When I first considered doing an examination of my favorite horror movies, I thought that going decade by decade would be sufficient, but I realized that some periods have far more excellent films than others. A simple examination of 2-4 movies from the 1930s will not work, so I am going to look at one film at a time for that decade. I will begin with Dracula, a film I love, and which I have taught in college classes such as Literature and Film and Gothic and Horror. I also hold the novel to be an excellent and very important book.
 
Dracula, made in 1931, and released for Valentine’s Day–a nice touch–was a huge success and established Bela Lugosi as a top box office star. This production was itself based on the very successful theatrical play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and James Balderston. Stoker’s novel did not see great success during his life, but after his death and the success of the play, it became one of the best selling novels of the 20th Century–worldwide.
Carl Laemmle Jr, capitalized on the story’s growing popularity and produced the movie. Tod Browning, who had directed Lon Chaney Sr. in several movies, directed this piece. This film is highly atmospheric with a Gothic set and influenced by German Expressionism. Lugosi was brilliant with his authentic Hungarian accent and menacing presence. His performance and voice set the standard for the image of Dracula and vampires for decades to come. Dracula was a sensation and terrified people; today’s audience would probably find it slow and not at all frightening, but that reflects our jaded views that have been glutted with gore as the staple ingredient of contemporary horror. This film depended on story telling, atmosphere, and acting. The film’s success created an era of classic horror films through the 1930s and part of the 1940s with Universal studios leading the way.
Additionally, Dracula is generally accepted by most film critics as one of the best horror films made. I certainly consider it to be one of the best and most important.
It is an interesting and little known detail of film history that in addition to the English language version, Universal also made a Spanish language film at the same time. The two films shared the same sets, and the same basic scripts, but with different actors and a different director: George Melford directed, and Carlos VillarÃas stared as Dracula. While not as well known, an argument can be made that this is a better film than the more established English language version. If you ever have the opportunity to see it, I recommend that you do.
Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book I by Charles F. French is available for purchase on Amazon either as an ebook or a print book!
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting–I didn’t know that the book Dracula wasn’t popular until after Stoker’s death and the play adaptation. I’m really looking forward to reading it and I agree about gore/blood being the staple of modern horror. I feel like it’s a bit overdone and in my opinion, a film or book is more effective in spooking me out if it relies on psychological horror, atmosphere and intrigue/mystery. I’ll have to watch the 1930s Dracula. Looking forward to your post on Frankenstein.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately, approaches to horror movies have changed significantly. And thank you for your comments.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I only read Stoker’s novel, “Dracula” a couple of years ago for the first time. I’ve watched and rewatched the movie many times in the past.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What did you think of the book?
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Page.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Classic! I also loved listening to it on a very long road trip 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It kept me awake and I had never read the book, so I enjoyed it. Not a lot of time for me to read or watch movies. But someday!
LikeLike
I hope that you are able to find the time someday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the poster.
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, it’s not like YOU painted it. 🙂
LikeLike
LOL, true, but I appreciate the comment anyway!
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you’re giving away free copies of the poster I’ll tell people you’re the artist. 🙂
LikeLike
I wish I had a copy of it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on charles french words reading and writing and commented:
This is a fitting time to repost this blog entry!
LikeLike
Reblogged this on #Wagen #WagenIndustries #Team #95 #SlaveryLives #WeedNDaChopper #RollCall #BeNORML #BecomingNORML #DaChoppa #Chopper and commented:
#HappyHalloween #ElDiaDelMuertaEstaManana
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person