Celebrating 90 Years of Fright with UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS – Military Press News

By Jeri Jacquin | October 8, 2021

JeriJacquin

Comingfrom Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in time for the season of spookinessare four memorable faces with UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS ICONS OF HORROR COLLECTION.

In1931 Garrett Fort wrote a screenplay all about the monster created by BramStoker in the 1897 novel DRACULA. The vampire creature from Transylvania wouldterrorize victims because of his need for human blood. Universal Pictures wouldfind their vampire in Hungarian born actor Bela Lugosi and audiences ran totheatres to be frightened and thrilled.

Lugosispent years of his career continuing to entertain in the monster genre leaving alasting mark by just saying his name alone. Now an icon, DRACULA becamerecognized in 2000 by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved inthe National Film Registry.

Thatsame year, another creature created by author Mary Shelley in 1818 would cometo the screen in the film FRANKENSTEIN. Director James Whale along withUniversal Pictures brought the creature who was created by scientistFrankenstein to life. Finding their Frankensteins monster came with Indian-Britishactor Boris Karloff who would return again in 1935 for BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and1939 for SON OF FRANKENSTEIN.

THEINVISIBLE MAN arrived in theatres in 1933 with the return of James Whale in thedirector seat. Universal Pictures brings the H.G. Wells story to the screenfinding their Dr. Jack Griffin in Claude Rains. A man in glasses and bandages livesalone until he is discovered to be invisible and when he is offered help,tragedy strikes again and again.

Rainscareer is filled with roles such as MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, CASABLANCA,NOTORIOUS and my personal favorite NOW, VOYAGER.

Hereturned to the genre again in 1941 with THE WOLF MAN as director GeorgeWaggner and Universal Pictures brought the story to the silver screen. ActorLon Chaney Jr. would bring the story of a man who is bitten by a wolf and duringa full moon discovers that his life will never be the same.

UniversalPictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library andmaking it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own hometheaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama tofamily films. For more of what they have to offer please visit http://www.uphe.com.

MOVIESANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. Withthat you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite deviceusing a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visitwww.MoviesAnywhere.com.

TheClassic Monster Films include: The 90th Anniversary of DRACULA, the90th Anniversary of FRANKENSTEIN, THE INVISIBLE MAN and the 80thAnniversary of THE WOLF MAN.

Thereis hours of Bonus Content including: The Road to DRACULA, The FRANKENSTEINFiles: How Hollywood Made a Monster, Karloff: The Gentle Monster, Monster byMoonlight, THE WOLF MAN: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth, Now You See Him THEINVISIBLE MAN Revealed, 1931 Spanish Version of DRACULA, Behind-The-ScenesDocumentaries, Featurettes on Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr.,Feature Commentaries, Theatrical Trailers and More!

Asa young kid (without giving my age away), my mother use to have us gatheraround the television on Friday and Saturday nights to watch Lugosi, Karloff,Chaney Jr. and Rains give us chills. It began my love of what I would call thrillersbecause I never saw these creatures as monsters.

Instead,I saw them as a reflection of our own fears and the potential we all have of adark side. Hidden behind pointy teeth, body hair, or bolts in the neck, itwould be the invisible man who would prove that what is monstrous does notalways have to be in plain sight.

Thestory of monsters were written down in the 1800s with DRACULA and FRANKENSTEINshowing us that even 200 years ago people were aware of what scares us. Stokerand Shelley also gave us a glimpse of the possibility that there may besomething more than evil driving their actions.

H.G.Wells took the idea even further by taking away the outward appearance of frightby making the monster invisible. Presenting the question of if you can not seeit, is it still evil? has brought many conversations among my film friends.

THEWOLF MAN is a little different because here is a man who was not born, createdor whipped up in a lab but instead became a monster. Chaney Jr. is torn (no punintended) by what has happened to him and the fight to regain his soul.

UniversalPictures has brought a powerful, thoughtful and belief in helping us toremember what a classic film looks and feels like. Even 90 years later, we talkabout the genre, performances and what the films have come to mean. Having thiscollection in a home entertainment library means pop that popcorn and gather uplike minded horror-thriller fans to re-live the greatness of cinema.

Inthe end celebrate our monsters!

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Celebrating 90 Years of Fright with UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS - Military Press News

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero