# Universal Monster Movies: I love them! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 23, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056 "2009-04-23T03:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/1 "2009-04-23T03:21:35Z")
I’ve been watching a few of the Universal Studios monster movies lately. [Universal Studios](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_monsters) The original \*Frankenstein \*is a great movie. I like the original \*Dracula \* as well, even though it does slow down in the middle of the movie. Just watched _Dracula’s Daughter_ today. Wow, this was a fun movie. I thought it was on the Logo network as it had major lesbian overtones in it. _Bride of Frankenstein_ is better than the original Frankenstein. The Frankenstein monster seems to actually be more of a person. Let’s see, what else have I watched? _Ghost of Frankenstein_. I remember this one from the old late night horror movies that were shown on broadcast tv. I also like this movie. Frankenstein gets his brain replaced. A fun movie, although we’re getting into B movie territory. The original version of _The Mummy_. It isn’t what you’d expect. There isn’t really a mummy in the movie. The first part of the movie is great. But, once the movie gets going, the mummy spends most of his time not as a mummy. Still, it isn’t a bad movie. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of them. I’ve read that most of them have the typical mummy in bandages monster. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/2 "2009-04-23T03:27:37Z")
You’re forgetting **The Wolf Man** and **The Creature from the Black Lagoon** (somewhat forgotten, but deserving of a place in the pantheon), as well as the Lon Chaney silent film monsters. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/3 "2009-04-23T03:31:46Z")
When I was younger I watched the shit out of [House of Frankenstein](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036931/) on VHS. Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula all in one movie. Really neat. I also watched the Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein many times, and for some reason I love Creature From the Black Lagoon. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/4 "2009-04-23T03:49:20Z")
Netflix sent me _House of Frankenstein_, but it got messed up in the mail. It got sent back the same day. I’ve read mixed reviews but I’ll give it a shot. \*The Invisible Man \* is next on my list. I really like how so many of these dvds have 2 movies on them. I don’t remember seeing the _Wolf Man_. I’ll probably check that out as well. The only silent horror movie I’ve seen was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I didn’t care for it as much as the first 2 sound versions. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/5 "2009-04-23T04:10:22Z")
Billy Bob Thornton would approve. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/6 "2009-04-23T11:57:19Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > \*The Invisible Man \* is next on my list. I really like how so many of these dvds have 2 movies on them. > > I don’t remember seeing the _Wolf Man_. I’ll probably check that out as well. > > The only silent horror movie I’ve seen was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I didn’t care for it as much as the first 2 sound versions. The young lady love interest in The Invisible Man = the old lady in Titanic, Gloria Stuart. The Wolf Man is fantastic. You have Chaney Jr in his best role. (Yes, I’m counting Lenny in Of Mice and Men. Larry Talbot is complex, deep and tormented. Lenny is Lenny.) You have some Claude Rains, a wee bit of Bela Lugosi, and of course, the legendary Maria Ouspenskia! As for silent horror, you must see Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/7 "2009-04-23T13:12:22Z")
The special invisibility effects actually hold up well after all these years. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/8 "2009-04-23T13:31:16Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > When I was younger I watched the shit out of [House of Frankenstein](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036931/) on VHS. Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula all in one movie. Really neat. > > I also watched the Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein many times, and for some reason I love Creature From the Black Lagoon. Return of the Creature was also good. But ,I think it was in 3 they put him in a suit. What was the name of the boat that captured him? The mummy was a precursor of the zombie movies. A slow and dangerous monster that just keeps on coming. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/9 "2009-04-23T13:47:54Z")
You need to watch the Spanish-language _Dracula_. Much better movie in every way, except for one thing: The actor who plays Drac can’t hold a candle to Lugosi. My dream is that someday some clever editor will paste together the two films, substituting Lugosi into the Spanish film. That would be the definitive _Dracula_. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/10 "2009-04-23T14:11:06Z")
