DtH – Episode 65: Universal Monster Rallies

March 6, 2024 by Jon Kitley in Discover the Horror Podcast and tagged Boris Karloff, Dracula, Dwight Frye, Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meet the Wolf Man, George Zucco, Horror films, horror movies, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., The Wolf Man, Universal Classic Monsters, Universal Horrors | Leave a comment

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), and House of Dracula (1945).

Some say that the monster rally films marked the end of the Universal creature features, which could partially be true, but we feel it is for different reasons than the actual films themselves, and they still have a lot of merit to them. While the studio heads might not have cared too much about getting them made, those involved did their best with what they had. One of the biggest highlights of these titles is the cast of actors in them, some making their last appearances. You get to see Karloff, Chaney Jr., Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill, Dwight Frye, and so many other regular faces that will bring a smile to your face when they pop up onscreen.

While maybe running a little thin on ideas and decided to start combining monsters to hopefully bring back bigger box office returns, they still made films that we all still feel are entertaining and we feel are more than worth your time.

Movies mentioned in this episode:

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Friday Favorites: John Carradine

June 18, 2021 by Jon Kitley in Friday Favorites and tagged Astro Zombies, Billy the Kid vs Dracula, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, John Carradine, Shock Waves, The Howling | 8 Comments

Here’s a name that is one of the icons of acting, not to mention in the horror genre. Sure, most remember him from all the cheesy and low-budget titles that he appeared in, especially in his later years, but he was always delivering a fine performance. I mean, think about that for a minute. He appeared in Ted V. Mikels Astro Zombies, which I happen to love, and learned all this technical dialogue for his role of the mad doctor, and gave the performance if he was doing Shakespeare.

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Monster Bash’s Frankenstein Fest

July 7, 2017 by Jon Kitley in Movie Events and tagged Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, Monster Bash, Palace Theatre, Son of Frankenstein | Leave a comment

PalaceOctoberFest

There is something to be said about seeing the old Universal classic monster films on the big screen. As many times as we’ve seen them on our TVs, it still doesn’t have the same impact of seeing them projected on a huge screen, inside a theater with a bunch of like minded film fans. There really is something magical about it and is something that every fan of these wonderful films should have the chance to experience that way. Well, if you’re anywhere near Canton, Ohio in October, then you will have the chance to do just that.

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Horror History: Erle C. Kenton

June 28, 2017 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged Erle C. Kenton, Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, Island of Lost Souls | Leave a comment

kenton Erle C. Kenton
Born Aug. 1st, 1896 – Died Jan. 28th, 1980

While Kenton didn’t make but 4 horror movies in his career, the ones he did do are pretty important. He started as an actor, but took any job in the industry to learn as much as he could. Then in 1919, he got to direct his first picture. In his career, he directed 131 films, sometimes making over 10 pictures a year. In 1924, he directed a total of 15 films. Pretty funny when you compare it to today’s working directors and how often they turn out films.

Kenton was mainly known for directing comedies, even doing a couple for Abbott & Costello. But his first entry in the horror genre was in 1932, which is probably his best, the classic Island of Lost Souls (though author H.G. Wells would probably argue that point). Kind of strange that a man known for comedies could turn out a dark film like this one. Sure, some say that Laughton’s over-acting makes it a dark comedy, though I’ve always found this film pretty disturbing and quite effective.

His remaining efforts might not be as good, but are not only entertaining, but staples in the genre. With The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), House of Frankenstein (1944), and House of Dracula (1945), he helped continue the Universal monster series with some entertaining films. Sure, they weren’t the same classics that James Whale had turned out, but us monster kids just ate them up. And even today, as dated as they might be, I still find them pretty entertaining, as do many other classic monster fans.