Creature Feature

Last of the box set and last of his kind, it's The Creature from the Black Lagoon from 1954, directed by Jack Arnold.

The final archetype of the canonical Universal monsters and a real shift from Gothic to the science fiction horror films of the 1950s. In fact it's all science even starting with a lecture on evolution before the clean cut science team pack their bags, charter a knackered old boat and head for the Amazon and the Black Lagoon itself. The Creature himself is rather fantastic and maintains a real sense of rubbery menace in his lovely gill suit, and Richard Carlson is pretty good and the lead scientist and clean cut hero.

It's impossible to discuss this film without mentioning two things, firstly the iconic white one-piece swimsuit worn by Julie Adams as she takes a risky dip in the lagoon. A sequence that provided inspiration for many a science fiction and horror writer. And then there is the work of the underwater stunt man Ricou Browning swimming in the creature suit. The marvellous watery ballet that takes place as the Creature swims back and forth beneath the unsuspecting Adams is just a triumph for everyone involved in it. It's the stand out moment in a pretty good sci-fi horror move.

Somehow I'd never seen this film before and I'm glad I finally got the chance to. It's a good solid 4 out 5 webbed fingered thumbs up, and right up there with Bride of Frankenstein as the pick of this box set. That's it for the Universal monsters, but I can't leave it there. It's time to open a can of Kensington gore and see what the Brits can do as I switch to Hammer studios and see how well they update the horror archetypes.

A Night at the Opera

The penultimate disc in my Universal monsters box set is the 1943 version of The Phantom of the Opera, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Claude Rains as the Phantom.

The first colour film in the set and it's definitely technicolour, the whole thing looks like an image from the top of a tin of chocolates. I've also just watched the 1925 black and white silent version starring Lon Chaney which is moody and atmospheric. The 1943 film suffers in comparison on several counts, the colour palette makes everything look very pink and reassuring and not at all horrific. It's also a mistake to change the story so that Rains begins as a member of the orchestra and frustrated composer, we see his disfigurement when acid is thrown in his face so we have some idea of what's coming when he is unmasked. There was no warning or explanation of what was to come when Chaney's face was revealed, in fact it's so horrifying that the focus puller missed his moment and the image infamously swam out of focus.

There's also some unnecessary comedy moments from Nelson Eddy and Edgar Barry as the romantic rivals for Susanna Foster's attentions. The opera scenes themselves are far too much like a big Hollywood musical with some rather obvious miming to the soundtrack, and there is not enough of the Phantom in the creepy catacombs. Claude Rains is convincing as poor Erique but gets too little time as the Phantom.

Sadly the whole thing is rather dull and not at all scary, It's the runt of the litter in this particular box set and gets a mere 1 out 5 conveniently handy trays of acid. So it's on to the last of the set, the one I've never seen that I'm really looking forward to. It's time to take a deep breath and meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Crazy about a Well Dressed Wolf

Next up in the Universal Monsters box set is The Wolf Man from 1941, starring Lon Chaney Jr and directed by George Waggner.

The science fiction writer Curt Siodmak wrote the script and produced much of the Werewolf mythology that we now accept as gospel, although interestingly poor Larry Talbot's transformations are initially tied to the flowering of the Wolfsbane plant as opposed to the full moon that would later become the norm.

It's filmed on that familiar Universal studios European village set and does not look like its setting in Wales at any point. Six years have passed since the Bride of Frankenstein and in that time film technology has moved on and instead of the creepy and grainy black and white we see a much slicker and clearer image as Hollywood really starts to set the look of its Golden age productions.

Jack Pierce's famous yak hair make up is impressive although her doesn't look terribly fierce, rather cuddly in fact. And I'm curious as to why the first thing that the Wolf Man does after transformation is to put on that neat button up shirt, Chaney having stripped down to his vest as the change begins. Still a young Wolf out on the town has to look good, plus he needs something to hide the edges of the make up.

