1930s – The Titular Terrors

Let’s delve into the cosmos as we step into the 1930s. We’re going to let the images of the universe be our guide. In other words, most of the horror films mentioned in this section were produced by Universal Pictures (See what I did there?).

Fans of old school horror need no explanation when seeing the word “Universal Monsters”. They are the forefathers of Freddy Kruger, Michael Meyers, The Jigsaw Killer and many other monsters of the last several decades. I’m referring to Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Wolfman, The Creature of the Black Lagoon, and perhaps several others. These are the main characters for which the movies are named. Hence, they are the titular terrors of the thirties!

With the success of  Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Phantom of the Opera, all silent films of the 1920. (Sorry, I missed two of the three on my list. Remember, I warned this list is not comprehensive. But of course you remember and accept these terms!), Universal Pictures all but cornered the horror market by the time the 30s came along. If it can be said that the Universal Monsters were born in the 1920s, then I can say they grew up, matured and dominated in the next decade.

Based mostly on works of literature, these monsters are still with us today. I concede some tween would rather watch things from Five Nights at Freddy than some dumb ol’ black and white Dracula or Frankenstein movie. But they still know who they are! Show them a picture of the world’s most fearsome vampire or the monster created in the lab and they will say their names. As for my childhood in the 70s, I had action figures of these monsters. Hell, I had breakfast cereals based on these guys.

There are two films on the list that are not associated with Universal Pictures. Let others have a chance at horror, right?  But for the most part, let’s meet with these Universal Monsters. Most of you have met this bunch already, but let’s reacquaint ourselves with them, shall we?

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Dracula  1931

If reading this after sundown, the proper greeting would be “Good Evening!” I hope you read that in Bela Lugosi’s signature accent. This is how his Dracula would greet you. The best part of this film is the first 30 minutes or so.  We see The Count’s carriage transport the doomed Renfield though the Carpathian woods. Is that a bat at the harnesses?

Count Dracula’s castle is ancient and spooky; dark with spider webs everywhere. When the wolves howl, the Count is quick to comment, “Creatures of the night, What beautiful music they make!”  Down in the crypts, three of Dracula’s brides rise from their coffins.  This film is all the better for being shot in black and white.

Quick point of trivia. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula is probably the most recognizable, and yet he didn’t have fangs! When the king of all vampires bites his victims, viewers see only his lips.

Directed by Tod Browning

 

Frankenstein  1931

This is my faaaaaavorite of the Universal Horror films.  Frankenstein is my faaaaavorite Universal Monster (although he really had no name; Frankenstein is his creator). This is one of my faaaaaavorite horror movies.  Hell, this is one of my favorite movies! 

      All this favoritism on my part is due in no small part to the director James Whale. His sets, his camera angles, his use of shadows, all brilliant. Though not a silent film, Frankenstein was influenced by German expressionism. Whale will appear three more times in my list of 1930s films.

      Then there’s Boris. (That phrase could be a band name).  Boris Karloff that is. Though limited to grunts and groans, he plays  the monster with such subtlety and depth.  A man behind makeup shows viewers the humanity underneath the monster’s skin. Certainly he’s got rage but also tenderness, innocence and, sadly, anguish.

The Mummy  1932

Boris Karloff is back in another Universal film, this time in bandages, wrapped up as a mummy. Surprisingly, he’s only bandaged for a few moments.  It happens in the beginning of the film.There’s a closeup of his face as he stands in his coffin. His eyes slowly open.  The camera pans down to his wrapped torso, his arm falls loose from his bandage. This mummy is indeed alive and we know he’s taking a stroll when we see the trail of bandages being pulled across the floor.   For the rest of the film, he’s in regular clothing, but man oh man is his face still creepy!

Perhaps most are familiar with the mummy staggering across the countryside, one arm wrapped to his chest while the other reaches out. These scenes are from The Mummy sequels. For me, these one or two minutes of the mummy waking up are far more creepy than the later movies with mummies strolling through the woods.

