Fine Stories and Other Wordy Tidbits
Unwatchable. It's a hefty word, or at least it's supposed to be. In today's digital word, we're more likely to see it tossed around as shorthand for "something I personally didn't like." But what does it really mean? When is a film really, truly unwatchable? The problem is that "unwatchable" can mean a few different … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Mummy’s Tomb” (1942)
When I first pressed Play on this movie, I really had no idea what to expect. Son of Frankenstein had been a decent, if not perfect, conclusion to the story begun in the 1931 film, and after three movies, the most interesting story possibilities for the Frankensteins and the Creature had already been played out. … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Ghost of Frankenstein” (1942)
Seems that I've finished a spooky short story just in time for Halloween! How about that? This is a project that I've been wanting to do for quite a while. It's a follow-up, technically a prequel, to my story "White Saffron." It was loosely inspired by my recent reading of Madeline Miller's Circe, and it … Continue reading Short Story: “In the Garden of Death”
NOTE: Today's film and some of the clips in this article include the use of pejorative language toward Romani people, which may be offensive to some readers. While my analysis does make note of the film's terminology, I have attempted to use appropriate terminology whenever possible. Even a man who is pure in heart And … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Wolf Man” (1941)
Okay, how do I ease you guys into this...? I haven't done an exact tally on how many views each article in this series has, but I have noticed that people seem to keep coming back to my article on Werewolf of London. I couldn't tell you why. Perhaps it's because it's a more obscure … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Mummy’s Hand” (1940)
First of all, I'd like to begin this new article by giving a big shout-out to my new team of staff writers. They worked very hard to help me bring you this new piece, and their diligence is much appreciated. So give 'em a big hand! Elsa, Boris, Orlok (our transfer from Germany) and Griffin … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “The Invisible Man Returns” (1940)
After our cheerful little trip through the land of German Expressionism, we're back in familiar territory and ready to move forward. Today's film is the first in what we're going to call the second part of Universal Horror's Classic Era, which as you may recall lasts from about 1930 to 1960. Why are there multiple … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Son of Frankenstein” (1939)
Again with the vampires! Since the sequel to Frankenstein turned out so well, it was only natural for Universal to also make a follow-up to their other monster hit from 1931. You may notice a similarity to Bride right off the bat -- namely, the premise of a female counterpart to the original film's antagonist. … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Dracula’s Daughter” (1936)
Let's start by establishing one thing right off the bat: no, this is not The Wolf Man. That comes later. And it's definitely not that other werewolf movie with "London" in the title. That comes way later and would also probably be five minutes long by Hays Code standards. If it somehow didn't make the … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Werewolf of London” (1935)
"To a new world of gods and monsters!" By 1935, Universal had been making horror films for about ten years. Their world of gods and monsters wasn't terribly new in that respect. What was new, however, was the experiment they were about to undertake. Up to this point, Universal's horror films had all been standalone … Continue reading Horror Is Universal: “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)
