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!

Days O’Horror #15: House of Dracula (1945)

A Crowded House

The final serious Universal film to feature the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, and Count Dracula, 1945’s House of Dracula, is one of my least favorite Universal Monsters films. It had too much going on all at the same time, featured an unlikely and unnecessary gathering of three iconic monsters, and wasted two of them in the story. Despite this, I sat through the film yet again to review it for you, my beloved audience.

John Carradine’s Baron Latos (actually Count Dracula, but under an alias) arrives at the home of Dr. Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) a couple of hours before sunrise in order to talk to the good doctor about his “condition.” Edelmann, confused by the odd hour and the even weirder request that they only meet after the sun goes down, reluctantly agrees to treat Latos.

During the initial treatment of Latos, a blood transfusion, Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) arrives and demands to see the doctor about his own “condition.” Told to wait by the doctor’s assistant, Milizia (Martha O’Driscoll), Talbot screams that there isn’t enough time and runs off into the night.

A series of awkward and uneven events follow. Talbot asks to be jailed for the protection of the community, which makes sense, but then villagers form a mob because that’s what villagers do in Universal Monster films. The doctor watches Lawrence transform into a werewolf in the jail and then tells Inspector Holtz (Lionel Atwill) to deliver him to the doctor’s laboratory the next morning. That makes sense. But then the doctor tells Lawrence that he can’t perform a surgery that may or may not help Lawrence until he gathers more……spores to……soften Lawrence’s bones.

Desperate, Lawrence throws himself into the ocean in an attempt to commit suicide. Either through sheer luck or amazing werewolf swimming skills, Larry survives and is found in a cave that, surprise, surprise, holds the inanimate body of Frankenstein’s monster AND plenty of spores for the doctor. The doctor battles the Wolf Man in the cave and miraculously survives. He then gathers the spores and Frankenstein’s monster and brings them back to his lab.

In the meantime, Dracula takes a shine to Milizia and decides that remaining a vampire with a lovely sidekick makes more sense than being cured, so he schemes to transmit some of his own blood into the doctor’s body (for whatever reason) and plans to make Milizia his undead lover. The transfusion makes the doctor phase between being a good guy and being a bad guy with bushy eyebrows and a disheveled goatee.

Discovering that Dracula transmitted his blood into the doctor’s body and intent on protecting Milizia, the doctor unceremoniously murders Dracula by exposing him to the sun. He then successfully cures Lawrence by performing a bone softening surgery, turns bad again, murders a few people, and revives Frankenstein’s monster even though he knows it’s a bad idea.

His murders are blamed on poor Larry Talbot, now confined to a wheelchair and a bad head wrap. That mob from earlier in the movie finally has something to do mob things about, so they head to the doctor’s home with the inspector and demand justice. It’s soon revealed that the doctor is behind all of the chaos and he, Larry Talbot, who somehow manages to draw up enough strength to walk, and Frankenstein’s monster have a massive battle royale. Lost in the fray is poor Nina (Poni Adams), a kind and gentle hunchback that assists the doctor. She’s been the one sane person in the entire film and what happens to her for all of her troubles? She’s unceremoniously murdered by the evil version of the doctor when she stumbles upon him reviving Frankenstein’s monster.

Who wins the fight? You’ll have to suffer through House of Dracula like I did to find out!

Obviously I didn’t like this film very much. The actors did fine in their respective roles, but certain things seem to have been tossed into the story just for the sake of having them in the story. For instance, what are the odds that Dracula and the Wolf Man would show up at the same doctor’s house in less than twenty-four hours? Why did Dracula’s strong desire to be cured so quickly die when he laid eyes on Milizia? Sure, Martha O’Driscoll is beautiful, but would you remain a vampire just to hang out with her for eternity? Dracula barely even knows her! Also, how convenient was it that Frankenstein’s monster, along with the skeleton of Dr. Niemann (from the previous film, 1944’s House of Frankenstein), shows up under the doctor’s home in a cave that has plenty of spores to soften Larry Talbot’s bones? Heck, why was Frankenstein’s monster in the film at all?

