Rating: 
Summary: Finally! Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman coming to DVD!
Review: "Even a man who's pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf, when the wolfbane blooms, and the moon is full and bright" I have been waiting for this movie to came out on Dvd, and it finally will arrive in August! Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman is one of the best horror movies from the classic Universal Monster series. It is the sequel to The Wolfman, and in my opinion is far better than the original. Once again it stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolfman, the only actor in the Universal series of horror movies to have originated and played the same monster in all his apperances. The movie starts out four years after the original Wolfman. Lawrence Talbot is brought back to life, and is not to happy about that. (he would rather have stayed dead!). He seeks out the gypsy woman from the first movie to help him with the curse. She can't help him, but takes him on a journey to find the one man who can...Dr. Frankenstein! This is the one sequel that does it right. It has all the ingredients- atmosphere, great story that keeps you entertained and never lets up, and characters that make the movie work. Lon Chaney has never portrayed the Wolfman better. In other movies where he played the monster he was always wandering around feeling sorry for himself and constantly saying how much he wanted to die. In this movie he is energetic and goes on a journey to cure himself and finds hope to get rid of the mark of the werewolf- therby making us care for his character and rooting for him along the way. The supporting cast of characters are great, with Bela Lugosi playing the Frankenstein monster for this one time and Maria Ouspenskaya returning as the gypsy woman Meliva. The movie is directed by Roy Willaim Neil, who directed many of the terrific Sherlock Holmes pictures starring Basil Rathbone. Also in the cast is Dennis Hoey, who played Inspector Lestrade from the Holmes movies. The atmosphere, suspense, and great acting make this one of my favorite Universal Movies. Hopefully, Universal will give this DVD the deluxe treatment, with commentary and behind the scenes, as it did with its previous dvd releases of the classic monsters. For all the monster fans, get ready for August when Universal releases its next batch of horror classics including Werewolf of London, the Dracula and Mummy sequels, and my other favorite: Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy!! I read elsewhere that Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman DVD will be a double feature with House of Frankenstein, which will make this a great deal for 2 great Universal pictures on one DVD! Do not pass this one up. Keep up the great work Universal!!
Rating: 
Summary: Definitely a guilty pleasure
Review: Both flicks VASTLY inferior to the original "Wolf Man" & the 3 previous Frankenstein movies, but nevertheless they're a fond memory from childhood TV-watching. Pure fun hokey hokum. Poor Lugosi was pretty "long-in-the-fang" when he played Frankie, & his stunt double very visibly played the part in most of the scenes in the movie. Plus Lugosi's Frankie went blind at the conclusion of the previous "Son Of Frankenstein" & that supposedly explained why he was shambling wildly about, at one point not recognizing Chaney, etc., but the explanation (& Lugosi's dialogue) were supposedly cut from the film. Moving on, it's HIGH-larious how the(hapless-as-actor)Chaney transforms into a werewolf in a wife-beater T-shirt, his jammies, or whatever, & then apparently takes time AS A WEREWOLF to change into a black shirt. plus, the decrepit Maria Ouspenskya as Maleva the Gypsy still somehow manages to give off some granny sexuality. She must have been a hottie when a young woman! LOL!!
Rating:
Summary: Cheers AND Jeers for Universal
Review: CHEERS to Universal for their inspired decision to release a wave of their classic horror movies as double feature DVD's. The pairings make sense, reflecting the chronology of each series, and the double feature format harkens back to the old days of Saturday afternoons at the movies. However... JEERS also go out to Universal for lack of extras, lazy mistakes and questionable source material. Structurally, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN has always been a mess. The plot contrivances, which bring the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster together, are a stretch, even by Universal's standards. The film also suffers from the woeful mis-casting of Bela Lugosi as the Frankenstein monster. Not only does Lugosi usher in the era of the monster as a lumbering, semi-blind oaf; the post-production decision by Universal to eliminate the monster's lines and reduce his scenes leaves the picture even more disjointed. (Yes, the monster, as filmed, spoke! Continuing the story line from the previous entry, "Ghost of Frankenstein," the monster's voice was that of Lugosi. The result in "Meets" was deemed unsatisfactory to Universal, so their solution was to simply eliminate Lugosi's audio track and cut scenes where they couldn't get away with an audio-only fix. Look closely and you'll still see scenes where the monster's mouth is moving, yet not a word is heard!) "Meets" also marks the point where the Frankenstein saga was overshadowed by that of Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. From here on through the sequels, the monster is relegated to a supporting and, eventually, cameo role. As for the quality of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN on DVD, Universal clearly expended little energy in finding the best print. The picture is intermittently dirty and scratchy. The "bonus material" is slim. We get the trailer, 7 short pages of anecdotes on the making of the film, and bios/filmographies on the principal actors. Particularly telling is that Lugosi's bio features a picture of his stunt double in the Frankenstein make-up, NOT Lugosi. HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN is the only instance in the original Universal Frankenstein series where the sequel is superior to the previous chapter. Boris Karloff makes a welcome return, this time as murderous mad scientist Dr. Niemann. Again, we're presented with a convoluted plot in order to gather Universal's resident monsters in one time and place. But, thanks mainly to Karloff and his hunchbacked assistant portrayed by J. Carrol Naish, we're treated to a depth of acting missing in the previous film. (On the minus side, John Carradine is laughable as Dracula, looking like a low-rent refugee from an escort service.) The print used here for "House" is better than that of "Meets." As for bonus material, it is identical to its disc-mate: trailer, 7 pages anecdotes, bios. While applause do go to Universal for their double feature program, this arrangement does leave the final installment in the original Frankenstein series without a partner, and thus, un-released on DVD. As Universal considers the fate of "House of Dracula," I'd like to nominate another Lon Chaney Jr./Lionel Atwill vehicle of the same period as the second half of a double-bill, namely "Man Made Monster." Universal - are you reading this?
