Just...had to share a bit of personal history: Growing up my friend Dan lived two blocks away (I can't remember NOT knowing him) ... when I was 11 I slept over at his place almost every night over summer break. His dad worked a normal job from 3 to 11... but in reality he was one of the three magicians in the phone book. Dan would crash out and I would hang with his dad when he got home from work. He had all of these classics and a bunch of other movies in a big well maintained collection prominently displayed in the living room and his routine was...wake up early... dress in his magician clothes and practice his entire set in the basement...work 3 to 11... come home....watch one classic monster movie... repeat... for that entire summer I joined him as often as I could. He would tell me all about the movies... and after that he stayed up late and taught me magic. I got pretty good at it for an 11 year old...and I have loved these films for my entire life. That's all really. I feel like I won a lottery on that. I just wanted to share. This video really took me back.
There's a story that a little girl who upon meeting Karloff told him she felt very sorry for the monster. He reportedly said, 'Thank you! That was my intention.' If it's not true, it should be.
Yes, although the Creature didn't have any lines he wasn't the stereotype "Grrr" and walking around stiffly you see in Frankenstein impressions. If go back and watch it Karloff has subtle expressions on his face.
These films have had continuous major exposure across many generations. To me, they are OVER appreciated and obsessed about. It is sort of novel to see a video that seems to have discovered something (these films) that are super well-known throughout the world. Truly a unique perspective,, to me at least. I've simply grown tired of them and the endless talk about them, the endless merchandise etc. BUT...I assume these CAN be fun and unique even after all this time. A lot of work went into this video, so kudos for doing all that. I feel sure, now, that there are still people who will enjoy this greatly. Thumbs up.
You're largely right, but I know for a fact there are plenty of Millennials and Generation Alphas who've had limited exposure to these. We grew up with these films, they not so much. The market is infinitely more crowded now.
Wow! This video was one of a kind. The gates of Heaven opened up to me while I watched this. This video cured everything. Boy oh boy the things I would do to relive watching this video for the first time again
Well, there might not have depicted blood and gore in these old horror flicks, however they DID feature DISFIGURMENT (like Frankenstien's misshapen brow and head for example), and THAT was something pretty freaky and gruesome to audiences back THEN. Probably was THEIR equivalent to gore in fact.
Well, obviously THESE have, in more recent times, gotten overshadowed by ohhhh Jason, Freddy, Micheal, and Chucky (surprised he failed to note THAT)). There were also the Paul Nashy, Al Adamson, and Andy Warhol versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the wolfman which should've gotten some mention here during the last segment (starting at 3:26:06).
I didn’t even know those versions existed to be honest. I also tried to not just list every interpretation of those characters (Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster especially), as that would’ve made the video even more obscenely long than it already is.
Your video made me smile Jonas, your love for these films reminds me alot of my nephew, who much like you just started watching these classics at around 2001. He is 32 years old, and already he is a big time universal horror fan ( he even got his girlfriend into them too lol) 👍👍
They were still pretty popular back in 80s when I was a kid, with the movies always being shown on local tv stations. The diversification of media and the passage of time helped make them less popular. I also consider the Karloff/Lugosi 30’s horror trilogy The Black Cat, The Raven, and The Invisible Ray to be part of the Horror cycle, as well as one offs like The Old Dark House.
I hate that stupid word "dated" anyway. I actually like that we have all these movies, spanning an entire century (since mister Edison first invented the motion picture camera), capturing these different eras and displaying these different methods and techniques and styles and aesthetics. I think it would be like BORING if EVERY movie looked like it were made just last week. But THAT's just me I guess.
I more meant “dated” in some of their depictions of certain things and the certain kinds of humour in these films. As some of that would probably not fly today. I didn’t really mean “dated” as in “look how old these films look/sound” and meaning that in a negative way.
A highly in depth and researched video! Wow. Wonderful watch! On another note it really bothers me how we don't see these movies on TV anymore,even around Halloween. I remember back in the 80's,90's and early 2000's you would still see these films on AMC or MonsterVision. I guess most people these days would consider these great movies "boring?" or don't wanna watch black/white films? I don't know.
While Universal classic horror films are widely celebrated,it is the wave of new horror cinema that has been dominating everything since the 2000s and those films and the Harry Knowles inspired film journalists and Knowles inspired film critics are what is overshadowed these cherish horror classics from the past(along with the AIP movies and Hammer Films) as it is our job to keep these films alive and thriving.
