Days O’Horror #24: Invisible Agent (1942)

“People Who Live In Transparent Bodies Shouldn’t Be So Suspicious”

With the attack on Pearl Harbor less than a year earlier, 1942’s Invisible Agent provided some much needed patriotic propaganda for the United States. Like the film The Invisible Woman (1940) before it, Invisible Agent abandons the horror elements of most of Universal’s Monster films and takes the Invisible series in a different direction. While The Invisible Woman was basically a science fiction comedy, Agent was an espionage film with a little comedy tossed in for good measure.

In the film, German and Japanese agents attempt to acquire the invisibility formula created by Dr. Jack Griffin, the first Invisible Man, from his grandson, Frank Raymond (John Hall), who works in a print shop. When their attempt to buy the formula fails, they try to force Raymond to give it to them. Raymond escapes and makes a deal with the United States and the Allied Powers to help them battle the Axis Powers, but only if he is the only person allowed to use the formula.

Raymond soon finds himself in Germany working with trusted spies against the Nazis. His mission is to find a list of Axis spies working in the United States. Assisting him are Arnold Schmidt (Albert Basserman), an Allied sympathizer who makes coffins in a small German town, and Maria Sorenson (Ilona Massey), an agent that is deep within the S.S. fold.

While at Sorenson’s home, Raymond eavesdrops on a conversation between her and Gestapo Standartenfuhrer Karl Heiser (J. Edward Bromberg), the jealous second-in-command of Gestapo Gruppenfuhrer Conrad Stauffer. Heiser wants to take over Stauffer’s command and he is also interested in Sorenson. There’s a hilarious sequence involving Raymond and Heiser at a dinner table that ends in Raymond damaging Sorenson’s plans to gain information from Heiser.

Eventually a trap is set for Raymond by Stauffer, who fails to capture him and also manages to lose the list of Axis spies. The uneasy peace between the Gestapo and Japanese agents in the area falls apart, and things go sideways quickly.

As more events unfold, Raymond begins to doubt where Sorenson’s loyalties lie. He reluctantly brings her with him in order to escape to England. The Japanese forces, led by the sinister Baron Ikito (Peter Lorre), and Stauffer’s forces (now led by Heiser, watch the film to see how he takes control) attempt to stop Raymond and Sorenson from escaping. Not only does the pair of spies have the Axis agent list, they also have information about a Nazi strike against New York City. Do they escape Germany? Are Raymond’s doubts about Sorenson true? Watch Invisible Agent to find out!

This is actually a very good film. Raymond’s invisibility is played up for humor a little bit too much at times, but audiences are quickly jarred out of the funny moments by some rather serious and deadly sequences. The movie portrays Nazis as idiots and they draw a lot of laughs from viewers, especially Heiser, but viewers are quickly reminded of just how sinister the Nazis really were during WWII. It’s the grounded moments in this film that make it not only a unique Universal Monsters film, but a solid espionage movie as well.

Many members of the cast have appeared in other Universal Monster films. Massey, Bromberg, Hall, Hardwicke, and Holmes Herbert, who portrayed Sir Alfred Spencer in the film, all had roles in at least one other Universal Monster film. Peter Lorre probably had the most prolific career of the entire cast, having appeared in multiple popular films including M (1931), Casablanca (1942), and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954). He was also the star of seven Mr. Moto films released between 1937 and 1939. I highly recommend checking out Lorre’s work, even films in which he had smaller roles. The man was brilliant.

Also of note is a brief appearance by Key Luke as a Japanese surgeon. You might remember him from the Green Hornet serial from the 1940’s or the 1970’s series Kung Fu. Younger folks like myself probably known him best as Mr. Wing from the Gremlins films.

Check out Invisible Agent. It’s a really good film with a decent mixture of humor, action, suspense, and drama.

Thanks for reading. More horror will be headed your way tomorrow!

Days O’Horror #23: The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

“He cannot be destroyed”

1942 saw Lon Chaney, Jr. hook up to the bolts as Frankenstein’s Monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein. The film also starred Bela Lugosi as Ygor, Cedric Hardwicke as Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, Lionel Atwill as Dr. Bohmer, and Evelyn Ankers as Elsa Frankenstein.

The film begins with a good ol’ Universal angry mob burning down Castle Frankenstein and Ygor and the monster escaping to Visaria in the hopes of finding Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, the second son of Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Ygor has plans to rebuild the monster’s strength and make it whole again.

