Forgotten TV: House of Frankenstein (1997) (Part 2)

 After a big debut, let's return to...

Here's a Recap for you...

A Dracula guy has been killing people in Los Angeles.
A Werewolf guy was attacking people.
The rich guy also brought the Frankenstein Monster to the City.

A Detective worked the case and denied the reality, until it became too real.

A lady got turned into a Werewolf by the bad done.
Not Dracula killed the guy Werewolf and kidnapped the lady after her transformation.

Back in the City, the Frankenstein Monster is in police custody after the Vampire killed his friend.

They want to lay all of the killings on him.
That makes it easy!

Pasdar's Detective finally goes to CCH Pounder after seeing Polo transform and the Vampire in its full form.

She drops a crazy bomb on him- Vampires like Dracula guy are Fallen Angels!

Dr. Frankenstein leads a Police Station breakout for the creature, which includes him sliding a cab along the road and a car chase.

The Dracula guy inadvertently kills Pasdar's Partner and everyone is sad.

In a twist, Dr. Frankenstein was actually turning the creature over to the Dracula guy!

The Doctor is never seen again.

The Dracula guy wants to seduce Polo, but she resists his charms.

He tries to kill Pasdar and Pounder (they're Lawyers!), but that just ends in the CSI lady being staked.

Plan B- sic the Creature on them...or else she dies!

The Creature, of course, doesn't do it and instead sides with our heroes.

With his henchmen dead and the Staff gone, Dracula guy is ripe for the picking.

Of course, he still turns into one of those '70s Gargoyles on steroids, so he's no pushover.

We finally reach my sense memory of this Film when the Creature and Dracula guy fight.

The former actually stakes the latter.

Pasdar takes the wounded Polo- who he shot while she was transformed- but then Dracula guy no-sells the stake and chucks the Creature into the fire place.

Time to kidnap Polo- again!

Pasdar survives the attack- while Pounder plummets- and goes to the Club, the last vestige of the Vampire.

His fellow Cops all join him and a Vampire vs. Cops battle breaks out to Smashing Pumpkins.

Pasdar goes to save Polo, who is now worthless to Dracula guy since her wolf side died (don't ask).
When she rejects him yet again, the Vampire drops to his fiery death.

Wow, so much for my big moment.

In the aftermath, this TV Mini-Series does some massive Sequel Baiting!

Pounder is alive and turning into a Werewolf.
The Creature survived being burned and is escaping the city.

...and the happy couple talk about how they are safe while Dracula guy's helper is revealed to be a Vampire himself and watching them!

There is no follow-up.

A decent climax to the events, even if some of the confrontations felt rushed.

This one is tricky because it is the culmination of all of the story beats and Plots.
As such, you expect certain things.

For instance, the battle between Dracula guy and the Frankenstein Creature is very abrupt and the rematch is even more so.
Likewise, the final confrontation between Pasdar and the Vampire is just kind of...oh, that's it?

The makeup work here is really darn good.  They used CGI sparingly and that was a good thing.

The Acting is also good too.  The whole thing doesn't feel cheap, especially for at TV Movie/Mini-Series.

As of this writing, no DVD, Blu-Ray or Streaming options for this exist.  I got a digital copy, since, well, nobody is trying to sell it.  It's worth a look if you remember it vaguely or just want something different.

Now...is that Svengoolie?

Next up, I take a look at a forgotten part of the Batman-Superman Series.  Is this long-delayed Superman follow-up worth the $3.18 I paid for it?  Stay tuned...

Forgotten TV: House of Frankenstein (1997) (Part 1)

 Have you ever tracked down a Movie you half remember from over a Decade ago?  Well, I did.

After lots of research, I finally found 1997's House of Frankenstein!  It was a TV Mini-Series and such, like the previous Frankenstein from TV, I'll cover it in its 2 separate parts.

There's so much to cover that it just makes things much easier.

The Plot involves a Vampire, a Werewolf, Frankenstein's Monster/Creature and everyone else stuck in between their antics.  Most of them are up to no good- they are Monsters, after all.

Notable Stars include Adrian Pasdar (Heroes), CCH Pounder (Justice League), Teri Polo (Meet the Parents) and Miguel Sandoval, as well as many others.

This appears to be an attempt to a modern(ish) update to Universal's Monster Film Crossover. 
It is an NBC-Universal TV Movie, after all.

Does this one hold up after almost 30 years or is it as dated as the original House of Frankenstein?  To find out, read on...

A flying creature with weird POV effects is killing people and the Cops are looking into it, but to no avail.

I'm already getting Nick Knight flashbacks, which is fitting since that was the Pilot to Forever Knight, which ran from 1992 to 1996, the year before this came out.

Elsewhere, a woman- Teri Polo- and a guy are both attacked by a stray wolf.

The latter is mauled and not seen again (at least in Part 1) and she's scratched, now forever changed!

