"universal" monsters

[Gerard]

Although it strictly wasn't a Universal monster, another one that creeped me was The Thing (it was an RKO monster).  Watching that pre-Matt Dillon hiding among those snow drifts, keeping dead bodies hung upside-down in the plant nursery.............eeeeeeeeech!

It was also a wonderfully written and directed movie, with the characters constantly talking over each other's lines, making it all the more realistic, fast-paced and with that right touch of humor.

Gerard

[Raineypark]

...another one that creeped me was The Thing (it was an RKO monster).  Watching that pre-Matt Dillon hiding among those snow drifts, keeping dead bodies hung upside-down in the plant nursury .....
It was also a wonderfully written and directed movie, with the characters constantly talking over each other's lines, making it all the more realistic, fast-paced and with that right touch of humor.

YES!!

One of the all time great horror flicks.  That one still gives me the horrors!  The music is just......eeeekkkkk!

Excellent comment about the dialogue, Gerard.  That movie was performed like a play, rather than a film.  It was almost unheard of for people to talk over one another's lines in films, but much more likely on stage where the action is supposed to be more 'real'.

The only thing I could never forgive was the killing of the sled dogs.  I always make sure my Siberian is not in the room when I'm watching that one!

Raineypark

[Nancy]

I love the first The Thing and I loved the second The Thing for different reasons!

Nancy

YES!!

One of the all time great horror flicks.  That one still gives me the horrors!  The music is just......eeeekkkkk!

Excellent comment about the dialogue, Gerard.  That movie was performed like a play, rather than a film.  It was almost unheard of for people to talk over one another's lines in films, but much more likely on stage where the action is supposed to be more 'real'.

The only thing I could never forgive was the killing of the sled dogs.  I always make sure my Siberian is not in the room when I'm watching that one!

Raineypark

[onyx_treasure]

Although it strictly wasn't a Universal monster, another one that creeped me was The Thing (it was an RKO monster).  Watching that pre-Matt Dillon hiding among those snow drifts, keeping dead bodies hung upside-down in the plant nursery.............eeeeeeeeech!

It was also a wonderfully written and directed movie, with the characters constantly talking over each other's lines, making it all the more realistic, fast-paced and with that right touch of humor.

Gerard

    I love that movie.  It was one of the movies I let my 10year old son watch knowing it would be full of suspense and horror but had a good out come.  My husband was always partial to "The Thing" and "The Crawling Eye".  

[onyx_treasure]

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I really enjoy the mummy series, even though Kharis is basically the Frankenstein creature (mindless monster on killing rampage) in Egyptian trappings.  The mythology surrounding this mummy and the progression of its story are enough to off-set the unimaginativeness of the character.  On the other hand, Karloff's mummy Im-ho-tep was much more active, cunning, and evil.  The Mummy was one of my favorite movies in the 6th grade and still ranks on my list as one of, if not the best of the monster pictures.  I recently read that The Mummy was a remake of Dracula though with an Egyptian setting, but I don't believe it.  The story was sufficiently original enough and intriguing enoguh to set it apart and (I feel) even above the earlier film.
ProfStokes  

ProfStokes,
    Being a Karlof fan, I enjoyed his version of "The Mummy" except I did not see him as the intense lover longing for the return of his Princess.  I don't want to even try to spell her name.  I think Christopher Lee captured the intensity and longing along with the malevolence.  What did you think of the first Brenden Fraser re-make?  

[ProfStokes]

 I think Christopher Lee captured the intensity and longing along with the malevolence.  What did you think of the first Brenden Fraser re-make?  

I've never seen the recent Mummy or any of its sequels/prequels/spin-offs, but I suspect it couldn't compare to the original.  I'm afraid I haven't seen any of Christopher Lee's work as the mummy or as Dracula either, but I think I would prefer to watch the Hammer films before the newer movies.

ProfStokes

[onyx_treasure]

I've never seen the recent Mummy or any of its sequels/prequels/spin-offs, but I suspect it couldn't compare to the original.  I'm afraid I haven't seen any of Christopher Lee's work as the mummy or as Dracula either, but I think I would prefer to watch the Hammer films before the newer movies.

ProfStokes

    Just in case you decide to rent "The Mummy" starring
Brendan Fraser, it is loaded with a whole lot of stomach churning, flesh crawling special effects.

