House of Frankenstein is a 1944 American horror film starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine.

Based on Curt Siodmak's story "The Devil's Brood", the film is about Dr. Gustav Niemann, who escapes from prison and promises to create a new body for his assistant Daniel.

[4] Universal had initially planned a film titled Chamber of Horrors, which would have included several of their horror-themed characters, but this project was canceled.

Film historian Gregory W. Mank notes that the critics "made mincemeat" out of House of Frankenstein upon its release.

For trying to replicate Dr. Frankenstein's experiments, Dr. Gustav Niemann is put in prison, where he meets another incarcerated criminal, the hunchback Daniel.

Niemman and Daniel stumble upon traveling showman Professor Lampini, murder him and take over his horror exhibit, which includes the recovered corpse of Count Dracula.

En route, Daniel saves a Romani woman named Ilonka from being whipped by her companion over an argument about money.

Niemann promises to cure his werewolf curse by transferring his brain into a different body if Talbot leads them to Frankenstein's notes.

Not trusting Niemann to cure him, Talbot instructs her to build silver bullets, load them into a gun and wait at night near his bedroom.

Cast sourced from the book Universal Horrors:[2] On June 7, 1943, a film production titled Chamber of Horrors was announced by The Hollywood Reporter, noting that the cast would include Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, Claude Rains, George Zucco, and James Barton with characters such as the Invisible Man, the Mad Ghoul, the Mummy and "other assorted monsters".

Curt Siodmak spoke little on developing the story for the film, stating that "the idea was to put all the horror characters into one picture.

[6] The film's producer Paul Malvern began assigning a cast that included Karloff, who Universal had on for a two-picture deal, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine and J. Carrol Naish.

[3] On discussions with the cast, Anne Gwynne confided later in an interview with Michael Fitzgerald that she did not think Karloff was happy with his mad scientist role in the film.

[9] Strange was unaware that he was being called to play the monster and only found out when he was reported to Jack Pierce's make-up studio to have a scar applied to him.

"[12] The scene where Niemann thaws the monster's tissues with steam was accomplished by putting Strange in a glass case and pumping vapor into it.

Long rubber hoses were put in Strange's nose so that he could breathe in spite of the vapor, but while shooting the scene Strange found he could not exhale efficiently through the hoses and was suffocating, prompting him to frantically push a panic button which the prop crew had installed inside the case.

[22] It was not among the highest grossing films for Universal that year which included Can't Help Singing (1944) and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), as well as the studio's other horror outings with The Climax (1944).

[22] The first news of a follow-up to House of Frankenstein appeared in Hollywood trade papers in April 1944 with the announcement of a film titled The Wolf Man vs. Dracula.

[23] Actors John Carradine, Glen Strange, and Lon Chaney Jr. reprise their roles as Count Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and the Wolf Man, respectively.

[5] Wanda Hale of the New York Daily News gave the film a two-and-a-half star rating, commenting that "settings, lighting and costumes, impressively eerie and horrendous, will help you enter into the sinister proceedings", while noting that audiences should "be sure and check your credulity outside".

[29] A. H. Weiler of The New York Times stated that as a film "this grisly congress doesn't hit hard; it merely has speed and a change of pace.

[30] The New York Herald Tribune gave a negative review, stating the "plot stumbles along endlessly in its top-heavy attempt to carry on its shoulders too many of yesterday's nightmares" concluding that the film "is only a little more terrifying than the house that Jack built".

"[33] Gwynne spoke of her role later in her career stating that "the part was nice but not great, I had fun with it, but I'm only in the first 25 minutes and then zap, I'm off for the rest of the film!

"[5] In his book on Universal's Frankenstein series, Gregory W. Mank stated that, despite the virtues of its exciting action sequences, moody ice cavern scene, directorial style, beautiful score, and impressive cast, "the film has never succeeded in transcending its ignoble purpose: to cram together as many horrors as 70 minutes allow.