Joshua Noel and Ryan Does are back at it again, ready to dive deep into the monster mash-up madness with a special double feature of "The House of Dracula" and "The House of Frankenstein." These two flicks are the epitome of classic horror, where iconic monsters clash, and what better way to celebrate than at this year's Halloween Drive-In? They kick things off by discussing how the drive-in needed a little sprucing up to draw in the crowds, and voilà! A double feature was born. As they dissect the plots, characters, and the unique charm of these films, Joshua and Ryan share witty banter that makes you feel like you're chilling with friends at the movies. Expect a blend of nostalgia and insightful commentary, sprinkled with a dash of humor, as they explore the beloved tropes of Universal's monster lore. Grab your popcorn, kick back, and get ready for a wild ride through monster history!
A thrilling dive into the world of classic horror films unfolds as the lively duo of Joshua and Ryan take listeners on an exhilarating journey to the Systematic Geekology Halloween Drive-In. They tackle the age-old debate of which Universal monsters reign supreme, specifically focusing on the double feature of "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula." With a blend of witty banter and insightful commentary, they dissect the films' plots, characters, and their cultural significance. Both hosts share a special camaraderie, reminiscing about their quirky drive-in experience, complete with Ryan's amusing Dracula costume and a playful exchange about the absurdity of the films' narratives and how they reflect the era they were produced in. As they navigate through each film’s plot, listeners are treated to a humorous yet analytical discussion about the characters, especially the misunderstood creatures that populate these classic tales. Their entertaining repartee makes for a delightful experience, leaving the audience eager to revisit these iconic films with a fresh perspective.
Throughout the episode, Ryan expertly provides context about the Universal horror films' history, shedding light on how they adapted literary classics to fit the screen. This backdrop serves to enhance the audience's appreciation for the films, as they learn about the studio's attempts to revive its horror legacy in the post-World War II era. The hosts dig into specific scenes, character motivations, and the overarching themes of identity and monstrosity that resonate through both films. Joshua and Ryan also engage in light-hearted debates, comparing the merits of the films while sharing personal anecdotes about their own experiences with the characters and storylines. This dynamic creates a relaxed atmosphere filled with clever remarks and engaging storytelling.
As they wrap up the episode, the hosts reflect on the cultural impact of these films and how they continue to influence modern horror storytelling. They encourage their listeners to not only appreciate the nostalgia of these classics but also to engage with the deeper questions they pose about humanity, morality, and the nature of monstrosity. With a perfect blend of humor, nostalgia, and intellectual exploration, this episode leaves listeners both entertained and thoughtfully challenged, making it a must-listen for any fan of classic horror cinema.
Takeaways:
In this episode of the Halloween Drive-In series, Joshua and Ryan dive into the monster mash, discussing the intricacies of 'The House of Dracula' and 'The House of Frankenstein' as a special double feature.
Ryan shares that 'House of Frankenstein' is his favorite between the two, citing its engaging plot and character interactions as a highlight, while 'House of Dracula' is seen as repetitive and less impactful.
The hosts explore the concept of canonicity in the Universal monster films, highlighting how the filmmakers of the 40s disregarded continuity for entertainment value, allowing for a more flexible storytelling approach.
Joshua points out the deeper themes present in 'House of Dracula', particularly regarding power dynamics and the desire for control, contrasting this with the more straightforward narrative of 'House of Frankenstein'.
The conversation takes a humorous turn as they discuss the absurdity of the characters' motivations, particularly Dr. Edelman's questionable scientific methods and the hunchback assistant's surprising complexity.
Listeners are treated to witty banter and clever remarks throughout the episode, showcasing the hosts' chemistry as they dissect these classic monster films in a light-hearted manner.
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Be sure to go back and listen to our Drive-In review of "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man":
Our show focuses around our favorite fandoms that we discuss from a Christian perspective. We do not try to put Jesus into all our favorite stories, but rather we try to ask the questions the IPs are asking, then addressing those questions from our perspective. We are not all ordained, but we are the Priests to the Geeks, in the sense that we try to serve as mediators between the cultures around our favorite fandoms and our faith communities.
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Transcripts
Speaker A:
Why won't you look at me, you priest to the geeks.
Speaker A:
Is it because you're afraid I'm going to kill you?
Speaker A:
Well don't be.
Speaker A:
I'm not, I'm not.
Speaker A:
I will invite you to the drive in though.
Speaker A:
Oh, where we are going to have a fun time.
Speaker A:
This is Systematic Geek ologies Halloween Drive in.
Speaker A:
This year we're doing Versus films or monster mashes if you will.
Speaker A:
And you guys voted for the top ones.
Speaker A:
You voted for the House of Dracula.
Speaker A:
But, but the drive in wasn't selling enough tickets.
Speaker A:
So our guest today, Ryan Dos, happens to be the manager of the drive in.
Speaker A:
And he said man, what are we going to do?
Speaker A:
Let's make a double feature and more people will come.
Speaker A:
And he added on the House of Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
So.
Speaker A:
That's right.
Speaker A:
Double feature, Drive in, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula.
Speaker A:
We are thrilled to talk about these films.
Speaker A:
I am Joshua Noel again.
Speaker A:
I am here with the one and only Ryan does of across the Bifrost fame.
Speaker A:
And you know, just I think beard fame.
Speaker A:
Like I think when you think of beard you're like Gandalf, that one guy in Game of Thrones Bread, the beard.
Speaker A:
Maybe Ryan does.
Speaker B:
Oh buddy, I, I love, I love getting to stop by and just hang out.
Speaker B:
Like I got to do another one of these drive ins, the Alien vs.
Speaker B:
Predator one with Leah and Will and this somehow we made that under an hour by a miracle of whatever you call holy.
Speaker B:
But like today like I, when Joshua said he wanted help with this one, I was like I can assist with this one because I am.
Speaker B:
Yeah, yeah, I am.
Speaker B:
Like this is a niche like that I absolutely frickin love.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:
And for these Drive in series, those who followed the show for a while know we kind of do like, like a cosplay of the voice audio cosplay.
Speaker A:
And we're like man, what if we went to the drive in movie theater and what would it be like?
