Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein = Gateway Drug

The age of the Saturday afternoon Creature Feature is long behind us. Television can no longer be relied upon to bring the classics to a new generation. The responsibility is now ours. We parents must educate* our children and instill a healthy appreciation for the Universal Monsters. But where to begin?
The iconic Dracula? The groundbreaking Bride Of Frankenstein? The Greek tragedy of The Wolf Man? Nay! We must turn to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello to properly indoctrinate our children.
No movie does a better job of introducing young minds to the big three monsters. The primary reason for this is also why the movie works so well at all- the monsters play it completely straight. You've got Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster doing precisely what made them famous. Dracula's hypnotizing folks and drinking their blood. The Wolf Man is trying to eat people and his human side is still tortured by his curse. The Monster makes the most of his brief screen time by hurling a chick right through the window. A lessor comedy would make the monsters parodies of themselves. But the script gives Bud and Lou all the funny material as they react to the surrounding action. Costello delivers his "Ch-ch-ch-chic!" line before he runs screaming from the room as Lon Chaney's feral self furiously, and humorlessly, tears apart the room. The monsters remain scary and menacing, but Bud and Lou's patented schtick lightens the mood for the young'uns. It should also be noted that their kind of comic relief wasn't unprecedented. Una O'Connor delivered plenty of slapstick whooping and mugging in Bride Of Frankenstein.

Let's not forget Dracula and the Wolf Man are played by the actors who made them famous. And while Glenn Strange is no Karloff, he was still the next best performer to strap on the big boots. Having them all on board makes this the best kind of starter course. Oh sure, you could try using one of the House Of films as an introduction. After all they boast the same monsters plus a mad scientist and a hunchback. But the truth is, neither House film combines the characters as well. They play out as two separate stories where Dracula (Carradine in a top hat? C'mon!) never interacts with his fellow monsters. ACMF manages to write a better story that mixes all the characters together. It even gives us one of the great battles as Wolf Man tears after Dracula to the bitter end. That shot of Bela turning into a bat before Chaney ruthlessly grabs him and sends them both hurtling to the rocky shoreline is one of my favorite moments of the series.

Finally, what other Universal Monster flick offers such an awesome cartoon segment in it's opening credits? If there's a better opening hook for a movie than animated Abbott and Costello skeletons, I have yet to see it.

*brainwash