Like most movies, The Invisible Man travelled a long and winding road to the silver screen, and perhaps longer and more winding than most. As biographer James Curtis put it in his book James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters, “The gestation of The Invisible Man was the lengthiest and most convoluted of all of James Whale’s films. It involved four directors, nine writers, six treatments, and ten separate screenplays—all for a film that emerged very much in harmony with the book on which it was based.” It was first suggested as a possible follow-up to Dracula (1931), perhaps as a vehicle for new star Bela Lugosi, but was dropped in favor of Frankenstein (1931) due to the complicated special effects it would require. After Frankenstein was an even bigger success, both director James Whale and star Boris Karloff were immediately attached to The Invisible Man and several...
- 12/21/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
One of the most unassuming filmmakers of Britain’s early period, Michael Powell entered the golden age of his career with The Edge of the World. Though he had already made over 20 films by 1937, it represented one of his first successfully realized and self-actualized stabs at what would become one of his chief directorial strengths: the ability to film a very specific and localized environment in a manner that emphasizes its otherworldly fantasias and, paradoxically, remains faithful to the area’s ethnographical features.
To watch the film is to bear witness to Powell’s unique alchemy. Throughout, he infuses a weather-battered island community off the coast of Scotland on the verge of abandonment with off-kilter camera angles, dreamily gauzy cinematography, and a becalmed detachment that lets the characters and scenario do the work for him.
Which isn’t to say that Powell occasionally indulges in a few melodramatic flourishes that...
To watch the film is to bear witness to Powell’s unique alchemy. Throughout, he infuses a weather-battered island community off the coast of Scotland on the verge of abandonment with off-kilter camera angles, dreamily gauzy cinematography, and a becalmed detachment that lets the characters and scenario do the work for him.
Which isn’t to say that Powell occasionally indulges in a few melodramatic flourishes that...
- 10/20/2023
- by Eric Henderson
- Slant Magazine
No film of the Hays Code era revels in its own perversity quite like Mad Love (1935). Mad science, body horror, insanity, obsession, executions, gaslighting, sadomasochism—it’s all here and presented with unparalleled excellence of craft. Though it may seem tame compared to pre-Code fare like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Freaks, and Island of Lost Souls (both 1932), it manages to just barely sneak its lurid subject matter by the censors under a layer of dark humor, exceptional cinematography, and a masterful performance by Peter Lorre in his first American film.
After Dracula proved to be a huge success for Universal, other Hollywood studios became eager to get in on the horror game, though many of these studios felt the genre was beneath them. Metro Goldwyn Mayer was considered the most prestigious of the golden-age studios, famous for its big budget musicals, epic spectaculars, and boasting “more stars than there are in the heavens.
After Dracula proved to be a huge success for Universal, other Hollywood studios became eager to get in on the horror game, though many of these studios felt the genre was beneath them. Metro Goldwyn Mayer was considered the most prestigious of the golden-age studios, famous for its big budget musicals, epic spectaculars, and boasting “more stars than there are in the heavens.
- 2/15/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
With the new trailer for Chris McKay's action comedy "Renfield" dropping last week, the legend of Dracula is back and possibly bigger than ever. Nicolas Cage, thankfully, is finally getting around to playing the classic vampire and his performance should go down as one of the most memorable portrayals to date. Cage recently told Variety that he took inspiration from "Malignant" and the J-horror staple "Ringu" to come up with some unique movements for his version of Dracula, and went back to study Bela Lugosi's ageless performance as well. In most people's eyes, Lugosi's appearance in Tod Browning's 1931 film remains the most iconic and most romanticized depiction of all time.
Browning's "Dracula" was the first talking picture to feature Bram Stoker's ghoul, allowing audiences to see a much more elegant representation of the character that Lugosi turned out to be tailor-made for. Lugosi was a stately...
Browning's "Dracula" was the first talking picture to feature Bram Stoker's ghoul, allowing audiences to see a much more elegant representation of the character that Lugosi turned out to be tailor-made for. Lugosi was a stately...
