Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is a horror-comedy that brilliantly combines the comedic talents of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello with Universal’s iconic monsters. The film follows baggage clerks Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) as they become entangled with Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster. The comedy stems from the duo’s classic dynamic: Abbott is the duo’s straight man as usual, maintaining a cool demeanor – Lou Costello, as the funny man, is growing increasingly agitated. Their humor relies on their signature clever wordplay and witty banter
not to mention the brilliant physical comedy of Costello’s exaggerated reactions to the scary yet campy situations.
The film showcases their trademark routine of Costello witnessing frightening events, only for Abbott to miss them and dismiss Costello’s claims. This creates a humorous contrast between Costello’s terror and Abbott’s skepticism.
The Universal monsters are portrayed by their iconic actors: Bela Lugosi as the most mesmerizing of DraculasLon Chaney Jr. as the sympathetic the Wolf Man. This time, after Boris Karloff decided to retire his beloved character, Glenn Strange takes up the mantle of Frankenstein’s Monster.
The movie successfully merges Universal’s horror and comedy franchises, using familiar horror tropes as a backdrop for Abbott and Costello’s comedic antics. It serves as both a parody and a continuation of Universal’s monster films, creating a unique blend of humor and traditional horror elements. Lenore Aubert plays co-stars as Dr. Sandra Mornay, a mad scientist who partners with Dracula to reactivate Frankenstein’s monster, and Jane Randolph plays Joan Raymond, a romantic interest and one of the main characters who helps unravel the mystery. Special appearance, in velvet voice only, of Vincent Price introducing himself as The Invisible Man in a hilarious twist ending!