The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-(1919)
Long considered to be the first true horror movie, Dr. Caligari
is the archtype mad scientist out to do evil deeds with the aide
of a sleepwalker named Cesere. Cesere murders those whom the the
Doctor feels are too close to his evil deeds. The setting is both
nightmarish and expressionistic in its use of exagerated sets and
weird angles. The shock ending is only the icing in a movie that
literally invents a whole genre of horror devices- the mad scientist,
the zombie, the helpless heroine carried onto the roofs.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-(1920)
Of the dozen or so silent versions of this story by Robert Louis
Stevenson, John Barrymore is best remembered as the spidery Mr.
Hyde in this the first and most famous version of the classic tale.
One of the first American made horror movies and readily available
for audiences today. Also the first version to introduce the idea
of two seperate woman for each personality. Remade countless times.
Nosferatu-(1922)
In all of cinema history no villian has ever topped Dracula in
darkness and evil and no version of the vampire has yet to match
Max Schreck
as the dreaded Count Orlok. Considered to be the first
vampire movie and as one of the most creepy looking vampires to grace
the screen. Count Orlok swept through the German town of Bremen like
as plague claiming the innocent until a fair heroine takes it upon
herself to stop this monster. Schreck's rather stiff and corpse-like
Count makes this film a pure classic and would forever be known.
Remade in 1979.
The Phantom of the Opera-(1925)
After 70 years no one has yet to match the unforgettable presence
of Lon Chaney
as the disfigured skull-faced Erik, who courts a lovely
young singer in the Paris Opera behind a faceless mask. A sad tale
of a man who is driven into madness and becomes a monster due to
rejection and hatred from those around him. Chaney's presence is
unforgettable in such scenes as his appearnce as Poe's Mask of the Red
Death during the masked ball, the abduction scene through the
catacombs of the opera house and the famous unmasking which even today
packs a shocking blow. Phantom will be remembered as a classic horror
and trajedy and Chaney's portayal would setup an archtype that has yet
to be matched even by today's musical version of The Phantom.
Bride of Frankenstein-(1935)
The monster having survived the fire in the mill which had supposedly
killed him is taken in by a blind hermit who teaches him to speak and
falls under the evil influence of another scientist who influences him
to demand a mate from Dr. Frankenstein. A rare sequel which is better
then its predecssor, the film marks the reappearance of
Boris Karloff
as the monster and Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Shelley and the classic
bride we all remember. Remade as The Bride.
The Devil-Doll-(1936)
Lionel Barrymore
portrays a Devil's Island escapee who steals a
shrinking machine from a scientist and uses it to create small
assasins to avenge those who where responsible for his imprisonment.
Dracula-(1931)
Bela Lugosi
will always be remembered as Count Dracula and in this
his first film as the famous blood sucker we see the Count leaving his
native Transylvania for the fresh blood of London. His stiffness and
ethnic charm add to this classic which would be his hall mark role
for the next three decades. Remade at least once or twice a year since.
Dracula's Daughter-(1936)
An underratted sequel to Bela Lugosi's
classic 1931 movie which features Gloria Holden as the lovely and waxen daughter of the vampire who seeks
a cure for her immortality. She is then forced to kidnap the secretary
of her psychiatrist to force him to join her in the underworld.
Frankenstein-(1931)
Rarely does a monster draw more sympathy and love from an audience then
does Mary Shelley's tragic monster.
Boris Karloff portray's Shelley's
monster with a childlike grace that is a cinema classic. We all know
the story, a mad scientist by the name of Frankenstein steals bodyparts
and creates a man who his bent on muder due to his criminal brain. The
monster kills a young girl and is hunted by angry townsfolks. Several
sequels were to follow with Karloff returning as the monster.
Freaks-(1932)
Tod Browning gives the viewers a look at a carnival sideshow and shows
us a world were the freaks are every bit as human as we are. A midget
inherits money and is seduced by a greedy aerialist into marriage.
From there she hopes to poison him and run off with her lover yet
is caught and hunted by the freaks for hurting one of their own.
Browning wisely portrays geniune carnival performers as circus
freaks and shows the audience that it is the normal humans who are
the monsters and the freaks as normal. A classic which has to be seen.
Ghoul, The-(1933)
Boris Karloff
portrays an Egyptologist who rises from his death to retrieve
a valuable scarab taken from by his servant. Another flick made to
cash in on Karloff's Hollywood fame.
