Issue 16 of Diabolique Magazine May/Jume 2013, which I will happily give it away, after this project is done.The 4th article in the issue, Victor Frankenstein Creator and Monster: The Many Lives of Frankenstein by Bruce G. Hallenbeck, Introduction by Scott Feinblatt. This is a fine well researched piece on the character Victor Frankenstein and his Monster from page to screen. There is so much packed into this finely written article that I will just barely glance it with the three films I have chosen to review. Still it is a pleasure to revisit these classics I saw as a child on Saturday afternoons repeating on television so here we go...
By the time we get to this film in the Frankenstein series it's been 11 years since the original came out. The sequels trying to out do the one before made for a lot of disconbobulation in story and plot. The success of the Monster films meant including all the various famous Universal monster actors was a must. To pull this off the stories go a bit wild like in this feature.We have Boris Larloff but not playing the Frankenstein's Monster but instead Doctor Gustav Niemann who wants to take the mantle as the new mad doctor. Instead Glenn Strange plays the Monster, he was primarily a Westerns actor but had his time in the horror genre playing a simpleton turned into a werewolf by a mad scientist in The Mad Monster. He also played a giant in the 1944 film The Monster Maker. Glenn was a long time character on the show Gunsmoke which I watched as a kid. In addition we have the Wolfman in this film, Lon Chaney Jr. which is such a great role for such an emotive actor. He always plays his character as a man with a good heart forced to endure the knowledge that when he turns he kills. It weighs on his soul and he does it so well. The film did not settle there but also adds Dracula aka Baron Latos played by John Carridine. Add in a long drawn out subplot of Daniel the equivelant of Igor in the older films falling in love with a gypsy girl and wanting the Doctor to give him a body so she will love him back. Instead she falls for Talbert (the werewolf) and breaks his heart. The ending is great with Frankensteins Monster getting one scene and with an angry mob in pursuit. It sets up his rebirth in the following film Ghost of Frankenstein.
I though this film ridiculous fun.
So if you are interested in a magazine with this content, read updates here soresportmovies.blogspot.com, or on Letterboxd.com to learn how my magazine giveaway is going but follow me on Letterboxd if you want to read my movie reviews and comment on the films. I still have a mail connected to my blog movies@edhovey.com where you can write me or comment on blog entries.
My Letterboxd.com handle is @Hovey1127, when I am done with the Issue of the magazine I will offer it up and we can work out the details of me getting it to you. I am not really looking for money just someone who also would love to read it. If no one wants it well it will probably end up on a magazine rack at the library or something.
Chatting with me is difficult, I have stopped my social media account years ago because time… it’s ticking at my age and I would rather spend it doing other things like this for example. Or chatting with my friends at the Zombiegrrlz.com podcasts on their discord. I am a fan of the podcasts they publish The More Deadly Podcast and the Zombiegrrlz podcast and as a Patron for very little $ I get access to the discord. So if you want to good horror content and a great horror community check them out.