Day 7: The Wolf Man

7. The Wolf Man (1941)
Dir: George Waggner
Cast: Lon Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Maria Ouspenskaya, Bela Lugosi

Skipping ahead to 1941 I'd like to acknowledge a few other horror films of the 30s and 40s.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Black Cat (1934))
Werewolf of London (1935)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)

On to the subject of today's spooktacular post we have The Wolf Man another fine entry into the prestigious collection of Universal Monster movies. Starring the son of Legendary Horror star Lon Chaney, Creighton Chaney better known in his film career as Lon Chaney Jr. made his mark in film history as the doomed Lawrence Talbot who after being bitten by a werewolf became the victim of quite a monstrous curse. Also starring four time oscar nominee Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe and even an appearance by Bela Lugosi as a cursed gypsy appropriately named "Bela" The Wolf Man is not only one of Universal's most entertaining creature features but probably one of the finest werewolf movies ever made.

Just coming off of the success of his acclaimed role as Lenny in the Oscar nominated 1939 picture Of Mice and Men Lon Chaney Jr. had already become popular with audiences for his goofy kind of innocence but it wasn't until this flick that he forever became a horror movie legend. Now with that said this probably isn't the darkest piece of horror. As a matter of the character of Lawrence Talbot is more of comedic relief than anything with his endless worrying and fretting while Claude Rains is a nice touch of class.


The story here is a classic monster movie set up. Lawrence returning to his home country, hearing of an evil gypsy curse and then becoming the unfortunate victim of the dreaded curse. The atmosphere is a vintage horror feeling and Jack Pierce's makeup is excellent as usual.

Though as big a hit this was for Lon, it was also somewhat of his curse. Becoming typecast in the Wolf Man role, Lon would finish off the 40s constantly playing the role. He enjoyed some minor success in the 50s with supporting roles in a handful of notable pictures such as; High Noon (1952), Not as a Stranger (1955) and The Defiant Ones (1958) but would afterwards fall back into a collection of some less than stellar low budget productions. But that never hurt his horror movie icon status including; merchandise and even his image on a set of U.S. stamps in the 2003 Universal Monsters set, now that's an honor.

P.S. A remakes due out in April 2009 with Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins I saw a bootleg clip online and man it looks pretty cool, could it surpass the original? Hmmm, well only time can tell, see ya during the next full moon.

Fright Fact: Originally created as vehicle for Boris Karloff until Lon Chaney Jr was offered the part.

Horror Highlight: John Talbot Vs. The Wolf Man

Day 6: Bride of Frankenstein

6. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Dir: James Whale
Cast: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger Elsa Lanchester

I was really stuck here in what I'd post for today, I originally wanted to review The Mummy (1932) but failed to see it in time, then I considered James Whales' The Invisible Man (1933) until I figure "Hey what about Bride of Frankenstein (1935) now that's a great horror movie", so let's dig in.

Set right after it's predecessor Bride continues with the misadventures of the eccentric Henry Frankenstein joined by his former mentor Doctor Pretorius in an attempt to create their elusive monster a mate. We follow the monster's travels through the heartland of the country saving a young shepherdess, encountering scared and angry villagers and one particularly memorable scene between the monster and a blind hermit who teaches the monster speak words such as "good" and "friend".

Now I'll admit there are some rather strange segments such as Dr. Pretorius' miniature people creation, but it easily slides when it comes to such proficient monster moviemaking. The cast here is pretty strong, especially Boris who went from being an unknown in the first film, to the star of the second. Jack Pierce once again does a bang up job on makeup and with the creation of the Bride's look creates another iconic look for a Universal monster.



It's quite a pleasure to see even more of everyone's favorite classic monster and interesting to see how James Whale takes the first stories already complex themes to another level. Plus you know you've made a fine addition when fans are evenly split on which one film they find superior, I'll always be a bigger fan of the first film but this is one hell of a followup.

Fright Fact: 5'4" Elsa Lanchester was placed on stilts that made her 7' tall for her role as the Bride. While the bandages she wore were wrapped so tightly that she was unable to move and had to be carried around the studio.

Horror Highlight: had trouble finding a full scene, so here's the blind man scene.

Day 5: Frankenstein

5. Frankenstein (1931)
Dir: James Whale
Cast: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff

"It's Alive, IT'S ALIVE!" a line that always sends shivers down my spine when shouted by the manic Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Not only a flawless piece of horror/science fiction but an early masterpiece in the dawn of talkies. Combine the theatrical direction of James Whale, with a talented cast, outstanding Universal sets and one of the most inventive novels of the 19th century and you have the stuff that dreams are made of. A stunning piece of science gone wrong and one of the most iconic portrayals of man playing god in any art-form.