- 1/14/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Following the release of Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, at nearly 45 years of age and having spent twenty years as a professional actor, became an overnight sensation. As the film was still raking in its rewards, Universal signed him to a star contract and immediately began searching for a property for him. As it turned out it took nearly a year, between his outstanding commitments to other studios and Universal’s inability to find a suitable script, for Karloff to appear in his first starring role for the studio. The film was a decidedly different, but no less remarkable, from Frankenstein. Instead of being quickly paced and sensationalistic, The Mummy was deliberately plotted with a slowly unfolding story, but its restrained direction and masterful performances made it a unique entry in Universal’s growing library of horror cinema of the early 1930s.
Writer and journalist Nina Wilcox Putnam was tasked by Universal...
Writer and journalist Nina Wilcox Putnam was tasked by Universal...
- 11/30/2022
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
What a Halloween treat! Karl Freund stopped directing after this classic, which is a shame — it’s German expressionism’s most exciting foray into classic Hollywood horror of the ’30s. Peter Lorre is incredible as Dr. Gogol, making himself as creepy and repulsive as possible while retaining a giddy audience sympathy. It’s Grand Guignol all the way — macabre, funny and irresistible. The screenplay toys with uncomfortable Body Horror and psychological weirdness; Colin Clive must contend with becoming the recipient of murderous hands. Frances Drake is the beauty that drives Dr. Gogol mad, and comedian Edward Brophy is a highlight in a non-comedic scene. “I have conquered science. Why can I not conquer love?!”
Mad Love
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1935 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 (86) min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 19, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy, Sara Haden, Edward Brophy, Henry Kolker, Keye Luke, May Beatty, Billy Gilbert,...
Mad Love
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1935 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 68 (86) min. / Available at Amazon.com / Street Date October 19, 2021 / 21.99
Starring: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy, Sara Haden, Edward Brophy, Henry Kolker, Keye Luke, May Beatty, Billy Gilbert,...
- 10/26/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
Celebrate Nine Decades Of Your Favorite Monsters On 4K For The Very First Time In Collectible Packaging
Available On 4K, Blu-ray™ And Digital On October 5, 2021
From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Synopsis: From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror Collection showcases four of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.
Classic Monster Films Included:
Dracula (90th Anniversary) Frankenstein (90th Anniversary) The Invisible Man The Wolf Man (80th Anniversary)
Hours Of Bonus Content, Including:
The Road to...
Celebrate Nine Decades Of Your Favorite Monsters On 4K For The Very First Time In Collectible Packaging
Available On 4K, Blu-ray™ And Digital On October 5, 2021
From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Synopsis: From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror Collection showcases four of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.
Classic Monster Films Included:
Dracula (90th Anniversary) Frankenstein (90th Anniversary) The Invisible Man The Wolf Man (80th Anniversary)
Hours Of Bonus Content, Including:
The Road to...
- 10/21/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
“The spider spinning his web for the unwary fly… The blood is the life, Mr. Renfield.”
Celebrate Nine Decades Of Your Favorite Monsters On 4K For The Very First Time In Collectible Packaging. Available On 4K, Blu-ray And Digital On October 5th
From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror Collection showcases four of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.
Classic Monster Films Included:
Dracula (90th Anniversary)Frankenstein (90th Anniversary)The Invisible ManThe Wolf Man (80th Anniversary)
Hours Of Bonus Content, Including:...
Celebrate Nine Decades Of Your Favorite Monsters On 4K For The Very First Time In Collectible Packaging. Available On 4K, Blu-ray And Digital On October 5th
From the era of silent movies through present day, Universal Pictures has been regarded as the home of the monsters. Universal Classic Monsters Icons of Horror Collection showcases four of the most iconic monsters in motion picture history including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Wolf Man. Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Claude Rains in the roles that they made famous, these original films set the standard for a new horror genre with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography and groundbreaking special effects.
Classic Monster Films Included:
Dracula (90th Anniversary)Frankenstein (90th Anniversary)The Invisible ManThe Wolf Man (80th Anniversary)
Hours Of Bonus Content, Including:...
- 8/3/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This January, NBCUniversal is offering fans the chance to dive into some of Universal Pictures’ most gruesome classic films ever made on one of the world’s biggest horror YouTube channels, ‘Fear: The Home of Horror.’
