The Monster Movies of Universal Studios
By (author) James L. Neibaur
Publication date:
16 June 2017Length of book:
228 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442278165
In 1931 Universal Studios released Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. This box office success was followed by a string of films featuring macabre characters and chilling atmospherics, including Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man. With each new film, Universal established its place in the Hollywood firmament as the leading producer of horror films, a status it enjoyed for more than twenty years.
In The Monster Movies of Universal Studios, James L. Neibaur examines the key films produced by the studio from the early 1930s through the mid-1950s. In each entry, the author recounts the movie’s production, provides critical commentary, considers the film’s commercial reception, and offers an overall assessment of the movie’s significance. Neibaur also examines the impact these films had on popular culture, an influence that resonates in the cinema of fear today.
From the world premiere of Dracula to the 1956 release of The Creature Walks among Us, Universal excelled at scaring viewers of all ages—and even elicited a few chuckles along the way by pitting their iconic creatures against the comedic pair of Abbott and Costello. The Monster Movies of Universal Studios captures the thrills of these films, making this book a treat for fans of the golden age of horror cinema.
In The Monster Movies of Universal Studios, James L. Neibaur examines the key films produced by the studio from the early 1930s through the mid-1950s. In each entry, the author recounts the movie’s production, provides critical commentary, considers the film’s commercial reception, and offers an overall assessment of the movie’s significance. Neibaur also examines the impact these films had on popular culture, an influence that resonates in the cinema of fear today.
From the world premiere of Dracula to the 1956 release of The Creature Walks among Us, Universal excelled at scaring viewers of all ages—and even elicited a few chuckles along the way by pitting their iconic creatures against the comedic pair of Abbott and Costello. The Monster Movies of Universal Studios captures the thrills of these films, making this book a treat for fans of the golden age of horror cinema.
Like Dr. Frankenstein, Universal Studios under Carl Laemmle Jr., brought the monster movie genre to terrifying new life with the 1931 Tod Browning–directed film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi in his most iconic role. The characterizations of Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster by Lugosi and Boris Karloff, as well as the studio’s costume and makeup design, ensured that Universal’s monsters would become the standard representation of these literary monsters in popular culture. In chronological order, historian Neibaur (The Fall of Buster Keaton) details the production and reception of each monster movie produced by the studio between 1931 and 1956, including such classics as Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and each of their respective sequels. The author provides insight into the challenges that the actors faced in the roles that made them household names. Verdict: Neibaur’s book honors Universal’s horror legacy with exhaustive research. The detailed breakdowns of each film makes this an excellent resource for film students and monster movie fanatics.