#32 - House of Frankenstein (1944)
After milking the individual franchises dry, Universal made a bunch of these crossover films in which all (or most) of the monsters appear (although I'm not sure "hunchback" counts as a monster), starting with Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man in 1943 and ending with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948 (Frankenstein was very social). This is the only one to star Boris Karloff, although rather than reprising his role as the Monster, he plays mad scientist Doctor Niemann. It's a better role for him, as he gets to show off his acting chops instead of just stumbling around and groaning.
It's fun to see all of these characters together, but the plot is pretty weak - fortunately Karloff is great and pretty much carries the entire film on his shoulders. He is the real villain - the various creatures are just pawns he uses to exact revenge on his enemies. The monsters aren't particularly threatening here, especially Frankenstein's monster who spends the vast majority of the film either frozen in ice or strapped to a table. Lon Chaney Jr. is fantastic as always as the Wolf Man, even though he isn't given much to work with. Bela Lugosi is also nowhere to be seen, with the role of Dracula played instead by John Carradine. Carradine is a fine actor, but he just can't compare to Lugosi's iconic take on the character.
This isn't as essential as the earlier Universal films, but it's a lot of fun and fans of Boris Karloff in particular will find a lot to love here. Definitely recommended.
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