Universal Classic Monsters (1931 - 1956): 24

The American science fiction horror film, The Invisible Man (1933), was directed by James Whale and produced by Universal Pictures. On a snowy evening in the English village of Iping, a stranger with bandaged face and dark goggles arrives at The Lion’s Head Inn. Despite demanding to be left alone, the stranger has caused chaos and fallen behind on rent due to his research. In response, Mrs. Hall sends her husband to evict him, but the stranger angrily throws Mr. Hall down the stairs. When confronted by a policeman and locals, he removes his bandages and goggles, revealing his invisibility. With maniacal laughter, ...

The American pre-Code supernatural horror film, The Mummy (1932), directed by Karl Freund, depicts an archaeological expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple in 1921. During this expedition, the mummy of Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian high priest, is discovered. Upon inspection by Dr. Muller, it is revealed that the mummy’s viscera were untouched and there were signs of a struggle indicating that Imhotep had been buried alive. Alongside the mummy lies a cursed casket containing the ‘Scroll of Thoth’. Despite Muller’s warning, Ralph Norton opens the casket and reads aloud from the scroll, causing ...

The American pre-Code horror film Frankenstein (1931), directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., was adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling which in turn was based on Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. In a Bavarian Alps village, Henry Frankenstein and his hunchback assistant Fritz assemble a human body using parts from both recently buried bodies and executed criminals. In his tower laboratory, Henry’s ...

The American pre-Code supernatural horror film, Dracula (1931), was directed and co-produced by Tod Browning. The screenplay was written by Garrett Fort and the film starred Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is an adaptation of the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which is based on Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel of the same name. ...