User reviews

Much of Abbott and Costello's late 40s/early 50s output put them in parodies of various film genres--this one is a parody of murder mysteries. I saw this as a child and liked it, although I was let down that Boris Karloff had such an insignificant role. Now that it's out on DVD as part of the third A&C boxset, I'm seeing it again, and I still think it's quite funny. There are many well-paced comic set-ups and the boys don't look bored as they do in some of their later vehicles. No great analysis is needed for a film like this--it's just classic comedy and has held up very well.

We have here the excellent slapstick performances of straight man Bud Abbott and comic genius Lou Costello,combined with the always menacing Boris Karloff,though here he is much more lighthearted of course.Freddy Phillips(Costello)is suspected of murder.Of course we all know he didn't do it,and the hilarious journey to the real killer begins from there. While this is not Abbott and Costello's greatest effort,it is certainly good enough,and it is a great combination of murder mystery and comedy. Today's comedy writers and performers could learn a lot from A and C, as well as many others from their era.If you want to know what real comedy is all about,the films of Abbott and Costello are the way to go. Great stuff.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in this classic "who done it" movie. The team provides their usual funny pratfalls and mix-ups but along the way they manage to provide a classic theme to this movie. With Abbott and Costello, Karloff managing his way into the picture as the grueling possibility of the killer.

This may be Abbott and Costello's best attempt to provide some new material into their excellent routines. Costello's character, Phillips is mainly accused of murdering a well known lawyer after they have a public disagreement.

Phillips arrives at the lawyers hotel rooms to apologize but he finds that the lawyer has been murdered. Abbott goes far and above the the call of friendship to prove his friends innocents but who really did do it? Watch and see.

One of my favourite Abbott and Costello films, Abbott and Costello Meets the Killer tells about a series of murders that take place in a ski hotel near a large lost caverns. The impossible bellboy, played by Lou, is suspected of murder, and the house dick, played by Bud, is his friend and sometimes character reference. It seems that a lawyer was going to write his memoirs, and lots of people did not want that to happen. A menagerie of misfits and blatant suspects people the hotel. A woman who poisoned her lovers, deftly played by the sultry Lenore Aubert of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein fame, and a phony swami played by the ever affable but eerie Boris Karloff lead the cast of irregulars. Also along for the fun is serious character actor Alan Mowbray. There are a lot of hits and misses in this one, but definitely when the laughs hit, they hit hard! Lou dressed as a parlour maid and being hit on by that lovable character actor Percy Helton has to be one of the highlights as well as Lou in the lost caverns. Lots of good, old-fashioned fun!

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 a big A&C fan and have been since I was ten. I saw this A&C film many times in the 1980s (I recorded it once and watched it over and over again). It turns out that this film is included in Volume 3 of the Best of Abbott and Costello DVD set. After purchasing the set, I had a chance to watch it again recently. There are some genuinely outstanding gags here. Of all the movies made after A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN (the duo's high point), this is one of the best. The chase scene through the caverns is actually very well made and has withstood the test of time. It remains one of the best climaxes from an A&C movie. Unfortunately, Boris Karloff isn't put to very good use in the film. This is a surprisingly atmospheric film, though, and at times it even contains elements of noir. It reminds me of a cross between WHO DONE IT and HOLD THAT GHOST, although it's not as good as either of those films. Still, unlike A&C GO TO MARS or Africa SCREAMS, it's certainly not a blemish on their filmography.

Fans of ABBOTT and COSTELLO should enjoy this entry, even if the title is a bit misleading--and even if BORIS KARLOFF doesn't get to be quite as menacing as you might want him to be. He does look distinguished in that turban as a Swami who tries to put Costello into a trance so he'll believe that he's the murderer, with negative results.

Most of the action takes place at a secluded hotel where a well-known lawyer has been found murdered. Suspicion points to bellboy COSTELLO, and in a script that has ABBOTT as a house detective, you can see that poor Lou is gonna have a hard time proving his innocence...especially when dead bodies keep popping up everywhere wherever he goes.

