Of all the Universal monsters, the most successful and sequelized was undoubtedly the Frankenstein series, which continued with the critically acclaimed Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The Invisible Man, released in 1933, was a phenomenal hit and would spawn several sequels. The Mummy starring Karloff was produced in 1932, followed by a trilogy of films based on the tales of Edgar Allan Poe: Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) starring Lugosi, The Black Cat (1934) and The Raven (1935), the latter two of which teamed Lugosi with Karloff. Many of the horror genre's most well-known conventions-the creaking staircase, the cobwebs, the swirling mist and the mobs of peasants pursuing monsters with torches-originated from these films and those that followed. Other regular talents involved were make-up artists Jack Pierce and Bud Westmore, and composers Hans J. These films also provided steady work for a number of genre actors including Lionel Atwill, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan, and John Carradine.
THE MUMMY MOVIE STAR CAST SERIES
With Universal at the forefront, filmmakers would continue to build on their success with an entire series of monster movies. The success of these two movies launched the careers of Béla Lugosi ( Dracula) and Boris Karloff ( Frankenstein), and ushered in a whole new genre of American cinema. In spite of the Great Depression, executive Carl Laemmle Jr produced massive successes for the studio with Dracula (directed by Tod Browning) and Frankenstein (directed by James Whale), both in 1931. The Last Performance (1929) with Conrad Veidt and Mary Philbin.The Last Warning (1929) with Laura LaPlante.The Man Who Laughs (1928) with Mary Philbin and Conrad Veidt.The Cat and the Canary (1927) with Laura LaPlante.The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin.The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) with Lon Chaney.Caligari), and starred in 1928's Universal horror film The Man Who Laughs.
His death in 1930 ended any possibility of his leaving MGM for another studio, and Universal turned their attentions to other actors such as German character actor Conrad Veidt, who had appeared in the 1920 German expressionist horror masterpiece, Das Cabinet des Dr. It was used for the 1943 remake with Claude Rains, as well as numerous other pictures.Ĭhaney, who was a freelance player at the time of Phantom of the Opera's production, eventually signed a contract at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and could no longer produce character roles for Universal. The interior of the Opéra Garnier was recreated to scale, and remains one of the longest-standing film sets to this day. And as with the film Hunchback, the sets played an important part in the film. Chaney designed and endured torturous make-up that even exceeded the demands of his previous role as the Hunchback. The lavish production sets rebuilt 15th-century Paris on an epic scale, even re-creating the famed Notre Dame de Paris cathedral.Ī runaway success at the box office, Hunchback of Notre Dame inspired Universal to produce their first true horror film, The Phantom of the Opera, based on the mystery novel by Gaston Leroux. Universal's earliest success in the horror genre was the historical drama The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923 starring Lon Chaney in the title role. Universal started out by the name Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP). Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)