There's a hilarious take off of Invisible Man in Amazon Women on the Moon. Ed Begley Jr. plays The Son of the Invisible Man and it's my favorite of the numerous vignettes.
I absolutely share your enthusiasm for the Universal horror movies of this era. I love them more than any other kind of screen horror - and therefore enjoyed your video essay a lot❣️
I loved Frankenstein meet's the Wolf man. I feel they Just camp it up for this film. Love Maria and Hunchback Woman. The Gang is a Blast as is the song
Supposedly modern horror movie fans find the old films too tame. Thirty years ago Forrest Ackerman (creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland) offered to do a column for Fangoria magazine on the great Universal Studios actors like Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr but he was told that Fangoria's readers don't care about them or even know who they are!
You spoke of Tom Weaver's commentary on "The Wolf Man". As The Wolf Man was my favorite monster and Lon Chaney Jr my favorite actor, I'm very protective of that film and found Mr. Weaver's commentary consisted of cynicism from beginning to end and by far the least enjoyable of all the Universal Horror films commentaries. If he thought he was being funny, I found he sounded like he wanted to be anywhere else, doing anything else. I found Weaver's commentary and attitude offensive.
*No. **9:31** All the talk of Swan Lake misses the point that the music was the same for other horror films produced by Universal. It was generic, already on a record so no need to pay musicians, out of copyright, and not at all suitable for a horror movie. ... I live in Spain and we have several channels on out TV just for old movies but most people watching this video have not seen the Spanish language version of Dracula and do not appreciate all the references to it about how it explains more to the audience the sequence of events yet is not as good as the English language version in the opinion of the reviewer.* etc., etc.
@@Jean-rg4sp What? Other than Bela Lugosi, the Spanish version is widely recognized to be the superior Dracula even among English speaking critics. The only thing the English version gets praised for is Lugosi's tour de force performance
@@MistahJigglah Nothing I wrote contradicts your comment. Most people watching this English language video would be familiar with the superior Spanish version of _Dracula._ Here in Spain, of course, it is a different story.
@@Jean-rg4sp Yes, it most certainly contradicts every major point in your original post which is about the English speaking perception of the Spanish language film. If you meant that the other way around like in your response, that's not what you said in the op.
@@MistahJigglah The intent was not to anger with that title, as it is a genuine sentiment that I believe. I later start defending my position starting at around 3:26:07 (give or take). If I wanted a clickbait title just to garner clicks, it would probably work better if I painted these films in a more negative light, rather than a positive one.
@JonasMeichel Is your next video going to be about how you honestly believe American airports aren't that busy the day before Thanksgiving or that you don't think there's been enough written about Napoleon Bonaparte?
No, as those aren’t subjects that I’m interested in, let alone ones that I’d cover on this channel. I guess I wasn’t clear enough at the end of the video, but luckily there have been others that have pointed this out in this very comment section. They’ve started to lose popularity in recent years (last 10-15 give or take), especially the films themselves. That’s what I was trying to get at, the fact that the films themselves weren’t nearly as recognized as the things they helped popularize. That they were taken for granted at this point. There’s a reason I titled it, “underappreciated” and not “underrated”. It’s because the films themselves aren’t as widely recognized as the things they helped popularize despite the fact that without those films, we wouldn’t have those other things (or at least not the way we have them now). They’re not “underrated”, far from it, but people don’t think about what they did for horror, cinema, pop culture, etc. That was what the penultimate part of the video was about, I guess I could’ve made that more clear.
I hate that kind of musical background noise. Even with a good sound mix, it almost always makes narration harder to absorb. Seems some people are so used to constant over-stimulation, that they can't bear to just be still and listen.
This was so much fun!..At the end I actually went back to watch a few of the reviews all over again..A lot of time and love was put into this!
Just...had to share a bit of personal history: Growing up my friend Dan lived two blocks away (I can't remember NOT knowing him) ... when I was 11 I slept over at his place almost every night over summer break. His dad worked a normal job from 3 to 11... but in reality he was one of the three magicians in the phone book. Dan would crash out and I would hang with his dad when he got home from work. He had all of these classics and a bunch of other movies in a big well maintained collection prominently displayed in the living room and his routine was...wake up early... dress in his magician clothes and practice his entire set in the basement...work 3 to 11... come home....watch one classic monster movie... repeat... for that entire summer I joined him as often as I could. He would tell me all about the movies... and after that he stayed up late and taught me magic. I got pretty good at it for an 11 year old...and I have loved these films for my entire life.
That's all really. I feel like I won a lottery on that. I just wanted to share.
This video really took me back.
That sounds like a great childhood memory to me! 👍
There's a story that a little girl who upon meeting Karloff told him she felt very sorry for the monster. He reportedly said, 'Thank you! That was my intention.' If it's not true, it should be.
Yes, although the Creature didn't have any lines he wasn't the stereotype "Grrr" and walking around stiffly you see in Frankenstein impressions. If go back and watch it Karloff has subtle expressions on his face.
Great video. Always nice to come into contact with other fans of the classic Universal horrors.
I find it somewhat interesting how similar the vibes of the Renfield on the stairs and the "he went for a little walk" scenes are.
These films have had continuous major exposure across many generations. To me, they are OVER appreciated and obsessed about. It is sort of novel to see a video that seems to have discovered something (these films) that are super well-known throughout the world. Truly a unique perspective,, to me at least. I've simply grown tired of them and the endless talk about them, the endless merchandise etc. BUT...I assume these CAN be fun and unique even after all this time.
A lot of work went into this video, so kudos for doing all that. I feel sure, now, that there are still people who will enjoy this greatly. Thumbs up.
You're largely right, but I know for a fact there are plenty of Millennials and Generation Alphas who've had limited exposure to these. We grew up with these films, they not so much. The market is infinitely more crowded now.
Wow! This video was one of a kind. The gates of Heaven opened up to me while I watched this. This video cured everything. Boy oh boy the things I would do to relive watching this video for the first time again
Because there is no blood and gore. Universal relief on good acting and good story telling
Well, there might not have depicted blood and gore in these old horror flicks, however they DID feature DISFIGURMENT (like Frankenstien's misshapen brow and head for example), and THAT was something pretty freaky and gruesome to audiences back THEN. Probably was THEIR equivalent to gore in fact.
Well, obviously THESE have, in more recent times, gotten overshadowed by ohhhh Jason, Freddy, Micheal, and Chucky (surprised he failed to note THAT)). There were also the Paul Nashy, Al Adamson, and Andy Warhol versions of Frankenstein, Dracula, and the wolfman which should've gotten some mention here during the last segment (starting at 3:26:06).
I didn’t even know those versions existed to be honest. I also tried to not just list every interpretation of those characters (Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster especially), as that would’ve made the video even more obscenely long than it already is.
Your video made me smile Jonas, your love for these films reminds me alot of my nephew, who much like you just started watching these classics at around 2001. He is 32 years old, and already he is a big time universal horror fan ( he even got his girlfriend into them too lol) 👍👍
They were still pretty popular back in 80s when I was a kid, with the movies always being shown on local tv stations. The diversification of media and the passage of time helped make them less popular.
I also consider the Karloff/Lugosi 30’s horror trilogy The Black Cat, The Raven, and The Invisible Ray to be part of the Horror cycle, as well as one offs like The Old Dark House.
I hate that stupid word "dated" anyway. I actually like that we have all these movies, spanning an entire century (since mister Edison first invented the motion picture camera), capturing these different eras and displaying these different methods and techniques and styles and aesthetics. I think it would be like BORING if EVERY movie looked like it were made just last week. But THAT's just me I guess.
I more meant “dated” in some of their depictions of certain things and the certain kinds of humour in these films. As some of that would probably not fly today. I didn’t really mean “dated” as in “look how old these films look/sound” and meaning that in a negative way.
A highly in depth and researched video! Wow. Wonderful watch! On another note it really bothers me how we don't see these movies on TV anymore,even around Halloween. I remember back in the 80's,90's and early 2000's you would still see these films on AMC or MonsterVision. I guess most people these days would consider these great movies "boring?" or don't wanna watch black/white films? I don't know.
Perfect timing
“WE LOVE U JONAS‼️‼️‼️‼️” we all say in unison
While Universal classic horror films are widely celebrated,it is the wave of new horror cinema that has been dominating everything since the 2000s and those films and the Harry Knowles inspired film journalists and Knowles inspired film critics are what is overshadowed these cherish horror classics from the past(along with the AIP movies and Hammer Films) as it is our job to keep these films alive and thriving.
There's a hilarious take off of Invisible Man in Amazon Women on the Moon. Ed Begley Jr. plays The Son of the Invisible Man and it's my favorite of the numerous vignettes.
@@ClutchCargo001 I remember hearing about that in one of the Documentaries I watched in preparation for this video. I might have to check it out!
I absolutely share your enthusiasm for the Universal horror movies of this era. I love them more than any other kind of screen horror - and therefore enjoyed your video essay a lot❣️
Great video! 👏🏻
Enjoyable review.
Very cool
I loved Frankenstein meet's the Wolf man. I feel they Just camp it up for this film. Love Maria and Hunchback Woman. The Gang is a Blast as is the song
The classic Universal monster movies aren't scary by today's standards, but they are good entertainment.
WHAT, for example, WOULD be "scary" by "today's standards"?
Supposedly modern horror movie fans find the old films too tame. Thirty years ago Forrest Ackerman (creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland) offered to do a column for Fangoria magazine on the great Universal Studios actors like Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr but he was told that Fangoria's readers don't care about them or even know who they are!
@@Jimvanhise I didn’t know that!
Not in my book they're still the masters of horror
The Bat Whispers 1930.
You spoke of Tom Weaver's commentary on "The Wolf Man". As The Wolf Man was my favorite monster and Lon Chaney Jr my favorite actor, I'm very protective of that film and found Mr. Weaver's commentary consisted of cynicism from beginning to end and by far the least enjoyable of all the Universal Horror films commentaries. If he thought he was being funny, I found he sounded like he wanted to be anywhere else, doing anything else. I found Weaver's commentary and attitude offensive.
*No. **9:31** All the talk of Swan Lake misses the point that the music was the same for other horror films produced by Universal. It was generic, already on a record so no need to pay musicians, out of copyright, and not at all suitable for a horror movie. ... I live in Spain and we have several channels on out TV just for old movies but most people watching this video have not seen the Spanish language version of Dracula and do not appreciate all the references to it about how it explains more to the audience the sequence of events yet is not as good as the English language version in the opinion of the reviewer.* etc., etc.
@@Jean-rg4sp
What?
Other than Bela Lugosi, the Spanish version is widely recognized to be the superior Dracula even among English speaking critics.
The only thing the English version gets praised for is Lugosi's tour de force performance
@@MistahJigglah Nothing I wrote contradicts your comment. Most people watching this English language video would be familiar with the superior Spanish version of _Dracula._ Here in Spain, of course, it is a different story.
@@Jean-rg4sp
Yes, it most certainly contradicts every major point in your original post which is about the English speaking perception of the Spanish language film.
If you meant that the other way around like in your response, that's not what you said in the op.
@@Jean-rg4sp
Also, it's a shame most Spaniards miss out on Lugosi's genius
@@MistahJigglah I believe my original comment was clear enough.
Moronically Titled Clickbait Designed to Anger = Do Not Recommend
@@MistahJigglah The intent was not to anger with that title, as it is a genuine sentiment that I believe. I later start defending my position starting at around 3:26:07 (give or take). If I wanted a clickbait title just to garner clicks, it would probably work better if I painted these films in a more negative light, rather than a positive one.
@JonasMeichel
Is your next video going to be about how you honestly believe American airports aren't that busy the day before Thanksgiving or that you don't think there's been enough written about Napoleon Bonaparte?
No, as those aren’t subjects that I’m interested in, let alone ones that I’d cover on this channel.
I guess I wasn’t clear enough at the end of the video, but luckily there have been others that have pointed this out in this very comment section. They’ve started to lose popularity in recent years (last 10-15 give or take), especially the films themselves. That’s what I was trying to get at, the fact that the films themselves weren’t nearly as recognized as the things they helped popularize. That they were taken for granted at this point. There’s a reason I titled it, “underappreciated” and not “underrated”. It’s because the films themselves aren’t as widely recognized as the things they helped popularize despite the fact that without those films, we wouldn’t have those other things (or at least not the way we have them now). They’re not “underrated”, far from it, but people don’t think about what they did for horror, cinema, pop culture, etc.
That was what the penultimate part of the video was about, I guess I could’ve made that more clear.
@@MistahJigglah Thank you for saying the truth
@@MistahJigglah Thank you for saying the truth
This would be so much more engaging with some sort of music background accompaniment.
The voice narration only for 3 hours straight it unwatchable.
I hate that kind of musical background noise. Even with a good sound mix, it almost always makes narration harder to absorb. Seems some people are so used to constant over-stimulation, that they can't bear to just be still and listen.
Comment for reach