WHAT: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
WHEN: October 29, 2025 1 PM & 7 PM
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
WHAT ELSE: Pre-show organ music at 6:30 PM; cartoon
HOW MUCH: $12/$10 advance or $10 for the 1 PM matinee
Advance Tickets: Click Here and select date and time (7 PM)
“Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a far better film than its audience required; what should have been only an exploitative horror film with its accent on monsters and action is also a well-crafted production with fine attention to detail. The film boasts the best-ever Wolf Man scenes and gives us one last real look at the Monster before he becomes a lowly prop in the House films. Even if this is the film that led the classic series permanently astray, it does so in handsome style. There are atmospheric as well as action highlights, a ‘game’ cast and, of course, that terrific last-reel donnybrook, all combining to place Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man on a rickety pedestal as a milestone in monster movie history.” ~ Michael Brunas, John Brunas and Tom Weaver, Universal Horrors (1990)
Our twelfth annual Halloween Horrorfest returns on October 29 with a screening of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). Last year’s showing of The Wolf Man (1941) turned out to be the biggest hit of the entire season, so it only made sense to continue the story of Larry Talbot, as played by Lon Chaney, Jr. With this entry in the popular horror franchise, Universal began the practice of teaming up their most popular monsters. Lycanthrope Larry Talbot searches for Dr. Frankenstein, believing the notorious scientist can lift the curse that afflicts him when the moon is full and bright. Larry doesn’t find the doctor, but he does cross paths with Frankenstein’s daughter (Ilona Massey) as well as his monstrous creation (played by Bela Lugosi), leading to a climactic death fight amidst the castle ruins.
The story was by Curt Siodmak, who had written the original The Wolf Man (1941). This follow-up, which is also a sequel to the Frankenstein franchise, was a noticeable improvement over the prior entry, Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). A large part of the credit goes to the direction of Roy William Neill, who is probably best known for the Sherlock Holmes series he made at Universal. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is significantly more atmospheric than the movie that preceded it– and the monster rallies that followed it. One of its most memorable sequences is the opening in which two grave robbers break into the Talbot crypt and attempt to rob the seemingly lifeless body of Larry Talbot. His reawakening, aided by the moonlight, is one of the most frightening sequences in any Universal horror film.
Publicity photo of Ilona Massey, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Bela Lugosi.
The Monster talks! A deleted scene…
Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lawrence Talbot with Bela Lugosi’s Frankenstein Monster.
Lon Chaney, Jr.’s performance is just as good if not better than the one he gave in The Wolf Man. As originally conceived, he was going to play both monsters. However, this was aborted due to the technical challenges involved as well as the fact that it would’ve been too physically demanding for Chaney. As with The Wolf Man, he is surrounded by an excellent cast that includes Maria Ouspenskaya, reprising her role of Maleva, the gypsy woman; Patric Knowles as Dr. Mannering– he had played Frank Andrews in the original; Ilona Massey as the daughter of Dr. Frankenstein (actually, the granddaughter of Colin Clive’s Frankenstein, if you’re keeping score); Lionel Atwill as the Mayor (already having made multiple appearances in Frankenstein films); and the legendary Bela Lugosi as the Frankenstein Monster.
Though he had turned down the role of the Monster a dozen years before, Bela accepted the role this time, most likely because he needed the money. His performance has often been criticized, particularly in the way he lumbers about the sets with outstretched arms. In his defense, Bela was playing the role as though he were partially blind. This was revealed in his dialogue, which was later cut out. When a studio preview of the picture elicited laughter at his Hungarian accent, the filmmakers decided to remove all of Lugosi’s spoken dialogue. Nonetheless, in some scenes you can still see his lips moving. Though his performance may be lacking in comparison to Boris Karloff’s interpretation, there is one genuinely chilling moment Bela is able to convey near the climax. While his Monster is being charged by electricity and grows strong again, he turns and, in a closeup, seems to offer an unsettling smile. Bela might not have been able to pull off the physical aspects of the role, but in this one brief moment, he projected some of the evil we had seen before in roles like that of Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939).
And finally, a special mention should be made to one other actor who appears in this film, albeit in a minor role. The talented Dwight Frye plays a concerned villager of Vasaria. Frye had appeared as Renfield in Dracula (1931) as well as Fritz in Frankenstein (1931). Though he’s no more than a background character with just a few lines, his presence is nonetheless felt and appreciated by fans. He made a career out of playing lost souls touched by madness or depravity. Frye was an excellent character actor who thrived on the Universal set. This would be his last film for the studio before his untimely death in 1943.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man has remained a fan favorite with the monster kids who grew up watching these horror movies on TV. With the exception of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), this is the best Frankenstein film after Son of Frankenstein. With its stellar cast, atmospheric direction and music, and memorable finale, it’s one of the most fun entries in the Universal series. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is not shown theatrically as often as some of the other Universal classics, so we hope fans will make the pilgrimage to the Pickwick. I’m certainly an admirer of this film having presented a 16mm print of it at the LaSalle Bank Theatre in Chicago. Many years later, I’m bringing the theatre experience back to Park Ridge. We hope our own villagers turn out as we celebrate the “Festival of the New Wine”!
~MCH
