So we've reached the half way point of the month of October and I think now would be the best time to talk about the thing that made the holiday Halloween and the horror genre what it is today. That is the scary monsters that Universal gave us, all of which have gone on to become such iconic characters that today, millions of people would come to grow and love them and dress up as them for Halloween. Today we'll be looking at not all, but some of the many Universal Monster films out there, but to be more specific, we'll be looking at some of the ones that made a huge impact on the world. So with that said, let's open up the coffin as we look at Universal's Monster madness:
Dracula
So based on the 1922 stage name which in turn is loosely based on the novel both of the same name, we have the very first film about the king of vampires himself, Count Dracula who easily beats the Twilight crowd as being the best vampire there is. Anyway, so our story begins with a solicitor called Renfield (played by Dwight Frye and because this film is so old, we can presume that all the actors have passed away since the release of this film) who has travelled to Tranyslvania on a business matter with our titular character. Despite the locals telling him of the vampires that lurk there, Renfield ignores them and chooses to not stay at the inn and instead goes straight to Dracula's castle, not knowing who or what he is and having his life changed forever. I think its fair to say that this film has aged very well. I got this and the other films as part of a Blu-Ray collection and with this being my first ever viewing of this film, I found it to be very enjoyable and its amazing how such a film can make a huge impact on the world. It is really good and worth watching. Its not very long, but every minute of it is totally worth the viewing. 9/10
Frankenstein
Much like with Dracula, this was another film that was adapted (or based) on a play which in turn is loosely based on the novel of the same name as this film. Before we talk about this film, I would like to point our that the monster itself, is not called Frankenstein. His creator is called that. The monster himself doesn't really have a particular name and is often known as Frankenstein's monster or just Frankenstein himself. Anyway, let's talk about the film itself. The year is 1894 and in a place called Nyon, Switzerland, we meet Henry Frankenstein (played by Colin Clive) who is a young scientist and along with his assistant, a hunchback called Fritz (played by Frye from Dracula), they gather human parts in the hopes of creating human life through electricity. A group of people consisting of Henry's fiancee Elizabeth (played by Mae Clarke), her friend Victor Moritz (played by John Boles) and Henry's medical doctor Dr. Waldman (played by Edward Van Sloan) go to try and take Henry away from his experiments, but as they arrive, he is already doing the final tests and has them watch as he attempts to create human life. His work proves to be successful as his monster (played by Boris Karloff) is alive, living and breathing. But it isn't long before this monster starts to become uncontrollable and its now up to Frankenstein to determine his creation's fate. I will say it is another good film that shows how experiments, while potentially harmless and not life threatening, can go wrong in more ways than you can imagine. Its aged well like with Dracula and its one that unlike most of these films, was able to get itself a successful (both critically and commercially) sequel which we will talk about a little bit later. For now, its another great film and its defiantly one that has made Frankenstein's Monster among the most popular of monsters in the horror genre and Halloween in general. 9/10
The Mummy (1932)
So now we take a trip to Egypt (well not quite like that but anyway) and move on to the Mummy. So an ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep (played by Frankenstein's Monster himself, Boris Karloff) comes back from the dead, having accidentally been revived by the matter of an expedition led by Sir Joesph Whemple (played by Arthur Byron). He escapes and decides to attempt to find the modern variation of his forbidden lover, the princess Ankh-es-en-amon who in the modern world is known as Helen Grosvenor (played by Zita Johann). Now I actually saw this after seeing not all but most of the Brendon Fraser films which have the same name as well as the same scenario and I don't know if its Universal's remake of this film (although they are working to make a reboot of this series of Monster films for their own shared universe), but it does have very strong resemblance to this one. Anyway, so this film I felt was good, but didn't feel as scary as the first two. I don't know what it is. Maybe its because I just don't find mummies to be as scary as a vampire and a non human being, but anyway. Its was a good film nevertheless and that's what matters. It does however amaze me that despite the other films getting sequels, this one has only ever got remakes and that's it. 8/10
The Invisible Man
Now we come to the first science fiction film of this series about a man who many cannot see. At The Lion's Head Inn in the English village of Iping in Sussex, a man with bandages around him decides to take residence there and demands to be left alone. When the innkeeper comes by to ask for his rent as well as complaining about the mess he has made, the stranger takes everything off and reveals himself to be an invisible man (played by Claude Rains). As he causes mayhem in the village, the police and the villagers try to unite in finding him before he disappears forever. Now this is an interesting one as it introduces the element of being invisible, presumably thanks to green screen effects and to be honest, I actually think this film is very good in regards to the effects and the idea of how to handle a man who cannot be seen by anyone. 9/10