Starting January 15th 2021 horror fans will have the opportunity to scare away the January blues and take a step back in time to watch an incredible array of classic re-mastered cult films for Free including Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), The Wolf Man (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Each film will premiere individually and be available to watch for seven days on the Fear: The Home of Horror YouTube channel. Additionally, during each film’s premiere week, fans will have the opportunity to add these films to their digital collection at a discounted price, allowing them to watch whenever they want, for as many times as they want!
Starting January 15th 2021 horror fans will have the opportunity to scare away the January blues and take a step back in time to watch an incredible array of classic re-mastered cult films for Free including Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), The Wolf Man (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Each film will premiere individually and be available to watch for seven days on the Fear: The Home of Horror YouTube channel. Additionally, during each film’s premiere week, fans will have the opportunity to add these films to their digital collection at a discounted price, allowing them to watch whenever they want, for as many times as they want!
- 1/6/2021
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Becky Lea Dec 6, 2019
Will the Sherlock creators' take on Dracula make the Count a monster, gentleman or clown?
Bram Stoker’s Dracula was not an instant hit in 1897 when it was first published, despite positive reviews. But the figure of the vampire himself has since become a cultural figure with a status few others have achieved. Consequently, there have been an enormous amount of stage and screen adaptations of the Dracula novel, or featuring the character throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.
And now, Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have made their own adaptation of Stoker’s novel, starring Claes Bang as the eponymous bloodsucker. It got us wondering what kind of Dracula we might be in for this time. There are far too many iterations of Transylvania’s most famous citizen to produce an exhaustive list, but there are a few broad categories that adaptations...
Will the Sherlock creators' take on Dracula make the Count a monster, gentleman or clown?
Bram Stoker’s Dracula was not an instant hit in 1897 when it was first published, despite positive reviews. But the figure of the vampire himself has since become a cultural figure with a status few others have achieved. Consequently, there have been an enormous amount of stage and screen adaptations of the Dracula novel, or featuring the character throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.
And now, Sherlock creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have made their own adaptation of Stoker’s novel, starring Claes Bang as the eponymous bloodsucker. It got us wondering what kind of Dracula we might be in for this time. There are far too many iterations of Transylvania’s most famous citizen to produce an exhaustive list, but there are a few broad categories that adaptations...
- 12/6/2019
- Den of Geek
It’s a review. No, it’s a rant. Stop, you’re both right. CineSavant’s overt mission is to demonstrate that old movies, especially old Science Fiction movies, are more relevant than ever. There is at present no authorized home video release of this amazing 1952 politico-religious pretzel of a movie. The surprise is that it accurately presages the media hysteria that underpins our present day Info Wars. Fake News comes from the sky, and a major world revolution results — for the better? Will religious fundamentalism rule all? This may be the most radical faith-based picture ever made.
Red Planet Mars
Revival Screening Review
Not on DVD
1952 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 87 min.
Starring: Peter Graves, Andrea King, Herbert Berghof, Walter Sande, Marvin Miller, Willis Bouchey, Morris Ankrum, Orley Lindgren, Bayard Veiller, Vince Barnett, Lewis Martin.
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Film Editor: Francis D. Lyon
Production assistant: Robert H. Justman
Original...
Red Planet Mars
Revival Screening Review
Not on DVD
1952 / B&W / 1:37 Academy / 87 min.
Starring: Peter Graves, Andrea King, Herbert Berghof, Walter Sande, Marvin Miller, Willis Bouchey, Morris Ankrum, Orley Lindgren, Bayard Veiller, Vince Barnett, Lewis Martin.
Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Film Editor: Francis D. Lyon
Production assistant: Robert H. Justman
Original...
- 4/3/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The 2016 blu ray release of the Frankenstein and Wolf Man Legacy Collections was a moment of celebration for movie and monster lovers everywhere, bringing together all the golden age appearances of Frankenstein’s misbegotten creation and Larry Talbot’s hairy alter-ego. Universal Studios treated those dusty creature features to luminous restorations; from Bride of Frankenstein to She Wolf of London, these essential artifacts never looked less than impeccable and, at times, even ravishing. Colin Clive’s frenzied declaration, “It’s Alive!”, never felt more appropriate.
