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Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein

These are the movie monsters who put a spell on me as a child growing up. This is a timeless movie-- a classic that can be viewed over and over again, and still make you laugh as if it was the first time watching it.

Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein is campy at its best. Stitched, stapled, glued, and pressed over with side-aching comedy, then quenched down with good old-fashioned creatures and chilling fright.

Chick Young (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello) are package handlers who wind up with the dubious honors (not really) of delivering two exhibits to Mr. McDougal's (Frank Ferguson) House of Horrors. Inside these crates are the "supposed remains" of the real Dracula and Frankenstein monsters.

Wilbur's not too keen on delivering anything wax or otherwise to a House of Horrors--especially after he received a call from London earlier in the day from Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.), who believes Dracula and the Monster are alive. He didn't want the crates moved until he showed up. (He pretended to be Mr. McDougal, but it didn't work.) Not to mention, it will be dark and stormy when they do.

Chick just wants to get the job done without his partner causing any more heebie jeebie interruptions. Of course, once inside the House of Horrors, Wilbur sees Dracula himself as well as Frankenstein's Monster.

So who you gonna call when that happens?

CHICKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Chick thinks Wilbur's a little batty himself, and every time there is a perfect moment for Chick to see the creatures, a wonderfully timed ballet of comedic timing has Chick missing every dead monster in sight.

Now for the bad news... Drac and Frank, well, they flew the coop, and Mr. McDougal has arrived to look at his exhibitions. Doesn't look too good for Wilbur and Chick except... Larry Talbot is one of the good guys who found out Dracula is alive and wants to give Frankenstein's monster a new brain.(Larry sure was using his noodle on that one!)

But by the light of the full moon, Larry's also the werewolf. He wants to help the boys stop Dracula and Frankenstein from doing horrible deeds, but with the blood of the werewolf pulsing through his veins, he has to fight hard not to give into temptation.

Insurance agent Joan Raymond (Jane Raymond) is on a mission to find out what happened to the missing exhibitions. Her role is to swoon and intoxicate Wilbur into telling her where they are. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), Wilbur's girlfriend with shady reasons behind that, is a doctor of the worst kind: she's a mad scientist who's in cohoots with Dracula (Bela Lugosi) to find a brain for Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange).

Did I mention she found the perfect donor? Yep, its Wilbur! Poor little guy is thinking these two beautiful ladies are after him and fighting for his affections, and well, he's kind of right. Sandra wants him for his brain, and Joan wants him to sing like a canary to find the exhibitions that the insurance agency thinks he and Chick stole.

Wilbur and Chick are in for some hair-raising situations, hoping they get out in one piece and without any permanent markings.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are like peanut butter and jelly. Sure you can enjoy one without the other, but when they're smushed together, it's just delicious!

One of my favorite horror monsters is Lon Chaney, Jr. as the werewolf. Here is a man who with every fight in his soul does not want to be the evil that possesses him. A soft-spoken man, his powerful presence on the silver screen has made him an actor who, in his generation, made star qualities shine so bright.

Bela Lugosi's vampire is perfection! You see I have this vampire obsession. My taste is very particular in choosing vampires. He has to have certain traits, charms if you will, that leave you hungry for wanting more. Lugosi sure knew what he was sinking his teeth into in this role!

Glenn Strange's performance as Frankenstein is all good, too! He gets scarier and more crazed near the end of the film. I would even say pretty intense and violent, keeping in true form of what the monster is made from. A frightful image presented more than I expected!

Frank Ferguson was great! He played a hardened, cranky, irritated businessman who was stressed to the max.

Jane Randolph and Lenore Aubert were splendid. These ladies had finesse, and were strong, motivated woman. Of course, one was a sick and twisted doctor; the other a sneaky love trap vixen.

With all the above mentioned, this is what made this movie so authentic. Having the horror of the monsters make sense along side of the comedy can only be accomplished by letting the monsters be who they are--themselves--and allow the people reacting to them to be, well, scared people!

No better men will answer the question: Can a monster be a man? Well, if so, these monster men are kings of their domain. Even more so when all are together strutting their monster-attitude selves across the silver screen.

Don't forget the eerie backdrop... the swirling fog muffling over London's chiming bell tower, whistling winds, flickering candlelight, a castle atop of a mountain overlooking the shimmering sea, the classic moving walls that bring you into another room... Whoa! Monsters are waiting there for YOU! Who would've guessed? Eek!

It is just too funny. When you introduce two hilariously fellows as Abbott and Costello (true talents) to the creature powers of the undead and rage of the full moon's cursed offspring, you're bound to be in for a howling, growling, batty good time.

Oh, by the way, at the end of the movie, there is one last monster surprise that sneaks up on you. You won't see him, but you'll sure hear him!

Happy watching--if you dare!

Written by: Lynda Dale MacLean

Reviewers Rating: 9.5
Reader's Rating: 8.77
Reader's Votes: 9

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