Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein was the last of Universal's Frankenstein series, and it went out with a bang. Continuing the "monster rally" concept the studio had pioneered with Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, House Of Frankenstein, and House Of Dracula, Universal brought together three of their top horror villains (four, if you count Vincent Price's excellent cameo) and added the most popular comedy team in the world.
This is somewhat akin to making a Freddy Vs. Jason sequel that also features Leatherface and... I don't know... Harold and Kumar. Or somebody funny. But it's way better than that would be.
In this one, Dracula (Béla Lugosi, returning to the role for the first time) tries to restore Frankenstein's ailing monster to full health and replace the monster's murderous brain with one that is simple, stupid, and compliant. That's where Wilbur (Lou Costello) comes in. Aiding Wilbur is his skeptical buddy Chick (Bud Abbott) and Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) - a man whose own monstrous nature is revealed when the moon is full. It all comes together in a mad chase through Dracula's castle in Florida (!) that pits monster against monster with Chick and Wilbur caught in the middle.
As expected, the horror elements are pushed to the back so Abbott and Costello can do their thing. There are scenes that would be suspenseful and nerve-wracking in any other entry in the series if it weren't for Costello's mugging and whimpering, but that's what we're here for.
The man is funny. Costello's outstanding moments include socking the Wolf Man in the nose and kicking him in the butt when he thinks it's just Chick in a mask, losing his sense of direction and running into a stone wall - hard, and breaking the fourth wall after a successful "yank the tablecloth" bit.
Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein brings together classic Hollywood's greatest icons of horror and comedy in a mad monster party that is fun for the whole family. Or at least it was fun for my wife, my dog, and me.
As a self-proclaimed non-horror movie fan, I actually enjoyed this movie - it was a little campy, but the slapstick comedy balanced out the scariness (not that there was a lot of that). I'm glad I watched it - but it will probably be the last of the movies on this list that I'll join Bennett on. :D
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