Hunchback of Norte Dame-(1939)
Remake of the 1923 classic has Charles Laughton
as the hunchbacked
bell ringer Quasimodo, features Maureen O'Hara as a gypsy girl who
is saved by Quasimodo from certain death at the hands of angry
townsfolk who wish to execute her for murder and witchcraft.
Island of Lost Souls-(1932)
A most frightning film for its time, this version of HG Wells
Island of Dr. Moreau was so controversal the author himself hated it.
nevertheless it is pretty intense and may well be one of the greatest
horror movies of the thirties. Charles Laughton
portrays Dr. Moreau,
who takes in animals and through surgery transforms them into hideous
humanoid creatures on his tropical island home. Remade as The Island
of Dr. Moreau.
King Kong-(1933)
King Kong will always be remembered as the monster on the rampage but
even more it is a classic in every sense and will be known as an FX
triumph. Fay Wray
plays the fair maiden who soothes the giant ape as
he is taken from his island home to New york where he escapes and
climbs the Empire State building where he meets his sad fate. Tragic
and Endearing, Kong is so convincing that the veiwer forgets he is
not real and sees him as a tragic victem of circumstance. Yet another
classic which would be followed by inferior sequels and an awful
remake.
M-(1931)
Set in an industrial darkworld, M is the tale of a frighented city
which is held hostage by a child killer. The search is so intensive
that the local crime organizations join in because the killer is
bad for business. When found he is identified with the M that is
placed on his back, soon after he is hunted down and revenge follows.
A powerful German Crime/Drama which has great horror elements
and will remain a classic of all three genres.
Peter Lorre's
first film and a great career he would have.
Mad Love-(1935)
Peter Lorre
is a doctor who replaces the mangled hands of an injured
pianist with those of a knife murderer. A novel idea which would later
be done to death.
Man They Could Not Hang-(1939)
Boris Karloff
is a mad doctor who is imprisoned for the death of his
assistant whom he tried to save with an artificial heart. Soon after
he is executed, he is revived with the heart and he exacts revenge
upon those who had been responsible for his death.
Maniac-(1934)
Very low budget stinker which pretends to be both a documentary on insanity
and an adaotation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat. A Maniac kills
a doctor and assumes his identity after he bricks up the dead doc. Known
for its use of gory violence and early nudity, played in adult movie houses.
Mark of the Vampire-(1935)
Bela Lugosi
star's as Dracula (DUH!!!), in this remake of London After
Midnight. Yet another Dracula cash-in is remarkably enjoyable and
gorgeously photographed.
Mask of Fu Manchu, The-(1932)
Boris Karloff
is the evil Chinese Fu who is looking for the lost treasure
of Ghengis Khan. Great MGM production features great dialogue and supurb
sets. Myrna Loy plays the evil and sadistic daughter of the evil Fu.
Monster Walks, The-(1932)
An heiress is chased by a crazed ape and his evil keeper. Obscure shocker
saved by video.
Mummy, The-(1932)
Boris Karloff
once again sets the screen afire with yet another great
performance as a classic monster. He portrays an excavated mummy who
is brought back to life by a sacred Scroll. Ten years later the mummy,
who is now in the guise of a scientist seeks to return his beloved
princess with whom he is reminded of by another modern woman. All the
elements are present is this wonderful classic horror film which would
be disgraced by many inferior copycats and a Hammer remake.
Murder by the Clock- (1931)
Creepy, creaky mystery designed and played like a horror film. Complicated plot involves elderly woman who installs a horn in her crypt in case she's buried alive, a mysterious reincarnation drug, and drooling half-wit Pichel. Plenty of atmosphere if not much sense.
Murders in the Rue Morgue-(1932)
More of a Cabinet of Dr. Caligari then a the Poe short story it is
named from. Bela Lugosi
stars as a crazed scientist in another classic
role.
Murders in the Zoo-(1933)
Astonishingly grisly horror film about an insanely jealous zoologist and sportsman (Atwill) who dispatches his wife's suitors (genuine and otherwise) with the help of various animals. Pretty potent stuff, right from the opening scene of Atwill sewing a victim's mouth shut!
Mystery of Edwin Drood, The-(1935)
Seemingly respectable Rains is responsible for series of horrible murders. Fine thriller adapted from Dickens' unfinished novel, which inspired a hit Broadway musical in the 1980s.
Mystery of the Wax Museum-(1933)
An early technocolor version of House of Wax. In the story a disfigured
sculptor is trying to bebuild his lost wax collection by dipping dead
bodies into wax. This classic does show its age and is considered to
be inferior to the later House of Wax.
