House of Dracula

Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Martha O'Driscoll, Lionel Atwill, Glenn Strange, Onslow Stevens, Jane Adams, Ludwig Stossel
Directed by: Erle C. Kenton
Rating: Approved
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
1945

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Dracula (John Carradine) and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr) come to seek cures for their afflictions from a famous doctor.

Review:

Tim: Universal united their three big horror icons (Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolf Man) in 1944's House of Frankenstein. While the idea was cool, the execution was lacking. So, we get House of Dracula a year later. Although this film doesn't completely solve the issues from the previous movie, it marks a noticeable improvement. While there's not enough in the story for this to really be a good movie, it's a decent horror film.

I liked the idea of a famous doctor who draws strange cases to him. With the potential for a miracle cure, it makes sense that Dracula might seek out the doctor for a cure for his vampirism, or Larry Talbot would seek him out for a cure for his lycanthropy. That basic idea is a strong one and it certainly offers up many interesting possibilities. Why would Dracula and the Wolf Man come to the same place? (which would be a critical flaw if not explained well). Luckily, the genius doctor explains why both of them would come to the same place. While the inclusion of Frankenstein's monster is a bit more of a stretch, it does connect back to the previous film. It's still incredible cool to see all three of these characters in the same film. Now, to be fair, I would have loved to see these three share meaningful screen time together. That's one of the more unsatisfying aspects of this film. Still, they're all still here, which is undoubtedly cool.

The cast is decent. John Carradine may not be the greatest Dracula, but he works well in the role. He looks the part and is sufficiently creepy. Lon Chaney Jr. is once again great as Larry Talbot (this performance almost wipes the memory of his poor portrayal of Dracula in Son of Dracula from our minds). It was great fun seeing Talbot and Dracula interact, although I wanted more of the Wolf Man. Still, Chaney Jr. is essential to this film. I was glad Dracula played a bigger role here than in the previous film, but even still, I do wish he had more screen time. The rest of the cast is solid, but some of the supporting characters deserved more screen time than they got. Still, there's a lot going on here, so I give credit for juggling a bunch of characters in a very short (1 hour, 7 minutes) movie.

While the inclusion of Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolf Man was a treat for audiences, the story doesn't quite measure up to what we'd like. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't quite live up to its potential. It's not a bad film, though- there's a lot I enjoyed about House of Dracula and it does indeed improve on House of Frankenstein. While this isn't quite a good movie or the booming success we'd like, it at least represents a positive step forward for three different franchises.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein