Spurned mad scientist George Zucco stands at the head of a long table lined with empty chairs. What do his enemies think of him now? His experiment is a success! He gloats over the empty seats—his imagination filling them with former colleagues cringing before his eloquent, triumphant and vengeful lecture.
Yes, Zucco is not only a mad scientist, but an angry one, too. The frightening product of his unconventional research will soon be his means of wreaking his revenge on the former colleagues who disgraced him and his "crazy" ideas.
Hired hand Glenn Strange is the unfortunate focus of Zucco's research and experiments. A mysterious transfusion involving a captive wolf transforms Strange from a large but weak-minded handyman into a—well, a wolfman.
Also part of the plot is Zucco's daughter (Anne Nagel), who doesn't like this spooky house and wants to go back to the city so she can see her boyfriend (Johnny Downs), a newspaper writer who takes a professional interest in the strange goings on down in the swamp country where Zucco has set up shop.
Zucco is happily ruthless as the revenge-driven genius; he lets loose one of the all-time great mad scientist laughs around the one hour mark. Strange has a somewhat unique role: as the big dumb handyman who doesn't understand the strange "dreams" he is having, he's part Lenny Small from Of Mice and Men, part Lawrence Talbot from The Wolf Man.
The story and script are never especially surprising, but the cast give it their best shot. At 77 minutes, the picture is actually a bit longer and more ambitious than many PRC productions; it does include a fair amount of philosophizing about the true aims and responsibilities of Science (nothing too inspiring, however). A big finish is actually pretty exciting even if any viewer thinking ahead would probably have seen it coming.
All in all, it is a pretty standard 1940s B horror movie—and thus good fun for those of us who enjoy such nonsense.
Yes, Zucco is not only a mad scientist, but an angry one, too. The frightening product of his unconventional research will soon be his means of wreaking his revenge on the former colleagues who disgraced him and his "crazy" ideas.
Hired hand Glenn Strange is the unfortunate focus of Zucco's research and experiments. A mysterious transfusion involving a captive wolf transforms Strange from a large but weak-minded handyman into a—well, a wolfman.
Also part of the plot is Zucco's daughter (Anne Nagel), who doesn't like this spooky house and wants to go back to the city so she can see her boyfriend (Johnny Downs), a newspaper writer who takes a professional interest in the strange goings on down in the swamp country where Zucco has set up shop.
Zucco is happily ruthless as the revenge-driven genius; he lets loose one of the all-time great mad scientist laughs around the one hour mark. Strange has a somewhat unique role: as the big dumb handyman who doesn't understand the strange "dreams" he is having, he's part Lenny Small from Of Mice and Men, part Lawrence Talbot from The Wolf Man.
The story and script are never especially surprising, but the cast give it their best shot. At 77 minutes, the picture is actually a bit longer and more ambitious than many PRC productions; it does include a fair amount of philosophizing about the true aims and responsibilities of Science (nothing too inspiring, however). A big finish is actually pretty exciting even if any viewer thinking ahead would probably have seen it coming.
All in all, it is a pretty standard 1940s B horror movie—and thus good fun for those of us who enjoy such nonsense.