Night of Terror-(1933)
Empty, inept "B" chiller about ugly homicidal madman prowling the grounds of swanky estate. Top-billed Lugosi is wasted in nothing part as Hindu servant; Ford plays mandatory wise-cracking reporter. Almost worth sitting through for really unbelievable ending.
Old Dark House-(1932)
Outstanding melodrama (with tongue-in-cheek) gathers stranded travelers in mysterious household located in the Welsh countryside, where brutish butler Karloff is just one of many strange characters. A real gem, based on J.B. Priestley's Benighted; screenplay by Benn W. Levy and R.C. Sherriff. Remade in England in 1963.
Phantom Creeps, The-(1939)
U.S. government and hostile spies vie to gain control of the "secret element," an invention of mad scientist Dr. Zorka (Lugosi). So bad it's actually quite entertaining; the whole kettle of fish is thrown in here, including stock footage of the Hindenburg disaster! And look for Lee J. Cobb as a road-crew foreman. Edited down from a 12-episode Universal serial of the same title.
Raven, The-(1935)
Bela Lugosi
and Boris Karloff
at their terrifying best, Lugosi is a mad doctor who
wishes to wed a fair dancer he has saved yet is denied the request by
already promised woman's father. The result is Lugosi indulging into
his obesession for EA Poe by setting up a Pit and the Pendulum style
torture for the father. A must for fans of Lugosi.
Return of Dr. X, The-(1939)
Only Bogart as a zombie makes this low-grade sci-fi yarn worth viewing. Despite the title, not a sequel to DR. X.
Revolt of the Zombies-(1936)
A rather poor sequel to White Zombie, in it a zombie master leads a
group of walking dead soldiers durinf World War I. What worked well
for White Zombie is missing as Lugosi is not present in this film.
Son of Frankenstein-(1939)
Boris Karloff's
final appearance as the famed monster, in this sequel to
the classic movie we find Basil Rathbone playing the son of famed
doctor who happens to discover the still living monster in the ruins
of the laboratory. Lugosi is perfect as Ygor who has cared for the
monster in the time before his discovery. Great settings and an
impressive score only help to make this movie a classic.
Son of Kong, The-(1933)
Robert Armstrong plays the original man who had captured Kong, and is
this sequel he returns to Skull Island in search of treasure but finds
a 12 foot albino ape. Released a mere nine months after its more
famous original.
Tower of London-(1939)
This elaborate period piece is a chiller. Rathbone is the power-mad
leader who along with Boris Karloff
as the chief torturer play very evil
and sadistic tyrants of terror.
Vincent Price
makes his debut as a horror icon portraying an ill-fated Duke. An outstanding cast is well
used in this timeless classic.
Vampire Bat, The-(1933)
A somewhat hokey but enjoyable low-budget film patterned after both
Dracula and Frankenstein. Lionel Atwill
is the standard mad scientist
who uses a hynotized servant to murder and gather blood for his hideous
experiments. Also staring Fay Wray
and Melvyn Douglas.
Vampyr-(1932)
A German-French production of Le Fanu's Carmilla is still considered a
minor classic in the horror circle. A young man is asked to locate and
rescue a pair of lovely sisters from the clutches of an old hag who
happens to be a vampire. Unique camera work helps to create a spooky
atmosphere for this early vampire film.
Walking Dead-(1936)
Karloff is framed and executed, but professor brings him back to life. As he regains his memory, he seeks out those who framed him. Good horror tale.
Werewolf of London-(1935)
One of the first werewolf movies has Henry Hull playing the unfortunate
botanist who is biten by a werewolf in Tibet. Yet is this version it is
petals of a rare flower which will cure him of the curse. Intended for
Boris Karloff
and Lugosi, Hull is not that great but Warner Olan is great as
the werewolf.
White Zombie-(1932)
Bela Lugosi
is at his frightful best as a voodoo master in Haiti who puts
a curse on a bride-to-be Madge Bellamy at the request of a jealous
jilted suitor. Afterwards Lugosi decides to take Bellamy for himself
and spirits her off to a cliff-top castle where he hopes to dispose
of the suitor. Lugosi's performance adds well to this independently
made film.
Go Back to Top of Page
Genesis of Horror (1919-1930)
Age of the Classic Monster (1931-1949)
**THE LOSMAN'S OTHER PAGES**
*Losman's Lair of Horror
* Really Disturbing Movies * More Disturbing Movies * Lair of The Losman *
* Horror Movie Clichés * Movie Index*