As soon as the pair arrive in Visaria, however, a series of misunderstandings leads to the creature murdering two villagers while trying to help a young girl, Cloestine (Janet Ann Gallow). The monster is arrested and put on trial, but Ygor tracks down Ludwig and tells him to help the monster. Ludwig refuses at first, but Ygor threatens to reveal Ludwig’s family secret if he doesn’t help the creature.

Ludwig appears before the court and denies that he recognizes the creature. This sends the creature into a fit of rage and it escapes with Ygor. The duo end up at Ludwig’s home and attack his daughter, Elsa, who has just found her father’s secret family records and Ludwig’s assistant, Dr. Kettering (Barton Yarborough). Kettering is murdered, but Elsa is saved by her father. Ludwig is then visited by his father’s ghost and he is convinced that he will replace the monster’s existing brain with Dr. Kettering’s brain. Ygor demands that his brain be used instead, but Ludwig refuses.

When the police arrive to investigate the missing Dr. Kettering’s whereabouts, Ygor and the creature escape from the lower levels of Ludwig’s laboratory. The monster kidnaps Cloestine, brings her back to Ludwig, and demands that he use the little girls brain instead of Kettering’s. Ygor has plans of his own, using Dr. Bohmer’s jealousy of Ludwig to convince him to swap Kettering’s brain with Ygor’s.

Elsa convinces the monster to let Cloestine go and Ludwig and Bohmer replace the monster’s brain with Kettering’s. Bohmer, however, swapped the brain for Ygor’s and whenever the monster awakens, Ludwig is horrified.

A battle ensues and the monster murders Bohmer and sets the laboratory on fire. The monster goes blind due to the fact, according to Ludwig, that its blood type does not match Ygor’s. A mob shows up in order to save Cloestine and the monster gets even angrier. He knocks over equipment and other items, spreading the fire.. Elsa manages to escape with her suitor, Erik (Ralph Bellamy), while the others apparently die in the fire.

I really liked this film. It doesn’t have a very good reputation as a whole and is often considered the first of a series of cheaper, less inspired films. Evelyn Ankers teams up with Lon Chaney, Jr. once again, as did Ralph Bellamy. Both appeared with Chaney in The Wolf Man (1941). Other actors in this film had appeared in other Universal Monster films as well, most notably Lionel Atwill, who portrayed Inspector Krogh in the previous sequel, Son of Frankenstein (1939). Barton Yarborough would go on to appear in the highly popular Dragnet television series until his untimely death at the age of fifty-one.

This definitely is not the best Frankenstein film, but it’s still pretty good. I enjoyed the overall story, the music, and even the less-than-stellar special effects. The cast did a good job and at just over an hour long, it’s a nice little flick to check out when it’s raining outside.

Thanks for reading and I apologize for the late hour. Work completely derailed my plans today. Tomorrow will bring another chapter in my Thirty-One Days O’Horror saga!

Days O’Horror #22: The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)

Kharis dusts off his wraps once again!

Lon Chaney, Jr. goes under the wraps for a second time in 1944’s The Mummy’s Ghost. A sequel to The Mummy’s Tomb (1942) and The Mummy’s Hand (1940), Ghost finds Chaney’s Kharis back on the hunt for tana leaves and the love of his life, Ananka.

In the film, students are being taught about Kharis, his murder of most of the Banning family, and his supposed death in a fire at the Banning home in Mapleton, MA by Professor Norman (Frank Reicher, reprising his role from the previous film). In Egypt, the thought-to-be-dead Andoheb (George Zucco, returning for a third time) has given his newest replacement, Yousef Bey (John Carradine), the duty of bringing Kharis and Ananka back to their final resting place.

One of Professor Norman’s students, Tom Hervey (Robert Lowery), happens to be dating a beautiful Egyptian student named Amina (Ramsay Ames), who drifts into daydreams whenever someone mentions Egypt around her. That evening, she becomes entranced and follows Kharis to Professor Norman’s home where he has unwittingly revived the mummy by brewing tana leaves.

Kharis murders the professor and Amina faints when she sees him leaving the Norman home. She is then found by the police and becomes the prime suspect in Professor Norman’s murder. Soon enough, Yousef Bey arrives in town and calls on Kharis to help him locate Ananka. When they find her tomb, however, they discover that her soul has been transferred into a new body. That body belongs to Amina!