Rating:
Summary: Cheers AND Jeers for Universal
Review: CHEERS to Universal for their inspired decision to release a wave of their classic horror movies as double feature DVD's. The pairings make sense, reflecting the chronology of each series, and the double feature format harkens back to the old days of Saturday afternoons at the movies. However... JEERS also go out to Universal for lack of extras, lazy mistakes and questionable source material. Structurally, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN has always been a mess. The plot contrivances, which bring the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster together, are a stretch, even by Universal's standards. The film also suffers from the woeful mis-casting of Bela Lugosi as the Frankenstein monster. Not only does Lugosi usher in the era of the monster as a lumbering, semi-blind oaf; the post-production decision by Universal to eliminate the monster's lines and reduce his scenes leaves the picture even more disjointed. (Yes, the monster, as filmed, spoke! Continuing the story line from the previous entry, "Ghost of Frankenstein," the monster's voice was that of Lugosi. The result in "Meets" was deemed unsatisfactory to Universal, so their solution was to simply eliminate Lugosi's audio track and cut scenes where they couldn't get away with an audio-only fix. Look closely and you'll still see scenes where the monster's mouth is moving, yet not a word is heard!) "Meets" also marks the point where the Frankenstein saga was overshadowed by that of Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. From here on through the sequels, the monster is relegated to a supporting and, eventually, cameo role. As for the quality of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN on DVD, Universal clearly expended little energy in finding the best print. The picture is intermittently dirty and scratchy. The "bonus material" is slim. We get the trailer, 7 short pages of anecdotes on the making of the film, and bios/filmographies on the principal actors. Particularly telling is that Lugosi's bio features a picture of his stunt double in the Frankenstein make-up, NOT Lugosi. HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN is the only instance in the original Universal Frankenstein series where the sequel is superior to the previous chapter. Boris Karloff makes a welcome return, this time as murderous mad scientist Dr. Niemann. Again, we're presented with a convoluted plot in order to gather Universal's resident monsters in one time and place. But, thanks mainly to Karloff and his hunchbacked assistant portrayed by J. Carrol Naish, we're treated to a depth of acting missing in the previous film. (On the minus side, John Carradine is laughable as Dracula, looking like a low-rent refugee from an escort service.) The print used here for "House" is better than that of "Meets." As for bonus material, it is identical to its disc-mate: trailer, 7 pages anecdotes, bios. While applause do go to Universal for their double feature program, this arrangement does leave the final installment in the original Frankenstein series without a partner, and thus, un-released on DVD. As Universal considers the fate of "House of Dracula," I'd like to nominate another Lon Chaney Jr./Lionel Atwill vehicle of the same period as the second half of a double-bill, namely "Man Made Monster." Universal - are you reading this?
Rating:
Summary: A couple of notches below the previous films...
Review: First both these films are campy fun. I grew up watching both of these films pretty regularly on Creature Features. It was a natural transition for Bela Lugosi to play the monster in FMWM due to the ending of Ghost of Frankenstein. It's not a terrible film just not all that well written which is a surprise given that the scribe was Curt Sidomak (Donovan's Brain and a number of minor science fiction classics). Earle Kenton's direction is stylisth given the budget limitations. The problem in the film is more with the self pitying Larry Talbot. As written Lon Chaney, Jnr. is given little more to do than wallow in self pity. Sure, he's a wolf man at night and usually has to change clothes after every full moon (they rip apart as he changes) but come on! Anyhow, Lugosi plays the Monster as a lumbering idiot (if the dialog hadn't been trimed his portrayal might have been a bit better). It's ironic that Lugosi ended up playing the role as his star was fading since he turned it down originally. It made Boris Karloff a star. The rest of the cast ranges from weak to competant. This isn't the best in the series but it has a number of entertaining moments. Reportedly, Glenn Strange actually played the Monster in many of the long shots as Lugosi wasn't up to the task. House of Frankenstein promised much more than it delivered but still has a number of bright spots. First, there's Karloff. Although he doesn't play the Monster (he's an escaped criminal/scientist), he's given plenty of scenery to chew. His performance is one of the best in the picture. Lon Chaney, Jnr. returns and for good measure Dracula shows up as well. There is a law of dimishing returns when it comes to monsters or villians (we'll call it wtdk's Monster/villian law-- for an example look at the last two Batman films). I have to agree that John Carradine doesn't do the part of Dracula justice. He just isn't convincing (nor was Lon Chaney, Jnr. when he played the role in Son of Dracula. His delivery was always stiff and deliberate but was exceedingly bad in that film). Carradine would reprise the role in House of Dracula the following year. It's no surprise that the DVD doesn't have a lot of extras. While both films are solid and entertaining on their own, they're far from classics in the series. Due to the age of the film, it's unlikely that a lot survived in the way of outtakes or alternative endings (both films were shot on volatile nitrate stock). If you're looking for classics stick with Whale's Bride and Lee's Son of Frankenstein. If you're looking for a fun, inoffensive time by all means pick these up.