Speaker A:
And we're trying to like talk as if we just finished the movies, right?
Speaker A:
But, but I'm going to give you guys the stage too, right?
Speaker A:
Well you need a little background for this one.
Speaker A:
I was like hey, I can't wait to go see a Drive in movie.
Speaker A:
They're doing a double feature at our local drive in.
Speaker A:
And I was like ah man, I'm gonna call Ryan.
Speaker A:
He probably, he probably won't want to go with me.
Speaker A:
It's kind of a niche thing.
Speaker A:
He's not gonna like this.
Speaker A:
And then like, like I show and he was like oh yeah, yeah man, sure why not?
Speaker A:
And I'm like, okay, cool.
Speaker A:
And then, like, he comes to pick me up because he's driving, because I have PTSD around cars, and I'm like, I get in the car and he's like, full on dressed as Dracula.
Speaker A:
He's got his car painted out, and he's like, number one fan ever.
Speaker B:
Let's go.
Speaker A:
And I'm like, oh, my God.
Speaker A:
Oh.
Speaker A:
Then we watched the movie, and after the movie, Ryan, you turn to me and what's the first thing you said?
Speaker B:
So in this scenario, Joshua, have I just watched House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula just straight into each other.
Speaker A:
The double feature.
Speaker A:
We just sat through both of them.
Speaker B:
My first thought is, House of Frankenstein is way better.
Speaker B:
And House of Dracula is essentially the same plot of the previous movie, but I know I get a little bit more John Carradine in the second one.
Speaker B:
So I do.
Speaker B:
I do like.
Speaker B:
I do like that.
Speaker B:
And at the end of House of Dracula, I also think, how many times are they going to kill Lon Chaney as the Wolf Man?
Speaker B:
I swear, the Wolf man, the Universal series has been killed so many different times.
Speaker B:
And we'll discover this through the conversation, but the Wolf man is actually my least favorite Universal monster, and I have receipts for it.
Speaker A:
I. I'm starting to like him more.
Speaker A:
The more.
Speaker A:
The more I watch the films, I'm like, I'm starting to like this guy.
Speaker A:
Okay, but if we just finished.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Also, I'm just like, man, I kind of love that they're like, what do you mean?
Speaker A:
Canonicity?
Speaker A:
They just didn't care about that in the 40s.
Speaker A:
And I love it.
Speaker B:
It's a pick and choose.
Speaker B:
Your own Canon franchise.
Speaker A:
Any timeline.
Speaker A:
Doesn't matter.
Speaker A:
Yeah, but.
Speaker A:
But, like, I think if the movie just ended, I'm looking at Ryan.
Speaker A:
I'm like, oh, man.
Speaker A:
Hey, what did you think?
Speaker A:
And I'm going to, like, I'm going to keep passing it to him because, you know, he.
Speaker A:
He drove us here dressed as Dracula.
Speaker A:
I want to wait for him to start driving.
Speaker A:
And as soon as he starts driving, I'm like, why aren't you looking at me, Ryan?
Speaker B:
Are you freaking going to kill?
Speaker A:
That one?
Speaker A:
Just stuck in my head.
Speaker B:
That line will all.
Speaker A:
That's like.
Speaker A:
That's one of those audio clips that you're like, that's just going to be right up there with some of those SpongeBob quotes.
Speaker B:
I see.
Speaker A:
I'm going to be for the rest of my life going, is mayonnaise an instrument?
Speaker A:
It also, why aren't you looking at me.
Speaker B:
Why aren't you looking?
Speaker B:
See, I.
Speaker B:
And I would be if you were.
Speaker B:
If you were driving, I'd be like, no, Joshua, there's quicksand.
Speaker A:
No quicksand.
Speaker A:
Of course.
Speaker A:
Of course.
Speaker A:
Quicksand.
Speaker A:
My one.
Speaker B:
And then in the next movie, you find my corpse in a.
Speaker B:
In a cavern somewhere, but he'll be by happenstance.
Speaker B:
Oh, my gosh, dude.
Speaker B:
Though this would be a fun.
Speaker B:
I do think this would be a fun drive in because, like, these two movies together is barely over two hours.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Like, I feel like this is, like, it's a both.
Speaker A:
And, like, I could see where we would watch this, eat popcorn, drink some beers, and just have a good time.
Speaker A:
Or where we could have, like, an actual deep conversation after.
Speaker A:
Like, it could be like an either or.
Speaker A:
Like, you choose your adventure.
Speaker B:
Exactly.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
As most people that, like, enjoy Universal monster movies, like, could attest to, like, this.
Speaker B:
This, I guess, meta mega franchise is really what you make it.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:
And this is like, you got to throw that MCU comparison in there, because everyone's like, oh, anyone's ever done this kind of level of crossover.
Speaker A:
And then, like, people who've watched Universal monster movies are, like, wrong.
Speaker A:
It's not.
Speaker A:
We've done this before.
Speaker B:
Actually, the MCU did it better, but it wasn't the first time.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
With a higher budget.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
And I'm glad you guys have done Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, because that is.
Speaker B:
I mean, I don't know if this is 100% true, but I believe it is the first crossover in movie history of two existing franchises being combined into one.
Speaker A:
It was really cool.
Speaker A:
It's been a couple of years.
Speaker A:
I'll try to put that link in the show's description with me and Brandon Knight did it.
Speaker A:
Brandon was originally going to be on this, but then, you know, life.
Speaker A:
And then also, you know, there was a doctor, Franz Edelman visited him, and all of a sudden, he wasn't on the episode.
Speaker B:
Oh, no, that guy's bad news.
Speaker A:
Brandon, we love you.
Speaker A:
Shout out.
Speaker A:
He's got a show on the Amazon Podcast Network.
Speaker A:
My Seminary Life, as well as Kung Fu Pizza Party.
Speaker A:
Check those out.
Speaker A:
But that's not what we're here to talk about.
Speaker A:
We're here to talk about these movies.
Speaker A:
Ryan, really, really quick.
Speaker A:
Could you give the bare bones basics for those who have no idea what we're talking about?
Speaker A:
What is House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula about?
Speaker A:
Because they're pretty much the same movie.
Speaker B:
Okay, so broad strokes.