Ultimately this film was just an excuse to cash in on the popularity of three of Universal’s most popular monsters. Too many convenient coincidences occur and the story is sloppy from the word go. It’s a sad way to end the Universal Horror era before it enters the comedic run of Abbott and Costello films. Thankfully Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) brought the fear factor back to Universal Horror about nine years later.

As always, thanks for reading my post. More monster mayhem is coming tomorrow!

Days O’Horror #14: The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)

Thirty Years Later

A new high priest of Karnak shakes the dust off of the ancient mummy named Kharis and promises to avenge the death of his predecessor in The Mummy’s Tomb. The 1942 film is a direct sequel to 1940’s The Mummy’s Hand and features Lon Chaney, Jr. taking over the role of Kharis, previously portrayed by Tom Tyler.

The film opens up thirty years after The Mummy’s Hand. Steve Banning (the returning Dick Foran) is telling his family the story of how he and his pal, Babe (Wallace Ford, also reprising his role from the previous film), along with the Great Solvani and his daughter, Marta, battled the evil Kharis and his caretaker, Andoheb. Roughly twelve minutes of footage from The Mummy’s Hand is used during this opening sequence and features Peggy Moran and Tom Tyler in their roles as Marta and Kharis, respectively.

Unknown to Steve, Andoheb and Kharis survived the battle. Andoheb (the returning George Zucco) is dying, however, and entrusts the protection of Kharis to a new high priest, Mehemet Bey (Turhan Bey). He makes Bey swear to avenge his death by murdering the entire Banning family so that their bloodline will be lost to history. Bey promises to do so and immediately heads for Banning’s hometown of Mapleton, MA.

Bey takes a job as the caretaker of the local cemetery and wastes no time eliminating members of the Banning family. Steve is the first to be murdered, his neck crushed by Kharis. Soon enough, Steve’s older sister, Jane (Mary Gordon), is also murdered. Prior to her death, Steve’s son, Dr. John Banning (John Hubbard), contacts Babe. When Babe arrives in town, he tells the police that they are dealing with a supernatural being. The police blow off Babe and he is eventually murdered by Kharis as well.

Bey begins seeking out more members of the Banning family and comes across John and his girlfriend, Isobel (Elyse Knox), during a quiet moment together. Bey becomes enamored with Isobel and, forgetting his pledge to Andoheb to only use Kharis for revenge against the Bannings, decides to have Kharis capture Isobel and bring him to her so that he can make her his immortal wife and give him children to extend his own family’s bloodline. Kharis reluctantly does as Bey commands, confused as to why he isn’t supposed to murder Isobel.

Finally convinced that an undead mummy is the cause of the murders, the police and townspeople form a mob and seek out Bey. Bey is shot dead by the sheriff (Cliff Clark), while attempting to murder John Banning, and then the mob gives chase to Kharis, who is fleeing with Isobel in his arms. The film comes to a head at the Banning home. Does Banning rescue Isobel? Will Kharis escape? Watch The Mummy’s Tomb to find out!

I really enjoyed this film. It was great to see many of the actors from the prior film returning in their original roles. Of the new cast, I really enjoyed Elyse Knox as Isobel. She and John Hubbard worked well on the screen together and, simply put, she’s gorgeous. The supporting cast also did fine jobs.

Lon Chaney, Jr. doesn’t have much to do in this film except lumber around and choke people. When it comes time for the face-off with Banning near the end of the film, he gets to flex his muscle a bit. Jack Pierce did a great job of making Chaney look spooky, and even managed to mirror Tom Tyler’s look somewhat from the previous film. Gone, however, are the black eyes that made Tyler’s Kharis so evil looking.

I also want to mention that the Blu-ray edition of this film, part of The Mummy Legacy Collection from Universal, looks wonderful. The picture is crisp and the audio sounds great. This is one of the finest transfers from film to disc that I’ve come across in the Universal Monsters Legacy line.