Considered a terrifying film at the time of it's premier back in November of 1933, it's amazing that a film made 75 years ago can still leave an impact with film fans today. With memorable scene after memorable scene, including the memorable creation sequence and my personal favorite "flower scene". Frankenstein was not only a Hollywood hit but somewhat of a star-making role for then 40 something actor Boris Karloff who would go on to star in such notable films as; The Mummy (1932), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Invisible Ray (1936) and The Black Cat (1934) (Both with Bela Lugosi), Tower of London (1939) and the star of Peter Bogdanovich's fist film, the cult classic piece Targets (1968). There's just not enough words to describe the magic of Boris' screen presence or this film's many accomplishments.



I'm gonna keep this one brief and just tell you that this vintage piece of horror still holds up and I highly recommend you see it if you haven't.

Fright Fact: There's a whole bunch of interesting facts regarding this horror classic, but some of my favorites have to do with the creation of the monster, particularily Jack Pierce's fantastic makeup work.

- The monster was never described in the novel as having bolts in his neck or a flat top, this was purely Pierce's creation.
- The actual color of the monster's makeup was yellow, not green
- Boris Karloff offered to take out some of his bridge work to give the monster's mouth a sunken in look.
- The back brace Karloff wore as the monster gave him permanent back problems
- Thought to be very tall, Karloff actually wore large shoes for him to appear taller, in actuality he was 5'11ft.
- Would go on to wear the makeup three more times in; The Bride of Frankenstein (1935 and Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Horror Highlight: That freaky flower scene, it's only about the first minute of the clip so I don't expect anyone to watch the whole thing.

Day 4: Dracula

4. Dracula (1931)
Dir: Tod Browning
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan

With charm, a subtle intensity and that classic Romanian accent, there was really only one true Dracula and that my friend was the iconic Bela Lugosi. Directed and co-written by horror veteran Tod Browning and co-starring Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan. 1931 brought on a new age of Universal monsters and probably the best and most memorable portrayal of the Count Dracula character.

Following the classic story, Dracula here is quite different from Murnau's Count previous portrayal. Bela Lugosi, who had a few years before been playing Dracula live on stage, basically writes the book in this film regarding what it means to be the Count. I mean when you see a Dracula impression today or even any time after the film was released, it's basically what Bela essentially did in this subtle classic. With a hypnotic look and strong screen presence, he brought this film to life.



Though as iconic and influential this film may be, I do feel I have to level with you regarding my personal opinion. Now there's a lot here I appreciate; the performances, the beautiful sets and the mood but even for a 70 something minute movie, this is a little slow and can tend to even be boring. So perhaps it hasn't held up as well over the years regarding entertainment value but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed on some level. I'd say this is worth a gander for horror fans, unless your opposed to watching old stuff. Sure it may require some patience but I think most can respect what this film accomplished. I mean if anything this is simply worth seeing for Bela, he's really one of the unsung legends of the Golden Age of Hollywood.... Just don't get the version with Philip Glass music, dear god that's annoying.

Fright Fact: The role of Dracula was originally meant for Tod Browning regular/horror legend Lon Chaney who unfortunately died of lung cancer in 1930 at the age of 47.
Horror Highlight: Renfield meets Dracula

Day 3: The Phantom of the Opera

3. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Dir: Rupert Julian, Edward Sedgwick (supplemental), Lon Chaney (Rumoredl)
Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry

I just couldn't make a horror movie retrospective without mention of the greatest horror star of the silent era, thus I give you The Phantom of the Opera starring "The Man of a Thousand Faces" Lon Chaney Sr. I'll admit it's been ages since I've seen this and it'll be tough giving you a thorough review but here I go again.

Based off Gaston Leroux's 1909 novel "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" This was one of the early Universal classic that immediately cemented "The Phantom " also known as "Erik" as one of the early great movie monsters, that is until that douche Andrew Lloyd Webber tarnished the name with that terrible musical "The Phantom of the Opera is dead, inside my mind!".... What the hell is that?

A Dark mystery tale wrapped around a bittersweet love story, Phantom is a surprisingly complex film told and revealed in quite a classy and elaborate fashion. The sets are elegant and with plenty of odd and unique characters to inhabit it, a well layered piece I must say.