Speaker B:
These movies are part of Universal's attempt to get all of their iconic characters into the same movie.
Speaker B:
They're, they're house movies in that they're all kind of like, they're all people characters playing in the same house.
Speaker B:
So we, you know, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula.
Speaker B:
It's really just a way to tell us it's a monster mashup.
Speaker B:
And just a bit of context here.
Speaker B:
Universal was the king of horror movies in the 30s.
Speaker B:
They essentially created the genre in film and they were adapting these literary, these Victorian era literary masterpieces like Bram Stoker's, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Hul's the Invisible Man.
Speaker B:
All of these different literary things are being adapted in the 30s.
Speaker B:
But in the 40s, a little thing called World War II breaks out and the horror genre kind of took a hit and the movies weren't as groundbreaking anymore.
Speaker B:
Frankenstein had had his play at the theater.
Speaker B:
Dracula had been a big, you know, sensation across the country.
Speaker B:
But in the 40s they're kind of trying to scramble for different things.
Speaker B:
The Wolfman came out early in the decade and that kind of hit a hit a home run.
Speaker B:
But then it still needed more traction.
Speaker B:
They wanted to keep these characters in front of people.
Speaker B:
And that's why we get the house movies, we get the mashups.
Speaker B:
Because of the novelty of throwing all of these characters into the same film, people were going to go see that.
Speaker B:
So you get the posters from the 40s of like, you know, in the same movie you're going to see the monster, Frankenstein's monster, you know, Dracula, the hunchback, you know, the mad scientist.
Speaker B:
You're getting all these different kind of, we would call them cliches or tropes at this point, but you're getting all these iconic images of the horror genre of the 30s in the 40s in this new unique proto Avengers team up movie.
Speaker B:
And I think it's a stroke of genius if you're the Universal Studio because you have all of these marketable characters, but you're throwing them in these movies.
Speaker B:
House of Frankenstein essentially is Dracula.
Speaker B:
Dracula is discovered by mad scientists and a hunchback who are escaping prison because they're wrongly convicted of crimes.
Speaker B:
Dracula kind of hangs out with them for a while, but Dracula is killed by sunlight.
Speaker B:
And then we run into the Wolfman Talbot, who's played by Lon Chaney Jr. And we quickly dispense of the Wolf man because the House of Frankenstein is a weird movie because none of the three titular monsters actually interact with each other in House of Frankenstein.
Speaker B:
And then at the end we see Boris Karloff, the actor who originally portrayed Frankenstein's monster, awaken Frankenstein's monster in the aftermath of the Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman.
Speaker B:
So they actually.
Speaker B:
They go back to that.
Speaker B:
That is a bit of continuity.
Speaker B:
They actually keep Joshua in a franchise where we can pick and choose our own adventure.
Speaker B:
They actually choose to keep that part.
Speaker B:
And the movie ends with Frankenstein's monster carrying Boris Karloff into the marshes, and they die in quicksand, only to be reawakened in House of Dracula, where apparently, Dracula's fine again.
Speaker B:
He flies into Dr. Adelman's house and he's like, hey, I want you to cure me of my vampirism.
Speaker B:
And he's like, ha.
Speaker B:
Blood transfusions.
Speaker B:
Let's do blood transfusions.
Speaker B:
So through this series of blood transfusions, which, again, this is.
Speaker B:
This is quack scientists science at its.
Speaker B:
At its absolute best, we see Dracula and the Wolfman show up at Adelman's house in relative, you know, close parameters, and they want to be cured of their diseases, and they're trying to do these blood transfusions.
Speaker B:
And Dr. Adelman says, actually, the.
Speaker B:
To.
Speaker B:
To Talbot, he says, the actual reason you're turning into a werewolf because of pressure on the brain.
Speaker B:
If we actually do some procedures, we can get rid of that for.
Speaker B:
Well, predictably, all of this goes terribly, and Dracula is killed by just the doctor opening up the casket, and the sunlight comes in and it's like, oh, well, that was easy.
Speaker B:
Adelman, because of the blood transfusions, turns into a vampire.
Speaker B:
This all leads to another showdown between the Wolfman and Frankenstein's monster, where they light the laboratory on fire, and then we're kind of left, you know, oh, no, what's going to happen next?
Speaker B:
And there was not another house movie.
Speaker B:
There was not like.
Speaker B:
There wasn't like a house of anything movie.
Speaker B:
But they kind of continue this mashup format in the Abbott and Costello movies that were in the latter 50 or 40s and early 50s.
Speaker B:
So sorry for that long diatribe, Joshua, but a little bit of context for these movies.
Speaker A:
That's literally what I asked for.
Speaker B:
I think these movies are actually a little bit more significant because of the context in which they were made, as opposed to the plot of either of the films.
Speaker A:
Yes.
Speaker A:
No, I agree.
Speaker A:
It's context for the drive in, because I guess that's important.
Speaker A:
I don't know why there actually really just isn't a reason.
Speaker A:
Last week, for those listening, is when we covered Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
Yeah, don't ask me why.
Speaker A:
Yeah, we didn't do this linearly.
Speaker A:
My favorite of the Universal monster films is one of the ones from the 30s, the bride of Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
Oh, I love it.
Speaker A:
Yeah, I think it's so good.
Speaker A:
Yeah, I.
Speaker A:
And then.
Speaker A:
So I think we did that the very first time.
Speaker A:
We did a Halloween drive in it.
Speaker A:
Then we did Frank Diamonds, the Wolfman, and then I don't think we did any last year, which is probably why I wasn't on any last year, because I.
Speaker A:
When it comes to Halloween, I like the classics.
Speaker A:
I'm like, I don't care about the new cool, scary thing.
Speaker A:
I don't know, man.
Speaker A:
But, yeah, so all that's really.
Speaker A:
It's interesting.
Speaker A:
I feel like we need to do some more of these that I've.
Speaker A:
I've left out.
Speaker B:
I.
Speaker A:
For me, when it comes to these two films, it felt to me like House of Dracula had a lot more themes and messages that I could get behind.
Speaker A:
But, yeah, the plot wasn't there.
Speaker A:
The acting and stuff was just.