Thanks for reading my post. The Mummy’s Tomb doesn’t get as much love as other Mummy flicks, but I really like it. It continues Kharis’ story well and adds new and interesting characters to the tale without sacrificing the efforts of those from the previous film.

Days O’Horror #13: She-Wolf Of London (1946)

This Lassie Is A Tad More Vicious

June Lockhart, star of such television programs as Lost In Space and Lassie, heads up a strong cast in a werewolf film that has everything but the werewolf in 1946’s She-Wolf Of London. The film is considered a part of Universal’s classic monster films despite being a psychological thriller and not a traditional monster movie.

In the film, Phyllis Allenby (Lockhart) is preparing to marry her boyfriend, Barry Lanfield (Don Porter). Unfortunately for Phyllis, her “Aunt” Martha (Sara Haden) has a few plans of her own. Martha has been keeping a secret from not only Phyllis, but her own daughter, Carol (Jan Wiley), as well and the family’s housekeeper, Hannah (Eily Malyon). I won’t reveal that secret here, but I will say that Phyllis and Barry’s wedding has something to do with it.

Phyllis is supposed to be happily preparing for her wedding but instead, she’s battling with the possibility that she has fallen under the “curse of the Allenbys.” What’s the curse? Apparently the Allenby family has a few werewolves in the family tree.

Bodies are starting to pile up in the park near the Allenby home and Phyllis is waking up each morning with blood on her hands, a wet robe, and muddy shoes. Aunt Martha feeds Phyllis’ suspicions by encouraging her to keep her “curse” and her late night activities a secret from everyone, including her “cousin,” Carol, and her fiancee, Barry.

Scotland Yard is attempting to figure out who or what might be behind the vicious murders in the park. Barry is doing a little investigating of his own. Martha forbids Phyllis from seeing anyone and stops Carol from seeing her own boyfriend, Dwight (Martin Kosleck). Hannah, loyal to both Phyllis and Carol, attempts to help both of them see their suitors. Eventually she discovers Martha’s dark secret, and things become deadly inside Allenby Mansion.

The film might be called She-Wolf Of London, but there’s no actual werewolf in the film. Throats are being ripped out, but it’s part of a huge scheme to eliminate Phyllis from the picture so that Martha can remain in the Allenby home. The film works very well as a thriller, but horror fans might be turned off by the fact that no fur or fangs come into play.

Despite zero werewolves, the film is still enjoyable. The cast features Lockhart in an early film role and Don Porter, who would go on to star in the successful television show, Private Secretary. He also starred in Gidget along with Sally Field and The Ann Sothern show. Sara Haden is devilishly wonderful as Phyllis’ wicked aunt. Eily Malyon stole the show as Hannah.

Lockhart and Porter had exceptional chemistry on the screen. I immediately bought into the fact that these two people were deeply in love. Lockhart’s spiral into madness was believable as well. There were no weak members in the cast.

I really liked this film. It’s not a traditional horror movie nor is it even that long. It clocks in at just over an hour, so if you’re looking for a quick movie full of deception and a sinister matriarchal figure, She-Wolf Of London is exactly what you need to watch.

As always, thanks for reading my post. We’re nearing the halfway point in our Thirty-One Days O’Horror! Stay tuned for even more spooky posts!

Days O’Horror #12: Dracula (1931)

“I never drink….wine.”

It’s the Universal horror film that started it all. It’s the one that made Bela Lugosi a star and established him as the definitive vampire. It’s 1931’s Dracula.

In the film, Dracula (Lugosi) makes his way to London in order to lease property in the city. Hypnotizing and turning real estate agent Renfield (Dwight Frye) into his slave, Dracula travels aboard the Vesta to London. He murders everyone onboard the ship and when police find Renfield alive but apparently insane, they place him in an asylum where he eats bugs and begs for his master to release him.