Kharis kidnaps Amina and brings her to Yousef Bey. When Bey sees her, he becomes enamored with her and plans to give her eternal life and share an immortal love with her (just like Mehemet Bey and Andoheb in the prior films). Enraged, Kharis kills Yousef Bey and heads out on his own with a rapidly aging Amina in his arms.

As with most Universal horror films, a mob shows up just in time to witness Kharis kick poor Tom Hervey’s rear and then make a break for the nearby swamp. The mob, along with a recovering Tom, give chase to Kharis. As Kharis moves deeper and deeper into the swamp, it becomes more difficult for the mob to follow. Only Tom, Sheriff Elwood (Harry Shannon), and a few others are able to keep up with him.

When they finally do catch up to Kharis, he is sinking into the swamp water with Amina in his arms. She has aged dramatically and no longer looks like the beautiful young woman that she once was. The duo go beneath the water and Tom breaks down and cries.

The film is one of the lowest rated Universal Horror films according to a number of review websites. I’m not exactly sure why that is, though, as this film is pretty decent in my book. It definitely isn’t a great film, but it is enjoyable to watch. The actors all do very good jobs in their roles and the special effects are decent as well. The music is solid and the story, albeit brief, held my attention throughout.

Ramsay Ames has the honor of being one of the few female leads in a Universal Horror film that doesn’t survive. The other ladies that didn’t make it out of the film alive include Zaleska (Gloria Holden, Dracula’s Daughter), Aunt Martha (Sara Haden, She-Wolf of London), Sandra Mornay (Leonore Aubert, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein), and possibly the Bride (Elsa Lanchester, Bride of Frankenstein). I say possibly for the Bride because A) we never find out of she survived the fire like Frankenstein’s monster did and B) one could argue that she isn’t a lead actress because she has so little on screen time. Also, Ames’ Amina is technically a good person and not a villain like the others since Ananka transfers her soul into Amina’s body. One thing is for sure, however, and that is the fact that in my book, Ramsay Ames is definitely one of the most beautiful actresses to appear in a Universal Horror film.

Well, that’s all I have for now. Thank you for reading my post. I have plans to do a double feature this weekend and a brief review of the board game Horrified, based on Universal’s classic monsters. I also hope to blog about a few collectibles featuring the monsters as well.

See you all again real soon!

Days O’Horror #21: The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

Who Is The Real Monster?

Despite addressing a number of serious issues, 1956’s The Creature Walks Among Us falls short of being an excellent film. Considered to be the final core entry in Universal’s Classic Monsters line, the movie features a more than capable cast, but ultimately fails to impress.

The film’s plot seems pretty simple on the surface: A mad scientist heads into the Florida Everglades to capture the Creature in order to study it and, possibly, make it a better, more human-like being. The Creature is captured but is severely burned during the battle, damaging its gills beyond repair. Luckily for the Creature, it is revealed to have a more human-like layer of flesh beneath the scales and the mad scientist manages to save the Creature by opening up its human lungs a bit. Then the Creature is unleashed on the scientist’s compound in California and chaos ensues.

Seems pretty standard, right? Well, there are a few underlying stories thrown into the mix that address everything from jealousy and paranoia to rape, failing marriages, and whether or not humans are more of a monster than the Creature. As important as some of these topics are (and a tad scandalous and/or taboo in the 1950’s), the film never really does more with them than toss them into the mix in order to get Gill-Man angry.

The film stars Jeff Morrow as the jealous Dr. William Barton. He’s the mad scientist that I mentioned earlier. He’s a distant but overly protective husband to Marcia Barton (Leigh Snowden), a lovely and adventurous woman who draws unwanted and excessively aggressive attention from Jed Grant (Gregg Palmer). William believes that Jed is just the latest in a long line of men that Marcia has been having affairs with behind his back.

Along for the ride are Rex Reason as Dr. Thomas Morgan, Maurice Manson as Dr. Borg, and James Rawley as Dr. Johnson. This trio assists Dr. Barton in saving Gill-Man from death, but they aren’t too sure about Barton’s behavior after the surgery proves to be successful. They believe that the Creature is actually becoming more docile and that it only displays violent behavior when it is provoked whereas Barton thinks that the monster is regressing to a more animalistic nature.