Speaker A:
It wasn't as good.
Speaker A:
Like, it was like.
Speaker A:
It just wasn't done as well.
Speaker A:
But I could see the messages and stuff.
Speaker A:
It's like the opposite of what modern movies have a problem of.
Speaker A:
I'm like, that movie should have been longer, actually.
Speaker A:
It shouldn't have started off with, man, Dracula's in the guy's house.
Speaker A:
Hold up.
Speaker A:
What do you mean he's just in the guy's house?
Speaker A:
It's 5am he thought he'd make a visit in the middle of the night.
Speaker A:
5am isn't the middle of the night.
Speaker A:
Shut up.
Speaker B:
Listener, viewer, wherever you're at right now, I need you to know the context of Josh when I setting this up.
Speaker B:
I called him a few nights ago when we were getting prepared for this.
Speaker A:
And I was like, 5am in the middle of the night?
Speaker B:
Yes.
Speaker B:
I actually showed up at Joshua's doorstep and I was like, I wish to sleep in your basement.
Speaker B:
I think my wife's going to be pissed about it.
Speaker B:
But, yeah, let's.
Speaker B:
Let's roll with it.
Speaker B:
There's a fat guy in our basement.
Speaker B:
Joshua.
Speaker B:
Gosh.
Speaker A:
My two biggest writing complaints with the Bible are a Jonah.
Speaker A:
Because it's a garbage story.
Speaker A:
Sorry, Will.
Speaker A:
I hate it.
Speaker A:
I just think it's poorly written.
Speaker A:
Then, like those parts of the gospel where it's like, then Jesus showed up.
Speaker B:
What do you mean?
Speaker A:
And that's what this felt like.
Speaker A:
Dracula showed up.
Speaker B:
And he gives the crappiest reason.
Speaker B:
He's like, I have shown up here because I need your help.
Speaker B:
And the doctor's first thought is not to be like, get out of my house, man.
Speaker B:
His first thing is like, well, this is peculiar.
Speaker B:
This is odd.
Speaker B:
But sure, I'll help you.
Speaker B:
Also, I think they.
Speaker B:
They discard.
Speaker B:
They discard a bit vampiric lore there where for a vampire to enter a house, he has to be invited in.
Speaker A:
Oh, yeah, I forgot all about that.
Speaker A:
I think, too.
Speaker A:
It's just the opening scene was the thing that I think I had the most problems with in that film.
Speaker A:
It just.
Speaker A:
It just was so weird.
Speaker A:
And it's like Dracula never had any desire to get rid of his vampirism before.
Speaker A:
So it's like, that's out of the blue, he shows up and then like, Dr. Edelman or whatever, he's like Dracula's guy.
Speaker A:
I forget what he's going by.
Speaker A:
He's like, do you believe in the supernatural?
Speaker A:
Do you.
Speaker A:
He's like, I'm religious, but do you believe in the supernatural?
Speaker A:
Of course not.
Speaker A:
I'm a man of science.
Speaker B:
Of course not.
Speaker B:
I'm a man of science.
Speaker A:
Like, I'm like, okay, hold up.
Speaker A:
And since, you know, this is our year of polarization of society, ecology.
Speaker A:
We've done magic, verse, science, and we've, like, on whole church.
Speaker A:
Right now we're doing like a faith and science series.
Speaker A:
And I'm like, what.
Speaker A:
I do think part of this is because the stuff that happened during the Scopes Monkey trial is still affecting people in America.
Speaker A:
So it's like more on the mind.
Speaker A:
And I think.
Speaker A:
And we'll probably talk about this in a little bit, but some of the stuff we see with the science, especially in Dr. Whatever, the House of Dracula garbage.
Speaker A:
Sorry, I just.
Speaker A:
I didn't like that one.
Speaker A:
I like the messages and themes and some of the characters and stuff, but, like, as a whole, I just didn't care for it.
Speaker A:
But some of the stuff.
Speaker A:
It feels like if you don't understand that at that time, the reason people had problems with evolutionary science was actually because of eugenics.
Speaker A:
A lot of it doesn't make sense because, like, a lot of his stuff, like.
Speaker A:
And I think this actually happens a little bit in both movies.
Speaker A:
They're like, oh, well, we can fix you.
Speaker A:
And it's a lot of that.
Speaker A:
Oh, humans.
Speaker A:
The perfect human is something that can exist.
Speaker A:
And science is going to solve this problem.
Speaker A:
And the guys who are saying that are the bad guys.
Speaker A:
And I think that little bit of history might contextualize some of that.
Speaker B:
Oh, my gosh, yeah, it's the 40s, man.
Speaker B:
Stuff was happening.
Speaker A:
Yeah, stuff was stuff.
Speaker B:
Well, anyway, generic Stuff.
Speaker B:
Not century earth shattering stuff.
Speaker B:
Okay.
Speaker A:
But.
Speaker A:
Okay, so since this is our versus monster mash kind of drive in, if you were going to, before we watch the movie, if you were like to pick a monster.
Speaker A:
Because you know, like in my mind I'm like, the monsters are gonna, are going to hash it out.
Speaker A:
Who were you hoping would come out on top?
Speaker A:
Were you like, man, I really hope Dracula comes out on top of all these guys?
Speaker A:
Or like, what are you thinking?
Speaker B:
Because I'm a hopeless nerd in his 30s with way too much time on his hand, apparently.
Speaker B:
I have proposed this question to myself many times.
Speaker B:
I.
Speaker B:
Here's the thing.
Speaker B:
Carradine's Dracula is nowhere as powerful as Bela Lugosi's Dracula.
If Bela Lugosi's Dracula is in this movie, I take Bela Lugosi's version of the character.
Speaker B:
It's not that I don't like Carradine, I enjoy John Carradine in a lot of different movies, but he's just so frickin campy and I just, I'm never at one for one second am I scared of Carradine's Dracula.
Speaker A:
Accurate.
Speaker A:
But I, yeah, I think, I think going into it I'm probably cheering for Frankenstein's monster.
Speaker A:
Like I'm thinking like the other movies that I've seen that I'm like, I love him in.
