Despite the title of the movie, Boris Karloff isn't in it much. He's fun when he is, though. He was the one thing missing in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, so it's nice that the boys could finally do a movie with him. The story here finds the duo working at a hotel. Abbott's the hotel detective and Costello's a bellboy who keeps getting into trouble. Suddenly dead bodies are popping up all over the hotel and all clues point to poor dumb Lou. Very funny comedy murder mystery. Lou seems to be having a great time in this one. Nice support from Alan Mowbray, James Flavin, Roland Winters, and Lenore Aubert. More Karloff would've been nice but the movie succeeds anyway.

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.

Despite the title being 100% misleading, this is among Abbott and Costello's better films. No, Boris Karloff is NOT the killer and he is only a supporting character and so putting his name on the title (as was done in many cases) was deceptive and makes this appear to be a horror flick, while it's actually a murder mystery. I personally like this film because like some of their other better films (such as A&C Meet Frankenstein or A&C Meet Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde), the team does not rely on or fall back on worn-out old vaudeville routines but has plenty of action and excellent support. While I am not saying this is a perfect film, it does please and will appeal to both kids and adults.

I'm a big A&C fan and have been since I was ten. I saw this A&C film many times in the 1980s (I recorded it once and watched it over and over again). It turns out that this film is included in Volume 3 of the Best of Abbott and Costello DVD set. After purchasing the set, I had a chance to watch it again recently. There are some genuinely outstanding gags here. Of all the movies made after A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN (the duo's high point), this is one of the best. The chase scene through the caverns is actually very well made and has withstood the test of time. It remains one of the best climaxes from an A&C movie. Unfortunately, Boris Karloff isn't put to very good use in the film. This is a surprisingly atmospheric film, though, and at times it even contains elements of noir. It reminds me of a cross between WHO DONE IT and HOLD THAT GHOST, although it's not as good as either of those films. Still, unlike A&C GO TO MARS or Africa SCREAMS, it's certainly not a blemish on their filmography.