Count Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.) arrives in the American South after being invited by an occult-obsessed heiress, Katherine Caldwell. Their marriage unleashes a chilling vampire curse, forcing her loved ones to confront the undead threat. In this entry, Chaney becomes Dracula and is, as ever, excellent. There’s great suspense, and interesting twists on the by …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 23- Son of Dracula (1943)
You should know the story by now… If this remake was a recipe, the ingredients would be- 3 parts lavish sets 3 parts opulent costumes 3 parts beautiful Technicolor 1 part horror Do you see where the problem lies? Also, Claude Rains feels miscast here. There’s not enough of him and he isn’t grotesque enough. …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 22- The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
Before Freddy vs Jason and Alien vs Predator, there was a horror cross-over that was actually worth seeing and it was made decades before. Obviously, if you’re going to make a cross-over, make sure the stars from the originals can star. Hence, the fact that Lon Chaney Jr and Bela Lugosi appear in this film …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 21- Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
This film takes place 30 years after the events of The Mummy’s Hand. A high priest travels to America with the mummy to react revenge on what happened before. There’s much to love about The Mummy’s Tomb whether it’s the moody black and white photography in which shadows are brilliantly used (more proto-Goth) or the …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 20- The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)
The grandson of the original Invisible Man uses his formula to spy on the N*zis and help the war effort. This was an unexpected turn for the Invisible Man series. Claude Rains returns and is as good as ever as are the rest of the cast with the villains being suitably over the top and …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 19- The Invisible Agent (1942)
From IMDB- ‘Dr. Frankenstein's plans to replace the brain of his monster are hijacked by his scheming and malevolent assistant Ygor.’ Lon Chaney must have felt the pressure on him filling the very big boots (literally) of Boris Karloff regarding depicting The Monster but he needn’t have worried. He's fine, as are the rest of …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 18- The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Larry Talbot returns to Wales from America after being away for 18 years. He's back to attend his brothers funeral and reunite with his estranged father. One night when he's taking a walk with a pretty woman he's chatted up, she is attacked by a wolf until Larry intervenes to save her. He is bitten …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 17- The Wolf Man (1941)
A model, Kitty Carroll, is the first guinea pig for a machine which can turn people invisible which has been invented by the eccentric Professor Gibbs. But the machine is then stolen by three gangsters who want to use it on their boss. This isn’t horror even though it’s the third film in their ‘invisible’ …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 16- The Invisible Woman (1940)
A pair of bumbling amateur archeologists go treasure seeking but unfortunately, after plundering a tomb, are terrorised by a high priest and a mummy who are its guardians. This isn’t a sequel to The Mummy but, instead, the first film in a new series of films. It’s clear the wisecracking would-be archaeologists are modelled on …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 15- The Mummy’s Hand (1940)
Geoffrey Radcliffe is on death row, sentenced to hang for a murder. But when he mysteriously disappears from his cell, it’s discovered that he’s the brother of the original Invisible Man and was given the same formula. It’s now a race against time for Geoffrey to find the real killer. Another sequel but this time …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 14- The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
Meathook Cinema 