Speaker A:
He seldomly is he actually the monster, which again is one of those things I think House of Frankenstein did better than House of Dracula because House of Dracula, he just shows up and tears some things up.
Speaker B:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
Yep, it's, he's, he's awakened, he fights and he's done.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
He still doesn't have a lot of on screen time in House of Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
But it's truer to the character I think where like he shows up and he's actually trying to do something good and then the people are immediately like, oh, a monster.
Speaker A:
So like I just think it fits his character better.
Speaker A:
But I think going in I'm like, oh yeah, he's not actually a monster.
Speaker A:
Like personality wise, he's not a monster.
Speaker A:
So I'm cheering for Frankenstein's monster to quell Hagrid.
Speaker A:
Just misunderstood creatures, those Frankenstein monsters.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:
But yeah, so I think I'll be transformed too.
Speaker A:
So we're with that expectation.
Speaker A:
Do you think you would have been or are disappointed in how some of it turned out or are you Just kind of like, cool.
Speaker B:
Here's the thing.
Speaker B:
I can sit down and enjoy a B level old horror movie more than most people because I love the.
Speaker B:
I love the classic studio era set design.
Speaker B:
I like a lot of the contract actors.
Speaker B:
You know, I told you this, and I'll share with people here.
Speaker B:
I am a Boris Karloff enthusiast through and through.
Speaker B:
And like, his.
Speaker B:
His performances in movies and radio, like, radio dramas.
Speaker B:
Like, I could listen to that man speak forever.
Speaker B:
I find his voice.
Speaker B:
His voice is powerful.
Speaker B:
There's not many actors through the history of movies that I'm just like, his voice makes me care about this, even if the story is completely devoid of any kind of, you know, meaning.
Speaker B:
But these are fun movies, like, if you can have fun with it.
Speaker B:
I think I'm more on the side of, like, this is one of those movies that maybe doesn't need to be inspected philosophically.
Speaker B:
But like some of the previous movies, like the original Dracula, the original Frankenstein, Frank, The Bride of Frankenstein, the.
Speaker B:
The original Invisible man is incredible.
Speaker B:
I love.
Speaker B:
I love the Mummy movies.
Speaker B:
Like, they are campy and crazy, but I love them.
Speaker B:
And the Wolf Man, I can take your leave.
Speaker B:
But like, yeah, this movie is one where I'm just like, hey, I want something on in the background while I'm folding towels.
Speaker B:
And I'm like, oh, look, Boris Karloff's a crazy scientist.
Speaker B:
I love this.
Speaker B:
So, yeah, it scratches a very, very satisfying itch.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:
I think watching them through the way.
Speaker A:
I think we proposed for the Dryden, which is the opposite of how we watched them this week, but it's fine if we watch House of Frankenstein and then watch House of Dracula going into it, wanting Frankenstein to come out on top because I think he's just misunderstood creature, you know.
Speaker B:
I don't know.
Speaker A:
I do think I'd be a little disappointed, mostly because he's basically just cameos now.
Speaker A:
I think in House of Frankenstein, the fact that you get Boris Karloff being the doctor that has him is a little poignant.
Speaker A:
So it's kind of like, okay, that's cool.
Speaker A:
And it's actually about Frankenstein, not Frankenstein's monster.
Speaker A:
So they talk a lot about Frankenstein and his work, and it kind of.
Speaker A:
It fits.
Speaker A:
It makes sense that they call it House of Frankenstein and that's just.
Speaker A:
But I think as we go through, I feel like the one that'd be the most interesting is, for me, the Wolfman going through, like, Larry Talbot, because, like, I'm always like, Wolfman.
Speaker A:
He's just.
Speaker A:
I don't know.
Speaker A:
I've Always liked Frankenstein better.
Speaker A:
And then, like, I feel like I'd be going through and I'm like, oh, man, I get it.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
It's like that Paul verse, they're like, I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I want to do.
Speaker A:
And the doo doo doo, doo doo doo do.
Speaker B:
Oh, my gosh.
Speaker B:
That is Larry Talbot's life verse right there.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
And like, he's going through.
Speaker A:
And at first time, I feel like as we go through House of Frankenstein, I feel like I. I would start to be like, okay, I'm starting to get it.
Speaker A:
I felt that way before.
Speaker A:
You know, there's stuff about myself I wish I could change, but I feel like as we sit through back to back, eventually I'm like, man, this guy's just whiny.
Speaker A:
Like, shut up.
Speaker A:
Like, we get it.
Speaker B:
Yeah, you nailed.
Speaker B:
You nailed why I don't like the wolf man.
Speaker B:
It's like, well, it sucks to be a werewolf, but can you shut up about it?
Speaker B:
Like, it's.
Speaker B:
It's a.
Speaker B:
If you take all the wolfman appearances in the Universal monster mov, put them together, it re.
Speaker B:
It listens like an album where every track is the same song.
Speaker A:
I also, I don't think I love how in House of Dracula they kind of normalize suicidal tendencies with his character of like, oh, you know, he just.
Speaker A:
He's like this.
Speaker A:
They don't act like it's good or bad or anything.
Speaker A:
It's like, oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker B:
Oh, that's Larry.
Speaker B:
He tends to kill himself.
Speaker A:
Larry.
Speaker A:
Silly Larry jumping off that cliff again.
Speaker B:
That is bad.
Speaker A:
Yeah, no, no.
Speaker A:
I feel like it's problematic that we kind of brush that.
Speaker A:
There's a lot of problematic stuff in these movies, but I just want to felt like I touch on.
Speaker A:
We could also get into feminism, but then we'd have another whole podcast and we're not going to do that.
Speaker B:
But I. I am not.
Speaker B:
I am not gonna.
Speaker B:
I'm not your guest for.
Speaker B:
For discussing.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
Feminist movie.
Speaker A:
Me and Leah will do a four hour podcast after this.
Speaker B:
Talking about.
Speaker B:
I would gladly watch that.
Speaker B:
No.
Speaker A:
Also though, Daniel, that first movie being true to his name.
Speaker A:
Because, you know, Daniel Sigmund is one of the coolest people I know because he's one of the sponsors and members officially of Systematic Ecology.
Speaker A:
Daniel Sigman's awesome.
