bensonmum2 Two things I just love - old murder mystery movies and Boris Karloff. Put them together, throw in Abbott and Costello, and you've got a winner. While I don't rate this as high as A&C's similarly themed Who Done It?, it's still a whole lot of fun. In this one, A&C are working in a hotel that's become the scene of a murder. Costello (playing Freddie Phillips) becomes prime suspect number one. But the hotel has several other strange, mysterious types on-hand, including the mystic Swami Talpur. Can Bud and Lou find the killer before they're killed themselves?This isn't deep - it's just good old-fashioned fun. While some of A&C's jokes may miss their mark, enough hit to make it very funny. There are bits and pieces here as good as any you'll find in any other A&C film. One of my favorite moments has to be watching the great Boris Karloff working with Costello in the hypnosis scene. What a blast! The final chase/confrontation in the underground cavers is nicely filmed and includes a moment or two of real suspense. I've got no problem at all rating this one a 7/10.

DarthVoorhees Horror and comedy can make a very potent mix. 'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein' is the undisputed masterpiece of this genre because it delivers on both concepts equally. I think this is something that poor imitators fail to realize. For a horror comedy to work there has to be both concepts. 'Meet Frankenstein' can still sort of work as a horror film. The monsters still have great dignity and pose a real peril to Bud and Lou. It's a great film and in my opinion the best the boys ever were. No wonder a semi-sequel was made. 'Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff' has none of the charm it's predecessor had. It's hard not to like an Abbott and Costello film but this one has a rough time balancing it's themes. For starters the film doesn't feel like Abbott and Costello were meant to be in it. It feels and plays like a real bottom of the barrel thriller that was hastily rewritten with Bud and Lou. Bud and Lou are not the focus here. In all honesty the film gets kind of boring because it spends long stretches fleshing out it's far fetched murder mystery. No one really goes into a murder mystery caring about the actual clues or detective work. This film actually thinks people pay attention to this stuff and so Bud and Lou spend a fair amount of time talking about evidence and police work. To be fair it sets up a sort of funny morbid gag where the boys transport a body across the hotel but the gag overstays it's welcome. It is repeated several times and each time it is done so with a reminder about leaving evidence. Since when did Bud and Lou feel the need to explain a joke to such degrees? I get the feeling that they were less than comfortable with the material here. Good comedy needs no intricate explanation and this is the only Abbott and Costello film that really does this. The cast is also way too crowded and convoluted. I don't really care about anyone but Bud and Lou. The film can't have it both ways. If it cares enough about it's murder mystery to devote detail to it than it has to set up distinct suspects. When the killer is revealed I just kind of shrugged and said where did he come from. Like I said earlier I think the film has trouble bending it's darker ideas with comedy. There is some macabre stuff here. People are being killed. I compare this film to 'Meets Frankenstein' in that Lou while being funny does generally look terrified. Here it feels as though there is a certain lack of sincerity in how the horrors are dealt with. A big aspect to this is that the most daring and macabre gag is repeated multiple times and thus loses all it's impact. The film does however reach a highpoint when Lou confronts the killer in the caverns. It is funny and yet we fear for Lou because we know there is danger to be had. For those looking for Karloff, don't bother. He has a funny scene with Lou but he doesn't look like he likes being here. I imagine he wasn't on the set very long as his presence is little more than a glorified cameo. They don't even take the time to develop him into a proper red herring because they put his name in the title. Lugosi would have been so much better in this role. It's hard to dislike an 'Abbott and Costello' film too much because they are so funny and deliver so much into their comedy. This film however is distinctly lesser than a lot of their efforts. It's funny enough if you want their comedy but keep in mind you do have to sit through a murder mystery and some really awkward genre bending. 'Meet Frankenstein' does everything this film tries to do so much better.

SanteeFats Some of the Abbott and Costello are better than others. This is a good one in my opinion. The opening of scene of the movie showing the title and credits is not only well done but it is unique and definitely different, especially for the time when this movie was made. The bellboy (Costello) is so stupid it is laughable (the purpose of the role). Abbott plays his typical straight man role. I usually like Boris Karloff and this is no exception. The fact that he doesn't turn out to be the bad guy, just an intimidating presence is refreshing. The rest of the cast does a good job supporting the three main characters. This is a fun movie to watch. One that I not only have watched more than once but own as well.

Michael_Elliott Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) ** 1/2 (out of 4) A man at a hotel gets Costello fired from his job so Costello threatens him, which doesn't sit well later when that man turns up dead. Even though there are many strange characters at the hotel, including a swami (Boris Karloff), all the blame gets thrown towards the little fat guy. Apparently this film was intended to be a Bob Hope comedy but after the success of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein the studio wanted another "meet" movie. This film is certainly far from a classic and it isn't even one of the duos best films but it's not too bad if you want some light entertainment. For every joke that works there's one that doesn't, which makes the film rather hit and miss all the way through. There are some very funny sequences including one where Costello has to play cards with a dead guy and another sequence where Bud and Lou must try to hide a body but things keep getting in their way. Other scenes, like the one where Karloff tries to get Costello to kill himself, doesn't work as well as it should. All of this leads to a big chase at the end, which is pretty well handled. Both Abbott and Costello are in top-form with Costello once again stealing the film. Karloff on the other hand comes off rather stale and actually doesn't add too much to the film, although he can't take all the blame since his character is poorly written. Lenore Aubert is also on hand but her character is also poorly written.