#2: The Universal Studios’ Monster Collection (1931-1954)

In yesterday’s countdown someone commented that my choices made no sense to them; that they couldn’t figure out what my nomenclature was. Curious to see if that was a real word, I looked it up and not only discovered that it was but that the commenter made a good point. First off, this isn’t a “scariest movie” ranking. If that were the case, my top three would be “Exorcist,” “Last House on the Left,” and “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” – and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” would never be heard from again (which is too tragic to dwell on). If anything drives these choices it’s the intensity of personal affection I have for each of them, especially with regard to how they help to capture what I believe Halloween is all about. So if there’s a nomenclature at work here it’s that as we climb the list we also climb that particular film’s power to create an emotional experience, and that experience need not be fear.  Which brings me to today’s choice(s).

Officially, it was in 1923 that Universal Studios jumped into the horror genre with Lon Chaney’s unforgettable turn as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” a beautifully filmed and brilliantly performed silent that would immediately be followed by the even more impressive “The Phantom of the Opera.” It wasn’t until 1931, though, that the true monster movie would be born with the landmark one-two punch of “Frankenstein” and “Dracula.” From here everything would change, Universal would never look back, and for the next quarter century audiences would be treated to more iconic monsters — and even better — an atmosphere, mood, and feel like no other cinematic era has produced before or since.

Whether you’re talking about the best known of the monster movies that came out of this particular studio era or one of their lesser known and sometimes cheesier sequels, there is no movie-watching experience quite like spending 80 minutes roaming around the black and white insides of a Universal horror film. The architecture, lighting, shadows, performance style, sound, score and tone are always so precisely perfect that over the course of the six films listed below and the 20 or so sequels they helped to spawn, you are effectively entering a singular macabre universe that becomes more and more exhilarating (and addicting) to explore as you become more and more familiar with it.

Those of you who believe I should pick only one, ask too much…   (more…)

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Hollywood’s greatest year, 1939. Accordingly, Turner Classic Movies is celebrating the anniversary this month by showing 39 films released in ‘39, starting with The Wizard of Oz. Throughout the month, TCM will also screen a new documentary, 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year.

It’s a truism among fans of classic movies that 1939 was the Hollywood cinema’s greatest year. But if it has become something of a cliche to say so, it’s only because it’s so undeniably true.

It’s really rather amazing to consider how many classic or transcendentally classic films were released during that annus mirabilis. Among the most highly praised then and in the ensuring years were the following: (more…)