The other doctors are right, of course, but a series of events ends up leaving the Creature as the prime suspect in the death of Jed Grant. Initially the Creature does attack Grant, but only in order to prevent him from raping Marcia. Later on, Dr. Barton murders Grant in a fit of rage and frames Gill-Man for the crime.

This results in a final confrontation with Dr. Barton and the Creature making a run for the ocean. He ultimately just wants to be alone, but those meddling humans keep attempting to make him a better…..person.

The film never really finds its footing and the potential for a great story dies with rushed conclusions, a weird evolution issue, and disjointed writing. I wanted the Creature to escape and I actually felt sorry for him. I quickly figured out that it is the humans that are the actual monsters in this film (which is the blatant and obvious point of the movie overall) and poor Gill just wants to go home.

I don’t understand how the otherwise slender Gill-Man (portrayed in a few brief underwater sequences by Ricou Browning once again) is severely burned and then evolves into this thicker and bulkier land version of himself (portrayed by Don Megowan). Did he drink a protein shake and hit the gym after he left the water?

I also don’t see the point of bringing Grant back to California with the rest of the gang, especially since Dr. Barton didn’t trust him around his wife. Why didn’t they just leave him in Florida to hunt gators or something? Nope, instead they had him hang out at the Barton compound and watch the Creature recover from his wounds AND made sure that Marcia was left alone in order to give Jed an opportunity to rape her.

This movie could have been something special. It wanted to make the audience look at itself and failed to do so by opting for a monster fight at the end instead of getting a tad more philosophical. It was a missed opportunity for Universal, who would follow up this film with a string of less-than-memorable horror flicks like The Mole People (1956) and The Leech Woman (1960) to close out Universal’s successful run of classic horror films.

I wanted to like this film. I hoped that it would end Universal’s legacy of horror on a high note, but instead it just sort of sits there, enjoyable enough but ultimately all wet. Watch it if you want to close out the Creature movie trilogy, but don’t expect too much from it.

Thanks for reading. I’ve got eleven movies left to review (I’m doing a double feature on Saturday) and you don’t want to miss it!

Days O’Horror #20: Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

“I saw what I saw when I saw it!”

1948’s Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein would be the final time that Universal’s biggest classic horror icons would share the screen. It would also be the first of a number of Abbott And Costello Meet… films.

The film’s plot involves Dracula (Bela Lugosi) arriving in Florida to join forces with Dr. Mornay (Lenore Aubert) to replace the brain residing in Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange) in order to make him both stronger and more obedient and thus, a better servant for Dracula. The brain that Mornay has chosen resides in the simple head of Wilbur (Lou Costello), who believes that she is in love with him.

Hoping to intercept both Dracula and the monster, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) frantically calls the train station where crates that contain Dracula and the monster’s bodies are being shipped. He wants to prevent them from being opened so that Dracula can’t build a bigger, better monster. Before he can reason with Wilbur, though, he transforms into the Wolf Man and Wilbur hangs up. He believes that Talbot has placed his dog on the phone.

Wilbur and his partner, Chick (Bud Abbott), deliver the crates to McDougal’s House of Horrors. While opening the crates, Wilbur witnesses both Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster revive. Chick doesn’t believe him and whenever McDougal (Frank Ferguson) arrives and finds both crates empty, he has Chick and Wilbur arrested for theft.

The duo are later bailed out of jail by a mysterious woman named Joan (Jane Randolph) who claims that she is also in love with Wilbur. Eventually Chick, Wilbur, Joan, and Dr. Mornay attend a masquerade ball where Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Mr. McDougal all show up. A series of chases and confrontations occur and things eventually come to a head at Dr. Mornay’s laboratory.

Wilbur is captured and then is freed by Chick. Dr. Mornay’s clueless but well-meaning assistant, Professor Stevens (Charles Bradstreet), finds out the truth about Mornay and Dracula and helps Chick, Wilbur, and the Wolf Man battle them. Frankenstein’s monster squares off with Chick and Wilbur while the Wolf Man battles Dracula. You’ll have to watch the film to find out what happens next.

The slapstick comedy proved to be extremely popular. It also revived the careers of Abbott and Costello. In the mid 1940’s, everything from family tragedies to illnesses and internal arguments limited the pair’s number of film appearances. It also brought Universal’s most popular monsters back to the screen.

