Tonight on MeTV- it’s truly a double feature of monstrous classics- beginning with me presenting the Mel Brooks masterpiece “Young Frankenstein”- followed by the Sven Squad with the original film that started it all- 1931’s “Frankenstein” starring Boris Karloff!

I’ll start off the evening with an expanded show-our premiere of a film for which we have gotten many requests- Mel Brooks’ 1974 homage to the classic Universal films- “Young Frankenstein”! Shot in black and white to emulate those great movies- we begin with watching young Frederick Frankesntein delivering a lecture at a medical school- and firmly establishing that he wants no connection to his “mad scientist” grandfather- even to the point of pronouncing his name “Fronken-Steen”. However, when he is alerted to the fact that he has inherited the old family castle in Transylvania, he reluctantly makes the trip there- and is met by the strange hunchback family servant Ygor ( pronounced “EYE-gore”) and a charming young woman named Inga.Arriving at the castle, he meets Frau Blucher, the housekeeper whose very name causes horse to whinny in fear!

Things take an unexpected turn in Frederick’s attitude, when he discovers his grandfather’s secret laboratory and journals- making him a believer in his ancestor’s theories and setting him on a course to continue his work! Events follow the original story’s lines as he and Ygor procure a dead body to reanimate- and Ygor ends up stealing the wrong brain- an “abbie-normal” one- to be installed in the experimental creature.

Of course, you know what happens- the moister is alive, and becoming a danger- while the local one-armed police inspector takes up the citizens’ quest to find out what the relative of the scourge of their village is up to. Secrets are revealed, the Monster escapes and meets a blind hermit- much to his dismay- and Frederick battles to prove his creation is a success- with things thrown into a tizzy by his new relationship with Inga-and the arrival of his fiancée! It all culminates with the usual torch and pitchfork bearing mob out to end the threat of Frederick and his monster!

This movie has such a beloved and familiar cast- Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman, and Gene Hackman- and so many now-classic comedy bits that have made this a modern horror comedy on the same level- if not higher- as “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”. We’ll provider cast and production info, work with our Sven Squad to create our own monster, bring you a song (you probably can guess which one), get a visit rom our old pal Tombstone, and more! FYI- we have edited the breaks in the movie so as not to ruin the comedic flow or take out material, so some segments may be shorter than normal.

Then, right on the heels of “Young Frankenstein”- the Sven Squad- Gwengoolie, Nostalgiaferatoo, and the Imp- go back to the beginning of a horror franchise- as they present the first Universal “Frankenstein” film! Boris Karloff stars in his definitive role- with Colin Clive as the scientist determined to make a man- aided by the bumbling Fritz, Dwight Frye, in this amazing James Whale production. No need for me to repeat the plot- and you can be sure that the Sven Squad will make this a memorable presentation of this cornerstone of horror history!

The double feature begins on MeTV tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. You can comment live during the double feature on Twitter/X and Bluesky- please use the hashtag #svengoolie. Our local Chicago viewers can get antsy with the encore performance of “THEM!” at 11 am on WMEU- the UToo- due to sports on WCIU the U.

We still have a couple Halloween season public appearances coming up- you can find details under the “appearances” tab here on our website. Also, be ready for some new Sven merchandise coming soon to our store!

Join us tonight for a contemporary hilarious horror classic – and the movie that inspired it!