For the sixth in the Universal series they pulled out all the stops. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney.Jr., J.Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Anne Gwynne, Lionel Atwill, George Zucco. Elena Verdugo and Sig Ruman in this story featuring Dracula, The Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster.
Dr.Niemann (Boris Karloff) is in prison for trying to put the brain of a human into a dog. In the cell next door is the hunchback Daniel (J.Carrol Naish). Niemann’s an admirer of Dr.Frankenstein and tells Daniel he could give him a new body.
Lightning strikes the prison walls and the two escape. During the storm they see a wagon stuck in the mud., It belongs to Professor Lampini (George Zucco). He has a traveling Chamber of Horrors show featuring the actual skeleton of Count Dracula.
He doesn’t want to go where Neiman and Daniel are headed so he and his driver are bumped off. First stop is Riegesville where Niemann wants to get revenge on the Burgomeister Hussman (Sig Ruman) for testifying against him.
Hussman is playing chess with Inspector Arnz (Lionel Atwill). Hussman’s granddaughter Rita (Anne Gwynne) and her husband Karl (Peter Coe) want to go to Lampini’s show. They all go.
After they all look at Dracula (John Carradine) the curtain closes and Niemann pulls the stake out of his heart. This is just part one of the movie.
Niemann and Daniel go to the village of Frankenstein and see the gypsy girl Ilonka (Elena Verdugo) dancing for the villagers. Daniel is smitten. He rescues her from an abusive Gypsy and they head for the ruins of Frankenstein’s castle to find his records.
What they find are The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney,Jr.) and The Monster(Glenn Strange) encased in ice. Niemann wants to bring them back. Talbot’s not happy to be revived. Niemann promises to cure him.
They head for Vasaria and Niemann’s house that’s been closed for fifteen years. Ilonka is attracted to Talbot and Daniel isn’t happy. Niemann gets his revenge on two others that testifed against him. Now he has a nice supply of brains.
It was fun to see Universal’s stable of monsters. The last Universal movie in the series is 1945’s “House Of Dracula” with Lon Chaney,Jr., John Carradine, Lionel Atwill and Glenn Strange.
TV fans know Glenn Strange as Sam The Bartender on “Gunsmoke” (1961-73). The show ran from 1955-75.
Tv fans know Elana Verdugo as Conseuelo Lopez on “Marcus Welby, M.D.” (1969-76).
In 1940, Anne Gwynne was Sonja in the serial “Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe.”
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