Movie Review - Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

As everyone knows the title is a misnomer, Abbott & Costello don't meet Frankenstein. Wilbur & Chick meet The Monster.

Playing delivery men, they are asked to deliver crates containing The Frankenstein Monster & a coffin containing the remains of Count Dracula to a local House Of Horrors thus setting the scene for the rest of the movie. Prior to delivery Wilbur had been called by Talbot (Lon Chaney) who tries to warn him of the contents but becomes The Wolfman.

Wilbur is left alone with the coffin opening slightly several times & Dracula (Bela Lugosi) climbs out & has to hide himself in the shadows when Chick returns to show the coffin is empty. The owner of the House of Horrors (McDougal) has made display cards with the Dracula & Frankenstein Monsters legends on them which are both read aloud by Chick & Wilbur telling us their background.

The second crate is opened revealing The Monster(Sadly NOT played by Boris Karloff but in slightly similar enough make-up), McDougal arrives and Chick goes to see him, Dracula hypnotizes Wilbur and revives The Monster (who talks!). Dracula flies off to a nearby castle (what country is this supposed to be set in?) and meets a crony (who turns out to be Wilbur's girlfriend, Sandra) who goes to examine The Monster.

After losing their jobs and getting out of jail, Talbot finally catches up with our duo who lock him up in his room. A good plot hole is when returning Talbot's bag Wilbur has no real reason to go wandering around the room he rented, he only needed to put the bag in the room & leave, locking the door again. In the morning Talbot tells them about his Werewolf past, curious to find the crates. The duo are also pursued by a female insurance investigator called Joan trying to find where the missing crates have gone.

Meeting up with Joan, Wilbur & Chick go to pick up Sandra from the castle (does anyone else think it's odd there's a Gothic castle in America?). Anyway, their left alone and Talbot phones there to speak to Dr Leyos (actually Dracula) and tells them their in Dracula's house and must search it so Chick decides they will to allay Wilburs fears.

On exploring the cellar together Wilbur goes through a revolving wall into a room and ends up with The Monster & Dracula who chase him back through the wall to Chick who doesn't believe him. When he takes Chick through the wall, Dracula & his coffin along with The Monster had gone to the other side. Wilbur goes back again, is chased back through into the room yet again (if this is supposed to be where he calls Chick "Abbott" then it's not true, he was just gibbering).

Taking Chick back out the the cellar and Dracula & The Monster had gone back into the room. Upstairs Joan finds Dr Frankensteins journal on The Secrets Of Life & Death. Sandra sees her reading the journal and finds out who she really is.

Dr Leyos finally meets everyone and sends them all off with Professor Stevens (who lives in the castle) to a masquerade ball. Sandra cries off with a headache and goes upstairs to tell Leyos about Joan. Sandra tries to resist his power but is hypnotized and bitten.

Finally going to the party Chick & Wilbur meet Talbot in the changing rooms and go to lock him in his room seeing Leyos & Sandra arrive at the party to get Wilbur and take care of Joan. Talbot confronts Leyos about his identity and is told he's delusional. After almost being bitten by Sandra, Wilbur, Chick & Talbot go looking for Joan & Dracula. Wilbur mistakes The Wolfman for Chick in his mask. McDougall gets bitten by The Wolfman (surely he'd have become a Wolfman right away, the moon was full) and blames Chick.

Wilbur & Chick are pursued by a mob into the forest where Wilbur meets Dracula who morphs into a bat and forces him onto a boat with a very hypnotized Joan. Chick sees the bat morph back into Dracula and faints. Chick meets Talbot in the forest in the morning and realizes he is The Wolfman.

When Wilbur is captured there's a different person playing The Monster (now being called "Junior" by Wilbur) and the make-up he wears is even more like Boris Karloff's original. Chick & Talbot rescue Wilbur and Stevens, they go to save Joan leaving Wilbur to start the boat and he is recaptured by Dracula (I guess we have to assume once hypnotized he can command people any time). Chick & Talbot then go to rescue Wilbur.

Chick knocks out Sandra whilst fending off Dracula with a chair and runs away leaving Talbot to free Wilbur who then becomes The Wolfman who chases Dracula leaving The Monster who breaks free (and kills Sandra by throwing her out of a window). From there the film is a series of chase sequences until The Wolfman grabs Dracula changing into a bat and they both fall from a balcony into the (we assume killing them both), Dracula's death frees Joan from his spell.

Stevens has enough sense to set fire to the pier, setting fire to The Monster (who falls through the burning pier) allowing Chick & Wilbur to make their escape apart from the unmentioned cameo by Vincent Price as the voice of The Invisible Man.