Universal+Monsters

**Universal Monsters** or **Universal Horror** is the name given to a series of distinctive horror, suspense and science fiction films m ade by [|Universal Studios] from 1923 to 1960. These Universal Monster movies have greatly innovated the techniques used in filmmaking for thriller and horror films, such as proper use of suspense and music used. It has greatly influenced other directors and their franchises. The series began with the 1923 version of The //Hunchback of Notre Dame //. (Wikipedia)

**Beginnings- Lon Chaney, Sr.**

Universal started out under the name Independent Moving Pictures Company. IMP produced only one horror film, //[|Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde]// (1913).

Universal's earliest success in the horror genre was //The Hunchback of Notre Dame// in 1923 starring Lon Chaney as Quasimodo. (Wikipedia) This film brought some early horror cliches to the table including things such as music to create suspense and using immense amounts of makeup to make their lead monsters look horrifying.

Chaney, himself, is one of the greatest actors of early cinema. Universal made tons of different movies starring Chaney and he became "the man of a thousand faces". He became this by his immense amounts of makeup work, and this would become the norm for most movie stars to wear make up in their films to look perfect.


 * 1930s- Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff **

Despite the Great Depression, Universal continued producing their horror films and produced massive successes with //Dracula // (1931) and //Frankenstein // (1931). These two movies launched the careers of both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. They would usher in a new era of American cinema. With Universal at the helm, filmmakers would continue to build on their success with an entire series of monster movies, this era was known as the first Universal Horror Cycle. Many of the horror genre's most well-known conventions and cliches—the creaking staircase, the cobwebs, the swirling mist and the mobs of peasants going after monsters with torches—originated from these films and those that followed. Many of these conventions would be used as a base for future horror movies. Other than the conventional horror ideas, these were some of the first sound movies ever created. Universal began the idea of adaptations, which would be used many times in the future. Movies such as //Ender's Game// and //The Hunger Games// are modern examples of book to movie adaptations. Creative liberties were also introduced by the classic monster movies. Filmmakers would be able to make changes to the original work in order to make it work on film, whereas in a book anything can happen.

//The Mummy// starring Karloff was produced in 1932, followed by a trilogy of films based on the tales of //Edgar Allan Poe: Murders in the Rue Morgue// (1932) starring Lugosi, //The Black Cat// (1934) and //The Raven// (1935), the latter two of which starred both Lugosi and Karloff. //The Invisible Man//, released in 1933, was <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">a hit <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">. Of all the Universal monsters, the most successful and given sequels was the Frankenstein series, which continued with the critically acclaimed //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;">Bride of Frankenstein //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;"> (1935). (Wikipedia)

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">1936 marked the end of the first Universal horror cycle, due mainly to many box office flops and other financial difficulties. Later, a theatre owner began showing //Dracula// and //Frankenstein// as a double feature to a surprising success. (Wikipedia) Universal re-released the two movies as well and found that it was a hit in the box office. Due to this they were forced to allow the completion of the 1939 film, //Son of Frankenstein,// starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi.


 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 21px;">1940s- Lon Chaney, Jr. **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">During the 1940s, the second Universal Horror cycle occurred. The new star was Lon Chaney, Jr., son of famous silent era star Lon Chaney. His first <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">major film was //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">The Wolf Man //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> in 1941. //The Wolf Man// was different from other monster movies of the past, bringing forward a tragic protagonist who becomes the monster against his will. This would be the basis for many future werewolf movies, and this is the first example among horror films of the time.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">The Frankenstein and Wolf Man series continued with //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">The Ghost of Frankenstein //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1942), in which Lon Chaney, Jr. played the monster, and //Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man// (1943) with Bela Lugosi as the monster and Chaney, Jr. as the werewolf, while //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">Son of Dracula //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1943) featured Chaney, Jr. in Lugosi's original role as Dracula. The Mummy, too, continued with //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">The Mummy's Hand //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1940) and //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">The Mummy's Tomb //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1942). Eventually, all of Universal's monsters, except the Mummy and Invisible Man, would be brought together in //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">House of Frankenstein //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1944) and //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">House of Dracula //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1945), in which Dracula was played by John Carradine. As the decade came to its end, the comedy //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein //<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;"> (1948) proved an instant hit for the studio, with Lugosi in his second role as Dracula, starring alongside Chaney, Jr. as The Wolf Man, and Glenn Strange as the monster. (Wikipedia)


 * <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 21px;">1950s- Sci-Fi Boom and the End **

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">By the 1950s, Universal had stopped filming most of its original line of horror characters, with Frankenstein's monster, Dracula and the Wolf Man <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">having been retired with the Abbott & Costello film in 1948. (Wikipedia) Abbott & Costello were left to keep the classic horror monsters alive, but Universal struck gold with //Creature from the Black Lagoon// (1951). This 50s classic brought what everyone wanted to see in movies. Unlike the older movies of the past, this movie was based around a monster born from human intervention. Many movies of the 50s would be based around science, giant monsters, and the end of the world due to the tension of the Cold War. People, who were more scared of something possible, thought these movies brought a more realistic look at the future. These movies further influenced other movies that would come in the future.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> By the late 1950's the original Universal Horror Films were being remade by the British production company, Hammer.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Wikipedia] Contributors. //Universal Monsters.// Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. //Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia//, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2013 <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wikipedia Contributors. //Universal Monsters: Frankenstein's Monster//. Digital image. //Wikipedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wikipedia, Contributors. //Universal Monsters: Dracula//. Digital image. //Wikipedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Litterbox Confidential. //Universal Monsters: Wolf Man//. Digital image. //Litterbox Confidential//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.