The Historical Case of Universal Monsters (Part 1)

Hello Cassettes and welcome back to the Black Case Diaries! It’s finally Frightening February once again and we are thrilled to be learning everything we can about spooky movies and TV and hopefully teaching you in the process *introduce yourself*.

This Frightening February is going to be a little different than usual, with our very special live episode at the end of the month. But for right now, we’re celebrating this monstrous month with another full-length episode.

Back in the era regarded as the Golden Age of Hollywood, there were five big studios that essentially controlled film production. Back then, studios were vertically integrated, which meant that every stage of production happened in-house. The studios even owned the theaters that would show their films and actors weren’t paid by the picture but instead had salaries and contracts. Because of this system, it was virtually impossible for independent artists to break into the industry. Besides the big five, there were a few smaller studios that produced films that weren’t widely distributed because they owned fewer theaters. Universal Pictures was one of them.

Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Universal achieved fame for producing popular low-budget serials starting in 1914. And although it didn’t produce the most prestigious film content of the time, Universal developed a reputation as a studio that catered to its audience. So, when other studios turned up their noses at a genre that focused on thrilling movie-goers with grotesque visuals and terrifying tales, Universal had found what would become their most well-known niche: monster movies.

While MGM was filming Dorothy as she skipped down the yellow brick road to see the Wizard of Oz (a film and production that was a horror film in its own right), Universal was in the middle of building a cinematic universe so iconic that it would change the horror genre forever. Between 1923 and 1960, they produced 43 films that would become known as the Universal Monster Movies. Tonight, we’re looking into the bone-chilling history of some of these movies and discussing the indelible mark they made on cinematic history.

So grab some popcorn and your comfiest blanket, it’s time for a monstrous film history lesson!

Universal Monsters History

Hollywood has always been a tough industry to break into, but back in the early days of film, it was essentially impossible. The already established studios held patents for nearly every kind of film equipment, meaning that no one could use the tools needed to create motion pictures without certain permissions. Enter Carl Laemmle, a German-born Jewish immigrant who sought to defeat what he called the “film octopus.”
Laemmle forged ahead, generally disregarding the lawsuits that stood in his way. He purchased the now-historic Universal studio lot with the intention of creating full-length films (most features at the time ran for about 20 minutes.) He was sued over 200 times for violating patent law, and effectively changed the film industry forever.
Even though Laemmle was personally against making dark, gothic films, horror would soon become the perfect genre for his studio. Horror films are subversive, disregarding certain cultural norms and featuring characters and actors that didn’t fit Hollywood’s picture-perfect aesthetic. It’s a genre that appeals to outcasts; people that seemingly didn’t have a place, and were forced to create their own.
The first Universal monster films were produced during the silent film era. Irving Thalberg, a 21-year-old secretary-turned-studio-manager, produced an adaptation of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). At the time, the film was meant to be a historical drama. But it was Lon Chaney’s performance as the titular character that grabbed the audience’s attention.

Chaney had been acting in film since 1912. He was known as “the man with a thousand faces” because of his ability to transform in a variety of characters. His connection to audiences through his facial expressions was unmatched in the silent film era and his mastery of make-up thrilled movie-goers. As Quasimodo, Chaney suffered while wearing a heavy plaster bodysuit and prosthetics that obscured his features.

Chaney returned to the silver screen two years later in The Phantom of the Opera. This film would become a visual blueprint of sorts for the Universal horror films to come.

Carl Laemmle chose The Phantom of the Opera specifically as a vehicle for Lon Chaney. The French novel by Gaston Leroux wasn’t nearly as well known at the time, but the story’s main character, a composer that hides his true face behind a mask and lives beneath the Paris Opera, matched Chaney’s talents.
Universal censored Chaney’s make-up in all promotional material and encouraged rumors that movie-goers were fainting at the sight of the phantom. Some theaters even had ambulances stationed outside to suggest that the film would be “too much” for some viewers. The scene of the phantom’s unmasking became one of the most iconic moments of the silent film era.

Chaney had worked to make his appearance as close to the book description as possible. However, it’s easy to see how the physical affliction of the phantom matches the injuries that many men sustained during WWI.

