Set after ‘Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man’, we have Boris Karloff as an
opportunistic criminal with a hunchback servant (the wonderful, bitter J.
Carroll Naish) picking up the cursed lycanthrope Larry Talbot (the
underrated Lon Chaney Jr.) and promising to end his suffering.
Along the
way they encounter Dracula himself (John Carradine) and newlywed Anne
Gwynne, whom all of the characters seem to fancy. Anyhow, our characters
all end up at the title estate and meet The Monster (the uninteresting
Glenn Strange), where pretty much bugger all of interest happens.
Karloff is in fine diabolical form, and both Naish and Chaney are
excellent, but with Carradine as the screen’s least suave Count, and a
deadening pace, it’s hard to be enthusiastic about this one, despite it’s
Monster Mash gimmick.
Dracula’s omission might’ve been beneficial, but
it’s still overpopulated anyway.
OVERALL SUMMARY
One of the weakest of Universal’s horror cycle, this one is occasionally
well-acted but slow, dull and entirely forgettable.
