Ranking the Universal Monster Movies

     The continuation of writing about horror films resumes in this week’s blog. After my review of The Witch, I wanted to broaden my scope of horror, but I did not just want to choose any random movies. I wanted to go back to the beginning of horror, and what exactly is the beginning of horror? The Universal Classic Monster movies. No, they do not officially start the horror genre, but they start horror as a pop culture phenomenon. They are so simple, yet so effective in how they create the horror setting as well as the clichés that other films would copy from them. I had never seen the original Universal Classic Monster movies before, so I thought this week was as good of a time as any! I did not want to watch all of the movies since there are over thirty of them, so I will just be ranking what you would call the “big name” movies. I will be ranking the following films: Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), Phantom of the Opera (1943), and Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Let’s get to the ranking! Spoilers ahead!!!

8. Son of Frankenstein (1939)

     Meh. I did not really enjoy this film at all. I do not think it is a bad movie per say, but it just felt uninspiring. The problem is that I had just watched the movie’s predecessors right before this one, and this movie simply does not hold a candle to those two films. I like the overall plot of Dr. Frankenstein’s son being the main star, but the Monster is barely in the film. Also, the Monster is downgraded from Bride so severely, so it feels like we are taking steps back instead of moving forward in relation to the plot, although I do think the Monster’s death in this film is very cool. The movie was just boring and way too long. I think the Frankenstein series should have just stopped after the first two since they were so amazing, and this film was just…not.

7. The Wolf Man (1941)

     Though this Classic Monster movie is a step up from Son of Frankenstein, I still felt dissatisfied when watching this one. Do not get me wrong, I think the characters of Larry and the Gypsy Woman are terrific and maybe some of the best in the Monster Universe, but even they cannot save my attitude towards the film. I wanted Larry as the werewolf to be more dangerous and scarier than he was, but I was again dissatisfied with that element of the film. The film builds these characters up, but it felt way too quick with the progression of Larry’s madness for there to be any payoff of me feeling for him or even his love interest. I know this movie is highly regarded by modern critics, but I just cannot get on board with their appreciation of this movie, so it ranks here at number seven.

6. Dracula (1931)

Now we are getting to the movies that I actually liked, and while I think Dracula was the weakest of the good movies, I still enjoyed it. I think that this movie was probably the “scariest” out of the other movies I saw. I mean none of the movies are scary considering they are outdated and maybe weaker in the special effects department, but I was perturbed a couple of times during the movie. Renfield as a character creeped me out especially when the sailors are staring at his disturbing expression on his face. Also, the uncanny castle setting at the beginning of the movie made me feel itchy and claustrophobic, and it definitely made me feel I was in Renfield’s shoes of feeling unsafe. The criticism I have with this movie is that besides Van Helsing and Dracula, I did not care about any of the characters. I know Mina is a popular character in literature and film, but there lacked character development with her. Who is she as a person? I could not tell you. Though those minor details bug me, I think the character of Dracula is great and makes for an interesting, yet frightening movie villain.

5. The Invisible Man (1933)

     What is the first word that comes to my mind when I hear The Invisible Man? Fun. That is the word because I had so much fun watching this movie. I think what I loved about this film is that it does not take itself too seriously, yet is effective in its storytelling abilities. This is the first movie in the Classic Monster Universe with Claude Rains that I saw, and he definitely left a lasting impression on me. I loved the comedy with the tavern owner and her repeated screaming, the montage where the Invisible Man is causing chaos throughout the land, and the scene where the Invisible Man kills his work partner Kemp. Those moments are definitely going to be ingrained in my head from my time of watching these Monster films. Though not a scary film, I do find an invisible person with no morals roaming the lands to be pretty eerie. Maybe it would not be too hard to catch him (for example the ending), but the presence of the unknown is a scary thing in itself. I was fully invested in this movie due to its memorable characters and its genius dialogue, so I could definitely see myself watching this again in the near future.