Dracula begins socializing with the locals and soon befriends Mina (Helen Chandler), her father, Dr. Seward (Herbert Bunston), John Harker (David Manners), and Lucy Weston (Frances Dade). Lucy eventually passes away and Mina begins acting bizarre. As the nights continue to pass, the number of victims begins to climb. Soon enough, Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) begins to think that a vampire is loose in London and he starts investigating potential suspects. Assisting him is John Harker, who is worried for Mina, his fiancee.

Van Helsing’s investigation leads him to believe that Count Dracula is a vampire. He uses a number of techniques to determine if Dracula truly is the cause of all of the recent death in the area. Eventually Van Helsing and Harker hunt down Count Dracula and a face-off ensues. Will John and Professor Van Helsing be able to eliminate the count before Mina permanently joins the world of the undead? I’m not telling. Watch Dracula for yourself and find out!

The film has become a favorite of mine over the years. I watch it at least four times a year and always around Halloween. Bela Lugosi made the vampire an attractive, seductive creature, something that would influence just about every vampire film, novel, television series, and comic book to follow. His eyes struck fear into audiences and his slow line delivery made him sound undead according to audiences of the time. He was also considered a sex symbol by many according to the documentary Lugosi: The Dark Prince. He did so well in the role that he was typecast from that point on in his career. Despite being typecast, Lugosi eventually embraced the role and used it to support his family when roles in film and on stage began to thin out.

Other than Lugosi, the cast featured a number of strong performances. Of special note is Dwight Frye as Renfield. His psychotic breakdown throughout the film was simply amazing to watch. He would appear in a total of seven Universal Horror films and in multiple other supporting roles as well. Both Edward Van Sloan and David Manners would appear in other Universal horror films as well.

Universal’s horror legacy rests firmly on the shoulders of Dracula. Sure, other films would come along that would prove more popular and others would be considered better all around, but Dracula was a perfect start to what would essentially become the Universal Horror Shared Universe.

Dracula is a must-see film for film fanatics. I highly recommend it, especially in the month of October. Thanks for reading my post and get ready for another one tomorrow!

Days O’Horror #11: Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Controlled By Vengeance

Hoping to restore his father’s good name, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein moves his family from the good o’l U.S. of A. to the confines of Castle Frankenstein in 1939’s Son of Frankenstein. The film features Boris Karloff in his final run as Frankenstein’s monster for Universal. It’s also the first film to feature Bela Lugosi as Ygor. It proved to be a very popular film and is often cited as the rebirth of the monster movie at Universal.

Wolf (Basil Rathbone) has high hopes that he will succeed in patching up the damage that his father caused, but he is met with immediate hostility by the local villagers at the train station. Once he and his family settle in their home, Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill) arrives to offer protection from the locals. Soon enough, Wolf meets the bizarre graverobber called Ygor (Bela Lugosi). Ygor leads Wolf to the monster (Boris Karloff), laying in a comatose state in the Frankenstein family crypt. Little does Wolf know that Ygor has big plans for the creature.

Convinced that reviving the creature and showing that it is really human will win over the villagers, Wolf decides to wake the creature from its comatose state. His plans are kept secret from almost everyone, including his own family.

After the monster awakes, a strange series of murders begin happening in the village. One by one, members of the jury that sentenced Ygor to a hanging death (which he obviously survived) begin to die. Inspector Krogh suspects that the monster is back but can’t find solid evidence to prove his beliefs, so he begins questioning everyone in the Frankenstein home, including Wolf’s young son, Peter (Donnie Dunagan), who claims to have befriended a large man.

It is soon discovered that Ygor is controlling the monster, making him murder the jury members that sentenced Ygor to death. Wolf discovers the truth and shoots Ygor. Enraged, the monster kidnaps Peter and plans to toss him into the boiling brimstone beneath Frankenstein’s laboratory. A fight breaks out between the monster, Krogh, and Wolf. Who lives? Who dies? Watch Son of Frankenstein in order to find out!

