Images of scary monsters created by Universal Studios decades ago continue to influence today's pop culture
By TONI RUBERTO
NEWS STAFF
10/29/2006
They are called the Universal Monsters after the studio that created them, but the creatures in such classic movies as "Dracula," "Frankenstein," "The Wolf Man" and "The Mummy," are also universal monsters: They remain the iconic images still associated with these creatures today.
If you find that hard to believe, check out the Halloween decorations in your favorite store. A flat-headed, green-faced creature with what appear to be bolts sticking from the side of his neck adorns everything from napkins to candles and soap dispensers.
Recognize the image just by that description? Sure, it's Frankenstein, right?
Not if you're referring to the creature described by a teenage Mary Shelley in her book, "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus." (The title character of her story, by the way, was the scientist, not the creature.)
The image we associate with Frankenstein is the one created by the masterful makeup artist Jack Pierce for Boris Karloff to wear in Universal's 1931 movie, "Frankenstein."
The fanged vampire with dark hair merging into a widow's peak on his forehead? Bram Stoker's literary Dracula was an old man with a long white mustache and a unibrow. It's the exotic Bela Lugosi's portrayal of the Prince of Darkness that has been emulated for decades.
The influence of the Universal Monsters on modern pop culture doesn't stop there.
"I wouldn't be the kind of writer I am today if it weren't for the early horror movies, especially Universal," author Ray Bradbury says in the documentary, "Universal Horror."
The Universal movies fueled the creative fire within a young Rick Baker, who went on to win Oscars for his extraordinary makeup effects for "An American Werewolf in London," "Men in Black" and "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas."
"I wanted to be Dr. Frankenstein. I wanted to be the guy who made the monster," Baker says in the documentary, "The Frankenstein Files."
Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy") are among the filmmakers who were inspired by these films. (Before entering the Horror Make-Up Show at Florida's Universal Studios, you can watch a video of Sommers discussing the challenge of "re-imaging these icons for the 21st century" for his movie "Van Helsing.")
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the release of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," two of the most recognized of the Universal Monsters. In celebration, the studio has carted out 75th anniversary DVD sets ($26.98 each, Universal Home Video), along with "Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios" (Ballantine Books, $29.95). The gorgeous picture book showcases the stunning black-and-white imagery from Universal movies including the 1925 Lon Chaney silent masterpiece, "The Phantom of the Opera," the film considered to be the studio's first horror movie.
The Universal Monsters may not horrify today's film audiences used to watching people being tortured and mutilated in graphic detail on screen. But they remain alive and will continue to do so because they did much more than scare audiences - they struck an emotional chord with viewers watching creatures who were feared for the way they looked or caught in tragic circumstances beyond their control. There was always a humanity within the monster.
Here is the Universal Monsters Family Tree:
"Dracula" (1931) They said Bram Stoker's novel, with its multiple story lines and shifting perspective, was too complicated for film. That didn't stop Carl Laemmle Jr. (who was given Universal Studios as a 21st birthday gift from his dad in 1928) from trying, and succeeding.
They said Bram Stoker's novel, with its multiple story lines and shifting perspective, was too complicated for film. That didn't stop Carl Laemmle Jr. (who was given Universal Studios as a 21st birthday gift from his dad in 1928) from trying, and succeeding. It was to be a vehicle for the "man of a thousand faces," Lon Chaney, but he died five weeks before filming started. The role eventually went to Bela Lugosi, a Hungarian export who had played the role on stage. Lugosi may not be a leading man by today's standards - he was not conventionally handsome and was nearly 50 - but his rich accent, striking eyes and laconic body movements were mesmerizing to audiences. He remains the face of Dracula today.
Immortal line: "There are far worse things awaiting man than death."
Universal legacy: Dracula also appeared in the Universal films "Dracula's Daughter" (1936); "Son of Dracula" (1943); "House of Frankenstein" (1944); "House of Dracula" (1945); and the hilarious spoof "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948).
"Frankenstein" (1931) The success of "Dracula" paved the way for "Frankenstein" to be made the same year. Boris Karloff became an overnight sensation in what his daughter, Sara, says was his 81st screen appearance (he began acting in silent films). Legend has it that Karloff lugged around between 48 and 62 pounds of costuming, including asphalt-spreader boots that weighed 13 pounds each - and lost 25 pounds during filming.
