September 28, 2023
The Universal Classic Monster movies — many of which are now streamingon Peaco*ck, just in time for Halloween — haunted cinemas for a quarter-century, beginning withDraculain 1931 and ending withThe Creature Walks Among Usin 1956. With the exception of the late-comingCreature From the Black Lagoon, who made his debut in the ‘50s, the heyday of the era was the ‘30s and ‘40s. This is when movies likeDracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, and many sequels came out.
All of those monsters have become pop-culture icons. Even the ones that originated in books likeDraculaandFrankenstein’s Monsterbecame as ubiquitous as they are in large part because of the Universal films. They’re Halloween staples, riffed on in films likeMonster Squadand featured in several remakes, including 2020’sThe Invisible Manand two 2023 takes onDracula:RenfieldandThe Last Voyage of the Demeter.
They are also a tour through filmmaking history. Many younger movie-watchers sometimes bounce off of older movies. The style of acting was different, unfamiliar, and the general pace was much slower. This is all true of theUniversal Classic Monstersmovies, but they also have, well, monsters in them, which makes them an easier viewing experience than a non-genre movie of the era might be.
Draculamight not be scary in the sense that modern horror movies might make you jolt back in shock or have trouble sleeping due to nightmares, but there’s a palpable sense of dread.Bela Lugosi’s hypnotic eyes are haunting. The sequence inFrankensteinwhen the Monster unwittingly hurls a little girl to her drowning death is deeply upsetting. The manic laughter of the man driven insane by the sight of Imhotep inThe Mummyis unsettling. The tragedy of the Wolf Man’s fate is saddening. Pure “scares” are just one aspect of horror, and the Universal Classic Monsters have plenty of emotion and artistry to offer, to say nothing of their foundational importance to the genre.
The Universal Classic Monsters weren’t just groundbreaking for thehorrorgenre. There’s a case to be made that Frankenstein and Co. were the original cinematic universe. Some 65 years before Nick Fury walked out of the shadows to tell Iron Man about the “Avengers Initiative,” Frankenstein was meeting the Wolf Man in the 1943 film titled, what else,Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.The various monster sub-franchises had their own continuity, of a sort, and it’s fun to see what would become such a staple of modern filmmaking emerge in these old films. Towards the end of the run, the Universal Classic Monsters also started playing with other genres, beginning in 1948 withAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which had Bud Abbott and Lou Costello — at the time the highest-paid and most popular comedy duo in the world — face off against Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, and the Wolf Man.
So, as the spooky season begins, consider watching some of the Universal Classic Monster movies. To quote Dracula, “I bid you… welcome.”
The Creature Walks Among Us(1956),Werewolf of London(1935),Frankenstein(1931),Bride of Frankenstein(1939),Son of Frankenstein(1939),Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman(1943),The Invisible Man Returns(1940),The Invisible Man's Revenge(1944),The Invisible Woman(1940),The Mummy's Hand(1940),The Mummy's Tomb(1942),The Mummy's Curse(1944),The Mummy's Ghost(1944),andThe Raven(1935)are allstreaming on Peaco*ck, as are many remakes of Universal Classic Monster movies, including the 1999 and 2017 takes onThe Mummyand this year’sRenfield.