\*The Invisible Man \*is great for the peerless voice of Claude Rains. But yes, \*The Wolf Man \*is outstanding. The interiors of the Talbot home are so beautifully lit and photographed you’ll wonder why black-and-white cinematography ever went out of style. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/11 "2009-04-23T14:24:29Z")
When I was a wee lad I watched all of these - and even the campy ones with Abbot and Costello in. I had glow-in-the-dark models of The Wolfman and Dracula. Ah, the good old days! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/12 "2009-04-23T16:10:39Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > for some reason I love Creature From the Black Lagoon. I love it because it stars Julia Adams, owner of one of the most phenomenal asses in Hollywood history. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/13 "2009-04-23T20:49:53Z")
My favorite of all of those is the peerless\* Bride of Frankenstein\*. But a close second, not to be missed, by the same director, is the hilarious _The Old Dark House_. It’s the original car-breaks-down-go-to-creepy-old-mansion-for-help movie, and yes the door of the Old Dark House is opened, on this dark and stormy night, by a grunting butler played by Boris Karloff. Whale clearly did it as some kind of twisted horror comedy. Please add it to your list! Also, check out the [three titles](http://www.amazon.com/Classics-Collection-Hangover-Undying-Monster/dp/B000TLTCT0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1240519711&sr=8-2) directed by John Brahm for Fox. _The Undying Monster_ is closest in tone to the Universal films, but _Hangover Square_ is something of a Victorian-Noir masterpiece. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/14 "2009-04-24T00:00:04Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > My favorite of all of those is the peerless\* Bride of Frankenstein\*. But a close second, not to be missed, by the same director, is the hilarious _The Old Dark House_. It’s the original car-breaks-down-go-to-creepy-old-mansion-for-help movie, and yes the door of the Old Dark House is opened, on this dark and stormy night, by a grunting butler played by Boris Karloff. Whale clearly did it as some kind of twisted horror comedy. Please add it to your list! You mention the most excellent “Bride” along with “The Old Dark House” and you don’t mention the real star of both- Ernest Theisiger? Btw, TODH also has Gloria Stuart. I saw these both along with Gold Diggers of 1935 at the L.A. Egyptian Theatre where she came to speak at a film festival for her a few years back. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/15 "2009-04-24T00:02:03Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > You mention the most excellent “Bride” along with “The Old Dark House” and you don’t mention the real star of both- Ernest Theisiger? Thesiger is also the best part of another of Whale’s creepy comedies, _The Devil Doll_. Currently unavailable, but it shows up on TCM from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/16 "2009-04-24T00:03:47Z")
Wait, wrong. Thesiger hast the funny little “Devil Dolls” in _Bride_; it’s Lionel Barrymore who’s the star of _Devil Doll_. And he does most of the movie in drag! Also, not to be missed. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/17 "2009-04-24T00:54:00Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > I also watched the Wolfman and Bride of Frankenstein many times, and for some reason I love Creature From the Black Lagoon. Creature was always my favorite of the monsters even before I saw the movie, which is quite good. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/18 "2009-04-24T01:15:01Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#): > > You need to watch the Spanish-language _Dracula_. Much better movie in every way, except for one thing: The actor who plays Drac can’t hold a candle to Lugosi. > > My dream is that someday some clever editor will paste together the two films, substituting Lugosi into the Spanish film. That would be the definitive _Dracula_. I just started the Spanish Dracula tonight. Didn’t have time to finish it, left off after the boat arrives in London. Excellent movie. I’ll finish it tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/19 "2009-04-24T02:01:47Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Thesiger is also the best part of another of Whale’s creepy comedies, _The Devil Doll_. Currently unavailable, but it shows up on TCM from time to time. Then you should get [this](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm278761984/tt0027521) collection for your copy of _The Devil-Doll_ ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056/20 "2009-04-24T02:25:22Z")
I recently watched the Frankenstein, Dracula, Mummy and Creature From The Black Lagoon box sets. Would have watched the Wolfman but my rental place didn’t have it. 1. Bride Of Frankenstein 2. Frankenstein 3. Dracula, English and Spanish are both OK. 4. CFTBL, Ah yes…[Julie Adams!!!](http://www.poeforward.com/deadgirls/images/scream-queens/sq-adams01creature.JPG) Everything else ranged from corny-goofy to craptacular to unwatchable. Did not care for any of the Mummy movies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-monster-movies-i-love-them/494056.md?page=2)