Rating:
Summary: Good fun
Review: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is patchy, taking a little long to get going, and with a few lulls here and there. Still, it's fun, and it's nice to see Lugosi, having turned down the role of the Monster in 1931, finally step into Karloff's oversized boots.
House of Frankenstein is pacier and more entertaining all round, starring Karloff as a mad scientist bringing the Frankenstein Monster back to life, with the Wolf Man and an appearance from Dracula thrown in for good measure.
Rating: 
Summary: Frankenstein and the Wolfman meets DVD!!
Review: I finally got a copy of "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman/"House of Frankenstein" on DVD, (Frankenstein may have stepped on the box for good measure, but I digress) the image quality was better than expected after reading some of the other reviews and the sound was strong. A close comparison to the 1987 Laserdisc release of "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" shows an improved overall picture quality. While there may be an additional scratch here or there, considering that another 14 years had passed, between 1987 and 2001 when this DVD was released and that the film is now nearly 60 years old I thought it was very well preserved. I also compared "House of Frankenstein" on this DVD to the 1994 Laserdisc release and found the two prints actually very close in quality and the image again improved by the DVD format. I am amazed that people are gripping about extras for the prices these are going for considering that the laserdisc for "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman" alone was more and as "House of Frankenstein" was released on a two movie-two laserdisc set for considerably more I think the DVD is a bargain. Also, I found the DVD menu was easy to use and I had no problem pulling up the top menu and going back and forth between the two features after one had finished. Yes, some music on the menu screens would be nice and a running commentary is always a wonderful addition, but considering this DVD package does not cost anymore than the two movies do on VHS, it's a fair price. So get busy, make some popcorn and enjoy the show.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Review: I was suprised that the DVD would come out in good condition but it did. Both are classic movies and both come out great on DVD. So, get it!
Rating:
Summary: Monsters Galore . . . and (a bit of) Glory!
Review: Stein vs. Wolf: Bela Lugosi (as the Monster) and Chaney, Jr. are quite less than spectacular in this contrived plot. The result is an enjoyable but slightly below par film, especially for a classic Universal monster clash! Lugosi was appropriately deemed "unsuitable" for this particular role . . . but only after the film had already been shot! What's a film producer to do? Keen observers will observe scenes in which Lugosi is actually moving his lips without (the audience hearing any) dialogue! House of Frankenstein: Karloff escapes from prison, and combines (with his helpful hunchback assistant) to quickly dispose of the host of a traveling horror show. It's an old fashioned (horse and carriage) operation, and Boris assumes the role of driver and imposter. Let the fun begin: Boris Karloff is indeed most delightful (too bad he couldn't play the monster too)! John Carradine is a fairly convincing Count Dracula who discovers the Monster and Wolfman . . . who just happen to be frozen by the dam waters released by furious villagers in the companion to this DVD set. House of Frankenstein is a rare sequel ("Bride of Frankenstein" being more notable) that is clearly superior to the original. Our large family of adults and children provided the following cumulative ratings of these monster bashes . . . "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman": B minus (B-); "House of Frankenstein": A minus (A-).
Rating:
Summary: Monsters Galore . . . and (a bit of) Glory!
Review: Stein vs. Wolf: Bela Lugosi (as the Monster) and Chaney, Jr. are quite less than spectacular in this contrived plot. The result is an enjoyable but slightly below par film, especially for a classic Universal monster clash! Lugosi was appropriately deemed "unsuitable" for this particular role . . . but only after the film had already been shot! What's a film producer to do? Keen observers will observe scenes in which Lugosi is actually moving his lips without (the audience hearing any) dialogue! House of Frankenstein: Karloff escapes from prison, and combines (with his helpful hunchback assistant) to quickly dispose of the host of a traveling horror show. It's an old fashioned (horse and carriage) operation, and Boris assumes the role of driver and imposter. Let the fun begin: Boris Karloff is indeed most delightful (too bad he couldn't play the monster too)! John Carradine is a fairly convincing Count Dracula who discovers the Monster and Wolfman . . . who just happen to be frozen by the dam waters released by furious villagers in the companion to this DVD set. House of Frankenstein is a rare sequel ("Bride of Frankenstein" being more notable) that is clearly superior to the original. Our large family of adults and children provided the following cumulative ratings of these monster bashes . . . "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman": B minus (B-); "House of Frankenstein": A minus (A-).
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