According to the documentary Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters! (included on the Frankenstein Legacy Collection DVD and Blu-Ray), Abbott and Costello kept the atmosphere light on the set. This was apparently something that they did on all of their movies. Always the professional, Bela Lugosi supposedly got angry with the pair at times and stormed off of the set, but eventually began to enjoy some of the schemes the duo would play. The documentary also mentions how makeup techniques were used that reduced the amount of time that Lugosi, Chaney, and Strange spent in the makeup chair.

The film is a fine entry in the Universal Horror collection. While it isn’t scary, there is one pretty shocking death that occurs late in the film. Otherwise this is a straight comedy that happens to feature some of the most iconic monsters in film history.

Thanks for reading my post. We’re getting closer to Halloween and on that day, I’ll be blogging about my favorite Universal Horror film!

Days O’Horror #19: Frankenstein (1931)

“It’s alive. It’s alive. It’s ALIIIIIIIIIIVVVVE!!!”

Universal, struggling with financial losses from 1930, found massive success with Dracula (February, 1931) and decided to stick with a formula that worked. Enter Frankenstein (November, 1931), a huge box office success that launched the career of Boris Karloff and became the second in a string of successful horror films for Universal.

Along with Bela Lugosi’s Dracula and Lon Chaney, Jr.’s Wolf Man, Karloff’s Frankstein’s Monster is quite possibly the most iconic horror creation ever made. Everybody knows Karloff’s monster. Everybody quotes the film even though it is nearing the century mark. Without the success of Frankenstein, there might not be a Universal Horror legacy to speak of today.

For those of you that have been under a rock since the 1930’s, Frankenstein is based on a play by Peggy Webling. The play is loosely based on the famous story by Mary Shelley called Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus.

In the film, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) hides himself away in his laboratory in a watchtower with his assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye). Together they have stolen body parts and stitched them together to create a lifeless body. Fritz is sent to find a suitable brain. He finds the perfect brain but drops in when he is startled by a loud noise in Dr. Waldman’s (Edward Van Sloan) lab. Desperate, he grabs another brain labeled “abnormal.” He doesn’t tell Henry about which brain he has acquired.

Henry’s fiancee, Elizabeth (Mae Clarke), becomes nervous when their wedding day approaches but Henry has distanced himself from everyone. Together with her friend, Victor (John Boles), and Dr. Waldman, Elizabeth confronts Henry. She and the others arrive at the watchtower in time to witness the creature’s rise from the dead.

The creature obeys commands and appears to be docile, but a mistake with a torch carried by Fritz triggers fear in Dr. Frankenstein and he chains the creature up. Fritz terrorizes and taunts the creature with fire and whips, and eventually it murders Fritz.

Henry plans to put the creature out of its misery but during a long battle with the creature, he passes out from exhaustion. Henry is brought home to recover and to prepare for his wedding with Elizabeth. Dr. Waldman promises to end the creature.

Instead, the creature murders Dr. Waldman and breaks out of the watchtower. Longing for acceptance and friendship, the creature accidentally murders a young girl and the local villagers become scared.

On the day of the wedding, the creature terrorizes Elizabeth. The father of the young girl murdered by the creature arrives in town, carrying her lifeless body. Fear takes over the village and three mobs are formed to find the creature and end it. From there the film continues on to the iconic scene where the monster, Dr. Frankenstein, and the mob face off in a windmill. You’ll have to watch the film for yourself in order to find out what happens next.

This film might be even more important than Dracula when it comes to the legacy of Universal Horror. Without its success, Universal might have fallen back into financial trouble. We might not have any of the other iconic monsters or films that Universal gave us, either. In short, while Dracula put Universal back on the map, Frankenstein kept it there.

The movie featured a number of iconic scenes including the grave scene early in the film, the father carrying his lifeless daughter, and the windmill scene at the end of the film. It also featured amazing performances from most of the cast, especially Karloff and Dwight Frye.

I could recommend this film for a ton of reasons, but the primary one is the fact that the villain in this film isn’t necessarily a villain….or a monster. He’s looking for acceptance and because he’s different, he is feared.

Watch this movie. You won’t regret it. Thank you for reading this post.

Days O’Horror #18: The Invisible Woman (1940)

“Any Girl That’d Become Invisible Can’t Be Very Easy On The Eyes.”