Elsewhere still, the current descendant of Frankenstein is convinced that the Book (which was Fiction) was real and spending lots of money to find the creature/Adam.

He succeeds and it then breaks out of containment when the ice melts!

Time to do an update of a different Frankenstein Film (since the Monster spends most of these crossovers taking a nap)!

This corrupt Businessman reveals himself to be the Vampire (who looks like 2000's Faust) when the Environmentalist blocking his construction turns out to be, gasp, a jerk.

If you ever wanted to see what the humanoid form of the Giant Bat that was in a Deleted Scene from Batman Forever looked like, it's him.

The Creature/Monster is saved by a mostly blind guy in the Streets and a friendship blooms.

Hey, you're not an uncredited Gene Hackman!

He's a 'That Guy' named Richard Libertini.

It turns out that the Vampire was using the Werewolf (who was a dude named Lukas) and was annoyed that he sired another Monster.

He gets a guy to kill the Werewolf and goes to retrieve Polo, but finds her roommate...CSI's Jorja Fox (?!?) instead.

He turns her into a spy.

When that part failed, the Vampire refocuses to get the Creature instead.

It kills the somewhat blind guy with a literal heart punch, but is interrupted before he can capture him.

How he was planning to fly off with him in broad daylight...is a fair question.

It all comes to a head as Pasdar's Cop can't convince anyone about the strange goings on- save for an ignored CCH Pounder- and leaves the City.

Fox tells the Vampire where to find them, however, and he shows up!

Polo runs away and transforms into a white wolf...only to be immediately captured by the Vampire!

See you in Part 2!

A Vampire and a literal White Wolf, you say?

A fun, if very busy start to the Story.

For better or worse, this one has ALOT going on.

The Cops and the case.
The Vampire and his killings.
The Werewolf and Polo.
The Frankenstein Creature and his buddy..
CCH Pounder being ignored/mocked.

This one is never still for too long.  Does it need to take ridalin?

The Special Effects are just the right side of good and also dated, with makeup work taking precedence and the CGI being accents.  The morphing effects- it is the 90s- aren't amazing, but fine.

The Acting is good here, but not amazing.
Thankfully, this doesn't feel especially cheap.  They use the right amount of focus- no globetrotting- and real locations to make it work.

Is it amazing?  Not yet.
Is it terrible?  Not at all.

It's good enough that I need to see part 2...

Next up, we will indeed see the conclusion of this forgotten tale.  Does it all come together greatly or is it a fun mess?  Stay tuned...

Streaming Standard: Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein (2025)

 If he can't make his Lovecraft Film, I'm happy that he got to do this.

Let's see how his version of Mary Shelly's Classic Tale plays out...

Out in the cold, unforgiving Arctic, a stuck boat comes across the nearly-dead Dr. Frankenstein.

A strange, cloaked man attacks, trying to kill him!

On the boat recovering, the Doctor goes full Dewey Cox and tells his life story.

He grew up with a mean Dad (Charles Dance- naturally) and grows up to be a Doctor obsessed with beating death itself!

He meets up with his Brother and pretty blatantly starts trying to romance his fiancee (Mia Goth).

He works on making a man...

Struggles come up along the way, but he still manages to make his Adam.

Is this red thing on his chest from the Book or a sneaky Cronos Easter Egg?

He brings his Adam to life.

Of course, given this Intro, you know that some really bad stuff happens along the way to get these two to this point.

To see how it plays out, stream it now.

A really fun and refreshing take on the Classic Tale.

I've seen lots and LOTS of Frankenstein Films.  I've seen the creature in black & white and color.  I've seen them in the past or present.

This one tells the Story in a different order.  It can be a bit pretentious, but it really works here.

Isaac does a good job at not being a redeemable Character.  It is a hard thing to do as a Lead, but he works.
Jacob Elordi is a real standout to me.  I've not seen him in much (sorry, Saltburn), so him disappearing so much into the role is really impressive.
He's probably the meanest Adam I've seen since Penny Dreadful.

The Film has all of what you'd expect- especially if you're intimately familiar with the Story- and some good flourishes from Del Toro.  There's no mistaking the fact that HE is the Director here.

It is SOOOO good- in spite of what the terrible AI Trailer Images might tell you...

What even...I mean...huh?!?

If you know the tale, this one is still one to check out.  If you don't know it well, this is a great introduction!

'90s Class: Gods and Monsters (1998)

 A Film about a famous Director- that's pure Oscar bait.  Is it good though?

Gods and Monsters is sort of a Biopic of Director James Whale...albeit mostly fictional.  The broad strokes are true, but this 1998 Film is actually based on a Book.

The Film follows Whale in his (literal) final days as he struggles with his declining mind and health.  Can a new person in his life be the spark that brings him back?

I mean, no.  Did you not read the previous sentence?

The Film actually won an Oscar, which is a rare thing on this Site!  Sadly, it also was not a hit in Theaters.

Before Ian McKellen was Magneto and Brendan Fraser fought a Mummy, they teamed up in this very different Film...