Another iconic part of the film was the set of the Paris Opera House. It was the first steel and concrete stage created for a Hollywood production and remained preserved for 90 years in Universal’s studio 28. Ben Carre, a Frenchman familiar with the real opera house, designed the set. Although the film is in black and white, you will get a glimpse of the opera set in 2-color technicolor during the masquerade sequence.
The film had a long and expensive production, but it proved worth it in the end. The Phantom of the Opera was a massive success and is considered by many to be the first “monster movie.”
But it wasn’t until 1931 that Universal would produce the first supernatural horror talkie: Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Dracula

Bram Stoker's novel Dracula was released in 1897. The story is told through letters, diaries, and newspaper clippings. Although it doesn't have a single protagonist, it begins with lawyer Jonathan Harker traveling for work to stay at Count Dracula's castle. The Count relocates to England and terrorizes the seaside village of Whitby when Harker escapes the castle and learns that Dracula is a vampire. Dracula is hunted by a tiny party, commanded by Abraham Van Helsing, who eventually kills him.

The majority of Dracula was written in the 1890s. For the book, Stoker wrote almost a hundred pages of notes, heavily referencing Transylvanian history and folklore. There is a dispute regarding the claim that the character of Dracula was influenced by historical characters like the countess Elizabeth Báthory or Vlad the Impaler, though both individuals are referenced in Stoker's notes.
According to NPR, Dracula refers to “Son of Dracul” which means “son of the dragon” or “son of the devil.”

Summary

In order to close a deal with Count Dracula, an estate agent named Renfield travels to Transylvania. Despite some of the neighbors' warnings, Renfield is unaware that Dracula is a vampire, and the visitor quickly becomes his unwilling servant. They sail to England, but when the ship arrives at the harbor, Renfield is the only one still alive. After moving into Carfax Abbey, Count Dracula immediately begins his quest to seduce the lovely Mina who resides next door. Professor Van Helsing, who is fully aware of who Dracula is, is the only one left to halt the spread of his evil.

Writers/Director/filming

When Carl Laemmle Jr took over Universal, he was interested in dark, gothic storytelling. He suggested making an adaptation of a popular John Balderson play that had been highly successful. It was called Dracula and it starred Bela Lugosi. Carl Laemmle Sr was vehemently against the idea, asserting that no audience would be able to believe such a fantastic story. Many other film studios agreed as they all turned down the chance to make the film. But Laemmle Jr persisted.
Dracula began filming on September 29th, 1930. The production was shot mostly in continuity, which was and is a pretty rare way to make a film. The first words were spoken by Carla Laemmle, the niece of Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle.
The film was meant to be a large production but had to be scaled back due to the Great Depression. Instead of basing the film largely around Bram Stoker’s book, it was adapted mostly from the John Balderson stage play to save time and money.
Dracula was almost directed by Paul Leni, a filmmaker who played a key role in the German expressionism movement. He directed some of Universal’s silent horror films like The Man Who Laughs, and The Cat that Ate the Canary. Leni, unfortunately, developed fatal blood poisoning and was later replaced by Tod Browning.
Browning was a successful silent film director, which translated well to the eerily silent Dracula. Audiences were used to full soundtracks accompanying silent films, so the lack of music in many of this film’s scenes added tension. The minimal dialogue may have been for the best as many theaters still did not have sound capabilities, so the film was also released in silent versions.

Karl Freund helped direct but was uncredited. Freund was responsible for the camera visuals and was very vocal on the set. He was a pioneer of using tracking shots and movement with the camera.

After creating many set designs for Charlie Chaplin, Art director Charles D. Hall came to Universal in 1923 where he designed The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula, Frankenstein, and other sets. It is said that when he was designing the set for Dracula, he became so enthralled by the story that he locked himself in the studio and worked overnights causing sleep deprivation.
At the time when Dracula was filmed, it was common to release in other languages, especially Spanish. Instead of dubbing over the English cast, a whole new cast, crew, and director were hired. Director George Melford and his cast and crew filmed at night after the English crew was done for the day. Melford was able to complete filming on a smaller budget and within about half the time. The Spanish crew had an advantage by being able to see the dailies from the English production. This allowed for the analysis of shots and better ways to film and light. Many believe that the Spanish version was a technically better film. Melford used techniques that made it more fluid and dramatic. The Spanish version is 29 minutes longer, contains more dialogue, and places more importance on religious aspects.

Dracula would not have been nearly as iconic without the performances of its actors, especially Bela Lugosi.

When Carl Laemmle Jr secured the rights to make Dracula, he specifically stated that he did not want Bela Lugosi for the role. Laemmle had been told that he would only be able to secure the funding for the film if the legendary Lon Chaney played both the part of Dracula and Van Helsing. Sadly Lon Chaney was terminally ill with lung cancer and was not an option for the studio. Another option had been Conrad Veidt, who had been in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but he had moved back to Germany and was afraid that his imperfect English would not do well on screen. Even though all the story advisors were telling him no, Laemmle Jr continued to push forward with the film. Finally, they considered Bela Lugosi because his stage performance of the role the previous summer had done so well. Lugosi was so insistent on playing the role that he got the studio's attention by accepting pay that was a fraction of the salary that the juvenile lead received!

