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9781442278165

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Like Dr. Frankenstein, Universal Studios under Carl Laemmle Jr., brought the monster movie genre to terrifying new life with the 1931 Tod Browning-directed film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi in his most iconic role. The characterizations of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster by Lugosi and Boris Karloff, as well as the studio's costume and makeup design, ensured that Universal's monsters would become the standard representation of these literary monsters in popular culture. In chronological order, historian Neibaur (The Fall of Buster Keaton) details the production and reception of each monster movie produced by the studio between 1931 and 1956, including such classics as Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and each of their respective sequels. The author provides insight into the challenges that the actors faced in the roles that made them household names. Verdict: Neibaur's book honors Universal's horror legacy with exhaustive research. The detailed breakdowns of each film makes this an excellent resource for film students and monster movie fanatics. Library Journal

Like Dr. Frankenstein, Universal Studios under Carl Laemmle Jr., brought the monster movie genre to terrifying new life with the 1931 Tod Browning-directed film Dracula starring Bela Lugosi in his most iconic role. The characterizations of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster by Lugosi and Boris Karloff, as well as the studio's costume and makeup design, ensured that Universal's monsters would become the standard representation of these literary monsters in popular culture. In chronological order, historian Neibaur (The Fall of Buster Keaton) details the production and reception of each monster movie produced by the studio between 1931 and 1956, including such classics as Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Wolf Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and each of their respective sequels. The author provides insight into the challenges that the actors faced in the roles that made them household names. Verdict: Neibaur's book honors Universal's horror legacy with exhaustive research. The detailed breakdowns of each film makes this an excellent resource for film students and monster movie fanatics. * Library Journal * The horror movies produced by Universal Studios from the 1930s to the early 1950s featured some of the most iconic movie monsters in film history. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, and the Creature have been portrayed more than once since their first appearances on screen, but there are many who prefer these classic movie monsters to today's CGI film fiends. Entries document the initial films as well as their sequels. After a summary with full credits, release date, running time, and availability, there is an essay that provides background information, a plot synopsis, and other details. Studio stills and trade ads for several of the films add a suitably scary touch to this treat for fans and scholars alike. * Booklist *

Author Information

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and educator who has written hundreds of articles, including more than forty essays in the Encyclopedia Britannica. He is the author of several books on film, including The Fall of Buster Keaton (2010), Chaplin at Keystone (2012), The Silent Films of Harry Langdon (2012), and The Charley Chase Talkies (2013), all published by Scarecrow. He is also the author of The Elvis Movies (2014), The Clint Eastwood Westerns, (2015), The Essential Mickey Rooney (2016), and The Essential Jack Nicholson (2017)—all published by Rowman & Littlefield.

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