Universal Classic Monsters (1931 - 1956): 24

The Creature Walks Among Us (1956) is an American monster horror film and the third installment in the Creature from the Black Lagoon franchise by Universal Pictures. After escaping from Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida, the Gill-man is pursued by a group of scientists led by Dr. William Barton. As they travel on the Vagabondia III to capture the creature in the Everglades, it becomes evident that Barton is mentally unstable and treats his wife Marcia poorly. His possessiveness and paranoia intensify as their guide Jed Grant continually flirts with Marcia, despite her rejection of his advances. Despite her husband’s ...

The American film, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) directed by Charles Lamont, tells the story of two Americans stranded in Cairo, Egypt. While there, they overhear a discussion about the mummy Klaris, who guards the Tomb of Princess Ara, and his sacred medallion that reveals the location of her treasure. Along with them, Semu and his followers eavesdrop on this conversation, as does Madame Rontru, a woman hoping to steal the treasure for herself. In an attempt to fulfill their dream to return to America, Abbott and Costello apply for positions to accompany Klaris back home. Tragically, before they can reach ...

Jack Arnold directed Revenge of the Creature (1955), a 3D monster film. After surviving multiple gunshot wounds, the Gill-man is taken to the Ocean Harbor Oceanarium in Florida for further observation. There, animal psychologist Professor Clete Ferguson and ichthyology student Helen Dobson study him. Despite Joe Hayes’s objections, Helen and Clete develop feelings for each other. Unfortunately, this causes obstacles for Clete’s attempts to communicate with the Gill-man, who seems quite taken with Helen. In the end, the Gill-man breaks free from his tank and fatally injures ...

The American black-and-white 3D monster horror film, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), was produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold. During a geology expedition in the Amazon, a skeletal hand with webbed fingers from the Devonian period is discovered, providing a direct link between land and sea animals. Expedition leader Dr. Carl Maia instructs his two assistants to remain at camp while he visits the marine biology institute. There, he meets up with his friend and former student, ichthyologist Dr. David Reed. After working at an aquarium in California, ...

The American science fiction comedy film, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951), was directed by Charles Lamont. Freshly graduated from a private detective school, Lou Francis and Bud Alexander are approached by their first client, middleweight boxer Tommy Nelson. Tommy has just escaped from jail where he was being held for the murder of his manager. He enlists the duo to assist him in visiting his fiancée, Helen Gray, who is also the niece of Dr. Philip Gray. Tommy hopes that Dr. Gray will inject him with a special serum that will turn him invisible, giving him the chance to clear his name by investigating ...

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is an American horror comedy film directed by Charles Barton. A concerned Larry Talbot contacts the railway station in Florida, where baggage clerks Chick Young and Wilbur Grey are employed. In his call, Talbot urgently warns Wilbur of an impending shipment for ‘McDougal’s House of Horrors’. However, his message is cut short as he transforms into a werewolf with the rising full moon. Wilbur dismisses the call as a joke, unaware of the real danger. Meanwhile, McDougal demands that the crates be delivered directly to his wax museum. Despite it being after ...

The American horror film House of Frankenstein (1944) stars Boris Karloff, directed by Erle C. Kenton. After attempting to replicate Dr. Frankenstein’s experiments, Dr. Gustav Niemann is imprisoned and meets the hunchback Daniel. He convinces him to become his assistant and promises to create a new body for him. During an earthquake, they escape and stumble upon Professor Lampini’s traveling show. Wanting revenge on Burgomaster Hussman, Niemann revives Count Dracula from his corpse in the horror exhibit. The vampire hypnotizes Hussman’s ...

The American horror film, The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944), directed by Ford Beebe and written by Bertram Millhauser, follows the story of a mentally unstable Robert Griffin. After escaping from a Cape Town institution where he was committed for murdering two orderlies, Griffin becomes fixated on seeking revenge against the Herrick family. One evening, Sir Jasper Herrick and Lady Irene are inspecting their daughter Julie’s new boyfriend, journalist Mark Foster, when Julie and Mark suddenly leave. Left alone in the residence, Robert seizes the opportunity to ...

The American horror film, Son of Dracula (1943), was directed by Robert Siodmak and written by his brother Curt Siodmak. Katherine Caldwell invites Count Alucard to come to the United States. She is one of Colonel Caldwell’s daughters, who owns a plantation in New Orleans. Shortly after arriving, the Colonel dies of a supposed heart attack and leaves his fortune to his two daughters. Claire inherits all his money while Katherine receives his estate, known as ‘Dark Oaks’. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Katherine has been secretly dating Alucard and the two ...

Based on Gaston Leroux’s novel and the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, Phantom of the Opera (1943) is an American romantic horror film directed by Arthur Lubin. After revealing that he is losing the use of his left hand, violinist Erique Claudin is dismissed from the Paris Opera House. Despite facing financial struggles, he secretly funds voice lessons for Christine Dubois, a young soprano to whom he is devoted. Meanwhile, Inspector Raoul Dubert pressures Christine to leave the Opera and marry him, while famous opera ...

