Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (4K UHD Review)
Director
Charles BartonRelease Date(s)
1948 (November 25, 2025)Studio(s)
Universal-International (Kino Lorber Studio Classics)- Film/Program Grade: A
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: C+
Review
In many ways, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the crown jewel of their many collaborations, or at the very least, one of the many adorning said crown. Monster movie fans and comedy fans alike love and appreciate this one more than most, which places the duo in the sights of three of Universal’s biggest monsters: Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, and the Wolf Man. The film was also an extension of Universal’s monster movie sequels like House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, which saw the monsters coming together for the first time as adversaries. Adding the classic comedy antics of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into the mix was spinning horror comedy gold, both financially and critically.
Chick (Abbott) and Wilbur (Costello) are put-upon baggage clerks who must deliver a large set of crates to a local wax museum for the overbearing McDougal (Frank Ferguson). Within these crates are Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange), who soon escape upon arrival, with Chick and Wilbur receiving the blame for their disappearance. Unbeknownst to them all, a plan has been hatched by Dracula and the beautiful Dr. Mornay (Lenore Aubert) to replace the Monster’s brain with that of a simpleton, who turns out to be Wilbur. He and Chick are subsequently brought to Dracula’s castle, where Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) has appeared to stop Dracula from carrying out his diabolical plans while trying to avoid his frequent transformations into a werewolf. Also among the cast are Jane Randolph, Charles Bradstreet, and in a surprise cameo as the Invisible Man, Vincent Price.
All was not well at Universal, or with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, when development on the next monster movie began in the mid-1940s. Universal was going through a costly merger that forced them into dropping a number of actors from their contracts, while Bud and Lou were constantly fighting with each other on and off the set. During this turmoil, screenwriter Robert Arthur was developing The Brain of Frankenstein, with the idea that Bud and Lou would also star in it. They purportedly hated the idea and the script, which was originally meant to also include the Mummy and Count Alucard, both of which were dropped. Eventually after receiving an advance on the film’s percentage, Lou finally agreed to do it. However, director Charles Barton, who had already worked with Bud and Lou before on films like Buck Privates Come Home and The Noose Hangs High, had his own difficulties in keeping both men on the set and in front of the camera.
Amid the quarrels and behind-the-scenes troubles was the monsters themselves. Béla Lugosi was brought back to Universal after years away from Hollywood doing Poverty Row pictures, and was very pleased to do so. Boris Karloff was purportedly not interested in returning as the Frankenstein Monster, so Glenn Strange, who had already portrayed the massive hulk in House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, stepped back into the role. Lon Chaney, Jr., a relatively recent horror movie star, returned for his role as Lawrence Talbot aka the Wolf Man. Emile LaVigne and Jack Kevan took over make-up appliance duties from Jack Pierce, who was recently let go from Universal, despite having created their most memorable movie monsters.
With the film finally finished, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was released in July of 1948 with a massive box office take, one of Universal-International’s most successful of the year in fact. It was mostly well-received by critics, and gave Abbott and Costello a new theatrical direction, subsequently making a number of additional films in which they appeared with other movie monsters or personalities. There were and are some detractors of the film, including Boris Karloff who was happy to help promote the film without having to be in it (or actually see it), as well as those who don’t have a penchant for Bud and Lou’s style of comedy. But part of the reason why Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein holds up is due to how the monsters are treated, with respect. They’re still the same monsters that we’ve come to know from their previous films, scary and intimidating, but never poked fun at. Bud and Lou are the stars of the show here, and their reactions to and interplay with the monsters, particularly Lou’s, are quintessential.
Cinematographer Charles Van Enger shot Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on 35mm black-and-white film with spherical lenses, the results of which were processed photochemically, and presented theatrically in the aspect ratio of 1:37:1. Kino Lorber Studio Classics debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. It’s a gorgeous black-and-white image with a light layer of photochemical grain and a fairly stable bitrate that sits almost exclusively at or around 75Mbps. Detail is so much richer and tighter than previous incarnations, even opticals blend better than they have in the past. The HDR wrings out the detail in the shadows with super deep blacks, perfect grayscale, and excellent contrast all around. It’s also a clean and stable presentation, with only a couple of spots in the latter half of the film where some minor speckling and scratches are visible. It’s an impressive image.
Audio is included in English 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s a clean and satisfying track with discernible dialogue and plenty of support for sound effects and Frank Skinner’s lovely musical score. Only a light natural hiss is audible. It’s a much more sufficient track than previous releases, giving the film’s sound design a better aural shape.
The Kino Lorber Studio Classics 4K Ultra HD release of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein sits in a black Amaray case along with an inner sleeve and slipcover featuring artwork that reworks the original theatrical release’s over-sized 24-sheet poster. The following extras are included on the disc:
- Audio Commentary by Joe Ramoni
- Audio Commentary by Gregory W. Mank
- Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
- Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:17)
Hats Off Entertainment’s Joe Ramoni provides a new audio commentary for the film. Himself a documentarian as evidenced by his many terrific projects that are currently available on Youtube, he offers a fine critical overview and overall analysis of the film, sprinkled with background information about its cast and crew, as well as its creation. He has an irregular speaking style and his track dips in and out of the film’s soundtrack, but he nonetheless tackles the subject matter with precision. Next is the classic commentary with film historian Gregory W. Mank, originally recorded for the 2000 DVD release. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable of the production and its participants, but he also provides quotes from interviews he conducted with many of the key players. He also supplies some insider information not available on the other tracks. Film historian and screenwriter Gary Gerani closes with another new audio commentary, which is overcaffeinated in comparison to the others (his usual style), but it’s nonetheless entertaining. He breathlessly covers the careers of the cast and crew, pointing out his favorite moments as they happen, goes over the history of the project from development to release, and delves into various differences from the original script to the final film. Last is the film’s theatrical trailer.
Not included from previous releases is the classic DVD documentary Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters, various image galleries, production notes, and an additional trailer. There’s also the matter of the Castle Films 8mm excerpt that could have been unearthed and utilized, as well as a fine Trailers from Hell commentary featuring John Landis.
While the additional commentaries are appreciated, there’s much, much more you could do with an extras package for Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The most successful Universal monster movie of all time deserves the full treatment, but even without it, this 4K release features a stellar presentation of the film that will be the preferred viewing option for quite some time. Caveats aside, this is still a very highly recommended disc.
- Tim Salmons
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