Speaker A:
And just so happens that the coolest character in House of Frankenstein was also named Daniel.
Speaker A:
I love that guy.
Speaker A:
The little hunchback in like the unrequited love kind of storyline.
Speaker A:
And then Seeing how it's just.
Speaker A:
I.
Speaker A:
What I love about House of Frankenstein is that there's more layers to it, I feel like, because you can peel back where you're seeing, like some of these characters motives.
Speaker A:
And I'm like, okay, wait, Iyanka wants to love the wolf man because she sees he's a tortured soul and girls like werewolf, you know, team Jake or Edward or something, and they're like, okay, I get it.
Speaker A:
And then she's like, actually genuinely wants to help him and is willing to kill the person that she decided she's in love with.
Speaker A:
And it's like, okay, there's layers here.
Speaker A:
But then also seeing everything that's happening and how people are doing her wrongly pisses Daniel off.
Speaker A:
And then Daniel ends up taking it out on the doctor.
Speaker A:
And then the monster of Frankenstein wakes up just in time to see he'll kill the doctor.
Speaker A:
He's like, wait a minute, murder is bad.
Speaker A:
So then he kills that guy and then all the villagers show up and, oh, wait a minute, that guy's a murderer.
Speaker A:
And it's like, whoa.
Speaker A:
Well, everybody's missing.
Speaker A:
This is film needs to be shown to every pastor ever.
Speaker A:
Context matters.
Speaker B:
Good.
Speaker B:
Like, if you watch most Universal movies, Joshua and I know we need to move.
Speaker B:
We need to move on because we've got other things we need to talk about.
Speaker B:
The last 10 minutes of most Universal movies are a race to the finish.
Speaker B:
Like, there's some movies that literally, they don't even reach their climactic point until the last two minutes of the runtime.
Speaker A:
Yeah, well, but I. I like how they do that in House of Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
I love it because it's like, oh, wait, they killed him.
Speaker A:
And then he killed him for killing him.
Speaker A:
And then he killed it.
Speaker A:
And I'm like, oh, oh, layers start to fall.
Speaker A:
It pissed me off how it happened in House of Dracula, though, because it's like you're building.
Speaker A:
You have these storylines of like, wait a minute, there's magic, there's science and the desire for power, control over yourself.
Speaker A:
And there's a lot of really cool, interesting themes that they could dig into.
Speaker A:
Then the guy's like, actually, wait a minute, I found Frankenstein's monster.
Speaker A:
And now he's here in the house, burns down the end.
Speaker A:
What?
Speaker A:
You had so many cool themes.
Speaker A:
I want resolution to the questions it brought up.
Speaker A:
I want resolution.
Speaker A:
So systematic geekology, like the big thing Will says in the little intro, everybody has to listen to every episode because I'm never going to change it, because I actually think Will did incredible.
Speaker A:
It's like, we want to engage with the questions that these movies are asking.
Speaker A:
But to me, it's really frustrating when they seemed scared to engage their own question.
Speaker A:
And that's what this felt like to me.
Speaker A:
They were like, wait a minute.
Speaker A:
Is it religion?
Speaker A:
Is it magic?
Speaker A:
Is it science?
Speaker A:
Or do we just want control over our own bodies?
Speaker A:
You know, is it like, Larry Talbot?
Speaker A:
We want control of ourselves?
Speaker A:
Is it like, you know, Dr. Franz Edelman?
Speaker A:
And, like, actually, he wants to control others.
Speaker A:
Like, we think he's trying to help us, but really he just wants control.
Speaker A:
He wants acknowledgment.
Speaker A:
He wants the cred.
Speaker A:
And then it's like, oh, okay, these are interesting themes.
Speaker A:
And they're like, okay, yeah, are you guys ready to engage?
Speaker A:
This here's a monster in the house burns down.
Speaker B:
Okay, let's burn the house down.
Speaker A:
That's not engaging.
Speaker A:
That's literally setting the stage for an interesting conversation and literally lighting it on fire.
Speaker A:
But, like, why?
Speaker A:
That's cool.
Speaker A:
Frustrating.
Speaker B:
It's like House of Dracula, cheesy B horror movie.
Speaker B:
Or a thesis on bodily autonomy that you never knew you needed.
Speaker A:
Yeah, it's like, hey, guys, wouldn't it be really interesting if we engaged these themes?
Speaker A:
Too bad.
Speaker B:
And then just poured a bunch of gas on it and lit it on fire and watch it burn in front of you?
Speaker B:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
Brian, do you have a favorite line, scene, or character in each of these films?
Speaker A:
So if it helps, I can tell you my favorite line from all of the film.
Speaker A:
I think everyone knows it.
Speaker B:
Why don't you get that out of your system, and then I will give you my quick answer.
Speaker A:
Why aren't you looking at me, listeners?
Speaker A:
I'm sorry.
Speaker A:
The way it was delivered, just.
Speaker A:
Man, that is gonna live in my head forever.
Speaker B:
As it should.
Speaker B:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
My favorite scene, though, honestly, I love the one thing with Universal movies is they play with lighting so well.
Speaker B:
So I love the climax of the House of Frankenstein scene where Daniel tries to choke out Dr. Nieman, Boris Karloff's character, and he can't finish the job.
Speaker B:
But the monster wakes up and he's like, hey, he's pissed because Dr. Nieman was the one that gave him life again.
Speaker B:
So he instantaneously goes and he throws Daniel out the window.
Speaker B:
But then, you see, I love, love, love, love, love this scene.
Speaker B:
And I'm a total dork for liking this.
Speaker B:
I know.
Speaker B:
I can hear your thoughts right now, listener.
Speaker B:
I am a massive dork for when Frankenstein's monster is holding Karloff and he carries him out of the castle.
Speaker B:
I love that vision so much, because here's.
Speaker B:
Here's my little fun fact.
Speaker B:
A little trivia for you.
Speaker B:
This is.
Speaker B:
This is the first time Karloff was in a Frankenstein movie where he wasn't playing Frankenstein's monster.
Speaker B:
So an actor named Glenn Strange is playing the monster in this movie.
Speaker B:
And on set, Karloff was giving him tips on how to play the character.
