Frankenstein Encontra o Lobisomem

Of all of the later Frankenstein movies made by Universal, this one seems to be overlooked when compared to the previous "Ghost of Frankenstein" or the campy fun of "House of Frankenstein". Nevertheless, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" is probably the best of the bunch.

A direct sequel to both "The Wolf Man" and "Ghost of Frankenstein", the plot follows Larry Talbot (played again by Lon Chaney Jr.), the werewolf, who realizes that he can't die. In order to find inner peace he is on a quest for death, and Maleva, the gypsy, takes him to Vasaria, in order to fin Dr. Frankenstein. When they realize that Frankenstein is dead, Talbot finds the Creature (Bela Lugosi), now with Ygor's brain but severely damaged. When a doctor teams up with Talbot in order to help him, the Wolf Man won't be happy to discover the doctor's true intentions.

This movie is carried by Chaney Jr. who is totally inside the character of the Wolf Man. It is probably Chaney's best performance as beast, and he steals every scene he is in. As Talbot, he shows the horrible trauma of being an unwilling murderer, giving the character a greater presence that fills the screen with charm.

Bela Lugosi, as the creature, has more troubles to be satisfying, but it is important to note that most of his scenes were changed as the previous subplot of Ygor's brain was abandoned. Bad choice since the first scenes with the monster show him confused and blind without giving any explanation. The poor editing is responsible of Lugosi's apparent bad performance.

The rest of the cast is surprisingly good, with old friends like Lionel Atwill and Dwight Frye in small supporting roles. Beautiful Ilona Massey plays Elsa Frankenstein who in an odd change appears as a cold smart businesswoman vastly different from the character's traits in "Ghost of Frankenstein". Nevertheless, Massey plays the role with grace and her beauty shines in the screen.

Director Roy William Neill, known for his Sherlock Holmes movies, does a superior work than predecessor Erle C. Kenton and makes the most of his actors. Depsite the plot holes of the story and the awful changes the studio made to the original script, the movie flows with a good pace.

The whole atmosphere is an improvement that while it never reaches the levels of "Bride" or "Son", works very well and give the film a distinctive look.

Overall, a worthy addition to the Frankenstein saga, that even when it certainly could have been better, it is an enjoyable underrated movie. 7/10

Wolfman Larry Talbot searches after Dr. Frankenstein's secrets of life and death so he can be released from his wolfman curse. The search entails traveling to the dead doctor's castle where Talbot must unearth Frankenstein's monster. Trouble ensues.

Credit Universal's production crew for making the movie very watchable for horror film fans. From art direction to special effects to set design, the movie's a visual treat. The crumbling dam and collapsing towers are really well done, especially for a non-digital era. Story-wise, the 80-minutes is okay, but for me didn't generate much nail-biting or shudders. The makeup on the Wolfman is scary and the best part, but frankly Frankie is something of a joke, the makeup more like a Halloween mask. The monster brawl, however, is the movie high point that features some good stunt work, a battle between agility vs. strength. Then too, because Chaney just naturally projects a mournful quality (check out Of Mice and Men {1939}), he is again a rather sympathetic figure as the Wolfman. But why does Massie get star-billing when she really has few lines and little screen time; at the same time, the delicious old hag Ouspenskaya is largely wasted. And catch mad scientist Lionel Atwill in a respectable role for a change as the town mayor. All in all, it's a better than average horror flick, thanks mainly to Universal's practiced production crew.

Though not nearly up to the standards and fun level of "Ghost Of Frankenstein", this neat little Universal gem has it's heart in the right place! Wonderful opening sequence in the graveyard, plenty of atmosphere, typically gorgeous Universal studio sets and it's famous monsters! What more can you ask for? Chaney is superb as the tormented Larry Talbot but Bela leaves quite a bit to be desired as the monster. Universal would have been better off using Glen Strange one film earlier instead of waiting for 1944's "House Of Frankenstein". All in all, a fun film that staggers a bit after a rip-roaring start!

Poor Bela Lugosi. After achieving big-screen stardom in 1931's "Dracula," he turned down the role of the Monster in "Frankenstein," calling the inaudible creature a part for an "idiot" or a "tall extra" (according to William Gregory Manks' fine book on the Frankenstein series, "It's Alive"). As a result, a bit player named Boris Karloff accepted the part and became the cinema's number one boogieman, far eclipsing the proud Hungarian actor who would soon be reduced to supporting roles, often second-billed to the lisping Englishman he is often said to have envied and despised. For Lugosi, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" may have been more traumatic and embarrassing than the Ed Wood films he would soon be reduced to appearing in, because here the rarely employed actor was cast in the very role he so proudly declined, the role that helped put his more successful rival on the map.

As the Monster, Lugosi is pretty terrible but his ineffective performance was made worse in the editing room where his dialogue was cut out after it was decided that the Monster should not have an Hungarian accent. Yet Lugosi's lips move and he flails his arms about as if he were speaking. It's a rather sad footnote to what is an enjoyable horror yarn, albeit one that was perhaps the first step in turning Universal's classic horror characters into a joke, ones that would soon have no choice but to meet Abbott and Costello. What really makes this one memorable is the atmosphere provided by the great and unheralded Roy William Neill, then taking a break from the studio's Sherlock Holmes series. This film has a wonderful look that helps make it the best of the later Frankenstein films produced by the studio (although everything after 1939's "Son of Frankenstein" represented a steady and steep decline for the series).

In Llanwelly village, two grave robbers break in the crypt of Lawrence "Larry" Stewart Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) to steal his possessions. When they open the casket, they find the body covered with wolfbane and they are attacked by a creature. Soon Talbot awakes in Cardiff at the Queen's Hospital recovering from a surgery performed by Dr. Mannering (Patric Knowles) and Inspector Owen (Dennis Hoey) is ready to interrogate him about recent murders.

Talbot flees from the hospital and seeks out the gypsy Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), who knows that he is a werewolf, asking her to help him. Talbot wants to die and they travel to find Dr. Frankenstein. Talbot transforms into the werewolf and falls into the frozen catacombs of Dr. Frankenstein's castle. He finds the Monster (Bela Lugosi) frozen and he breaks the ice and release it. Soon Talbot discovers that Dr. Frankenstein is dead and he seeks out the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein, Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey), expecting to borrow his journal that contains the secret of life and death. Meanwhile Dr. Mannering arrives in the village following the blood track left by the werewolf. When Elsa lends the diary of her father, Dr. Mannering prepares the equipment to drain power from Talbot to the Monster. But he becomes insane with the power on his hands and the experiment goes wrong.

"Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" is a movie by Universal with a creepy beginning in the environment of the cemetery and a sensational transformation of Talbot into the werewolf in slow motion. The development of the plot is dramatic and funny, with the encounter of the Wolf Man with the Monster and Talbot wishing to die. Unfortunately the lame conclusion is terrible. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Frankenstein Encontra o Lobisomem" ("Frankenstein Meets the Werewolf")