Rating The Universal Frankenstein Films

 

In May of this year I wrote a couple blog posts ranking the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Hammer Films. Now I'm going to rank the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Universal, specifically the ones made during the studio's classic monster period (1931-1948). 

Looking back on the history of my blog, I've come to the realization that I haven't done all that much writing about the classic Universal monster movies. I think the main reason for that is those films has been such a presence in my life, I kind of take them for granted. The Universal monster classics are very easy to access--they've been released and re-released on home video in various formats innumerable times, and they're available on all sorts of streaming platforms. Svengoolie also shows at least one of the Universal monster classics every month. I've seen each one of them dozens and dozens of times--I know just about every camera angle and every line of dialogue. It's hard to come up with a fresh new perspective on the Universal monster series (although that doesn't stop excellent writers such as Greg Mank and Frank Dello Stritto from doing so). What more can you say about BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN? 

This list will deal with the Universal Frankenstein films, ranked in order of preference. I have to point out that none of these films are terrible--we're not dealing with any "Paula the Ape Woman" entries here. The first three films in the Universal Frankenstein series are much better that the movies made in the 1940s--but overall the entire set is still very entertaining and watchable, and they still also have great influence on pop culture today. 

1. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

This is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time, so of course it's going to be on top of this list. 

2. SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939)

Boris Karloff's monster doesn't have much to do here, but the film itself is filled with great flourishes, and a standout cast, with jittery Basil Rathbone, one-armed inspector Lionel Atwill, and best of all, Bela Lugosi giving one of his best screen performances as Ygor. 

3. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

The original 1931 film has some early sound era creakiness, but I believe this actually contributes to its eerie atmosphere. What director James Whale did here continues to have a lasting impact on genre cinema, as does Boris Karloff's astounding performance....probably the greatest by any actor in horror film history. 

4. ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)

Ironically this has now become the most beloved film of the entire Universal classic monster series. When I was a young teenager starting to get into classic horror cinema, there were still plenty of writers who felt that this movie was insulting to the legendary monsters. As the Frankenstein monster, Glenn Strange gets more to do here than he did in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and HOUSE OF DRACULA combined. Just a fun time all the way around. 

5. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1943)

A major event in horror film history, as this was the first monster vs. monster team-up. It's really more of a Wolf Man story than a Frankenstein one, but director Roy William Neill pulls off all the disparate elements quite well, considering how much behind-the-scenes drama was going on. Part of that drama was what happened to Bela Lugosi's performance as the monster--it was changed greatly in the editing room (and not to the actor's benefit). I have to wonder, though....how would a blinded, talkative monster, with Lugosi's distinctive voice, gone over with the general public??

6. GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942)

With this film, the Frankenstein series started to become more streamlined in every department--story, direction, and acting. Lon Chaney Jr. takes over from Karloff as the monster, and he performs the character as a generic, hulking brute. Bela Lugosi returns as a cleaned-up Ygor, and we also get Lionel Atwill as a treacherous scientist and Universal's #1 scream queen Evelyn Ankers. 

7. HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)

Boris Karloff returns to the series, this time as a mad doctor who gets involved with most of the Universal terrors and unleashes a true monster rally. Glenn Strange takes over as the monster, but he has almost nothing to do until the very end, and he gets no chance to compete with Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, and John Carradine. 

8. HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) 

Another multi-monster mash, basically a remake of HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. The goofy plot attempts to find a scientific "cure" for all the creatures. Once again Glenn Strange as the monster is lost in the shuffle, as Onslow Stevens takes center stage as a well-meaning doctor who becomes infected with Dracula's blood. It's telling that in the 1940s, Universal saw the monster as a physically infirm brute who can do little but cause havoc.