Couponing to Disney

Horror isn’t anything new in cinema. In fact, it was the 1896 silent French film Le Manoir du diable which is often credited at being the first although it was a mere 3-minutes in length. While many tried to bring horror the screen during the silent film era, most of these efforts were forgettable or will never be seen by modern cinema buffs as the original prints are gone forever. The only notable horror movie of the time was Nosferatu and the 1922 adaptation of Dracula is now considered by many to be a classic. Silent film was soon replaced by the “talkies” and this presented new opportunities to showcase horror as cinema entered its golden age.

It was Universal Studios who first hit huge box office numbers, for the time at least, with horror movies. This wasn’t their first attempt however as the studio had done silent horror films in the past such as The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as a few others. What Universal brought to screens in 1931 however would become merely the first chapter in what would later become known as the Universal Monsters. Their impact on cinema itself changed the way directors and even studios looked at horror movies. These films gave us a number of core monsters who have become recognized around the world even today and most were adapted from the literary world or inspired by it. The characters of course are Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, and the Monster who is often mistakenly referred to as Frankenstein. This however is incorrect as Frankenstein was the creator and the monster was never given a name. The Bride is also a part of this collective and while often forgotten, so is the Creature, the one that came from the Black Lagoon.

Universal released their core monster movies on blu-ray a few years ago as a part of their 100^th anniversary celebration. This release only included what is often considered to be the main part of the Universal Monsters collection with Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Phantom of the Opera, The Invisible Man and Creature from the Black Lagoon all being included. Eventually these were sold separately and even later became part of collections which featured all the films associated with a given monster. Even though sequels may seem like a newer concept, that’s very untrue. The main monsters had at least one sequel if not several and beyond this they branched out into movies where the monsters met, or they may have been a part of some offshoot film. This is what helped Universal to stay dominant in the world of horror until Hammer Studios came along and took the crown from them.

Compared to the horror movies of today, the Universal Monsters are very tame. The style of most of the movies is very gothic in nature and while they may have scared audiences of their era, they are extremely tame by the standards of today. The classics of yesteryear were soon replaced by new faces of fear such as Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, Pinhead, Chucky, and a number of others and certainly in time these new icons will fade and become replaced by yet another collection of monsters.

Despite how often she asks, my six-year-old daughter isn’t at a point in her life where we can sit down and watch Friday the 13^th, Re-animator or Evil Dead (and she is very persistent in trying) but I’ve never had an issue with allowing her to watch any of the early Universal films. I know they are safe. I don’t need to worry about her hearing language she shouldn’t, there isn’t any blood featured at all, and often they have just the right amount of minor scares to keep her interested yet peeking out from under a blanket.

As they had done previously on DVD, Universal has now put all their monsters together in one blu-ray collection. This isn’t to be confused with the essential collection which I referenced earlier as this is a brand-new collection, at least in the world of high definition video. The Universal Monsters Collection packages together not merely a handful of movies but a grand total of 30 films all from the classic Universal Monsters era. This certainly doesn’t mean they are all great films and in fact many of them were absent from the initial collection for a reason, but those who have been fans of these monsters are going to be impressed that just about anything you could possibly desire from your favorite monster, or monsters, is all packaged together, at least in terms of Universal releases. Rather than review each and every film it’s much easier to simply go over what this collection includes.

Going chronologically in terms of the original monster films, first you’ll have Dracula, released back in 1931 and of course starring Bela Lugosi. The Spanish version of Dracula is also included. For those who aren’t aware, the movie was filmed at the same time as the English version although it was done at night when the other cast and crew were done for the day. It uses the same sets but has a very different feel. The English language version was followed a few years later by the sequel, Dracula’s Daughter (1935), then Son of Dracula (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and the final offering in the Universal series of Dracula inspired horror is Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948.) The Dracula collection also includes a documentary about Lugosi, archives, an alternate film score from Phillip Glass, production photographs, a bit with Abbott and Costello meeting the monsters, commentaries and an assortment of posters.

