Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) on Netflix
Passed19431h 14mFantasyHorrorSci-Fi
Grave robbers open Larry Talbot's tomb, and the full moon wakes him still a werewolf. He seeks Maleva, who knows his secret, and together they hunt for Dr. Frankenstein and a cure.
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- Netflix2.2/5
- IMDb6.4/1011,145 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes25%
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Plot summary
Four years after the killings in Llanwelly, Larry Talbot lies in the Talbot family crypt with wolfsbane buried beside him. Grave robbers break in under a full moon, and the moonlight brings him back. Police find him in Cardiff the same night, still carrying the head wound that was thought to have killed him, and take him to a hospital where Dr. Mannering treats him. Inspector Owen, who has confirmed that Talbot died, takes him for an impostor. Talbot escapes, finds the gypsy Maleva, and tells her he wants to die. She suggests Dr. Frankenstein might help, and the two cross Europe to the village of Vasaria, where Talbot hopes to find the doctor's notes.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Bela Lugosi's Frankenstein monster had dialogue in three filmed scenes, but it was cut after studio staff laughed at his delivery at a preview screening; writer Curt Siodmak said it "sounded so Hungarian funny". Without those lines, the finished film never mentions the revived monster is blind.
- Universal's original plan, under the title Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein, was for Lon Chaney Jr. to play both the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster. The idea was dropped over concerns the intricate effects would not work and the physical strain on Chaney of playing both parts.
- On October 5, 1942, Bela Lugosi collapsed on the set and was ordered home by a physician, while his co-star Maria Ouspenskaya suffered an ankle injury. Lugosi's collapse was caused by exhaustion from the 35 pounds of make-up he wore as the monster.
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the first of the "monster rally" films, in which name-brand monsters share one picture, and Universal followed it with House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945).
- The script changed the Wolf Man's rules so that Larry Talbot transforms into werewolf form only during a full moon, rather than every night while wolfsbane is in bloom as in The Wolf Man, and this full-moon rule became a standard part of werewolf lore.
- Lon Chaney Jr. at first insisted on playing only Frankenstein's monster, so Universal briefly considered borrowing Warner Brothers contract player Jack Carson to take over the role of Lawrence Talbot before Chaney agreed to return as the Wolf Man.
- The climactic battle between the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's monster was handled by two stuntmen, Gil Perkins for Lugosi and Eddie Parker. Director Roy William Neill told them where to start and finish and what kind of fight he wanted, then let them work out the rest.
- Writer Curt Siodmak said he took the job because he wanted to buy a new car and needed the money, so producer George Waggner told him to go ahead and buy it and gave him two hours to agree to write the script.
