DVD Collection
House of Dracula (1945)
R1 / NTSC DVD
Universal Studios / 2004
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Writer: Edward T. Lowe Jr.
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Onslow Stevens, Glenn Strange, Martha O’Driscoll
Review by Vaughn Drake
Count Dracula (played by John Carradine) and the Larry Talbot aka the Wolf Man (played by the legendary Lon Chaney Jr.) visit a sanitarium run by Dr. Edelman in hopes of curing themselves of their respective curses. Along the way they discover the Frankenstein monster (played by Glenn Strange) and this sets off on a convoluted storyline that doesn’t make much sense and you won’t really care what happens.
Honestly, if you’re watching this for anything but camp value, you may be disappointed. This could be the worst onscreen portrayal of the Count ever, and Frankenstein had virtually no role at all. I’m surprised they didn’t throw in the Mummy just for shits and giggles. Luckily, Lon Chaney Jr. does a good job with his limited role, and of course we get to see him do his classic old school transformation into the Wolf Man. We also get a love interest and a female hunchback, a mob of angry villagers and a police officer that couldn’t catch a cold.
Thankfully the director used light and shadows well, and it certainly enhanced a few otherwise pedestrian scenes and sets. The story itself is so mind bogglingly inane that even at 67 minutes, it feels dragged out, and just a few minutes after having watched the movie, I’m struggling to recall any real plot points.
This is a corny movie, and only old film lovers may be able to enjoy it: poor sets, recycled film footage, questionable choices for actors and a ridiculous script won’t help to endear itself to the new generation of movie goers that have grown up on Saw, Hostel and the 80’s video nasties. However, seeing the Wolf Man transform should be a treat for everyone.