Speaker B:
Because at this point, at this point in his life, Josh Karloff was getting older.
Speaker B:
He wasn't old by any stretch, but playing the monster had really, really taken a toll on him physically because the character is not easy to play.
Speaker B:
It's a cumbersome suit, and the makeup is just caked on him, and it was not something he was gonna do anymore.
Speaker B:
And.
Speaker B:
But he was coaching Glenn Strange on how to play the character.
Speaker B:
So that scene where the monster is holding Karl off, I'm just like, yeah, I rent free in my mind.
Speaker A:
It's like cinematic history wise.
Speaker A:
Like, that's just.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:
And, you know, this is.
Speaker B:
Correct me if I'm wrong, listener out there somewhere googling stuff furiously right now.
Speaker B:
I believe this is the last time that Karloff is in a Frankenstein film.
Speaker A:
Interesting.
Speaker B:
Yeah.
Speaker B:
So I just.
Speaker B:
I'm a nerd for that kind of little minute detail.
Speaker B:
And with an actor I love so much.
Speaker B:
And I'm hoping at some point towards the end here, Joshua will give me a chance to recommend something to you guys.
Speaker B:
So.
Speaker B:
But, Joshua, I throw it back to you.
Speaker A:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:
We need to hurry up so we can get to those recommendations.
Speaker A:
But, man.
Speaker A:
Yeah, as far as favorite scenes, mine's close to that, actually.
Speaker A:
Mine probably.
Speaker A:
Of either of these films, my favorite scene is going to be when Daniel feels as though the reason I, Anka, will never love him.
Speaker A:
Iyanka's like the woman who ends up falling for Larry Talbot.
Speaker A:
Like, he decides he blames it on the fact that the doctor never gave him the Frankenstein monster body or whatever, right?
Speaker A:
And, like, he is in there and he gets like.
Speaker A:
I don't know if it's a whip or what it is, but just watching him just try to beat this lifeless body that he's blaming.
Speaker A:
And, yeah, excuse me for being the armchair philosopher, but I'm like, man, that pretty much sums up humanity, doesn't it?
Speaker A:
Like, we're all in here going, man, here's this thing that I love and I desire so much, but I can't have.
Speaker A:
And instead of taking earnest for myself and trying to figure out how to change my desires, how to, like, be realistic or how, you know, whatever, instead of trying to figure out myself, you know, what I'm going to do.
Speaker A:
Here's a lifeless body.
Speaker A:
Here's someone who can't fight back, and I'm going to take out my frustrations there.
Speaker A:
And the way that they frame that scene and everything, I'm like, oh, God, that got me in my feels.
Speaker A:
Luckily, I was cutting onions so no one noticed.
Speaker A:
But, yeah, favorite character is also Daniel.
Speaker A:
I love Daniel as a character.
Speaker A:
He was so good.
Speaker B:
He's a great character.
Speaker A:
Yeah, I also love Daniel.
Speaker A:
Sigmund.
Speaker A:
Anyway, I'm sorry, I'm a nerd.
Speaker A:
Is there any other character, like, as far as protagonist, antagonist, that you're like, maybe we need to dig a little bit more as geekologist into some of their motives and relate to or are you ready to do some of those recommendations?
Speaker B:
I think maybe just mention Meliza in the second in the House of Dracula.
Speaker B:
She's the hunchback assistant.
Speaker B:
It is the first time the hunchback character is played by a woman.
Speaker B:
And I'm not gonna lie, Joshua.
Speaker B:
I don't want to get off on a whole side thing here, but, like, just easily the hottest hunchback I've ever seen.
Speaker B:
And.
Speaker B:
But I love her character because, like, Edelman is trying to get the vampirism fix with Dracula, but slowly he becomes a vampire.
Speaker B:
And Meliza gets tricked by Dracula into maybe following for his, you know, allure, his vampiric, you know, gaze.
Speaker B:
And she's like, man, not having it.
Speaker B:
So she has this moment of empowerment where she's just like, I may look weak and fragile, but, like, I. I don't hate myself.
Speaker B:
So, like, thanks, but no thanks.
Speaker B:
I'll pass.
Speaker B:
So I like her character a lot.
Speaker A:
Yeah, I. I want to also shout out Dr. Franz Edelman as a character.
Speaker A:
We've talked about him a lot, but we don't think we really mentioned too much about his motives.
Speaker A:
To me, that's also part of why I think this movie frustrated me so much.
Speaker A:
It reminds me so much of so many people in the church world, especially evangelical world, that I kind of partially left.
Speaker A:
You know, I'm part of the elca, so I guess, you know, evangelicals in the name, but I don't consider Lutheran evangelical, really.
Speaker A:
But it's fine.
Speaker A:
I.
Speaker A:
Because it's like when you see his motives and you hear them and, like, I think even he believes that what he really wants to do is to cure people, and he wants to make everybody well.
Speaker A:
And as soon as he gets kind of a taste of that vampirism, I don't think his heart or anything about his soul or anything changes.
Speaker A:
I think it's just he has power and he.
Speaker A:
And I think it kind of reveals that his real motive all along was actually power.
Speaker A:
If he is the doctor that's healing people, guess what?
Speaker A:
They owe their gratitude to him.
Speaker A:
If he's the one controlling thing, you know, like, I think it was actually power.
Speaker A:
But I think even he himself believed that he wanted to help.
Speaker A:
And I think that Taste of Vampirism that really turned him into Jekyll and Hyde off brand because, you know, Universal didn't have rights to it at the time.
Speaker A:
But, you know, I think that Taste of Vampirism just revealed who his true character was.
Speaker A:
I don't think it changed the character.
Speaker A:
And that's one thing.
Speaker A:
I really appreciate that the movie did do that.
Speaker A:
They didn't capitalize on either.
Speaker B:
You're right.
Speaker B:
I think that's a very accurate way to put that.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
So with that cheery note, right, you have some recommendations.
Speaker A:
I know you were talking about Boris Karloff.
Speaker A:
I also wanted to mention some places people can see more Universal monster content because stuff's great.
Speaker A:
But.
Speaker A:
Yeah, go on.
Speaker A:
Boris Karloff first.