4. Creature of the Black Lagoon (1954)

Creature of the Black Lagoon is probably the most beautiful film in the whole list. The underwater effects of the Creature and zoologists’ scenes is so extraordinary especially for the 1950s. Not only do I think that the Amazon Rainforest is a perfect setting for the movie, but I also think the character development is really strong is this film as well. The characters feel very real, so you have to feel scared for them in their bizarre situation. One of my favorite scenes in the list of movies I watched came from this movie, and it was the scene where the Creature is below Kay in the water. The way the stuntman mimicked her every move in the water was so fascinating to watch that it came to be no shock when I found out that the scene is one of the most popular scenes in cinema history. The scene also gives us a peek into the Creature’s motives for terrorizing the crew as he is lustful towards Kay. Creature of the Black Lagoon was my first Monster movie, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. I really thought this would be in my top three favorites, but it still holds strong at the number four slot.

3. The Phantom of the Opera (1943)

Most of the people who are reading this blog post right now have probably seen some version of Phantom of the Opera at a point in their lives. The Internet requested that I should watch the 1925 version, but it is a silent film, and I just cannot keep focus when watching silent films, so I chose the 1943 version, which the Internet said I should avoid. I do not know what problem the Web had with this version because I absolutely loved this adaptation of Phantom of the Opera. Yes, I do not have prior experience with the musical, but I can tell that this was a masterpiece of a movie. The music performed throughout the movie was magnificent, and I felt very tense listening to it knowing that the Phantom could strike at any moment. Claude Rains returns to the Monster Universe in this adaptation, and he really does a great job of breathing life into the eccentric and predatory Phantom. Christine is a likable protagonist even if her love interests make her seem unlikable at times due to them not being…likable. The film’s bright and colorful atmosphere juxtaposed with the dark and mysterious plot makes this movie a must watch!

2. Frankenstein (1931)

Speaking of masterpieces, Frankenstein is definitely one for the books. You can immediately tell this is going to be a dark and gothic movie in the first scene where Frankenstein and his assistant Fritz start digging up a fresh corpse to use for their experiment. Like Creature of the Black Lagoon, you really do get attached to the characters in Frankenstein. You can clearly see that Frankenstein is a good man who is deeply disturbed and who wants to be seen as an ingenious  man. This is proven as his character progression has him rescind back to being level-headed where he can see his faults of disrupting the laws of science. His girlfriend Elizabeth is also an interesting character where I feel as if we the viewers are supposed to be seeing everything from her perspective. Not only are the characters amazing, but the setting of the tower during the lightning storm is by far the most memorable setting in all of the Monster films I have watched. From iconic lines (“It’s alive!) to iconic scenes (The Monster being burned in the windmill) this movie is basically without faults, and I can definitely see why it is considered such a staple in horror.

1. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Coming in first place as not only the best Monster movie, but possibly one of the best movies ever is Bride of Frankenstein. If you ever wondered if there was a sequel that outperformed the original, there is, and it is Bride of Frankenstein. Not only does this movie expand upon the original story, but it also is requisite in knowing the lore of Frankenstein’s universe. From the very first scene of the Monster surviving his death and killing two villagers, I knew I was in for a treat. Though the Monster does get a bride, we see that Frankenstein’s bride becomes mad in this film as she thinks that death is coming to get her and her husband. Dr. Frankenstein takes a back seat from being the “mad scientist” as he never really wants to revert back to his old ways (though he does have doubts) until Dr. Pretorious, Frankenstein’s old teacher, eventually forces him to make a bride for the Monster so that monsters can become familiar to the world. Pretorious is such a convincing villain in that he is subtle in his wickedness as he toys with the Monster in convincing Frankenstein to build him a wife in such a calm and soothing manner. Speaking of the Monster, I cannot forget to mention that he learns to speak in this movie which again is essential to learning the motives and passions of the Monster. The part where he learns to speak from the blind man is such a powerful and riveting scene where you can feel the sadness and humiliation of the two men from being the outcasts of the village. Finally, I was confused to see that the Monster’s bride only was created in the last ten or so minutes of the movie, but then I thought that she did not have to be in the movie that long for her to be important. She was the impetus that got the Monster to realize that he would never be accepted even from his own kind and that he was made a fool of by Pretorious, so he took his life and their lives with him. You would never feel bad for the Monster if it were not for his character arc that was highlighted throughout the movie. He is by far the most complex Monster and dare I say character in all eight films I have watched. To me, Bride of Frankenstein is a flawless movie from its rich character transformations to its remarkable abilities in storytelling. It has to be a 10/10 for me because it is that astonishing.

Thank you for reading my ranking of the Universal Monster movies. Please leave a comment if you wish. I always appreciate feedback! Have a great day, and be respectful towards one another!