As a child reading scary magazines like THE MONSTER TIMES and FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, I often came across the title of this Mexican creature feature, which reportedly was a remake of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Well, I just had my first opportunity after 40-something years to get a look at it, courtesy of a DVD released by Image Entertainment. Unfortunately for me, I don't speak Spanish and this disc is not dubbed and did not offer any English subtitles. The solace to this problem is that it is indeed a pretty straight-forward redo of the American Universal film, so it was a cinch being able to follow along with everything that was going on!
It's a poor film with almost zero production values, there's no getting around that, but some day I'd like to hear or read it in English and see if that adds any funny jokes or tidbits that I might have missed. In the film, two baggage clerks (the dimwitted one resembles a cross between Taylor Negro and Huntz Hall, while the other more "serious" character looks like a cross between Moe Howard and Anthony Dawson from DR. NO) get mixed up with "Frankestein" and a vampire (not Dracula). This bloodsucker is even more gaunt than John Carradine, and unlike Bela Lugosi's vampire in the original film, he acts goofy and joins in on the gags. The two "comedians" are also helped along by a Larry Talbot clone with a mustache who occasionally turns into what looks like a guy in a rubber over-the-head cougar mask when the moon is full. If you already know and like the Universal comedy classic with Bud and Lou, this is worth a glance as a novelty. But it's not something I'd watch repeatedly. * out of ****
It's a poor film with almost zero production values, there's no getting around that, but some day I'd like to hear or read it in English and see if that adds any funny jokes or tidbits that I might have missed. In the film, two baggage clerks (the dimwitted one resembles a cross between Taylor Negro and Huntz Hall, while the other more "serious" character looks like a cross between Moe Howard and Anthony Dawson from DR. NO) get mixed up with "Frankestein" and a vampire (not Dracula). This bloodsucker is even more gaunt than John Carradine, and unlike Bela Lugosi's vampire in the original film, he acts goofy and joins in on the gags. The two "comedians" are also helped along by a Larry Talbot clone with a mustache who occasionally turns into what looks like a guy in a rubber over-the-head cougar mask when the moon is full. If you already know and like the Universal comedy classic with Bud and Lou, this is worth a glance as a novelty. But it's not something I'd watch repeatedly. * out of ****