House of Frankenstein (film)
1944 film / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. Based on a story by Curt Siodmak, it was directed by Erle C. Kenton and produced by Universal Pictures. Based on Curt Siodmak's story The Devil's Brood, the film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel. Over the course of the film, they encounter Count Dracula, Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's Monster.
House of Frankenstein | |
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Directed by | Erle C. Kenton |
Screenplay by | Edward T. Lowe |
Based on | The Devil's Brood by Curt Siodmak[1] |
Produced by | Paul Malvern |
Starring | |
Cinematography | George Robinson[1] |
Edited by | Philip Cahn[1] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures Company, Inc. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 70 minutes[2] |
Country | United States[2] |
Budget | $354,000[3] |
Universal had initially planned a film titled Chamber of Horrors to include several of their horror-themed characters, but this project was halted with the idea later revived as House of Frankenstein. Filming began on April 4, 1944, with the highest budget set for a Universal Frankenstein film at that time. Filming ended in early May with screenings starting in New York on December 15, 1944. It was not among the highest-grossing films for Universal that year, but it managed to outgross other Universal horror-related output such as Ghost Catchers (1944) and The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944).
Upon its release, film historian Gregory W. Mank notes that the critics "made mincemeat" out of it.[4] Retrospective reviews focused on the absurdity of connecting the monsters together and the lack of scares in the film. A sequel titled House of Dracula that involved much of the same cast and crew was released in 1945.