It's not as funny as WHO DONE IT? or HOLD THAT GHOST, but considerably better than some of the later stuff they did toward the end of their career.

Enjoyable enough nonsense for their fans.

Abbott and Costello are one of the best comedy duos on film, and there are some great entries of theirs, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein being a contender for their best. Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff is not one their high-points, there are a few draggy spots, a rather standard story and while he is eerie and commanding Boris Karloff is underused(so much for the misleading title). The gags are well-timed and funny though, especially the dressing up in drag, Costello being hypnotised by Karloff and playing cards with a corpse. There is a very nice mix of zany comedy and suspenseful mystery elements, the dialogue is snappily written, the film looks good and is directed in a way that allows the stars to have fun and the story to breathe while not leaving things out of control. Abbott and Costello are still as funny as ever and their chemistry still sparkles even with contrasting personalities. The acting is solid enough from all, Karloff is still fine in his role, you just want to see more of him considering how great an actor he was and is. Overall, not among the greats with Abbott and Costello but makes for good fun regardless. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A well-known attorney is murdered at the Lost Caverns Hotel. Murder evidence points to Freddie Phillips(Lou Costello), a bellhop. and his friend, Casey Edwards(Bud Abbott), is the hotel detective. Many murders are committed and casts more suspicion on the bellhop. Swami Talpur(Boris Karloff) tries to hypnotize Freddie into signing a false confession, and then killing himself. However, the bellhop's below average mentality prevents this from happening. Because of the great success of "Abbott & Costello" Meet Frankenstein the year before, Universal decided to team their former horror star, Karloff with their top comics. Boris Karloff played himself perfectly and with the great talents of Bud & Lou, it is a must see Classic Comedy. It is well worth viewing and owning!

This movie has some truly hilarious moments, but they are interspersed between long stretches of blandness. The plot, as if it makes any difference, is even less logical than Abbott and Costello's usual fare.

This is a very good movie. It's one of my favorites of Bud and Lou. They're together on screen plenty and are funnier than ever. The scenes were Lou finds stiffs are hilarious. It's the funniest when Lou finds one stiff and keeps trying to show Bud, but it's never there when he gets back. Lou's scenes with Boris Karloff are also very funny. Abbott and Costello are also trying to dispose of the bodies in many scenes, but they always come back. How? Why? This is a very good murder mystery with comedy. Lou Costello said he always wanted to make a detective mystery. I guess this is what the script writers came up with. I am very pleased and Lou probably was too. Lou Costello is great in this movie. He proves once again that he can perform well with an attractive female co-star. His scenes with Lenore Aubert are very good. He proves he could not only be a very funny guy, but a casanova with the dames like in Mexican Hayride. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could probably have done anything, but I'm glad they turned to comedy. Just a little trivia too, Lou Costello collapsed in his dressing room after filming the steam room scene. The actor that played Sergeant Stone was also a wanted man for assault while making this movie.

I think the reviewer that put Time to go to sleep as his summary is crazy. He says that Bud and Lou are boring and unfunny. I got news for him. If he is really honest when he says those things he's probably boring himself. He's probably one of those stuffed shirts that wants to be controversial and different. If anyone comes across his review don't believe a word of it. You probably couldn't get a laugh out of him if he took a breath of laughing gas. He really must need to laugh. He really needs to laugh. If he dislikes Bud Abbott and Lou Costello then he's the one that needs help.

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.

As a major fan of Bud, Lou and Boris, I have tried to enjoy this film on numerous occasions over my lifetime. It never works for me. It's not the worst thing Abbott & Costello ever did, but it's certainly not one of their best; and it's easily one of Karloff's least if you're interested in catching it just for him.

Abbott plays a detective in a hotel who investigates dimwitted bellboy Costello, who gets tangled up in a murderous web of events. Boris is on hand as one of the would-be suspects, but there's very little quality screen time allowed him and he's sorely wasted in a nothing role. The story is too hotel-bound most of the time and the laughs are not plentiful, especially when the favored "gag" of the picture is repeated so many times that it quickly becomes monotonous: Lou keeps finding dead people popping up all over the place. Karloff should have donned his old monster get-up when they did MEET FRANKENSTEIN instead.