Freaks 1932

This is the second film by Tod Browning on this list, but it is not a Universal film. Much controversy surrounds this film as people with real physical abnormalities were hired as actors to play a troupe of entertainers known as “freaks”.. However, the film presents them respectfully, portraying them as regular people going about with their daily activities.

A seductive trapeze artist connives a little person into marriage, pretending to love him and that size doesn’t matter. He is rich and her goal is to slowly kill him with poison and inherit his money. The little man wises up to her scheme. The family of “freaks” come together to make sure this woman gets a taste of her own medicine.

This film was the inspiration for “Season 4 – Freakshow”  in the horror anthology series American Horror Story.

The invisible Man 1933

When I saw this as a kid, I thought, “Cool. I’m watching The Invisible Man.  The Invisible Man is a monster, and monsters are cool.”

When I saw this as a know-it-all twenty-something, I thought “How cheesy. This film blows.”

When I saw this as a wisened-up forty-something, I thought, “Wow, this is great. Such genius.” (Just let me pretend I achieved wisdom with age, please? Thank you.)

What I didn’t get was that a group of men chasing a seemingly empty pair of pants around in a circle isn’t supposed to represent nail-biting realism, but instead, inanity. In short, it’s funny!

This is another Universal classic by James Whale, who is known to inject humor into horrific situations. This is the most fun movie of all the Universal horror movies, in my humble opinion (wish there was a way to shorten that last phrase!) 

King Kong – 1933

I finally saw this original film in preparation for this list.  It follows the same story we all know and love. That is, for those of us who only saw the modern remakes. I didn’t think they would feature all the other beasts Kong fought on Skull Island. Sure, all the movements of the giant beasts are choppy, but such was the stop-motion animation of the time period. It was innovative for 1933.  This film was a trailblazer.  I would say everyone needs to see it once before they die.

The Bride of Frankenstein 1935

In only a few cases is the sequel better than the original.  The Empire Strikes Back tops Star Wars (later known as Star Wars –  A New Hope), Godfather 2 beats Godfather and The Bride of Frankenstein outshines Frankenstein. This of course is all popular opinion. Yeah I stray from popular opinion quite a bit. Sure, The Empire Strikes Back is better than its predecessor, but I like the first Godfather better than the second. And sorry folks, I like Frankenstein better than his bride.

This is the first of Universal’s sequel films, I do believe. Though I favor the first film, I love this movie. James Whale is at the helm again, and his humor is a little over the top for me. The scene with the tiny little king and queen singing inside jars. Yeah I could do without that. But this film is closer to the original work of Mary Shelley. It is more touching than horrific, if you ask me. Boris once again does a superb job playing the monster. He delivers catchy lines. That’s right folks, The Monster learns to speak! 

Elsa Lancaster’s image as The Monster’s bride is iconic. It’s interesting that there’s only a few minutes of footage of her in the monster get-up. (Elsa has more screen time portraying Mary Shelley in the movie’s intro.)

Under The Radar 

 

The Old Dark House – 1932

James Whale and Boris Karloff team up again in this Universal film about a group of people who take shelter in “an old dark house” on a stormy night. Sounds cliche, right? Well this house has quite the ensemble of eccentric characters. Boris plays an insane, mute butler who tends to go on violent rampages when drunk. There’s also a crazy pyromanic who is kept under lock and key. A strange old man is bed-ridden, and it’s an uncanny visual to see that he’s played by a woman. In the meantime, when there’s no mischief going on, the family members keep pushing potatoes on their guests! Oh, and there are crazy silhouettes on the wall in one scene. Gotta love those silhouettes!

This is billed as a Comedy/Horror. Noteworthy stars include Melvyn Douglas, Gloria Stuart and Charles Laughton.

This film might not be for everyone. It was lost for several years. A friend of mine commented “It should have stayed lost”. I disagree. I describe the tone as “Uncanny for uncanny’s sake.”