Classics Review: Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man

In the 1930s-1950s, Universal Monsters became the first cinematic universe before Marvel perfected it. Frankenstein & The Wolf Man were popular characters within the former franchise produced by Universal Pictures. The pair squared off in a crossover film released in 1943. At the time, “Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man” earned mixed reviews from critics and managed to recoup expenses at the box office.

The film was groundbreaking for pairing two characters in a crossover film followed by “House of Frankenstein” & “House of Dracula.” Godzilla movies followed this trope with the King of the Monsters facing off against an opponent. Most notably, King Kong in 1962 & 2021. Two crossover films, “Freddy vs. Jason” & “Alien vs. Predator” also did the same thing. I’m gonna give Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man credit for pioneering an ambitious crossover.

There are two reasons why I wanna share my thoughts on this crossover film. Mark your calendars. By the way, I’m also watching and reviewing horror films during Halloween Month 2024. Which one should I review next? Please leave a comment.

• Christian Bale will portray the mad scientist’s monster in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” It’ll be released on September 26, 2025.
• Christopher Abbott will play The Wolf Man after Ryan Gosling dropped out. Slated release date, January 17, 2025.

This review contains SPOILERS. If you’re somewhat interested in the first crossover movie, read at your own risk.

Healthy & Unhealthy Aspects

Healthy: Lon Chaney Jr. reprises his role as The Wolf Man. He did a good job for his performance

Bela Lugosi takes over Boris Karloff’s role as Frankenstein. He did good job for his performance.

Prosthetic Makeup transformed Lon & Bela into their characters.

Set Pieces and Costume Designs were manually crafted.

Cinematography didn’t suffer from technical issues throughout.

Unhealthy: A Plot Hole involving Larry’s final transformation. First, his clothes are worn off. When turns back to normal, he’s wearing a suit. Doesn’t make any logical sense.

The film’s total running time is approximately 72 minutes. It’s unusual for a live-action movie. I’m willing to accept animated movie clocking in over 70 minutes, but a non-animated movie won’t make the cut unless it’s an hour-and-a-half.

Random Thought: A movie critic named, bloggedbyeric liked Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man. He gave it a 7/10. I’m gonna respectfully disagree with him. What this movie lacks are interesting characters, a cohesive storyline, scenes between the monsters etc. Eric if you’re reading this, I mean no disrespect. I have to give classic films tough love. Whether they hold up well or not. I’m not a big classic horror guy. I prefer horror films from the ’90s to present.

Despite being heavily marketed as a crossover battle between the two monsters, they lack screentime. To put salt in the wound, they only fight near the very end. What Frankenstein & The Wolf Man (only interacts in human form) lack scenes together without proper buildup. What’s the point of making a crossover movie if you don’t have two polar opposites fighting each other? Imagine in “Captain America: Civil War” with Captain America & Iron Man never sharing a scene with each other over the Superhero Registration Act that caused them to go from friends to enemies? Unlike these two, Frankenstein & The Wolf Man lack characterization, emotional stakes and going from good friends to foes. I’m gonna Triple Down Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman for tricking me into believing this was gonna be a legit crossover movie. What a crushing blow!

A festival song has no connection to the plot whatsoever. Felt random. As if the writers ran outta ideas. They should’ve scrapped in favor of more monster fights less padding. Even Larry told the people to stop singing. I can relate to that one scene from “Tank Girl.” The part when the titular character and several extras sing a random musical number. I hate dance scenes outta nowhere. They really push my buttons.

Frankenstein lacks dialogue. In “Bride of Frankenstein” he speaks a few words. Anna Paquin in “The Irishman” has more lines than him.

I don’t give a crud about Larry’s chemistry with Elsa. I never felt a deep connection between them. They’re not a dignified couple like

Pacing’s a slow burn. I was miserably bored to death. I’d rather watch “Deadpool and Wolverine” again.

The Final Verdict: F, FOR FAKER!

I’m sorry to burst your bubble classic horror fans, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man is not a masterpiece. I wanted to like this movie, but it has flaws. Reminder, I’m not a classic horror guy, I’m more of ’90s to modern horror guy. If you wanna watch a legit crossover movie, watch Freddy vs. Jason or Godzilla vs. Kong from 2021.