The Wicked Witch of the West,one of the Three Stooges, a fading Hollywood legend, and tons of character actors had roles in the offbeat 1940 comedy, The Invisible Woman. The film starred Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, and Charlie Ruggles. Despite being considered the second sequel to 1933’s The Invisible Man film and its first sequel, The Invisible Man Returns (released earlier in 1940), the film bears little resemblance to either of them, opting for slapstick comedy instead of terror (the original film) or murder mystery (the first sequel).

The film’s plot is centered around Dick Russell (John Howard) and his many failed schemes to get rich quick. His funds are drying up and loans are becoming hard to obtain, so he takes one last leap of faith with a hapless scientist, Professor Gibbs (John Barrymore), who claims that he has discovered a way to make people invisible.

Gibbs places an ad in the newspaper asking for someone to be a willing (and unpaid) test subject for invisibility. He and Russell receive multiple replies to the ad, all of which make fun of the duo except for one letter sent by an individual willing to undergo the test. That individual is a fed up department store model named Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce).

The fact that Kitty is a woman proves to be a problem for Professor Gibbs, as his test subject has to be entirely nude in order for his invisibility machine to work, but she’s more than willing to remove her clothing for science and Gibbs agrees to go ahead with the test. He calls in his assistant, Mrs. Jackson (Margaret Hamilton), to collect Kitty’s clothing and has her remain behind the screen while he injects her with a fluid that will assist her in becoming invisible.

The test proves successful, but whenever Gibbs goes to fetch Russell to tell him of his success, Kitty makes a mad dash (entirely in the buff) to her old department store boss, the nasty Mr. Growley (Charles Lane), and poses as his conscious, making him change his ways. She also gives him a few kicks in the posterior.

With Kitty away, Russell believes that the professor is lying to him and leaves for his lodge in the woods. Kitty finally returns but begins to materialize, which forces the professor to make her invisible once again in order to drive up to Russell’s lodge and prove to him that the test was a success.

While all of this is going on, a crime boss (Oscar Homolka), sends three of his men to steal the invisibility machine so that he can leave Mexico and return home to the United States undetected. They manage to acquire the machine, but not the fluid that needs to be injected into the subject that wishes to turn invisible, so the test on one of the crime boss’ goon does nothing more than change his voice to a higher pitch. Angry, the boss sends his thugs back to the laboratory to kidnap the professor.

The thugs end up capturing both Gibbs and Kitty. Russell and his loyal butler, George (Charles Ruggles), pursue the criminals and have a hilarious showdown at the crime boss’ Mexican hideout. You’ll need to watch this rather enjoyable film to find out what happens next!

As I already mentioned, the film featured some amazing talent in the form of solid actors like Margaret Hamilton (who portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz), Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges, Maria Montez, dubbed the Queen of Technicolor for her multiple films, as one of Kitty’s co-workers, and Charles Ruggles as George the butler. Ruggles performed numerous physical stunts in the film and proved to be the funniest member of the cast.

John Barrymore, a legend in Hollywood, was a fading star by the time that he appeared in this film. He seemed to be having a lot of fun, however, and he was enjoyable to watch on the screen. He would pass away two years later.

Virginia Bruce’s stunning good looks were used to their maximum in this film. She and other ladies portraying department store models appeared in various states of undress during one part of the film. The fact that Kitty was nude while she was invisible was also referenced multiple times. This same fact is mentioned only in passing in the films featuring invisible men.

Despite these cheap thrill tactics, Bruce proved to be just as funny as the men in the film and held her own in male-dominated cinema in the 1940’s. Don’t let her looks fool you, she was more than capable of being the star of this film.

If anything lacked in this film, it was the special effects. John P. Fulton, the award-winning mainstay of Universal Horror’s special effects, was nominated for an Academy Award yet again, but the effects weren’t as strong as they were in the previous Invisible films. Virginia Bruce wore a black velvet bodysuit just like Claude Rains and Vincent Price did in the previous films, but she was much more hands on with props (including a cat), and her blacked out form cold be seen blocking objects that were supposed to be visible. In one moment where she is removing her clothing, you can clearly see her waist as she’s lifting her blouse.

Despite the somewhat hokey effects, this film is still very funny and quite enjoyable to watch. There’s nothing scary at all about the film but it is still considered a part of Universal’s horror legacy. If you’re interested in some lighter fare one evening, check out The Invisible Woman. It’s excellent fun.

Thanks for reading. I’ll post again tomorrow.