Sadly the clear cut look of the film and the dafter aspects of the Welsh village fully populated by Hollywood stars mean this one doesn't rate very highly. Nice to see Bela Lugosi in a brief role, although I'm not sure how he gets all his clothes back on after he dies? And Claude Rains makes his second appearance as Talbot's father despite being only 17 years older than Chaney in real life. 3 out of 5 silver topped canes and on with more rains to come in the Phantom of the Opera.

Don't tell the Bride

By 1935 Universal had got the old gang together and James Whale, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive and Dwight Fyre reunited for The Bride of Frankenstein, a film with the reputation of being a sequel that outstripped the original.

Karloff''s Creature proves to be indestructible and his creator is also nursed back to life by his beloved Elizabeth. While the Monster is chased around the countryside Frankenstein himself is approached by the mysterious Dr Pretorius and finally agrees to work with him to create a female, but this time with a brain that Pretorius has somehow grown specially for the task.

While Frankenstein and Pretorius scheme the Creature is taken in by the blind hermit and gains the power of speech at the same time as learning the pleasures of human company and smoking cigars. Again the comedic elements are played up and these were later to be parodied with such success by Mel Brooks and his cast in Young Frankenstein. The decision to have the Creature speak is an odd one and it meant that Karloff had to wear his usual dental plate so his face didn't have the same sunken cheeked death mask appearance as in the original.

What elevates this film above all the others is two sequences. The first is the creation scene where John Fulton and Kenneth Strickfaden took all the electrical machines of the mad scientist laboratory and ramped them up to 11. James Whale uses Dutch tilts and fast cuts to produce a terrific cinematic moment which set the standard for all others.

The other perfect sequence is Elsa Lanchester's spooky performance as the horrifying and horrified Bride, with her strange twitchy movements and her unearthly scream when confronted with Karloff's grinning creature. She's only on screen for minutes but she dominates the film. It's a memorable ending for a terrific black and white horror classic which is well remembered for good reason. This one is the real deal with a perfect 5 flashing electrical stars mostly for the final 15 minutes which are the best thing in the box set so far.

Next up it will be time for Lon Chaney Jr to don the Yak hair and become The Wolf Man.

He'll see you now.

Universal quickly looked for more classic horror ideas from the literature and in 1933 James Whale directed a fairly faithful adaptation of H.G.Wells' The Invisible Man. 

Claude Rains does a fantastic job of portraying the character by his voice alone, his face only appears as Griffin lies dying in a hospital bed at the end of the movie. And of course there is some marvellous special effects magic from John Fulton and his team, particularly in the sequences where Griffin reveals his true self to the terrified villagers. H.G.Wells himself was said to be impressed although he had some reservations about the depiction of his title character as a hysterical madman prone to lots of maniacal giggling as he torments his pursuers. And it is true that Whales and Rains do play up some of the comedy elements of the story and much fun is had at the expense of the British police force who come across as an international branch of the Keystones Kops,

It cracks along with the story in a compact 71 minutes and established Rains as a star as well as confirming James Whale as the safest pair of hands for directing these Universal classics. Nice to see Henry Travers who is best remembered as Clarence from It's a Wonderful Life turning up in a straight role as Griffin's former boss Dr Cranley. It's a good solid interpretation of Wells' story and I enjoyed it quite a bit. A solid but invisible 3 stars. If you want to hear what we made of the BBC remake from the 1980s on British Invaders then check it out here. Next up may be the pick of this 8 disc set, it's time for the Bride of Frankenstein.

I want my Mummy

Following rapidly on from Dracula and Frankenstein came 1932's The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund, and it's a bit of a dud to be honest. Boris Karloff appears in the opening scenes wearing the incredible Jack Pierce Mummy make-up but does nothing other than open his eyes. We don't even get to see the Mummy walk which is a disappointment. After that Karloff pops up as the regenerated Imhotep with a very wrinkled face and hypnotic eyes but not an awful lot else going on. Freund's direction seems very static to me and all of the major action and murdering takes place off camera again.

Edward Van Sloan pops up again, making it three movies out of three playing the wise man who knows what is going on before the rest of the cast do. The large eyed German actress Zita Johann plays the reincarnation of Imhotep's lost love (possibly) and is the most striking thing in the film apart from Karloff, and that's mainly for the very skimpy costume she wears as Princess Anck-es-en-Amon. It seems in 1932 violence was very much an off screen thing for the movies but "how does that stay on?" costumes for female stars were obviously allowed.