Now Universal has turned their attention to their other legendary franchise players, Dracula, the sharp-dressed but undead ladies’ man and Im-ho-tep, the cursed Egyptian priest who loved not wisely but too well.
Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1931, ’36, ’43, ’44, ’45, ’48 / 449 min. / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date May 16, 2017
Starring: Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. , Boris Karloff, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
Cinematography: Karl Freund,...
Now Universal has turned their attention to their other legendary franchise players, Dracula, the sharp-dressed but undead ladies’ man and Im-ho-tep, the cursed Egyptian priest who loved not wisely but too well.
Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection
Blu-ray
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
1931, ’36, ’43, ’44, ’45, ’48 / 449 min. / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date May 16, 2017
Starring: Actors: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. , Boris Karloff, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
Cinematography: Karl Freund,...
- 5/29/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Originally titled The Man Who Changed His Mind, this nimble and witty British film about a scientist specializing in mind transferals deserves a much bigger audience. Robert Stevenson directs in an energetic style that belies the occasionally stage bound work found in his later studio blockbusters and a premium band of screenwriters, including John Balderston (Bride of Frankenstein) and Sidney Gilliat (The Lady Vanishes) serve up an ingenious script that explores the unexpected pitfalls of mind-swapping. Boris Karloff, happy to be on home turf with such talented colleagues, gives a typically committed and entertainingly ominous performance as the beetle-browed brain swapper. Co-star Anna Lee was the director’s wife at the time.
- 11/23/2015
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Teresa Wright and Matt Damon in 'The Rainmaker' Teresa Wright: From Marlon Brando to Matt Damon (See preceding post: "Teresa Wright vs. Samuel Goldwyn: Nasty Falling Out.") "I'd rather have luck than brains!" Teresa Wright was quoted as saying in the early 1950s. That's understandable, considering her post-Samuel Goldwyn choice of movie roles, some of which may have seemed promising on paper.[1] Wright was Marlon Brando's first Hollywood leading lady, but that didn't help her to bounce back following the very public spat with her former boss. After all, The Men was released before Elia Kazan's film version of A Streetcar Named Desire turned Brando into a major international star. Chances are that good film offers were scarce. After Wright's brief 1950 comeback, for the third time in less than a decade she would be gone from the big screen for more than a year.
- 3/11/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The 1979 version of Dracula with Frank Langella didn't get the names right, but it nailed the cobwebs.
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We love Dracula. Every year at Halloween we go down on The Count in rapturously horrific odes. The most romantic horror icon is based on a historical one, the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler, the son of the dragon who fought the Islamic Turks as they tried to conquer Transylvania and Wallachia. The military genius and source of nationalistic pride for modern-day Romania died in 1476, 200 years before the Declaration of Independence.
But the polar opposite of the warrior count is Frank Langella in the 1979 version of Dracula. Langella was a sex symbol. The first rock star Count Dracula, he was fabulously glam. Like Bela Lugosi, Langella made women swoon during his late '70s run in the Broadway play Dracula. As an easy shortcut, I will reference the...
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We love Dracula. Every year at Halloween we go down on The Count in rapturously horrific odes. The most romantic horror icon is based on a historical one, the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler, the son of the dragon who fought the Islamic Turks as they tried to conquer Transylvania and Wallachia. The military genius and source of nationalistic pride for modern-day Romania died in 1476, 200 years before the Declaration of Independence.
But the polar opposite of the warrior count is Frank Langella in the 1979 version of Dracula. Langella was a sex symbol. The first rock star Count Dracula, he was fabulously glam. Like Bela Lugosi, Langella made women swoon during his late '70s run in the Broadway play Dracula. As an easy shortcut, I will reference the...
- 10/28/2014
- Den of Geek
The 1979 version of Dracula with Frank Langella didn't get the names right, but it nailed the cobwebs.
We love Dracula. Every year at Halloween we go down on The Count in rapturously horrific odes. The most romantic horror icon is based on a historical one, the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler, the son of the dragon who fought the Islamic Turks as they tried to conquer Transylvania and Wallachia. The military genius and source of nationalistic pride for modern-day Romania died in 1476, 200 years before the Declaration of Independence.
