Wednesday, September 16

Halloweenies Nine-Fifteenies

Last night we watched the follow-up to House of Frankenstein, imaginatively titled House of Dracula. I actually liked it better than HoF.
In this one, both Dracula and Larry (Wolfman) Talbot end up at the castle lab of a non-mad doctor asking to be cured of their respective afflictions (though I'm not sure how sincere the Count is). We get a poignant lady hunchback nurse this time, and get spared repetition of the Wolfman rhyme. The best aspects are the going-mad of the benevolent doctor, thanks to an unwanted blood transfusion from Dracula, and the novel twist of having vampirism and werewolfism (is that a word?) having a biological, rather than supernatural basis--this about 10 years before Richard Matheson rewrote the rules in his novel I Am Legend (which itself has been filmed three times). Also, some good supporting performances by Lionel Atwill and Skelton Knaggs, creepy in the role of the riled-up villager.

Mr. Knaggs (from a different movie)
The weaknesses: the Frankenstein monster's superfluous role, John Carradine still not totally making it as Dracula, and a rushed ending.

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