This was the first time Universal studios created their own monster property rather than take from a novel or play. The poster said "It comes to life!" and it does but we don't get to see it do anything else, and I wanted a walking, menacing Mummy. Still onwards and upwards and it's time to see the Invisible Man or not as the case may be.

Frankenstein - caught by the flash mob

Next out of the box set is James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein with another instantly iconic appearance by Boris Karloff as one of the most instantly recognisable movie creations of the 20th century.

And Karloff is indeed great, which is just as well as the rest of the cast are a bit theatrical and dramatic for modern tastes. Dwight Fyre stands out again as Fritz, and the man who plays the drowned girl's father is very impressive. The scene where he carries his child's body through the wedding festivities is moving and memorable.

Oddities that stand out on this viewing include the fact that the famous creation screen is witnessed by Dr Waldman and Frankenstein's friend Victor. Quite why the title character has swapped first names with his best friend is a mystery. There is also the strange mixture of upper class British society and the trappings of the Tyrolean village setting which places the film in that weird Hollywood uncanny geographical valley.

Jack Pierce's makeup and Karloff's creature are the clear stars of the show. Apart from that the film is strangely muted. The creature kills Fritz, and there is its horrifying mistake with the child by the water, but Elizabeth survives her attack. Apart from that it does very little other than wrestle with his creator on top of the mill as the torch carrying mob look on. Was this the very first sighting of a torch waving mob in the movies? No pitchforks on show but lots of sturdy sticks to beat the creature if they should come across it.

I'm going with 4 out of 5 neck bolts for this one and on to the next. I want my Mummy.

Dracula the society vampire

What would Christmas be without a DVD box set? I asked for and received this lovely blu-ray set of the Universal monster movies. I know I have seen some or all of each film in the past but can't recall when I last watched any of them from start to finish, so here goes with another movie marathon. Eight films to see and first up is the one that started it all: Tod Browning's 1931 version of Dracula. The film that cemented the image of the nefarious Count that has stuck with us for over 80 years.

Bela Lugosi eats up his role with relish although interestingly we don't really see his teeth at any point. Certainly this is a very demure version of Stoker's novel with the camera cutting away whenever Lugosi nears a victim's neck. There is no blood at all apart from the moment when Dwight Fyre's Renfield pricks his thumb on a pesky paper clip much to Dracula's interest. And although there is plenty of discussion of puncture marks on necks we are never shown them. Even Van Helsing's staking of Dracula happens off camera while the insipid Jonathan Harker is reunited with his darling Mina.

It rattles along in a mere 75 minutes and the main action is nearly all over before we notice it. Along the way we have much more of Dracula walking about old London town than I remember. The surprisingly tall Lugosi in his top hat and cloak cutting quite the dash as he visits the theatre, and then the drawing room of Dr Seward. Which, of course, is where he first encounters Van Helsing with Edward Van Sloan trying to outdo Lugosi in the weird European accent stakes, and with other more wooden stakes as well.

The performances are of their era and are very theatrical which is fitting as this followed on from a successful stage play. Dwight Fyre is perhaps the most impressive and surprising turn as the demented and wretched Renfield. Most of the rest of the cast fade into insignificance compared with Lugosi, Van Sloan and Fyre. And there are a couple of odd moments of vampire lore which rapidly drop out of the canon, notably Dracula's ability to walk through spiders' webs with disturbing them (worst super-power ever), and the use of wolf's bane to repel the Count instead of the more familiar garlic. I wonder when that particular change happened?

Overall it is a fun 75 minutes although it doesn't really deliver many thrills for modern eyes. Of course with Dracula's easy access to bedrooms and sleeping beauties it is not hard to see why it had the impact it did at the time. Sex does indeed sell more than horror when it comes to this particular vampire tale. I'll rate it a middling 3 out of 5 black cloaks. Next up is the original mad scientist and his creation.