But the polar opposite of the warrior count is Frank Langella in the 1979 version of Dracula. Langella was a sex symbol. The first rock star Count Dracula, he was fabulously glam. Like Bela Lugosi, Langella made women swoon during his late '70s run in the Broadway play Dracula. As an easy shortcut, I will reference the versions of the...
We love Dracula. Every year at Halloween we go down on The Count in rapturously horrific odes. The most romantic horror icon is based on a historical one, the real Dracula, Vlad Tepes, Vlad the Impaler, the son of the dragon who fought the Islamic Turks as they tried to conquer Transylvania and Wallachia. The military genius and source of nationalistic pride for modern-day Romania died in 1476, 200 years before the Declaration of Independence.
But the polar opposite of the warrior count is Frank Langella in the 1979 version of Dracula. Langella was a sex symbol. The first rock star Count Dracula, he was fabulously glam. Like Bela Lugosi, Langella made women swoon during his late '70s run in the Broadway play Dracula. As an easy shortcut, I will reference the versions of the...
- 10/28/2014
- Den of Geek
Christopher Reeve Foundation for spinal cord and stem cell research (photo: Darryl Hannah and Christopher Reeve in 'Rear Window') (See previous post: "'Superman' Christopher Reeve and his Movies: Ten-Year Death Anniversary.") In his 1998 autobiography Still Me, Christopher Reeve recalled: "At an especially bleak moment [prior to an operation that might result in his death], the door [of his hospital room] flew open and in hurried a squat fellow with a blue scrub hat and a yellow surgical gown and glasses, speaking in a Russian accent. For the first time since the accident, I laughed. My old friend had helped me know that somehow I was going to be okay." The "old friend" was the recently deceased Robin Williams, whom Reeve had befriended while both were studying at Juillard. Eventually, Reeve became a staunch advocate for spinal cord and stem cell research, sponsoring with his wife the Christopher Reeve Foundation — later renamed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (and formerly known...
- 10/11/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Horror cinema has a long tradition of creating iconic characters and none more so than those borne in the early days of the genre: characters such as Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and, of course, Dracula – the king of horror. A character who, despite his many cinematic deaths, always returns to the silver screen for one more bite of flesh… As he does this week in Dracula Untold, which features Luke Evans as the evil Vlad Tepes.
With that in mind we thought we’d rundown the ten best unforgettable Dracula performances in cinema. Check them out below and let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree!
Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1958) is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films. Directed by Terence Fisher, Dracula (1958) stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh and Michael Gough. Retitled Horror of Dracula...
With that in mind we thought we’d rundown the ten best unforgettable Dracula performances in cinema. Check them out below and let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree!
Christopher Lee – Dracula (1958)
Dracula (1958) is the first in the series of Hammer Horror films. Directed by Terence Fisher, Dracula (1958) stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh and Michael Gough. Retitled Horror of Dracula...
- 10/1/2014
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
For the last week or so, FanGirlTastic has been going "Back to Basics," examining movies from horror's past to discern what relevance they have in the present. So far, we've looked at Dracula and Frankenstein, the first two major films from the golden age of Universal Studios.
These movies not only helped form the foundation of modern horror, they also feature two of the most enduring horror icons. Coincidentally, both of these flicks are also based on novels that are classics of the genre. That The Mummy managed to join Dracula and Frankenstein in that vaunted horror hierarchy is something of a mystery, because The Mummy is easily the weakest film of this diabolical trinity of terror.
When all the sand has cleared, I suppose the staying power of The Mummy is most likely explained by the haunting dual performance of Boris Karloff, who plays Imhotep, a lovelorn ancient Egyptian...
These movies not only helped form the foundation of modern horror, they also feature two of the most enduring horror icons. Coincidentally, both of these flicks are also based on novels that are classics of the genre. That The Mummy managed to join Dracula and Frankenstein in that vaunted horror hierarchy is something of a mystery, because The Mummy is easily the weakest film of this diabolical trinity of terror.
When all the sand has cleared, I suppose the staying power of The Mummy is most likely explained by the haunting dual performance of Boris Karloff, who plays Imhotep, a lovelorn ancient Egyptian...
- 11/2/2010
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
When Universal Studios released Dracula in February 1931, all involved were a bit nervous.
