House of Dracula (1945) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | House of Dracula (1945) |
| Original Title | House of Dracula |
| Director | Erle C. Kenton |
| Screenplay Writer | Edward T. Lowe Jr. |
| Story By | Dwight V. Babcock |
| Based on Novel by | Characters based on works by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley |
| Producer(s) | Paul Malvern |
| Executive Producer(s) | — |
| Lead Actors | John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr. |
| Cast | John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., Martha O’Driscoll, Onslow Stevens |
| Genre | Horror |
| Subgenre | Gothic Horror, Monster Horror |
| Release Date | December 7, 1945 (United States) |
| Runtime / Duration | 1h 7m (67 minutes) |
| Budget | Studio production |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | Successful Universal monster release |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Production Company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributor | Universal Pictures |
| Filming Locations | Universal Studios, California, USA |
| Music By | William Lava |
| Cinematography | George Robinson |
| Edited By | Saul A. Goodkind |
| Production Design | Bernard Herzbrun |
| Costume Design | Vera West |
| Special Effects | Classic Universal practical monster makeup |
| MPAA Rating | Approved |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.37:1 |
| Sound Mix | Mono |
| Format | Black-and-white |
| Themes | Curses, redemption, monstrosity |
| Setting | Gothic European mansion and laboratory |
| Notable Trivia | Features Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster together |
| Critical Reception | Cult classic among Universal monster fans |
| Home Media | VHS, DVD, Blu-ray |
| Sequels / Franchise | Part of Universal Classic Monsters franchise |
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Dr. Edelman is a renowned doctor in his dealings with the occult, rare diseases and impossible cures. Late one night Dr. Edelman has a visit from a strange visitor, a Baron Lactos, who is looking for a cure for his rare blood disease. The next day Lawrence Talbot comes to the good doctor’s house in search of a cure for his nighttime affliction. Soon Edelman is torn between his two patients Talbot and Lactos, who is revealed to be none other than Count Dracula. Now with the legendary Count and the wolfman running about, Edelman thinks things cannot possible get any worse, that is until Talbot and himself find the lifeless body of the Frankenstein Monster in a seaside cave near his house. The field is set for the battle of the Universal Monsters.
In what could have been the battle of the ages, Universal decides to skimp on the fights and give us a lot of psycho babble. Edelman, played by Onslow Stevens, tries to help each of the monsters in a different way, but due to Dracula’s treachery and backstabbing he is unable to fulfill his promises. As things spiral down into total chaos some of the monsters end up having a brief throw down in the good doctors lab, and I do mean brief.
The cast is full of Universal staples but with a few twists. Most notable is that John Carradine steps into the cape of the Count and although this is his second time in the cape, he is just not as good as Lugosi, but of course no one is. Glenn Strange plays the Frankenstein Monster, also for the second time and does a fair job as the old block head. But the star of this one is Lon Chaney Jr. who once again and for the last time in his career reprises his role as Larry Talbot AKA The Wolf Man. Chaney is truly not just a great horror actor, but truly a great actor as well.
In what should have been the great throwdown at the Universal Pictures lot we get this sloppy half assed fixed fight, in which no egos or monsters were hurt. Still a great flick for fans of this genre, me included, but also kind of a let down for what could have been.
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