Movie Review: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) directed by Charles T. Barton

The remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange) arrive at a shipping office in Florida, destined for McDougall's House of Horrors. The delivery agents are Chick Webb (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Lou Costello), a bumbling duo. They make the delivery but the two bad guys come to life and escape. The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney) comes to Florida in an attempt to destroy them both. Dracula's plan is to revive the Monsters fully...after putting a more docile brain in the cadaver. He's enlisted Sandra (Lenore Aubert) to do the surgery. She's been wooing Wilbur, since he has a perfectly simple and docile brain, just perfect for the monster. An insurance agent for the House of Horrors (Jane Randolph) wants to recover the merchandise, so she also works on Wilbur to achieve her end. Hijinks ensue.

The movie is much more of an Abbott and Costello comedy than a Universal horror film. Even with Lugosi and Chaney playing it as straight as they can, their performances are a bit too cheesy to be taken seriously. Most of the set pieces are comedy shenanigans featuring Bud and Lou while the monsters lurk in the background. The special effects are a mixed bag. The comedy works well and almost makes up for the lack of horror.

Recommended.