A mildly entertaining comedy, too broad at times, but with a surprisingly high number of smart gags (the echo scene, the "where's my badge" scene, etc.). It's supposed to be a "whodunit", too, but don't be fooled; it really doesn't matter who-did-it. All that matters is that you'll have a nice time watching this. (***)

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.)

There is a comment about the title of this addition to the Abbott & Costello films that is a little unfair - but only a little. Entitled ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF, some purists sniff that as Karloff is not the killer in the film, the title is as misleading as the later ABBOTT & COSTELLO GO TO MARS (wherein they actually go to Venus). But the difference is that Karloff is a killer. Not only does he attempt to hypnotize Lou into committing suicide (which would enable the police to drop an investigation at a hotel where Karloff is stuck in), but he is also a former homicide case defendant who was acquitted thanks to his lawyer Amos Strickland (Nicholas Joy). No, Karloff is not the murderer of Joy, but he is a suspected murderer (the police feel that Karloff's acquittal was due to his lawyer, not to his not being the murderer). So the title is actually not a cheat.

Like WHO DONE IT? it is a murder mystery comedy, but here the suspicion against Lou (an incompetent bellhop) is more realistic than in the earlier film. Lou and Bud work at a resort hotel. Bud is the house detective. Lou is involved in an incident where he bungles badly while handling the luggage of lawyer Joy. The latter complains vociferously to the hotel manager (Alan Mowbray), who fires Costello. Lou, realizing what has caused his dismissal, actually makes a threatening statement to Joy. So when the latter is murdered, Lou is the leading suspect.

But it seems that Joy was on the verge of writing his memoirs, in which he might set the record straight about those acquittals he won. This would not be what Karloff, Roland Winters, and a few others would like - they are beginning to live down their murder trials. All of them happen to be at the resort too, so they are also suspects.

The film has some nice set pieces in it, mostly handled adroitly by Costello - such as a drag sequence where he attracts an admirer, and has to play cards with a corpse. He also, towards the conclusion, gives Abbott an unexpected scare suggesting Bud is the killer. But my two favorite pieces are when Karloff tries to hypnotize Lou, and almost gets knifed in the process, and when Lou discovers the benefits of being the chief suspect - being under house arrest in a luxury hotel has unexpected benefits through room service. After all, the state pays the bill!

Very funny, and the mystery is kept until the end. Some moments are truly hilarious. I love the part when Swami Talpur (Boris Karloff) tries to get Freddie (Costello) to commit suicide while under hypnosis. ("You're going to commit suicide if it's the last thing you do!") Uneven at times, but all in all very funny.

When famous criminal lawyer Amos Strickland (Nicholas Joy) turns up dead at Crandall's Lost Caverns Hotel, bumbling busboy Freddie Phillips (Lou Costello) finds himself chief suspect, having earlier threatened the victim for getting him sacked. With the help of hotel detective Casey Edwards (Bud Abbott), Freddie tries to prove his innocence, but finds himself getting even deeper in trouble, dead bodies turning up wherever he goes.

Comedy duo Abbott and Costello go through their usual broad comedy routine, Bud playing straight man to foolish funny man Lou. If you like their schtick, you'll probably have a whale of a time with this caper, but I found it all a bit repetitive, much of the humour revolving around the dead bodies repeatedly turning up in unexpected places, with Costello struggling to remain calm. Amusing the first time, perhaps, but wearing extremely thin after an hour of the same thing over and over again.

A change of scenery for the final act is very welcome, as Costello goes to the Lost Caverns to meet the killer (who is keen to get his hands on a vital piece of evidence), but it doesn't make up for the monotony of what has gone before. It says a lot that Universal horror star Boris Karloff, as a sinister swami, is funnier than the leading men, uttering the best line of the whole film with a marvellous deadpan delivery: "You're going to commit suicide if it's the last thing you do".