[dom]

My two all-time favorite "SCI-FI" (and I use the term very loosely) movies are, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman [1958] and Curse of the Faceless Man [1958] - admittedly, two of the worst films ever made. These films were staples on Chiller Theater, a Sat. night B-horror movie showcase that aired in the New York Tri-state area when I was a kid in the 60s. The lesser known, Curse of the Faceless Man, was basically a re-telling of the Mummy set in Italy with a volcanic ash-encrusted "preserved" slave who comes back to life after being dug up in an excavation, searches for (and finds!) the reincarnation of his one true love (of course, killing almost all who get in his way).  I have never met anyone who remembers this flick. This movie scared the crap out of me as kid. The film's score was very effective!

Dom

[Afan]

[hello]My very favorite Dracula was John Carradine. He was great, handsome and lethal in the old movies.  I started a Dracula on public television with Louis Jordan one night years ago, and it totally creeped me out so much (had always like Mr. Jordon, but the long fingernails and other eech were too much) so I had to let that one go unwatched!  Another favorite (and my husband and I watched it again not long ago) was the original Body Snatchers, with Kevin McCarthy and I can't remember who, but it was a great scare the first time that a person watches it.  Love the ending-- so Alfred Hitchcock!  Speaking of Alfred, we loved his show back in the 50's or 60's, can't beat him for suspense.
I also collect the classics with Lagosi and Karloff and others.  

[Bernie]

I love all those Universal monster movies and
especially enjoy the Abbott & Costello meet
.....whoever movies. Just watched A & C meet
the Wolfman last night.

Although I too liked the Abbott & Costello movies that involved the Universal monsters, it kind of bothered me to see Chaney and Lugosi play second fiddle to A & C!!  

It WAS good to see Lugosi back as Dracula, though.  I liked John Carradine to a point, but there was no replacing Lugosi!!

Bernie

[Cassandra Blair]

I think that the original Mummy (which I saw recently on AMC) is just the shit.  As a child I felt a bit sorry for him - He's waited thousands of years to come back from the dead, and all he wants is a girlfriend! LOL And of course there is a certain glamour to the ancient Egyptian thing.

Moving on to later days, though there weren't any monsters in 'Carnival of Souls' I found that to be a geniunely creepy flick.  And I guess 'Night of the Living Dead' is the scariest thing I've ever seen.  

But I'm still a sucker for newer versions of the classics.  Hammer Horror films, which others have mentioned were maybe scarier than the originals, even if they weren't quite as good.  Heck, I even like latest renditions of Dracula (with Gary Oldman) and the Mummy (w/Brendan Fraser) - guess I just like monsters -imagine that!

Still, the stories and the photography in the 30's horror films are without peer. Have you ever noticed that you can turn the sound all the way down while watching Lugosi's 'Dracula' and the movie works just as well? Guess this may be because when it was made they were only a few years away from silents, but to me this is incredible cinematography and storytelling at it's best.

[onyx_treasure]

Moving on to later days, though there weren't any monsters in 'Carnival of Souls' I found that to be a geniunely creepy flick.  And I guess 'Night of the Living Dead' is the scariest thing I've ever seen.  

    'Carnival of Souls' is the creepiest movie I have ever seen.  I cannot watch it alone.  It actually makes me afraid of mirrors.

[kuanyin]

I think Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman was the first horror movie I saw (or that I remember) and it has always seemed quite poignant. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" scared the hooey out of me as a kid!! And "Night of the Living Dead" made me tell everyone that I will be cremated, thank you very much. I think that is the probably the scariest movie ever made.

Not in the same league, but I just watched "Event Horizon" last night and it is quite a decently made creepy movie....

[Julianka7]

Although I too liked the Abbott & Costello movies that involved the Universal monsters, it kind of bothered me to see Chaney and Lugosi play second fiddle to A & C!!  

It WAS good to see Lugosi back as Dracula, though.  I liked John Carradine to a point, but there was no replacing Lugosi!!

Bernie

I may be wrong in this Bernie, but I think Lugosi seemed
to enjoy his tongue in cheek role in the A & C movie.
He looks like he has a hard time not cracking up in places.

[Julianka7]

I've never seen the recent Mummy or any of its sequels/prequels/spin-offs, but I suspect it couldn't compare to the original.  I'm afraid I haven't seen any of Christopher Lee's work as the mummy or as Dracula either, but I think I would prefer to watch the Hammer films before the newer movies.

ProfStokes

Special effects aside, I very much enjoyed The Mummy
and the first sequel. It had the flavor of an old
fashion type monster movie IMHO.
Take a chance and watch, I think you'll like it.