Universal Pictures (USA): 245

The American horror comedy film, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), stars the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello, along with Boris Karloff in a co-starring role. While walking home from a pub, newspaper reporter Bruce Adams stumbles upon a murder victim who turns out to be a prominent doctor. The next day, two American policemen named Slim and Tubby are observing London police methods when they are called to break up a brawl at a women’s suffrage rally in Hyde Park. Amidst the chaos, Adams and young suffragette Vicky Edwards get caught up in the ...

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 ...

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 ...

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) is an American psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Newton, a restless teenage girl from Santa Rosa, California, receives exciting news: her mother’s younger brother (her namesake), Charles Oakley, will be visiting. Charlie is thrilled upon his arrival, especially when he presents her with an emerald ring as a token of their affection. However, she soon discovers that the ring has someone ...

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 horror film, Man-Made Monster (1941), directed by George Waggner, tells the story of a tragic accident. A bus collides with a high power line, resulting in the death of all passengers except for Dan McCormick, who miraculously survives due to his immunity to electricity. McCormick becomes known as Dynamo Dan and is presented in a sideshow exhibit. He catches the attention of Dr. John Lawrence, who takes an interest in studying him. However, Dr. Lawrence’s colleague, the mad scientist Dr. Paul Rigas, has darker motives and aims to create an army of electrobiologically-driven zombies. To ...

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 ...

The historical film, Tower of London (1939), was both directed and produced by Rowland V. Lee. Set in the 15th century, it follows Richard Duke of Gloucester as he eliminates those in line for the throne with the help of his executioner Mord. With each kill, he revels in removing a miniature figurine from a dollhouse representing his victims until he is the only one left. Upon the death of his brother King Edward IV, Richard becomes King of England as Richard III and must defeat Henry Tudor to maintain control.

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 ...

The  American horror film, The Raven (1935), directed by Lew Landers and starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi, tells the story of a young dancer named Jean Thatcher who is injured in a car accident. Her father, Judge Thatcher, and fiancé, Dr. Jerry Halden, seek out neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Vollin for assistance. Despite now only conducting research, Vollin is renowned for his skill in performing delicate operations on cranial nerve roots. Initially uninterested in helping due to his insensitivity towards human suffering, ...

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 ...

Based in America, The Black Cat (1934) is a pre-Code horror film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and featuring renowned actors Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. During their honeymoon in Hungary, American mystery writer Peter Alison and his bride Joan are surprised to learn that they will be sharing a train compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a Hungarian psychiatrist who claims he is visiting an old friend. As the night progresses, the couple discovers that Werdegast left his home 18 years ago to fight in World War I and has not ...