In the American horror flick directed by Roy William Neill, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi star as the two graverobbers who venture into the Talbot family crypt during a full moon. In hopes of reviving Larry Talbot, they remove the wolfsbane that was buried with his body. To their surprise, the full moon’s light transforms Larry back to life. Later that night in Cardiff, he is discovered by police with his apparent fatal head wound and taken to Dr. Mannering for treatment. When ...

Invisible Agent (1942), an American action and spy film directed by Edwin L. Marin with a screenplay written by Curt Siodmak, follows the story of Frank Griffin Jr. He is the grandson of the original Invisible Man, who now operates a print shop in Manhattan using the name Frank Raymond. Late one night, four armed individuals enter his shop and reveal their identities as foreign agents working for the Axis powers. Among them are Conrad Stauffer, an S.S. lieutenant general, and Baron Ikito, a Japanese agent. They demand to obtain the invisibility formula and threaten harm if it is not handed over. Despite managing to flee ...

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), directed by Erle C. Kenton and featuring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., and Bela Lugosi, is an American horror film. The villagers in Frankenstein’s town believe they are cursed and attribute all their misfortunes to Frankenstein’s creation. As a result, the Mayor allows them to demolish his castle. However, Ygor discovers that the monster has been freed from his sulfuric grave due to the explosions. Although weakened, the ...

The American gothic horror film, The Wolf Man (1941), was both written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner. Larry Talbot makes his way back to his ancestral home in Llanwelly, Wales, to attend his brother’s funeral and mend his relationship with his distant father, Sir John Talbot. During his time there, he becomes enamored with a local girl named Gwen Conliffe who owns an antique shop. To get closer to her, he purchases a walking stick adorned with a silver wolf’s head. This propels Gwen to tell him about the legend of the werewolf ...

The American science fiction comedy film, The Invisible Woman (1940), was directed by A. Edward Sutherland. It follows wealthy lawyer Richard Russell as he funds Professor Gibbs, a dotty old inventor, in creating an invisibility device. The first person to test the machine is Kitty Carroll, a former department store model who had been fired from her job. With the successful use of the device, Kitty seeks revenge on her cruel ex-boss, Mr. Growley. Meanwhile, as the Professor and invisible Kitty visit Russell’s lodge, gangster Blackie Cole enlists his dim-witted henchmen–including ‘Hammerhead’ ...

Directed by Joe May, The Invisible Man Returns (1940) is an American horror science fiction film that follows the story of Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe. Despite being wrongfully convicted for the murder of his brother Michael, Radcliffe is sentenced to death. In a desperate attempt to prove his innocence, Dr. Frank Griffin, brother of the original invisible man, administers an invisibility drug to Radcliffe. With his execution looming, Radcliffe mysteriously disappears from his cell. Meanwhile, Detective Sampson of Scotland Yard begins to piece together the truth while Radcliffe races against time to find the real murderer ...

Directed by Rowland V. Lee, Son of Frankenstein (1939) tells the story of Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, the son of infamous scientist Henry Frankenstein. In an attempt to redeem his father’s name, Wolf moves his wife Elsa and young son Peter to their family castle. However, he quickly realizes that this will not be an easy task as the villagers hold a deep resentment towards the Frankenstein family due to past events involving Henry’s Monster. The only person who offers Wolf any friendship is Inspector Krogh, a local police officer with an artificial arm from a childhood encounter with the creature. While ...

Released by Universal Pictures, Dracula’s Daughter (1936) is a chilling vampire horror film that serves as a sequel to the popular 1931 movie, Dracula. Directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Garrett Fort, the story follows Professor Van Helsing who has just defeated Count Dracula. However, his victory is short-lived when he is apprehended by two Whitby policemen named Sergeant Wilkes and Constable Albert. They had stumbled upon the body of Dracula, with a stake through its heart, as well as Renfield’s lifeless body with a broken neck in Carfax ...

In the horror flick Werewolf of London (1935), directed by Stuart Walker, Henry Hull takes on the role of the titular werewolf. The story follows Wilfred Glendon, a wealthy and renowned English botanist who sets off to Tibet in search of an elusive plant known as Mariphasa lupina lumina. This plant is said to only bloom under the light of the moon. While in Tibet, Glendon is attacked and bitten by a wild humanoid creature but manages to obtain a specimen of the rare plant. Back in his London laboratory, he creates a lamp that mimics moonlight in hopes of seeing the ...

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) is an American sci-fi horror sequel to Universal Pictures’ original film, Frankenstein. In a castle during a stormy night, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron praise Mary Shelley for her story about the infamous Frankenstein and his creation. Mary reminds them that her purpose in writing the novel was to teach a moral lesson about the dangers of playing God. She reveals that she has more of the story to share. The scene then shifts to the end of Frankenstein, where villagers celebrate as the Monster seemingly perishes in a burning windmill. However, Hans, whose daughter was killed by the creature, wants to see its ...