Days O’Horror #17: Phantom of the Opera (1925)

“You are in no peril as long as you do not touch my mask.”

Phantom of the Opera might have been a silent film, but its release in November of 1925 sounded the coming of a new era. It introduced moviegoers to Universal’s run of horror films that would eventually become some of the most beloved films in cinematic history. Dracula (1931), following six years later, put Universal Horror on the map, but Phantom set the stage.

Multiple versions of the film have been released over the years. Some versions featured sequences that have been lost to time and will never be seen again. Other versions were edited with certain sequences played in a different order. In 1930, a version with sound was released.

Some versions even featured color sequences including the famous Bal Masque sequence where the Phantom attends a masquerade dressed as Edgar Allan Poe’s Red Death. That particular sequence is the only known surviving color sequence from the film.

With the multiple versions available, many which are free to watch, I won’t be going into much detail with the plot of the film. The basic plot is that a mad man named Erik (Lon Chaney) lives underneath the Paris Opera House. He is a self taught musician and “master of the Black Arts” who escapes from an island for the mentally ill and takes up camp in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House. He becomes infatuated with a young singer, Christine Daae (Mary Philbin), and begins coaching her as a secret voice within the walls. A nobleman, Viscomte Raoul de Chagny (Norman Kerry), is also vying for Christine’s love.

The Phantom begins murdering, poisoning, and generally scaring people at the opera house as he clears a path for Christine’s stardom. Things all come to a head when he crashes a chandelier on the crowd, kidnaps Christine, and professes his love for her. He continues to allow her to perform and come and go as she pleases while living with him under the opera. He also gives her one rule: don’t remove his mask.

Obviously she doesn’t listen to Erik and yanks his mask off in one of cinema’s greatest and most iconic reveal scenes. She then schemes with Raoul to escape from Erik but, as luck would have it, the Phantom overhears their plans.

A second man enters the fray. This man has also been lurking in the catacombs and around the opera house. He’s even accused of being the Phantom at times. In reality, he’s Inspector Ledoux (Arthur Edmund Carewe), who has been tailing the escaped Erik for a long time and now plans to put an end to his reign of terror. He and Raoul team up to save Christine.

In true Universal Horror fashion, a mob is formed by one of the men whose brother is murdered by the Phantom earlier in the film. When he is murdered varies depending on the version of the film that you watch. In short order the mob finds its way into the catacombs as does Raoul and Ledoux. Raoul and Ledoux get trapped by the Phantom and he forces Christine to decide their fate. Without going into too much more detail, Christine makes a choice, the mob arrives on the scene, and the Phantom runs off into the streets of Paris. You’ll have to watch the film to find out about the shockingly brutal conclusion to the film.

The film is extremely well done in almost all of its versions. Some versions feature more humor than others, but the overall feel of the film is one of doom and dread. The stage built for the film, specifically the catacombs, were all designed with the aid of Ben Caray, who worked at the actual Paris Opera House. The stage was a massive place and was used in many films over the years including Universal’s 1943 remake of Phantom of the Opera starring Claude Rains. Originally called Stage 28, it quickly became known at The Phantom Stage and remained that way until 2014 when it was demolished to expand Universal’s theme park located on the property.

The Phantom Stage during its demolition in 2014.

Parts and props from the stage were supposed to be saved from demolition, but I can’t find any information as to the truthfulness of this statement. The only thing that I’ve found so far is that Universal Studios destroyed the stage as promised but also destroyed the set, which was over ninety years old. It’s worth nothing that other sets on the property are older and still stand, but it’s sad to know that such a beautiful work of art was destroyed for the expansion of a theme park.

The Phantom set prior to its destruction in 2014.

Modern audiences tend to ignore silent films because they’ve become accustomed to movies with sound, tons of color, and unbelievable special effects. To miss Phantom of the Opera because it is a silent film, however, is a shame because it is one of the best films ever laid on celluloid. Lon Chaney’s performance and self-done makeup alone are worth giving it a look, and it’s a brilliant horror film in its own right.

Watch this film. It’s amazing.

Thanks for reading this post. We’ve passed the halfway mark of October and Thirty-One Days O’Horror will be ending soon. Please comment and share if you’ve enjoyed these posts.

Days O’Horror #16: Phantom of the Opera (1943)

“Our brilliant stage manager insists there’s a malicious ghost prowling about the Opera.”

