Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange
Directed by Charles T. Barton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A pair of baggage handlers end up tangling with Dracula, the Frankenstein monster, and The Wolf Man when one of them is targeted to provide a new brain for the monster.
Although not all of its humor has aged well, this horror-comedy still entertains and is terrifically written, allowing Universal's twin properties of comedians Abbott & Costello and their classic monsters to play off each other without sacrificing their appeal to their fans. Much has been written about how the "monsters play it straight," never cracking jokes or indulging in any comedic tomfoolery for its own sake, and I think fans of the classic monsters greatly appreciate that, even if this film sadly served as their swan song. It can't be understated how good it is to see Lugosi playing Dracula again on film for the first time since his iconic performance in the 1931 original, and though his age shows, he's still a formidable presence. Strange and Chaney are also showcased well. Among the newcomers in the cast, Lenore Aubert impresses as the assistant to Dracula who becomes his victim. As for the comedy team, after this they made a slew of "meet the monsters" films, clearly hitting upon a winning formula in this production, although for my money they never would again equal their triumph here.
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