It is 1957.  Famous Director James Whale has been retired since 1941 and living his final years in retirement.

Notably Whale did not hide his sexuality, back when people very much lived in the closet.

As such, his 'open secret' is one that he can deploy at will.

However, his body is failing him.

He had a stroke (IRL it was in 1956) and it has been causing his old memories to overtake him.

In function, it is a creative way to include the Flashbacks.

He sets his eyes on his new Gardener- a man named Clayton (Brendan Fraser)- and says that he'll pay him to let him draw him.

All above board, of course.

His stroke is also causing him to see things, which can't be good.

I'm also not a Doctor, but is that how they work?

Whale continues to befriend Fraser and obviously has some sort of feelings for him.

That seeps into his dreams, where he begins to see himself as the Monster and Fraser as the Doctor.

Fraser eventually learns Whale's open secret and tries to be calm about it.

In the next drawing session, however, Whale really pushes him and they have a big argument, ending with him storming out angrily.

Fraser realizes that he overreacted and they reunite.  Whale takes him to a Garden Party to meet his former friends and gets depressed when he realizes that he and his contemporaries (like Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff) are seen as relics.

He makes Fraser sad and he agrees to pose nude for him.  Whale gets very aggressive and tries to incite Fraser into kill him, explaining that his mind is going and he wants to die!

He doesn't, so Whale drowns himself in his own pool the next morning.

In the aftermath, Fraser moves on and makes a family, showing off his one piece of memorabilia from Whale- a signed copy of his original Frankenstein Monster drawing.

The End.

A really good Film that is not that much like what I usually see.  Have I even done another Bill Condon Film here?

Well, yes, apparently, but not the ones you'd hope (Candyman 2, Twilight: Breaking Dawn 1 and 2).

Everyone does a really good job here.  Ian McKellen is obviously the Star attraction here and he really disappears into the role.

To his credit, Fraser does a great job reacting, which is arguably the hardest job as an Actor.  Redgrave also walks a fine line between being too dramatic and too silly.

Just know that this is a highly fictional version of Whale's final days, as it is an adaptation of a fictional account.  His real ending was less dramatic, but still tragic.

It was fun seeing them recreate the Bride of Frankenstein set/make-up.  They did a good job all around.

Do note that the Film can get pretty intense at times and does deal with subjects that some people- even 27 years later- are still shy about.

So long, Boris.

Next up, let me changes things up again.  I never gave the bad Jaws Sequels a proper review in 2009, so let's do it right!

Tubi Thursday: House of the Wolf Man (2009)

 I enjoy watching Old Movies, trying to relive Classics or just to enjoy the cheesiness on display.

While I'm in a Universal Horror mood (see tomorrow's Review), let me check out a new(er) Film that intentionally tries to look like an old one.

My history with those is very mixed, so here's hoping for the best...

A Castle.
A storm.

A creepy guy opening the door.

This is The Old Dark House, a different James Whale Film...but still Universal.

A bunch of strangers all invited by a Mr. Reinhart to come to his Estate.

The winner of some sort of contest will get it all.

The Master is played by Ron Chaney, the Grandson of Lon Chaney and son of (obviously) Lon Chaney Jr.

He's up to something, but we'll get to that...eventually.

After some watchful paintings, some banter and some foreshadowing, the most forthcoming of the group explains what she has figured out.

They are all related, each one sired by a man/monster that killed their Mother(s).

This isn't Universal Horror- this is The Howling V!

Kudos for the cheap looking Model Castle though.

It's only missing a great shot of lightning striking in front of it to be Universal.
Well, that or a Roger Corman Film.

The Film FINALLY gets to the point as the group has dinner with Reinhart after more foreshadowing (specifically about someone named Bella and the Frankenstein Family Crest).

Reinhart turns into a Wolfman (and obvious double) and kills most of the group.

He's stopped by...the Monster.

At least he looks cool.

Sure- why not throw him in with almost no setup or teasing?!?

I guess that 'Bella' mention is going to lead to Dracula showing up and...yeah, alright then.

Sadly, the Film just kind of ends shortly after that.  The End.

A Film that...I can't recommend that much, sadly.

A Movie like this can work.  Copy the look and feel, but make a new, interesting Film with it.

Barring that, make a good Comedy.

Here's a little secret- not every Universal Horror Film was created equal.  The Classics are considered that for a reason.  Some of the Sequels that are just alright are just old Films also made by Universal.

I wish that this was a good use of the look and feel, but that's really all there is to it.

The final Segment of the Film is fun, even if it does kind of break the Universal illusion with how the action plays out.  If the other 45 minutes or so were half this good, I'd be all over this one.

House of the Wolf Man is a well-meaning, but not that great Film.  It's also not above marketing to, ahem, a different demographic...

A Film that knows what it wants to look and feel like.  If only the same dedication went to making the Film interesting as it did to making it look grainy in black and white.