While the 1925 silent adaptation starring Lon Chaney and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical might get all of the attention, 1943’s Phantom of the Opera starring Claude Rains deserves a little respect as well. Loosely based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, the film features award winning cinematography, excellent musical sequences, and outstanding performances by many of its actors.

The film is the only Universal Horror classic to be shot entirely in color. The 1925 version has a few color sequences (all of which have been lost to time, save one), but the majority of the film is in black and white. The 1943 release is also the only Universal Horror classic to receive an Academy Award. In fact it was nominated for four Oscars and won two of them: Art Direction and Cinematography.

The film stars Claude Rains (The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, The Greatest Story Ever Told) as Erique Claudin, a violinist at the Paris Opera House who is released for his degrading playing skills. Broke due to the fact that he is secretly paying for voice lessons for Christine Dubois (Susanna Foster), with whom he is infatuated with, and no longer able to support her lessons or himself, Claudin presents one of his concertos to a publishing house hoping to cash in on it.

When Claudin returns to the publishing house to inquire about his concerto (which the publisher blows off initially), he overhears someone playing his concerto and believes that the publisher (Miles Mander) has stolen his work. In actuality, famed composer Franz Liszt (Fritz Leiber) is playing the concerto and has fallen in love with it.

Enraged and unaware of Liszt’s love for his work, Claudin murders the publisher and is splashed with acid by the publisher’s assistant. He runs out into the streets and seeks refuge in the city sewers.

Claudin, now wearing a mask to hide his disfigurement, takes up residence in the catacombs beneath the Paris Opera House. He drugs Mme. Biancarolli, the house’s prima donna, with the intent to have Christine replace her. He then starts to make demands of the house, telling them to replace Biancarolli with Christine Dubois or else there would be trouble.

He eventually murders Biancarolli and her assistant, forcing the opera house to close. The local inspector, Raoul Dubert (Edgar Barrier), who also happens to love Christine, stages an elaborate scheme in order to capture the “phantom” and reveal that it is Claudin. Unfortunately for Dubert, the plans fall apart and more people die in the process.

During a chaotic moment in the opera house, Claudin kidnaps Christine and brings her to his home beneath the opera house. He plans on having her live with him forever in the catacombs and away from the cruel world above. Dubert teams up with Anatole Garron (Nelson Eddy), another of Christine’s suitors, and they hunt down Claudin. The fight with the Phantom and literally “bring down the house.”

While this film doesn’t really follow its predecessor or the book that it’s based upon, it is still a very good film. Despite being called Phantom of the Opera, the film, at least in my opinion, is about Christine and her three suitors. Claudin’s love is more of an unhealthy infatuation. He doesn’t really know much about Christine other than the fact that she is a brilliant singer with a ton of potential and that he finds her to be beautiful. The second suitor, Inspector Dubert, wants Christine to leave the opera house and become his wife. He loves her as a person and not as a performer. The third suitor, Anatole, loves Christine for her voice and for her physical beauty. They have the most in common, as Anatole is a baritone at the opera house.

Even though Christine has three men longing for her, the best chemistry in the film comes from the relationship of Anatole and Dubert. Nelson Eddy and Edgar Barrier are hilarious as they try to impress, woo, and attract Christine. Their battle for her affection is one of the best parts of the film. Susanna Foster gives a wonderful performance as well, getting a lot of joy out of watching Dubert and Anatole vie for her love.

Claude Rains, as always, gives a stellar performance. Watching him spiral out of control over Christine and becoming a murderous monster is amazing. He commands your attention while he’s on the screen whether or not he’s wearing a mask.

As stated before, this film won Oscars for cinematography and art direction. It deserved both of them. The Technicolor treatment of the film made the colors pop on the screen and made the entire opera house come alive. Scenes in which the Phantom appeared as a shadow and a number of the shots in the film pulled the audience not only into the story, but into the opera house, the catacombs, and the streets of Paris. This film was simply beautiful to watch, but the performances kept it interesting.

This film is one of my favorite movies of all time no matter the genre. It’s a piece of art and I’ll continue to watch it until I finally exit this world. If you haven’t watched it yet, give it a chance. You’ll enjoy it.

As always, thank you for checking out my post. Claude Rains is one of my favorite actors and this film is my favorite in which he’s the star. I’ll have another horrific post tomorrow, so stay tuned!