It was reported that the rubber headpiece used for the Frankenstein monster make-up was very uncomfortable for Lon Chaney Jr. to wear. It sat directly on his forehead and he constantly complained. Once he asked for it to be removed. Angry and frustrated when no one listened, he ripped it off himself, tearing open a bloody gash in his forehead. Production on the film was shut down for a couple of days.
In addition to the woes Lon Chaney Jr. experienced from wearing Jack P. Pierce's makeup and prosthetic devices, the makeup he had to wear in order to portray the Monster emerging from the dried sulfur was a particularly difficult burden for Chaney. In order to get the right look for the Monster trapped in the sulfur pit, Pierce essentially covered Chaney with cement and only provided a hole for him to breath out of by placing a straw in his mouth. The makeup process lasted from around 6:00 am until noon, at which point the cast and crew all went to lunch, leaving Chaney alone on set while his cement-based makeup dried.
Lon Chaney Jr. was known for his hard-drinking ways. During production of this film, Chaney became inebriated while in full costume and got lost in the intricate mazes that were part of the laboratory sets. It took several minutes for him to find his way free. A similar incident occurred many years later when Chaney played the Frankenstein Monster on an episode of "Tales of Tomorrow." Once again, Chaney became intoxicated and mistakenly believed that the show's live telecast was the final dress rehearsal. For much of the performance, Chaney stumbled about, picking up breakaway props he was supposed to destroy and then setting them back down.