Speaker B:
So just so you know, everybody, I am a Boris Karloff enthusiast.
Speaker B:
I do know that he has problematic films.
Speaker B:
I am not going to suggest any of the Mr. Wong movies to you because they are yellow scare trash.
Speaker B:
So I'm steer clear of those.
Speaker B:
And I would really direct you into the.
Speaker B:
tion of another film from the:
Speaker B:
It is called the Old Dark House and it stars Boris Karloff.
Speaker B:
But this is right after Karloff has starred in Frankenstein and Frankenstein.
Speaker B:
Here's an important thing to know about the original Frankenstein.
Speaker B:
He's not built like Karloff was not a star.
Speaker B:
Frankenstein made him.
Speaker B:
n this movie the next year in:
Speaker B:
It's kind of a haunted house murder mystery story.
Speaker B:
But it also features an actor named Charles Lawton, who I enjoy.
Speaker B:
Again, I know he's a problematic figure.
Speaker B:
Please send all of your obscurely niche hate to at I am Ryan Doze on Instagram.
Speaker B:
I look forward to it.
Speaker B:
But the Old Dark House is the first film where Boris Karloff is billed as not Boris Karloff, but just Karloff.
Speaker B:
He was the.
Speaker B:
Like, he was like a Beyonce or a Madonna.
Speaker B:
Like, he was known and billed for a long time as just Karloff.
Speaker B:
And I think that is an absolutely.
Speaker B:
I think it's a badass thing.
Speaker B:
But the Old Dark House is also a great film because he does so little.
Speaker B:
He does so much with so little.
Speaker B:
And he's.
Speaker B:
He's an actor from the silent generation, so he knows how to, you know, communicate so much without words.
Speaker B:
But the Old Dark House is a crazy movie also, and I might have.
Speaker B:
I might just have Joshua include this in the episode link.
Speaker B:
But he is.
Speaker B:
He does.
Speaker B:
He did a lot of horror radio.
Speaker B:
And there is an episode from.
Speaker B:
I believe it's the inner sanctum.
Speaker B:
It's an old radio show called the Corridor of Doom that is outside of Frankenstein.
Speaker B:
It's my favorite thing Boris Karloff ever did.
Speaker B:
It's a radio play, about 15, 20 minutes, and it is a textbook descent into madness story.
Speaker B:
And I love it.
Speaker B:
It's so fan.
Speaker B:
I love it.
Speaker B:
There's like three or four actors in the whole thing, and Karloff just chews up the scenery in this audio drama.
Speaker B:
Yeah, I love it.
Speaker B:
I love it, man.
Speaker A:
I'm just.
Speaker A:
Have to check both of those out.
Speaker A:
Yeah.
Speaker A:
So I don't know.
Speaker A:
I don't have any Boris Karloff recommendation.
Speaker A:
Sorry, everybody.
Speaker B:
Like how the Grinch Stole Christmas is also one you can check out.
Speaker B:
He's the narrator.
Speaker A:
Really?
Speaker A:
Now, I'll always just associate that with Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
That's great.
Speaker B:
Right?
Speaker B:
Right?
Speaker B:
Can't wait when you realize Frankenstein's monster is narrating the original.
Speaker A:
Stay tuned for the next what if episode.
Speaker A:
What if Dr. Seuss wrote Frankenstein?
Speaker A:
But for now, as far as things I want to shout out, though other places you find Universal monsters, the way they show up in the Universal theme park, especially now that Epic has its own land.
Speaker A:
Phenomenal.
Speaker A:
We.
Speaker A:
I would like.
Speaker A:
I'd be doing you wrong, listeners, if I didn't mention the Universal monster comics that came out like last year, the year before.
Speaker A:
Especially the Frankenstein run.
Speaker A:
God, that Frankenstein run was so good.
Speaker A:
Incredible.
Speaker A:
Why aren't you looking at me?
Speaker B:
Sorry.
Speaker A:
Oh, God, I can't help myself.
Speaker A:
But, you know, we.
Speaker A:
We do need to start wrapping this one up.
Speaker A:
There's a little bit of longer one, but, hey, it was a double feature.
Speaker A:
What'd you expect if you were to design Ryan your own Halloween treat for the drive in concession stand?
Speaker A:
You know, you were the manager who decided to make it a double feature in the first place.
Speaker A:
The food, snack shack, whatever.
Speaker A:
They came up to you and they're like, hey, wait a minute.
Speaker A:
We need our own special treat for this double feature.
Speaker B:
What?
Speaker B:
I got it.
Speaker A:
What should the treat be?
Speaker B:
So I love Chex Mix, and I love Sweet and the sweet and salty Chex Mix.
Speaker B:
So I would do Sweet and Salty Chex mix with candy corns.
Speaker B:
I am from the Midwest, so any form of corn is good for me.
Speaker A:
I am a nerd, and everybody knows that.
Speaker A:
I listen to podcasts about theme parks and one of the foods they have in Epic Universes.
Speaker A:
Listen, in Epic Universe, one of the foods they have in the Monster Land is a garlic and rosemary pretzel steak.
Speaker A:
Like, it's formed like a steak that you would kill a vampire with.
Speaker A:
And everything I heard about it sounds incredible.
Speaker A:
So, hey, listen, we're doing Universal Monsters.
Speaker A:
Let's.
Speaker A:
Let's have a pretzel steak and, like, green marshmallows that are kind of dressed like Frankenstein.
Speaker A:
And let's just.
Speaker A:
Let's have a good time and throw in some candy corn just to make people angry.
Speaker A:
Maybe we'll turn into a werewolf man.
Speaker A:
Yeah, me too.
Speaker A:
Let's go.
Speaker A:
Listen, if enough people sign up for our membership, paid membership, Ryan and I will do a special episode reviewing Epic Universe and telling you all about Universal Monsters.
Speaker A:
You just.
Speaker A:
It's gonna take a lot of people.
Speaker A:
I believe in you guys.
Speaker A:
So as you're doing that, though, also remember to review the show wherever you listen.
Speaker A:
Check out the show note for the playlist of the whole series of the Drive in Monster Mash that we've been doing.
Speaker A:
And remember, we are all a chosen people, A geekdom of priest.