This film features an amazingly solid cast. Rathbone is perhaps best known for portraying Sherlock Holmes in fourteen films, but his performance as Wolf von Frankenstein is a bright spot in this movie. He won a Tony Award, was nominated for Academy Awards on two occasions, and also achieved the rank of captain in the British Army and received the Military Cross for his work as a scout in World War One. Jospehine Hutchinson’s Elsa von Frankenstein had an unusually small role when compared to other female leads in Universal Monster films, but nonetheless she did an excellent job. Atwill was fun to watch as the relentless Inspector Krogh. I believe that I enjoyed his performance most of all.

A special note should be made about Donnie Dunagan. About five years old at the time, Dunagan’s performance was excellent. He drew laughs from me every time that he appeared on screen. He would go on to provide the voice of Bambi in the legendary 1942 Walt Disney animated feature of the same name. Eventually he would serve three tours in Vietnam with the Marine Corps. He became the youngest drill instructor in the Marines, received a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts, and achieved the rank of major. I highly recommend looking up this amazing gentleman on the web and learning more about him.

This film, despite being a direct sequel to Bride of Frankenstein, makes no mention of the bride or of Dr. Pretorius, who supposedly died at the end of Bride. No explanation is given as to how the creature survived that film’s ending either. Also, the monster developed a decent vocabulary in Bride, but thanks to a lightning strike mentioned in Son, he’s lost the ability to speak.

Karloff and Lugosi give fine performances. Outside of his star-making role in Dracula, this is Lugosi’s best performance in my opinion. Karloff had to use grunts, moans, and cries along with body language to show emotion. He did a great job.

Son of Frankenstein slowly won me over. While there are better Universal Monster films out there, it’s definitely one of the best in the bunch. Check it out if you get a chance and, as always, thank you for reading my post.

Days O’Horror #10: Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Marineland’s Newest Attraction

Ocean Harbor Oceanarium (Marineland in Florida) takes center stage in 1955’s Revenge of the Creature. A direct sequel to Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954), Revenge is often looked upon by many as one of the worst sequels in the Universal Monster catalogue. I’m actually one of the few people that likes the film. I’ll give my reasons for liking it later. For now, let’s take a look at the plot.

The film starts with a new expedition entering the Black Lagoon. Aboard a ship captained by the returning Nestor Paiva as Lucas, the group captures the creature and brings it to Florida in order to study it. Ocean Harbor Oceanarium becomes the creature’s unwanted home and it becomes the subject of study for Dr. Clete Ferguson (John Agar) and ichthyology student Helen Dobson (Lori Nelson).

Despite an age difference and advances from fellow researcher Joe Hayes (John Bromfield), Helen and Clete develop feelings for one another. Despite a species difference, the creature, or Gill-man as he is referred to in the film, also falls for Helen. He becomes obsessed with her as she and Clete continue their research.

After a number of failed attempts to escape, the Gill-man finally breaks out of the Oceanarium. People die, a car is flipped, and the creature makes a break for the ocean.

Believing that Gill-man is returning to his home in the Black Lagoon, Helen and Clete become somewhat lax about the whole ordeal despite multiple eye-witness claims of seeing the creature up and down the coast.

Eventually the Gill-man gets his hands on Helen. Clete and other researchers from the Oceanarium team up with local law enforcement in a desperate attempt to locate Helen and kill the creature. More people die and Clete and the Gill-man have a final face-off. Who wins? I’m not telling. You’ll have to watch Revenge of the Creature to find out.

I’d be a fool to say that this film is a great work of art. The many criticisms that it has received over the years are justified, but for some reason I really enjoy this film. The addition of Chris (a German Shepherd that appears in the film…..that takes place in a marine park) seems extraneous. The terrible fight sequence where Gill-man throws a young man at a palm tree and the viewer can clearly tell that the man is suspended by cables is simply a pain to watch. The excessive nods to the actual park, including an extended dolphin show sequence, are nothing more than a blatant advertisement for Marineland Florida (where most of the film was shot). All of the sea park shots reminded me of another ill-received classic, Jaws 3-D. It was a feature length commercial for Sea World in Orlando, FL.

