Universal Studios Horror Classics

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Has no one mentioned Dracula with Bela Lugosi?! Love it! It made Tod Browning (director) a huge success…

…but a few years later, he threw it all away when he directed the classic film “Freaks”. The movie was banned for years as “indecent” or “pornography,” and the only way people could see it was at small film festivals where someone had a copy and showed it in the wee hours. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) and my brother and I saw it when I was in college–it was shown at one of those “artsy film festivals.” My brother drove 60 miles in the night to come and see it, and thought it was worth the drive.

Tod Browning was ruined in Hollywood after this movie came out.

“Freaks” is usually classified as a horror film, but I don’t think that’s the appropriate category. I’m not really sure what the correct category would be. It’s so unique.

Also, it was MGM, not Universal.

I consider Freaks one of the best movies ever made in the U.S., and I am so grateful that Browning used real circus and sideshow professionals in the film rather than using makeup on regular actors. If you haven’t seen it, get it and watch ASAP.

My brother and I grew up watching the Friday night Creature Feature on our local network (even though we lived close to Chicago, we couldn’t get Svengoolie on our TV when we were growing up). My mother loved horror movies, and she introduced us to classics like “The Birds”, “Psycho,” “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane,” and “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte,” as well as the old Universal monster movies shown on Creature Feature. She assured us that it was all pretend, the monsters were just plastic and makeup, and the people in the movies were just actors telling a story. We had a great mother!
 
That one is creepy! Hard to watch that one late at night if you are home alone! 😮
 
I don’t remember the song from The Blob, but
Burt Bacharach must have been starting his career if he did the theme song for that.
 
I have seen the movie Freaks. They show it on TCM every now and then. I did not know
it ruined Tod Browning’s career.

I might watch Dracula later. I get “free movies” through my cable provider and, fortunately, these horror classics are
included.

Anyone remember The Creature from the Black Lagoon?
 
Burt’s Blob song is good, but it’s totally miscast as the theme for this movie. It sounds like it was written for Frankie and Annette on the beach instead of for Steve McQueen, the World’s Oldest Teenager (except maybe for Roddy McDowall in “Lord Love a Duck” which wasn’t a horror film) in the woods of Chester County PA (which scare the heck out of me even without a Blob running loose, as I grew up in a city).

 
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I just want to quickly mention that I hold a lot of these movies dearly, and I was exposed to them by Joe Bob Briggs, host of Monstervision on TNT.
 
I wasn’t into them at all when I was young. My mother didn’t like me watching horror movies because the kids across the street who were kind of mentally unstable would watch them incessantly and have nightmares. It didn’t help that they mostly played on the local UHF stations and my parents refused to buy a TV set that brought in UHF until I was at least 11. Danny Cleary’s “Cult Movies” books, which I discovered in college, are largely responsible for whatever appreciation of film I developed as an adult.
 
LOL! Thanks for posting that Tis_Bearself…
that does sound like it was written for a beach movie. Kind of a catchy tune! He definitely showed his talent that would continue to grow.

@Tis_Bearself
 
Although I think that the Universal Studios’ monsters are the “classics,” I also must confess that I happen to like the Hammer horror films, especially the “Dracula” films! They look like they were filmed in an old office building–which is kind of true. But Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are awesome–really good actors doing their best with lowbrow films. I think that’s why Hammer films worked–good acting.
 
I’d we’re talking horror movies overall rather than just Universal, my favorite vampire movie is Fright Night (the 80s original). Witty, funny, terrifying, and great effects.
 
7_Sorrows said:
Anyone remember The Creature from the Black Lagoon?
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I watched that for the first time recently. It’s part of my Universal Monsters Blu-ray set. Comes with a 3D version, but alas, I don’t have the equipment at home for that, so I watched the 2D version.

I enjoyed it, but was a bit amused at the leading lady’s frequent change of clothing. (Given that, I think the movie was supposed to take place over the course of 24 hours or less?)
 
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Thrstypirate said:
I’d we’re talking horror movies overall rather than just Universal, my favorite vampire movie is Fright Night (the 80s original). Witty, funny, terrifying, and great effects.
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My son and I loved Fright Night too.
 
MrZoom said:
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7_Sorrows:
Anyone remember The Creature from the Black Lagoon?
Click to expand...
I watched that for the first time recently. It’s part of my Universal Monsters Blu-ray set. Comes with a 3D version, but alas, I don’t have the equipment at home for that, so I watched the 2D version.

I enjoyed it, but was a bit amused at the leading lady’s frequent change of clothing. (Given that, I think the movie was supposed to take place over the course of 24 hours or less?)
Click to expand...
I haven’t seen this movie in awhile so I don’t
remember the time frame or how many changes of clothes she had.
 
I think Creature from the Black Lagoon looks like the “Deep Ones” that Lovecraft describes in his great stories, although my husband thinks the Lovecraft “fish people” would look more like fish than reptiles.

I wish someone could do a really good Lovecraft movie adaptation.
 
Also Universal’s 1925 Phantom of the Opera.

While it is not as well known as the 1940’s The Wolfman, Universal’s Werewolf of London from 30’s is good.
 
I used to enjoy the Hammer Dracula films as a young teen. The local tv station would play them on Saturday afternoons.

I learned that Christopher Lee wasn’t very happy with them, but was forced to continue making them due to being under contract.
 
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