The studio's adaptation of Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston's play, loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel, was a gamble. Was the public ready for a horror movie - and one with sound, no less - intimating that Evil was alive and well in their world? Would people pay to have the moral order of the universe upended as an evening's entertainment? You bet they would!
Just a few months after Dracula killed at the box office, Universal's head of production, Carl Laemmle Jr., convinced his dad, studio head Carl Laemmle, to begin production on another horror flick. The property they chose to film was another play based on a classic of horror literature. Peggy Webling's Frankenstein, a stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was first produced in 1927 and...
The studio's adaptation of Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston's play, loosely based on Bram Stoker's novel, was a gamble. Was the public ready for a horror movie - and one with sound, no less - intimating that Evil was alive and well in their world? Would people pay to have the moral order of the universe upended as an evening's entertainment? You bet they would!
Just a few months after Dracula killed at the box office, Universal's head of production, Carl Laemmle Jr., convinced his dad, studio head Carl Laemmle, to begin production on another horror flick. The property they chose to film was another play based on a classic of horror literature. Peggy Webling's Frankenstein, a stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, was first produced in 1927 and...
- 10/25/2010
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Although Dracula first came to life, if you'll excuse the phrase, in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, it was through the 1931 Universal Studios film that he truly gained immortality. When watched now, it's slightly difficult to see what it is that caused Dracula to become arguably one of the most important movies in history. It's all a bit soapy and stagy - but with good reason. While the film was inspired by a classic piece of horror literature, it was actually based on a play.
Count Dracula has had a somewhat troubled history on film. He first appeared onscreen in 1922, but he went by the name Count Orlock. German director F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was an unauthorized adaptation of Stoker's book that eventually was pulled from distribution due to legal action from Stoker's estate. But when Universal production head Carl Laemmle Jr. decided to film the story,...
Count Dracula has had a somewhat troubled history on film. He first appeared onscreen in 1922, but he went by the name Count Orlock. German director F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was an unauthorized adaptation of Stoker's book that eventually was pulled from distribution due to legal action from Stoker's estate. But when Universal production head Carl Laemmle Jr. decided to film the story,...
- 10/15/2010
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Did you somehow miss this amazing sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man? Who could ever forget The Wolf Man vs. Dracula, the Technicolor square-off between Bela Lugosi’s villainous vampire and Lon Chaney, Jr.’s, hirsute antihero? You don’t remember it? Of course not, because it never existed. But, it almost did!
Welcome to “An Alternate History for Classic Film Monsters,” a wonderful series of previously unpublished screenplays from the Universal Monsters era. Curated by Philip J. Riley (Count Dracula Society Award winner and inductee into the Universal Horror Hall of Fame), this collection of newly dug up scripts offers any devoted monster fan who’s “seen ‘em all” a special opportunity indeed of seeing some classic chiller movies that might have been.
Published in the same style as Riley’s earlier screenplays of the ‘30s thriller greats put out by MagicImage, these BearManor Media volumes include a...
Welcome to “An Alternate History for Classic Film Monsters,” a wonderful series of previously unpublished screenplays from the Universal Monsters era. Curated by Philip J. Riley (Count Dracula Society Award winner and inductee into the Universal Horror Hall of Fame), this collection of newly dug up scripts offers any devoted monster fan who’s “seen ‘em all” a special opportunity indeed of seeing some classic chiller movies that might have been.
Published in the same style as Riley’s earlier screenplays of the ‘30s thriller greats put out by MagicImage, these BearManor Media volumes include a...
- 7/5/2010
- by Movies Unlimited
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
It was on this day, April 22 1935, that the Bride was born…
One of the most iconic images in all of horror cinema, the Bride has haunted our nightmares for 75 years now, an eerily beautiful, hissing figure covered in gauze from head-to-toe, draped in a brilliant but inelegant white shroud, and with flaming white streaks shooting up a jazzed, Nefertiti hairdo.
The Bride’s part in the 1935 Universal classic The Bride of Frankenstein is a small one, but it burns instantly and indelibly into one’s psyche, as the radiant Elsa Lanchester and the immortal Boris Karloff enact the ultimate nightmare version of a blind date.
