Well it is October 1st and Halloween is right around the corner. So I thought I would share my top thirty horror movies of all time starting tomorrow. However today I will be honoring the men and movies that started it all from Universal Studios. When you talk horror movies you have to include these classic incarnation. They might not be scary but this is where it all started.
In 1923 Universal started the monster madness with not really a horror movie but a great monster in a silent film called “Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
In this film we meet Quasimodo played by the ever talented Lon Chaney. Not a bad make-up job for that era. Lon Chaney would also star in another great movie that some consider the beginning of the classic movie monster. That movie is “Phantom of the Opera” from 1925.
Although this is another silent film it still holds a place in many hearts of the horror genre. If silent movies just are not your cup of tea then we can jump to 1931 and my favorite monster Dracula.
Dracula was played by Bela Lugosi. His Hungarian accent just brings this character to life. With his evil stare and mannerisms that will captivate you from the get go. Another great monster also made its debut in the year 1931 “Frankenstein.”
When you think of Frankenstein you think Boris Karloff. There is no other comparison. Although he was only five feet eleven inches tall you believed him to be eight feet tall. Maybe you don’t have to act much and give a few grunts but he looked great and made you crave more. He also went on to star in another classic monster movie from 1932 called “The Mummy.”
Enter the year 1941 and we get another classic icon in “The Wolfman.”
Lon Chaney Jr. portrays the Wolfman. Yes he is the offspring of Lon Chaney. I guess you can say he followed in his Dad’s footsteps. In my opinion these are the pioneers of horror. There were plenty of more movies that got Universal Studios tagged with the masters of horror. They would be “The Invisible Man” from 1933, “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” from 1954, and “The Bride of Frankenstein” from 1935.
If you are interested you can now buy these great movies in a collector’s edition DVD that comes in the shape of a coffin.
Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LPDOI5Y?gwSec=1&redirect=true&ref_=s9_simh_gw_p74_d6_i1
Universal Studios I tip my hat to thee for making all our nightmares come to life on the big screen.