"Rants & Ravings About Horror: - Week 35: “Universal’s DRACULA (1931) Returns to the Big Screen in a Big Way!”

Week 35: “Universal’s DRACULA (1931) Returns to the Big Screen in a Big Way!”

I’ve never been much of a fan of the original 1931 Universal Picture’s Dracula.  I’m not a fan of vampire films and I’ve never really been a big fan of Bela Lugosi, so, this has never been one of my favorites of the Universal Monsters or films.  The one thing going for the film is that it was directed by Tod Browning whom I’m a huge fan of due to his film Freaks (1932), which is one of my favorite films of all-time.  This being sad, Dracula is a film I appreciate but don’t really watch as often as say Frankenstein (1931) or The Mummy (1932) or Bride of Frankenstein (1935).  I was excited to hear that on October 28^th Fathom Events was going to honor this film with a return to the big screen.  Point of fact is that I wasn’t born when any of these films were originally released so being able to see one of the big screen has been a dream come true whether it be the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon or Dracula himself.

An added bonus is the fact that this was a double feature presentation of the original Browning film as well as the Spanish language version.  I had never seen the Spanish version so that alone was a great selling point for me.  This was also the first time I was going to be able to see a Browning film on the big screen so I was really excited!

It should be noted that I love and appreciate classic cinema.  I was never able to watch these films growing up but I studied classic horror and noir films in college (despite my focus being on horror and animation) and I have a very deep love of these “old black & white” films.  Being able to see one of these films back on the big screen is a rare occasion especially with an audience who can also appreciate the film.

Getting back to Dracula, the night was presented by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and as such had a wonderful introduction to both films especially right before the Spanish version in which the narrator discussed the advantages of director George Melford (the Spanish version) over Browning since both films were shot simultaneously and Melford was able to see what Browning was doing and improve upon his filming techniques.  By comparison, it does show as the Spanish version is not only longer but also contains some vastly different cinematography choices that enhance the film.  If nothing else, it was great watching the two films back to back in order to see the differences between them.

I have a newfound love for Browning’s Dracula.  There are details that I never saw before and the image was sharp and crystal clear like I had never seen.  This film truly was meant for the big screen.  I may not be a Lugosi fan but this is by far my favorite film of his and I can now see why he was obsessed with the image and personae.  I can honestly say that both the Browning version and the Melford version are magnificent films and that if you are a fan of the films and never watched them back to back I do suggest it.

I do have to say that Fathom Events has spoiled me a little as I now want the opportunity to watch some of the other Universal Monster films on the big screen.  If you get the opportunity to see any of these films on the big screen you should take it as there is no telling when (or if) it will ever happen again.

Book Review: THE MONSTER SHOW: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF HORROR by David J. Skal

Writer David J. Skal is one of the best writers that the horror genre has.  His books Hollywood Gothic and V is for Vampire are some of the best books out there.  His book The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror is one of the very best on horror’s significance to film culture and our understanding of the horror genre. 

Although this book is mainly concerned with classic horror cinema and its significance to film and culture, readers of all generations can appreciate the depth to which Skal has gone to show his love and appreciation of classic cinema (so that others can as well).  His chapters “Tod Browning’s America” and “Dread And Circuses” take a look at some of the horror genre’s more misinterpreted moments in history, whereas his chapter “’I Used to Know Your Daddy’: The Horrors of War, Part Two” delve into the war’s effect on the genre and what audiences were interested in.  He also delves into drive-in culture (“Drive-Ins Are a Ghoul’s Best Friend: Horror in the Fifties”) and even the phenomena that is Stephen King (“The Dance of Dearth”).  Skal leaves no stone unturned as he delves into some film, moment, or incident that helped defined that time in history and culture and how it affected the films being made and the people’s tastes.

The great thing about Skal’s writing is that he is very detailed with his research and writing but he has a great way of presenting his “academic” material for the regular reader.  He may at times touch upon things that other writers already has but in this book he not only touches upon each moment or decade in history but also lets you look at the whole picture in order to understand and comprehend just how important the horror genre has had an effect on our culture.  The horror genre is more than just scares and monsters and horrifying stories; it’s a way in which people’s fears and anxieties are reflected back at them in a safe manner.  Skal’s book takes a hard look at this and he succeeds in spades.

Book Review: Inside Teradome: An Illustrated History of Freak Film by Jack Hunter

The “freak” film is a sub genre of horror film that has mostly been over looked by modern audiences but it was once something far more common place in the 50’s to 70’s.  Nowadays most audiences only know of the auteur works of John Waters (Pink Flamingoes & Female Troubles) or David Lynch (Eraserhead & The Elephant Man) and the early films of David Cronenberg (Dead Ringers & Shivers) but there is a history of freak film that stretches across continents and genres and cultures and that is what Jack Hunter’s book Inside Teradome: An Illustrated History of Freak Film delves into.

In order to under the freak film you must define what it is and what types of films are included and that is exactly what Hunter does with the first half of the book (while the second part focuses on the films themselves and the film makers behind them).  For those who don’t know (and generally speaking I was one of those people at first) the so-called freak film includes not only films about people or cultures with abnormal ways of life but also those who live such a life and have taken up the film industry as there profession.  As described by Hunter, “The ultimate strain of bizarre cinema, a psycho-sexual fusion of the grotesque and perverse, haunted by primal specters of deformity and mutilation.”  The book focuses mostly on Tod Browning’s Freaks (1932) because this is not only a film that featured so-called real life “freaks” and circus performers but it also portrayed them in a sympathetic light as opposed to the “normal” people in the film.  It is through the initial failure of this film (it did more or less kill Brownings career in films) and it’s now infamous undying cult status that Hunter explores the culture and importance of this genre of film.

The first part of the book describes all real manner of freaks such as those that suffered from all types of genetic maladies (as could be seen in the circuses up until the 70s) as well as those through mutation (due to the bomb) or war (mostly WWI vets who were disfigured).  The book does go into the fall of the freak film as SFX in cinema began to rival anything that could have been seen in the real world.  Hunter not only describes all of the maladies but has also put together an amazing collection of photos from all over the word (and illustrations and drawings as well) to show just how real some of these people suffered in their real lives only to replay them in front of a camera.

The second part of the book focuses on the film makers and films that embraced this type of taboo material from the before mentioned films of John Waters to the more obscure films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo and Santa Sangre) Werner Herzog (Even Dwarfs Start Small) and actors such as Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes, Deadly Blessing) and Rondo Hatton (Jungle Captive, House of Horrors).

Hunter does an excellent job of presenting these films in way that will give readers an understanding of why they were so popular at one time in history and why there popularity has dwindled over the years to the point of having almost all but been forgotten.   For those interested in this genre of film this is a great book to get you started.