Lugosi was a well-practiced stage actor that had a hypnotic stare and an exaggerated way of reading lines that were spell-binding.
Fun Fact! Lugosi was buried in a replica dracula cape!

Edward Van Sloan played Van Helsing, a character that would become synonymous with vampire hunting. He also had big parts in Universal’s Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Dracula’s Daughter.
Helen Chandler plays the part of Mina Harker, the young woman that Dracula takes an interest in.
Dwight Frye played Renfield, Dracula’s bug-hungry henchman and unwilling manservant. Frye was typecast throughout his career after this role.

After the commercial and critical success of Dracula, Universal released Frankenstein (1931) later that same year. Then with more pictures like The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and The Wolf Man (1936), Universal would rise to the top of early horror cinema.

Dracula has quite literally an undying legacy (pun intended.) Its adult themes and suggestive imagery struck a previously untouched nerve in audiences everywhere. The German expressionist aesthetic paid homage to the silent era horror films before it, and gave viewers something both familiar and groundbreaking.
But Dracula's legacy would be almost non-existent without the performances of Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye as Dracula and Renfield. Through their facial expressions, they are able to leave a lasting impression on the viewer, just like the face-based acting of the silent era. Renfield enters and exits situations with just the proper amount of craziness to keep his character engaging and irritating at all times. Bela Lugosi's Dracula has impacted how we see vampires today. Lugosi continuously fixes his vacant, hollow gaze on the camera, and the actor would come to be recognized for it. Lugosi had a very handsome face and intense stare. Because of this, the idea of the beautiful vampire has stuck around. Some examples of recent 21st century vampires show this to be true like Twilight and The Vampire Diaries. We also now associate large sweeping staircases, webs, dustiness, eeriness, etc with vampires because of Dracula.
Lugosi went on to appear in other horror films, including Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Frankenstein

While Dracula may have been the first supernatural horror talkie, the next film in the Universal catalog would one day be known as a masterpiece of horror.

Directed by James Whale, Frankenstein also premiered in 1931.

The original story of Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley. The idea came over an 1816 vacation in Geneva when she, her husband (Percy Bysshe Shelley), and their friends Lord Byron, and John Polidori were stuck inside for multiple days due to inclement weather. After discussing many horror stories, Lord Byron proposed a competition to write the best ghost story.

Shelley, who was only 19, produced the concept of Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Needless to say, she won the competition.
The origin story of Frankenstein is portrayed in the beginning of Bride of Frankenstein.

The novel was a success and it translated well to the stage. The very first on-screen adaptation of Mary Shelley’s work was done in 1910 by Thomas Edison.

The Stage Play that influenced the movie the most premiered in 1927 and was written by Peggy Webling

In the stage production, the actor Hamilton Deane wore a wig, had a mixture of greens and yellows and blues for face make-up and wore lifters under the shoes to look bigger.

Summary

A clever scientist named Henry Frankenstein has been experimenting with reviving dead bodies. After experimenting on tiny creatures, he is now prepared to instill life in a creation he has built from body pieces. Due to the excessive amount of time, he spends in his laboratory conducting his research, his fiancée Elizabeth and friend Victor Moritz are concerned for his health. He is successful, and the life he has created is kind but confused and unable to interact with the world around him. Henry's father, Baron Frankenstein, convinces him that the monster should be eliminated humanely. However, the creature escapes and in its innocence, it murders a young girl. The people of the town rise up determined to slay the misunderstood being.

Since Dracula was such a large hit, Laemmle Jr had an easier time getting Frankenstein as the next movie.

Frankenstein would require far more special effects than Dracula. The production spent 10,000 dollars on the equipment that would create the lightning needed for the film’s most iconic scene.
Frankenstein’s monster is one of the most memorable images of the 20th century. However, his looks did not come directly from Mary Shelley’s book. Her description leaves a lot to the imagination.

The look of the monster may have come from a character that James Whale played on the stage in a play called “A Man With Red Hair.” The story is of a woman who is trapped in a marriage and a man that tries to help her out of it. It is based on a book, “A Portrait of a Man With Red Hair.” The book description says, “The man standing beside her was not much more than a boy, but Harkness thought that he had seldom perceived an uglier countenance. A large broad nose, a long thin face like a hatchet, gray colorless eyes, and a bony body upon which the evening clothes sat awkwardly, here was ugliness itself, but the true unpleasantness came from the aloofness that lay in the unblinking eyes, the hard straight mouth.”
Frankenstein’s walk may have been inspired by a character in the 1927 film Sunrise. The character wore boots made with lead.

Legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce brought Frankenstein’s Monster to life with groundbreaking special effects makeup and a little help from Boris Karloff himself.

The 1910 Edison version that was mentioned previously displayed a large forehead and may have inspired the elongated section of the head.
The brow was made using cotton, collodion, and spirit gum. It was built up on Karloff’s head every day that they shot.
Karloff felt his eyes looked too alive so he had Pierce build up the lids with mortician's wax.
Karloff had false teeth which he removed so that he could suck in his cheek during his performance.
It took about 3-3.5 hours to apply all the makeup.

Charles Hall worked with James Whale to create the mad scientist lab which had the iconic tower.

Within this tower is a plethora of machinery that gives off sparks. Kenneth Strickfaden was responsible for these light-producing mechanisms that he named the Megavolt Senior, the Neutron Analyzer, Cosmic Ray Diffuser, and the Baritron Generator.
One scene required an intense amount of electrical power that Karloff was not comfortable being around. When this scene was shot, Strickfaden doubled for Karloff. At one point, he came in contact with 1,000,000 volts which lifted him off the ground.

They promoted the film by placing ambulances and people screaming in the showings

At one point, Bela Lugosi was considered for the leading role. He maintained that he turned down the part of Frankenstein’s monster because it was just a grunting creature. According to Hollywood rumors, however, Carl Laemmle Jr saw the screentest of Lugosi as Frankenstein and he did not like it, supposedly even laughing at the image of Lugosi in the makeup.

Boris Karloff was a relatively unknown actor at the time but James Whale felt like he had the right qualities. Legend has it that James Whale saw Boris Karloff in the commissary and thought that he would be perfect for the role. Karloff was a bit hurt because he was wearing his best suit that day and was well-dressed. He was smart enough however to still take the role.

This was Karloff’s 81st role and he lost 25 pounds during filming!
Though Karloff referred to the monster as his very best friend he ended up having 3 back surgeries from all that he had put his body through for the film. The role required lots of heavy lifting.

Cultural Impact

Dracula may have jump-started the monster verse, but Frankenstein ensured that it would continue. This film is one of the most classic features in Hollywood history and is also one of the most imitated.
Audiences flocked to see Frankenstein because they craved escapism during an uncertain time. It was, funnily enough, just what the doctor ordered.
Few figures in pop culture are as immediately recognizable as Frankenstein’s Monster. If you're familiar with the mad scientist motif, Dr. Frankenstein is said to be the first. It is here that Frankenstein has had the most impact on popular culture. Think of all of the TV shows and movies that feature a mad scientist. We likely wouldn't have films like The Fly or The Rocky Horror Picture Show if Frankenstein didn't exist. There have also been films based entirely on the Frankenstein concept, such as Son of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, and numerous others.
We can still learn from the original narrative of Frankenstein, though the character's use in much of modern culture is more gimmicky and fun. We think of our own humanity as a result of how terribly the story treats Frankenstein's monster. Are we the monsters? Because Shelley was able to look inwards at herself and her humanity, it inspires us to do the same. Frankenstein also asks the question: can man create life? And where there is life, is there a soul? While the Frankenstein story is now 200 years old, it still conveys a timeless message of acceptance and kindness to those around you.

If you’re a fan of horror, you owe at least a small debt of gratitude to the Universal Monster movies. These features helped prove the commercial value of horror films and paved the way for frightening films of the future. Movies like Dracula and Frankenstein made innovations in make-up and special effects that would alter cinema forever.

But possibly the most important gift that the Universal Monsters gave us was their storytelling. These so-called creatures had humanizing stories that had audiences feeling conflicted about their eventual fates. These films centered on already-existing characters that were more complex than your average run-of-the-mill monster of the week. Some of them were misunderstood beings with feelings and desires (and some of them were Dracula). They were the heroes of their own stories.

The impact of the Universal Monsterverse is immeasurable. It’s been almost 100 years since Bela Lugosi uttered the words, “I am Dracula,” and yet he remains the most prominent archetype for a vampire. Look closely at any depiction of Frankenstein and you will find the unmistakable features of Boris Karloff. When these faces appeared on screen, they changed cinema forever, creating a legacy of monstrous proportions.