Universal started 1931 by releasing Dracula and later, then ended the year with the release of Frankenstein, the now classic Boris Karloff film. I would like to point out that despite popular belief, the monster is not Frankenstein but simply, the monster. He’s never given a name and Frankenstein is the mad scientist that defied the laws of creation. The film saw its first sequel in 1935 and as most know, this was The Bride of Frankenstein. Next there was Son of Frankenstein (1939) which was Karloff’s final appearance as the monster. The series progressed with other sequel; The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), and while they are present in the Dracula assortment of movies, you will also find House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein included here. The extras include documentaries on both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, four different commentary tracks, a piece about Karloff, and archival bits for the two main films in the series. Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters is also included once again here, and there is a theatrical trailer.

1932 saw The Mummy come to the screen with Karloff taking the role although it would be the only time he would perform as Imhotep. As opposed to the modernization of the series which has gone more with an action feeling, the original version of The Mummy has a more gothic feeling. It took eight years before the Mummy would return to screens with the sequel, The Mummy’s Hand (1940, and it would rise from the grave again in the form of The Mummy’s Tomb ((1942), The Mummy’s Ghost and The Mummy’s Curse, both of which were released in 1944. The final movie would be Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955.) Bonus features in this collection include a documentary about the film, a look at makeup effects designer Jack Pierce, two commentary tracks1940, the theatrical trailer, and archival footage.

Continuing their success with horror, The Invisible Man debuted in 1933 as a very loose adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel. There was one true sequel, The Invisible Man Returns (1940) and then s few spin-off movies; The Invisible Woman (1940) which is more comedy than science fiction or horror, The Invisible Agent (1942), and The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944.) As you may have suspected, there was another comedy offering with Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951.) With this collection fans will find documentary segment, commentary, production photos, and the trailer.

In 1941 The Wolf-Man first debuted on the screen with Lon Chaney Jr. in the role of Larry Talbot. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) would follow a few years later. Both House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula feature the Wolf-Man so these are in this collection, as well as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The Wolf-Man is the more popular incarnation of the character but prior to Chaney Jr. taking the role there was another version seen in Werewolf In London (1935) and years later there was She-Wolf of London (1946) which in name seems like a sequel but instead it’s a crime noir film. The extras found in this collection include a documentary, a piece about Lon Chaney Jr., two commentary tracks, some history on lycanthropy for those who don’t know about it’s legacy in mythology, more archival bits, and the theatrical trailer.

One of the often-forgotten characters in Universal’s classic monsters’ lineup is The Phantom of the Opera. However, unlike the others, there was but a single film with no sequels, not that this is necessarily the type of story that would need it. Aside from the film you will find this blu-ray included commentary, a look at the Phantom, production photos, and the trailer.

Lastly, there is the one monster who seems to have become the most popular one of the group, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) brought the monsters into 3D which was big at the time and while some think of this as being the only appearance of the creature, that’s not true at all. There were two sequels. Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956.) Although The Creature from the Black Lagoon on blu-ray does include the 3D version of the movie, the set doesn’t include any 3D glasses and even keep in mind that this is the old school, red and blue glasses, style of 3D. Also on the disc are commentary tracks, a documentary about the creature, production photos, and a theatrical trailer.

The Universal Classic Monsters Collection has a lot of movies included in one, single set. Again, I will point out that these horror movies are much safer for little ones than what modern cinema has presented to audiences. The movies are fun, they can be very cheesy at times, but for a horror fan like myself, I love watching these early days of cinema and seeing how they managed to present the story without the same level of technology that is present today. The gothic, supernatural style of the movies is part of what has made them classics and even though there are some movies contained in the set that haven’t aged well or simply aren’t as good as others, it’s still a horror collection that is a must-have for horror fans and those who appreciate the golden age of cinema.

Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.