But seriously how can you talk about his movie without giving the deserved acclaim to it's lead. Lon Chaney had an amazing presence on camera and was definitely one of the finest performers of the time. He's terrifying yet captivating as Erik and easily the most memorable aspect of the film. It's just too bad that he died before the rise of talkies, he only managed to appear in one in 1930's The Unholy Three dying from throat cancer two months after the release. I think he would of made the transition quite well.. Too bad he didn't get see his son follow in his footsteps as well, but we'll talk about that in a future post.

Well anyways this an impressive production and with plenty of different versions floating around out there including a colorized version, there's a whole variety of versions worth your viewing pleasure.

Fright Fact: Lots of good ones for this flick, such as the supposed haunting of the film's infamous sound-stage by it's deceased star. Also did you know Chaney, who always did his own makeup, achieved the Phantom's bizarre nose by putting fish hooks in his nostrils? Now that's dedication...

Horror Highlight: Obviously this would be the Phantom's unmasking.

Day 2: Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

2. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922)
Dir: F.W. Murnau
Cast: Max Schrek, Gustav con Wangenheim, Greta Schroder

Directed by one of the greatest filmmakers of the silent era, today's entry is none other than the German film "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" directed by F.W. Murnau and released in 1922.

In what originally began as an attempt to make a film based upon Bram Stoker's Dracula, German film studio the "Film Arts Guild" couldn't actually obtain the rights to the story and instead would make an unauthorized adaptation that just happened to become one of the greatest vampire movies of all time.

So we basically have the classic Dracula story here with a few tweaks. We have the set up with a real estate employee hired to finalize the sale of a house in the Carpathian Mountains who then goes to meet the owner which is our central vampire character. Though instead of a suave character we get a bald and rat like being named "Count Orlok" played excellently by the very creepy Max Schrek... Why there's even some urban legends that claim Schrek was a real vampire which is basically the subject matter of the 2000 film Shadow of the Vampire which didn't do much for me. Anyways the story unfolds much in the same way as Stoker's novel, with the vampire's arrival in another country stalking and feeding upon citizen's until his eventual demise.



I think it's worth mentioning that the lighting plays a major role in this piece often to portray Orlok's boney silhouette ascending on his victims. I'd also give praise to the iconic makeup of Count Orlok who is easily one of the scariest looking characters in this vast genre. Nosferatu is an interesting subject for any student of film, or basically any horror fan. (The 1979 remake is pretty good too, directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski) If you ever feel like giving this one shot it's in the public domain so you could simply watch it on the web and without feeling guilty. It's still got some eerie entertainment value and a whole lot in the style department

Fright Fact: Claims to have created the concept that Vampires can be killed or harmed by sunlight... Though that ship scene looks mighty bright to me hmm...

Horror Highlight: Orlok aboard the ship

Day 1: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Dir: Robert Wiene
Cast: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher

Starting things off we go to where feature length horror films were arguably first conceived, the heartland of Germany. Rising out of the "German Expressionism" era of the 1910s, a new genre would be born and forever become a staple of cinema. I begin my Horror film countdown with one of the most influential pieces of the silent era, Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari a German film released in 1920.

Detailing the story of a series of murders committed by a deranged Doctor (Werner Krauss), along with his faithful somnambulist (sleepwalker) servant Cesare (Played by a young Conrad Veidt) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is unique not only for it's early use of a "frame story", that meaning that it's presented in flashbacks from a central character, but as well for it's legendary gothic presentation and unsettling atmosphere. Sets are twisted, deformed, and abstracted giving the viewer a cold and isolated feeling while the story presented in both a very brooding and dark manner, a special framework that would influence horror filmmakers for years to come.



What I love about Dr. Caligari is how much it stands out from other films of that era or even today. It truly is a surreal looking picture and a beautiful piece of art. Though you can't count out the great story that unfolds in this dreamlike picture. A suspenseful story of murder and mystery with plenty of great twists and turns, they certainly broke the mold when they made this.

Fright Fact: Legendary for it's complex and abstract look, most of the sets were actually just made out of paper with shadows simply painted on.

Horror Highlight: I wanted to include Youtube clips for my favorite scenes from each movie. It was kind of tough finding a scene from Caligari that didn't have somebody's personal lame music playing over it, so i just settled for any clip. Here's a scene where Caligari reveals Cesare, not much to it, just Conrad Veidt acting all creepy.