The success of "Dracula" paved the way for "Frankenstein" to be made the same year. Boris Karloff became an overnight sensation in what his daughter, Sara, says was his screen appearance (he began acting in silent films). Legend has it that Karloff lugged around between 48 and 62 pounds of costuming, including asphalt-spreader boots that weighed 13 pounds each - and lost 25 pounds during filming. Though the film suffered at the hands of the censorship board (including the editing of the scene where the creature plays with a child by the lake), the movie has an everlasting allure that is found in its pathos. The creature, a hideous monster by sight, is childlike and sympathetic. He didn't ask to be born.
Immortal line: "It's moving. It's alive, it's alive."
Universal legacy: Frankenstein's monster also appeared in Universal's "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935); "Son of Frankenstein" (1939); "The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942); "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943); "House of Frankenstein" (1944); "House of Dracula" (1945); and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948).
"The Mummy" (1932) The discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920s made anything Egyptian all the rage for more than a decade. It was a natural subject when Universal sought another film for its star, Boris Karloff.
The discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920s made anything Egyptian all the rage for more than a decade. It was a natural subject when Universal sought another film for its star, Boris Karloff. More of a romance than a horror film, it still had its share of chills. But Karloff (billed here as Karloff the Uncanny) as a romantic lead? Strange as it sounds, he gave a sensitive performance as the lovelorn Im-ho-tep, the immortal mummy who sought his lost love, Anck-es-en-Amon. (Sound familiar? Director Stephen Sommers, who has made a career out of his passion for the Universal Monsters, carried that same story line in his big-budget popcorn franchise, "The Mummy.")
Immortal line: "We live today, we shall lie again, in many forms shall we return."
Universal Legacy: The Mummy was also the subject of the Universal movies "The Mummy's Hand" (1940); "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942); "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944); "The Mummy's Curse" (1944); and "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" (1955).
"The Wolf Man" (1941) Has anyone ever been as pathetic as Lon Chaney Jr. was in his role of Lawrence Talbot, the unlucky man bitten by the gypsy werewolf (played by Bela Lugosi)? Guilt-ridden over his wolf-driven hunger, Lawrence Talbot was a pitiful figure. (Remember that name, by the way; it often pops up in pop culture as a homage.)
Has anyone ever been as pathetic as Lon Chaney Jr. was in his role of Lawrence Talbot, the unlucky man bitten by the gypsy werewolf (played by Bela Lugosi)? Guilt-ridden over his wolf-driven hunger, Lawrence Talbot was a pitiful figure. (Remember that name, by the way; it often pops up in pop culture as a homage.) Although the story has a basis in folklore, most of the werewolf legend in this film was the work of screenwriter Curt Siodmak.
Immortal line: "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." (Variations of this quote were heard in all Universal Wolf Man films and in "Van Helsing.")
Universal legacy: The Wolf Man, as played by Lon Chaney Jr., also appeared in the Universal movies "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943); "House of Frankenstein" (1944); "House of Dracula" (1945); and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948). Other Universal films with a werewolf theme were "Werewolf of London" (1935) and "She-Wolf of London" (1946).
Other Universal monsters: "Phantom of the Opera" (1925). The cadaverous makeup Lon Chaney Jr. created for this silent movie remains stunning. The unmasking scene still packs a punch. (Chaney's 1923 movie, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," isn't a considered a horror movie, but should still be mentioned.)
(1925). The cadaverous makeup Lon Chaney Jr. created for this silent movie remains stunning. The unmasking scene still packs a punch. (Chaney's 1923 movie, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," isn't a considered a horror movie, but should still be mentioned.) "Invisible Man" (1933). Claude Raines played the title character in this adaptation of the H.G. Wells sci-fi novel.
Universal legacy: "The Invisible Man Returns" (1940); "The Invisible Woman" (1940); "The Invisible Agent" (1942); "The Invisible Man's Revenge" (1944); "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948); and "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951).
"Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954). Who cared if you could see the zipper on the suit? The Gill-Man and his sensual underwater dance with Julia Adams was both horrifying and sensual to watch. Originally released in 3D.
Universal legacy: "Revenge of the Creature" (1955) and "The Creature Walks Among Us" (1956).
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