The Bride of Frankenstein has endured for 75 years, its reputation as one of the great touchstones of early horror movies – and of Hollywood’s Golden Age — only looming larger as the decades tick past. The absolute zenith of the original Universal Horror cycle, Bride effortlessly combines everything: ghoulish chills,...
One of the most iconic images in all of horror cinema, the Bride has haunted our nightmares for 75 years now, an eerily beautiful, hissing figure covered in gauze from head-to-toe, draped in a brilliant but inelegant white shroud, and with flaming white streaks shooting up a jazzed, Nefertiti hairdo.
The Bride’s part in the 1935 Universal classic The Bride of Frankenstein is a small one, but it burns instantly and indelibly into one’s psyche, as the radiant Elsa Lanchester and the immortal Boris Karloff enact the ultimate nightmare version of a blind date.
The Bride of Frankenstein has endured for 75 years, its reputation as one of the great touchstones of early horror movies – and of Hollywood’s Golden Age — only looming larger as the decades tick past. The absolute zenith of the original Universal Horror cycle, Bride effortlessly combines everything: ghoulish chills,...
- 4/23/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo Ace) in association with David Elzer are thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed all-new look at the timeless classic, Dracula, dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, based on Bram Stoker?s novel , and directed by Ken Sawyer (The Woman in Black, Lovelace) is extending again and will now play through Sunday, May 17 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood. Additionally, David Burnham, star of The Light in the Piazza will play Renfield on Friday, May 1 & Saturday, May 2.
- 4/21/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHo Ace) in association with David Elzer are thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed (La Times "Sensational!" La Weekly Pick Of The Week! Backstage Critic's Pick!) all-new look at the timeless classic, Dracula, dramatized by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, based on Bram Stoker's novel , and directed by Ken Sawyer (The Woman in Black, Lovelace) is Now Extending through Sunday, April 26 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.
- 3/13/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Unkillable Classics
By Troy Brownfield
You may recall that I opened the new Unkillable Classics column with a discussion of Frankenstein. It’s almost a given now that installment two should cover the other big Universal release of 1931, that other standard-bearer of the horror genre that’s forever linked to that first film. The film for today is, of course, Dracula.
Like Frankenstein, I discovered this film for myself via the local broadcast outlet that carried the “thriller” package weeks. By that time, there were already plenty of other Dracula associations that I could make from pop culture. I fondly recall an issue of the Super Friends comic from DC (in fact, it was issue #10 from 1978, making me about five upon its release) where the heroes crossed paths with a group of characters that resembled the classic movie monsters. It turned out that these “monsters” were in fact the super...
By Troy Brownfield
You may recall that I opened the new Unkillable Classics column with a discussion of Frankenstein. It’s almost a given now that installment two should cover the other big Universal release of 1931, that other standard-bearer of the horror genre that’s forever linked to that first film. The film for today is, of course, Dracula.
Like Frankenstein, I discovered this film for myself via the local broadcast outlet that carried the “thriller” package weeks. By that time, there were already plenty of other Dracula associations that I could make from pop culture. I fondly recall an issue of the Super Friends comic from DC (in fact, it was issue #10 from 1978, making me about five upon its release) where the heroes crossed paths with a group of characters that resembled the classic movie monsters. It turned out that these “monsters” were in fact the super...
- 11/17/2008
- Fangoria
Tyrone Power, who died 50 years ago at 44, has more of his movies available on DVD than practically any of his peers from Hollywood's Golden Age.
Partly, it's because he worked almost exclusively from 1937 to 1952 for 20th Century Fox, which has already released his classics, including "The Mark of Zorro," "Jesse James," "The Black Swan" and "In Old Chicago."
It's also because Power is more respected today - because of more ambitious roles in darker films like "Nightmare Alley" and "The Razor's Edge" -...
Partly, it's because he worked almost exclusively from 1937 to 1952 for 20th Century Fox, which has already released his classics, including "The Mark of Zorro," "Jesse James," "The Black Swan" and "In Old Chicago."
It's also because Power is more respected today - because of more ambitious roles in darker films like "Nightmare Alley" and "The Razor's Edge" -...
- 7/22/2008
- by By LOU LUMENICK
- NYPost.com
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