Monster of the Day

This doesn't really sell the film's horror elements very well, but European proto-furries presumably swarmed theaters.

There are a few prominent non-Universal horror films of the 1930s. However, the other studios, while envious of all the greenbacks Universal was taking in, were quite sniffy about producing something as low brow as a horror picture, much less a monster film. So they tended to cast themselves as prestige pictures adapted from…

The Monster was doing The Mash a lot earlier then we knew. Dracula was so successful that Frankenstein was rushed into production, hitting theaters that same year. (Those were the days.) In this way Universal was to forever link the characters in the public consciousness.

Well, we've hit most of the silent heavy hitters that one might watch for the Halloween season. Now we move on to the Universals. The first, of course, was Dracula. However, don't forget the very watching and much more dynamic Spanish language version of the film. It's arguably the better version in every way*,…

I'm sure this is an Alamo Drafthouse poster, but man, that's sweet. Vampyr is great if you appreciate mood and atmosphere, a real classic in that regard.

Another film that's only marginally horror but still a good Halloween pick is 1926's Faust. Obviously it's more of a morality tale than a horror film, but the imagery of the Devil is fantastic and very influential. There's a shot of a gigantic Satan looming over a town that clearly influenced the Night on…

Huh. Apparently in Germany sex and horror sold as far back as the 1920s. Who knew? This film is great, by the way. You should definitely check it out.

As I've said previously, I think the stately pace of Caligari and Nosferatu add a genuine nightmare quality to them. If I were to pick one horror silent that comes closet to chugging along at a decent pace, though, it would be the horror comedy Cat and the Canary, remade not too long after…

And with Phantom of the Opera the world gets its first bonafide horror star in Lon Chaney. Although that reputation basically rests on two films, this and Hunchback of Notre Dame (back when Quasimodo was considered a 'monster'), his array of somewhat more prosaic but twisted and sinister villains,and his skill (and amazing willingness…

Still one of the best vampire films. Vampyr is pretty great too.