Despite these and other shortcomings, though, this film still has a few things going for it. For starters, Revenge is the film debut for Clint Eastwood. It’s funny seeing him in this early role as an inept lab assistant. His moment is brief but humorous and gives absolutely no indication that he’ll eventually become a major box office draw.

The film also features one of the best performances by a guy in a suit. Ricou Browning (underwater scenes) returns and Tom Hennesy takes over as the creature on land in this film. Browning is especially solid in his performance. You can easily see how the creature is attracted to Helen and how it feels trapped in the aquarium. The rest of the cast also do great jobs although John Bromfield’s performance can be a bit much at times.

I’m also a fan of the Gill-man’s escape sequence. The audience gets hammered by the creature’s iconic theme as it runs through the sea park, terrorizing the innocent and smashing a skull or two along the way. The sequence plays out much like the initial dinosaur escape in Jurassic World, with screaming families and people stumbling all over the place.

I won’t tell you that this film is a must see movie, but I will say that it’s a fun way to kill an hour and twenty minutes. Watch it before heading out on the lake or prior to a visit to Sea World. It’ll put you in the perfect mood for those things.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you all tomorrow.

Days O’Horror #9: Son Of Dracula (1943)

A Wolf In Dracula’s Clothing

1943’s Son Of Dracula misses the mark. I hate saying that because I’m a huge fan of its star, Lon Chaney, Jr., but the story never seems to find its footing. Chaney is well known for playing not only the Wolf Man, but also Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy, and Dracula in various films in those franchises. His work as Count Alucard in Son of Dracula, though, is quite forgettable.

The film’s plot centers around a wealthy family, the Caldwells, in New Orleans and how one of the Caldwell daughters schemes to become both wealthy and immortal. Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton) uses Count Alucard in a dastardly plan to eliminate her ailing father, Colonel Caldwell (George Irving), gain immortality, and eventually take control of the entire family estate by removing her sister, Claire (Evelyn Ankers), from the picture. She also plans on having her boyfriend, Frank Stanley (Robert Paige), murder the Count once she is immortal, and promises to make him a vampire so that they can live together forever.

The plot is somewhat muddied, but I do like how it has a human (Allbritton) manipulate the vampire (Chaney) in order to gain power. In almost every other vampire film, Universal or otherwise, it is always the vampire that manipulates humans to get what it wants. This was a fresh take on the vampire story, but is was executed poorly in my opinion.

Chaney seems out of place as Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards) and his on screen presence comes off a bit humorous to me. Paige does a fine job as Frank, who battles with the sudden marriage of his girlfriend to the mysterious Count and then spirals out of control as she reveals her true plans AFTER he believes that he accidentally murdered her. The rest of the cast, especially Frank Craven, Evelyn Ankers, and J. Edward Bromberg, give solid performances as well.

It should also be noted that the brother and sister of Oscar winner Hattie McDaniel, also appear in this film as servants at the Caldwell Estate. Sam and Etta McDaniel have small roles but do fine jobs with their performances.

The real star of this film is Allbritton. Her portrayal of the manipulative and glory-hungry Katherine shines despite a weak script and a sometimes dull film. There is never any doubt that she is in control not only of Alucard, but of Frank as well. Had the film itself been better, this movie might have become a favorite of mine.

Special effects master John P. Fulton once again shows off his skills on the screen. Son of Dracula is the first horror film to depict a vampire transforming from a bat into human form. Alucard also didn’t creak open his casket when he rose in the evening, opting instead to transform into a mist in order to slink out of the coffin. Alucard’s materialization out of the mist looked great on the screen and was an excellent plot device that allowed him to move throughout the film without being detected.

It’s a shame that this film wasn’t that good. It had a unique plot, trailblazing special effects, and a performance from Allbritton that deserved a better film. Chaney was miscast in this movie in my opinion, but he was excellent in so many other films that this performance is forgivable.

Thank you for reading my post. I saw Joker last night and plan on reviewing it in addition to my regular Thirty-One Days O’Horror posts later this week.