The Bride of Frankenstein
So out of this series of films in this collection I have, this is the only sequel I got. Now my understanding is that this was either more or just as successful (both critically and commercially) as its predecessor, that many would regard it as one of the best sequels ever made, despite the sexuality that some film goers have noticed in this film (though I personally haven't noticed this at all). Anyway, so taking place immediately after the events of the first film as told from the perspective of the real life author of the novel of the same name as the first film, Mary Shelley (played by Elsa Lanchester), villagers gather as the windmill that the monster (reprised by Boris Karloff) was on as it got burned. But unbeknownst to many of them, the monster survived as has his creator Henry Frankenstein (reprised by Colin Clive) who was previously believed to be dead after he fought the beast in the last film. Henry's former mentor Doctor Septimus Pretorius (played by Ernest Thesiger) pays him a visit as he recovers from his wounds and proposes the idea of the monster having a "mate". But I wonder how Frank's monster will make of this. Having now seen 2 films about Frank's monster, I can say that this is pretty much just as good as its predecessor. Everyone plays their parts well, we get some character development for the monster and its an overall great film that is one of those many sequels that are done right. 9/10
The Wolf Man
So we've had a vampire, 2 human monsters, an invisible person and a mummy. So next in line is a werewolf and I'll just say that most of the usernames I have, have some variation of Wolfman in them so yeah. Anyway, so the year is 1934 and after learning about the death of his brother, Larry Talbot (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) returns to his ancestral home in Llanwelly, Wales to make amends with his father Sir John Talbot (played by Claude Rains). As he wonders round the area, he gets romantically involved with a woman and here's poems about a werewolf. He then comes across said wolf and kills it, only to be bitten by it and it is then revealed by a gypsy that he is now a werewolf and must now find a way to survive before the locals take him down. This was an OK film. I mean it follows the same routine as it were with the other films, but you really don't get to see the wolf until well into the film which is kind of unfortunate, but worth it. Aside from that, I felt it was good, but not as good as some of the other films on this list. You might think differently, but that's juts me. 7/10
The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
So now we move out of Britian and into France and meet the Phantom in the only film on this list that's in colour. Erique Claudin (played by the Invisible Man and the Wolf Man himself, Claude Rains) was a violist at the Paris Opera House for 20 years, but due to losing the use of his fingers from his left hand, it has affected him greatly as he uses that hand to play. As such, he is then dismissed from the opera house as the conductor feels that he is no use any more and has enough money to help himself. But that's not the case as he has spent it all to provide music lessons for Christine Dubois (played by Susanna Foster), a young soprano which he has secretly fallen in love with. Eventually, Claudin is nearing the end of his tenture and after certain events happen, his life changes drastically and soon becomes a monster. I guess, if you like the opera and just musicals in general, then this is the film for you. The music is great (though to be fair, I have heard better), the acting is top notch and I enjoy the whole premise of it. The idea of a phantom is something that at the time, was never really explored until the release of this film and I liked how it was explored. It may not be the best of Universal's Monsters, but the certainly enough stuff to like here. 9/10
The Creature From the Black Lagoon
And now we come to the last of this set of films as we move from France to the Amazon, back to black and white and the first and only film of this set to be shot in 3D. So an expedition in the Amazon has resulted in the team finding elements of a link between land and sea animals in the form of a skeletal head with webbed fingers. Hoping to find the remainder of this creature, that same team head back to the Amazon where they might find more than just a skeleton. As the film that introduces the monster known as the Gill-Man, I thought this was a nice change of pace for this series in that its in more of a remote area than say a town, village or city like the other films were based in and I liked how the water scenes were done and I enjoy how the film can pose the question "Is there a missing link between land and sea?". 9/10
And there you have it. These monsters made the horror genre and Halloween, what they are today and helped establish what a monster really is. They are all iconic, all made a huge impact on the world and are still loved and cherished to this day. Even Universal themselves wouldn't be here if it wasn't for films like these. 9/10
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment