House of Dracula (1945)

Count Dracula and the Wolf Man seek cures for their afflictions; a hunchbacked woman, a mad scientist and Frankenstein's Monster have their own troubles.

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writer:

Edward T. Lowe Jr. (original screenplay) (as Edward T. Lowe)

Stars:

Onslow Stevens, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr.

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Lawrence Talbot / The Wolf Man (as Lon Chaney)
John Carradine	...	Dracula / Baron Latos
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Miliza Morelle
Lionel Atwill	...	Police Inspector Holtz
Onslow Stevens	...	Dr. Franz Edlemann
Jane Adams	...	Nina
Ludwig Stössel	...	Siegfried (as Ludwig Stossel)
Glenn Strange	...	The Frankenstein Monster
Skelton Knaggs	...	Steinmuhl

Storyline

Dracula arrives at Dr. Edelman's office asking for a cure to his vampirism. However, this is a ruse by Dracula to get near Dr. Edelman's beautiful female assistant and turn her into a vampire. Meanwhile, a sincere Lawrence Talbot, AKA the Wolfman, arrives seeking a cure for his lycanthropy. When Dr. Edelman's first attempt fails, Talbot tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff, but instead finds a network of underground caves where Frankensteins Monster is in stasis. Chaos ensues as the three monsters fight for dominance of each other.

---

Plot Keywords:

female hunchback | shared universe | monster movie | lawrence larry talbot character | count dracula character | 

---

Taglines:

Frankenstein's Monster ... Wolf Man ... Dracula ... Mad Doctor ... Hunchback

---

Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lon Chaney Jr. here completed his pact with Universal, which began in December 1940, with "Man Made Monster (1941). John Carradine would go on to play Dracula on stage, once on television (in Matinee Theatre: Dracula (1956)) , and in two more features, "Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966)" and "Nocturna (1979)."

---

Goofs

The film is set in 1880. In one scene a character is seen reading "Newsweek" magazine, which didn't begin publication until 1933.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Edelman: What are you doing here? Who are you?
Count Dracula: I am Baron Latos. I have come to you for help.
Dr. Edelman: It's five o'clock in the morning.
Count Dracula: I must apologize for the intrusion. But travel is very difficult for me, and I've come a long way.
Dr. Edelman: I don't understand.
Count Dracula: Perhaps you will, after you've led me to the basement room of this castle.
Dr. Edelman: Eh - a very strange request. This castle is my home!
Count Dracula: Have no fear, doctor. Had conditions permitted, I would have presented myself in the usual manner.
Dr. Edelman: Well, it is most unusual...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

Opening credits ooze down from the top of the screen, ending in a straight line of words.

---

Connections

Featured in Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999)

---

Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor 'Quasi una fantasia', Op. 27, No. 2, popularly known as the 'Moonlight Sonata'
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

House Of Dracula (1945) **1/2

I enjoyed this more the second time around, because at first I was disappointed to watch how poorly the Universal monsters fared when compared to earlier outings. In fact, Dracula (John Carradine) does little but lust after the female assistant of the 'celebrated' doctor (Onslow Stevens) who's supposed to cure his vampirism; though Lon Chaney Jr., returning as The Wolf Man, changes a couple of times in the film, nothing ever comes of these - but, for once, we do get a happy ending for him here; the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange) doesn't appear until half the film is over and, till the very last sequence, is strapped to an operating table (still, his final rampage and come-uppance, though partly lifted from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN [1942], is effective enough).

The film, however, belongs to Onslow Stevens who manages both facets of the doctor's personality - the intellectual, rather cold scientist who finds logic even in the supernatural and, when infected with Dracula's blood, the prowling Hyde-like menace who re-activates the Frankenstein monster (whom he just happens to come across in a cave, by the way) for his sinister purposes...but these, needless to say, are thwarted by the nth stomping of the castle grounds by the angry villagers, led by a dignified Lionel Atwill and zombie-like Skelton Knaggs! Besides Stevens' 'monster', the film features a girl hunchback(!) - I remember laughing out loud at her introduction when I first watched the film but, thinking about it now, her presence does serve a purpose as Stevens' experiments are supposed to help cure her deformity (apparently, there ain't nothing this doctor can't fix!). Despite the general cheapness of the production, I was struck by the shadowy lighting, the music (some of it, admittedly, borrowed from earlier pictures) and the set design - elements which are always a pleasure to look out for in these Universal 'classics'.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wolf Man vs. Dracula

Filming Locations:

Little Europe, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1