to distract from the jokes. There are simply tons of characters who drift in for a scene or two and then disappear...it's most disconcerting.But I suppose all that stuff doesn't really matter, since Costello is funny and cute and Abbott makes a good straight man. Some of the gags are quite good, and the chase sequence in the caverns boasts some great sets and funny slapstick moments.So it ain't no classic in the final analysis, but I've passed dull evenings with plenty of worse movies.