Universal Monsters

The Invisible Man, starring Claude Rains

The Invisible Man [Claude Rains]

by user
September 25, 2020December 18, 2021

The Invisible Man (1933), starring Claude Rains, directed by James Whale

The signature adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man stars Claude Rains as a scientist who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, the scientist arrives at a small English village and attempts to reverse his discovery.

However, the same drug that renders him invisible is slowly driving him insane … And capable of committing acts of terror. Directed by James Whale, the horror classic features groundbreaking special effects by John P. Fulton.

The Mummy’s Curse

by user
March 14, 2020June 3, 2023

The Mummy’s Curse (1944) starring Lon Chaney Jr., Virginia Christine, Dennis Moore, Peter Coe, Kay Harding, Martin Kosleck

The Mummy’s Curse marks Lon Chaney Jr.s final appearance as The Mummy. He seeks his revived Princess Ananka. But she suffers from amnesia, and flees from the murdering mummy …

The Mummy’s Ghost [1944]

by user
October 29, 2019September 23, 2021

The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) starring Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine

Synopsis

In The Mummy’s Ghost, Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns, still searching for his lost love, Princess Ananka. When her mummified body disappears, he realizes that she’s been reincarnated. And he will find her …

House of Dracula

by user
August 16, 2018April 24, 2023

House of Dracula (1944), starring John Carradine, Onslow Stevens, Lon Chaney Jr., Glenn Strange

Synopsis of House of Dracula

In House of Dracula, Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.) & Dracula (John Carradine) beg Dr. Edelman (Onslow Stevens) to cure them of their killing instincts. But Dracula schemes to seduce the doctor’s nurse.

House of Frankenstein (1944), starring Boris Karloff, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, Glenn Strange, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe

House of Frankenstein [monster movie]

by user
June 29, 2017February 7, 2023

House of Frankenstein (1944), starring Boris Karloff, John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, Glenn Strange, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe

Synopsis of House of Frankenstein

Larry Talbot just wants to die, Ilonka just wants him to love her

House of Frankenstein is the first of the Universal Studios monster mashes. In short, mad scientist Niemann and “friend Daniel” his hunchback assistant escape prison and enact a series of revenges on the people who had him imprisoned. They murder a proprietor of a travelling show of horrors, impersonate him and revive his corpse of Dracula. Dracula succeeds in the first part of the revenge scheme, but Niemann abandons him to be destroyed in the sunlight. Niemann then travels to the ruins of Frankenstein’s castle. He hopes to recover the dead doctor’s secrets, but instead recovers both the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s monster. He revives them both, but a romantic triangle unravels the plot.

Ghost of Frankenstein

by user
June 14, 2017June 10, 2023

Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers

Synopsis of Ghost of Frankenstein

In Ghost of Frankenstein, the ghost isn’t literal, but psychological. Another son of Victor Frankenstein, brain surgeon Ludwig (played well by Cedric Hardwicke), who is manipulated by Ygor (wonderfully done by Bela Lugosi) who also manipulates Ludwig’s former mentor and current assistant, Dr. Bohmer (Lionel Atwill) as well as the childlike Frankenstein’s monster (portrayed here by Lon Chaney Jr.)

Dracula (1931)

by user
May 28, 2017May 29, 2023

Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, directed by Tod Browning

Synopsis of Dracula

A truly great adaptation of the classic vampire novel. Dracula is the story of the European vampire who comes to England to find fresh victims … And stumbles across a young woman who reminds him of his long-lost love. This is actually based on the Broadway play, and not directly on the original novel by Bram Stoker.

Bride of Frankenstein

by user
May 27, 2017February 15, 2023

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) starring Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
reviewed by: The masked reviewer

Bride of Frankenstein begins with Mary Shelley informing her friends that she has written a sequel to her masterpiece. She begins this story at the end of Frankenstein with Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) recovering from his injuries, and the mill fire still crackling. A curious villager and his worried wife are watching the fire when a familiar hand strangles the man and throws the wife down to her death.Minnie (Una O’Connor) starts screaming when she spots the monster walking away from the ruins. The monster runs away before the mobs can begin their monster hunt again. Henry refuses to accept the monster as his creation and decides to quiet the evil experiment business to follow in the family business.

Son of Dracula

by user
May 14, 2017May 10, 2022

Son of Dracula (1943) starring Lon Chaney Jr., Louise Allbritton, Robert Paige, Evelyn Ankers

Son of Dracula is a very interesting entry into Universal Pictures’ series of Dracula movies — and not only due to Lon Chaney Jr. playing the title character — although Chaney does a good job. He portrays Dracula (or Alucard, if you prefer) as a very powerful, savage creature, with only a veneer of culture and civilization. I frankly enjoyed his portrayal very much — although his southern accent was totally out of place for a European character. But as I say, Chaney’s depiction isn’t the only reason that I enjoyed Son of Dracula.

The Invisible Man Returns

by user
May 13, 2017June 7, 2022

The Invisible Man Returns (1940) starring Vincent Price, Nan Grey, Cedric Hardwicke, Cecil Kellaway

The Invisible Man Returns is an excellent movie, due to no small degree to the acting skills of Vincent Price. Vincent Price is Geoffrey Radcliffe, the proverbial “man convicted of a murder that he didn’t commit” — the murder of his own brother. Soon to be executed, he’s given an unexpected last-minute reprieve — but not from the state. He’s visited by Dr. Frank Griffin (John Sutton), the brother of the original Invisible Man, who offers to inject him with the unstable invisibility formula, warning him of the side effect: gradual insanity. Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, Vincent Price makes Hobson’s choice — and chooses the injection, hoping to find the actual murderer before he’s driven to insanity. At the same time, Dr. Griffin will try to find an antidote for the invisibility formula.