Universal’s biggest monster movie crossover happened in a 76-year-old comedy movie

Universal’s biggest horror crossover happened in a comedy all the way back in 1948. 76 years ago, audiences were treated to yet another entry in a long-running series of films featuring Universal’s go-to comedic duo, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. But as the title says, Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein was not just another vehicle for the two actors; It was also a way for several horror icons to make an exciting return to the big screen.

During the 1940s, Universal tapped into an interest in the possibility of their monster villains crossing paths with each other. Rather than keep creatures like Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man confined to their respective franchises, Universal started mixing them up and making movies like Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man. In terms of box office revenue, this was a working strategy for the studio. It paved the way to go even further with the concept, bringing together a handful of creatures from Universal’s monster movies for a horror-themed adventure.

Abbott & Costello meets Frankenstein combined 4 of his horror icons

The 1948 movie was a true monster crossover

In terms of weight, Universal tops Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man When it spawned two sequels, House of Frankenstein And House of Dracula. Both featured the same two monsters, but added Dracula to the equation. Taking a page from the two crossovers, Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein Reunited all three creatures a third time, and then enlarged the cast of monsters once more with a voice cameo from the Invisible Man. Like every creature in the main trio of monsters, the Invisible Man is the headline attraction of his own movie series.

The 1944 horror comedy pulled this off by drawing Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s characters – Wilbur and Chick – into Dracula’s orbit. The two wind up in his castle, where the wolf man and Frankenstein’s monster are also on hand, each for different reasons. The two characters’ misadventures naturally result in several chase scenes and scares where they have encounters with all three members of Universal’s monster triumvirate, which finally converge at the end of the film in true crossover fashion.

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein honored the monsters’ roots

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein includes the definitive versions of 2 monsters

It is important to note that the monsters in Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein They are not just monstrous villains bearing the names and likenesses of three horror legends. Instead, it uses actors already associated with the characters. Vincent Price, who played the Invisible Man in the 1944 reboot, The invisible man returnsis the actor who did the character’s voice work. As for Frankenstein’s monster, he was portrayed by Glenn Strange, the same actor who played the monster in House of Frankenstein And House of Dracula.

In contrast to his decision to bring back the most recent Frankenstein’s monster actor, Universal opted for the original Dracula. Despite the fame he achieved for playing the Prince of Darkness in the 1931 film, Lugosi did not play the character again until Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein. The film featuring Lugosi’s second and final appearance as Dracula gives it an important place in horror movie history. Lugosi’s casting in particular also legitimizes his take on Dracula; comedy or not, Abbott & Costello Including what is arguably the definitive version of Dracula at the time, which is exactly what a proper crossover needs to work.

Toward the same end, Lon Chaney, Jr., who played Larry Talbot, also the Wolf Man in all four of the monster’s previous appearances, returned to the role. Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein His last time in the role makes it all the more special. All things considered, the actors cast it for the monsters proved his intention to make certain audiences see the creatures as the “Real“Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster.

Abbott & Costello meets Frankenstein was the best of Universal’s monster movie crossovers

His humor did not stain the legacies of Universal Monsters, which remained scary

in a sense, Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein succeeded in honoring the “crossover” aspect of the movie in a way that its two predecessors did not. House of Frankenstein And House of Dracula were memorable in their own right, but were really just movies that featured all three monsters; Abbott and Costello’s film was the only one of the three to have them work in one story. in House of FrankensteinFor example, Dracula never meets the Wolf Man or Frankenstein’s monster. so too, House of Dracula Do not revive Frankenstein’s monster until after Dracula’s death.

Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein Wisely avoid the missteps, neatly intertwining the stories of three monsters: Count Dracula wants a brain for Frankenstein’s monster, And the human alter ego of the Wolf Man is intent on destroying both monsters. Their goals eventually intersect, allowing Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein To engineer a final showdown between the characters, including a wolf man vs. Dracula fight. Admittedly, such an ending should not be expected from a crossover with this kind of lineup, but although it was shared by House of Dracula And House of FrankensteinOnly the 1948 film delivered on this.

Abbott & Costello meets Frankenstein was almost an even bigger horror movie crossover

As if the Wolf Man, Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster were not enough for the film, it was almost a situation where it incorporated two more creatures from its library (plus a more substantial role for the Invisible Man). According to the 1981 book, It’s alive! The classic cinema saga of Frankenstein, Universal had prepared a script that would have brought in Kharis aka The Mummy. Including the mummy would have been massive for the film, considering Harris is the fourth tentpole of Universal’s monster movie universe.

The original script also called for an appearance of Count Alucard, a version of Dracula introduced in Son of Dracula. Why this did not happen is unclear, but its exclusion can be attributed to a couple of reasons, one of which is the presence of Bela Lugosi’s Dracula. It’s hard to imagine two interpretations of Dracula occupying the same movie. There is also the matter of Alucard playing through Abbott & Costello meets Frankenstein’s Wolf Man actor Lon Chaney, Jr Son of Dracula. Theoretically, he could be recast, but then he wouldn’t be a recognizable character like the other monsters.