ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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I wish I had more to say about the three Classic Horror films below, but since I've never been a fan of horror, classic or otherwize. I'll leave it to you guys.

All I can think of is, were audiences ever really scared by these movies? I never was, even as a kid watching them on the late show.
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House of Dracula (1945)

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Sequel to "House of Frankenstein", again resurrecting and reuniting the Big Three of horror.

A kindly doctor (Onslow Stevens) is trying to "cure" both Dracula (John Carradine) and the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.). This "hard science" approach to old horror movie ideas was typical of co-writer Curt Siodmak.

Stevens learns that the key to the Wolf Man's cure is a brain operation and an extract from an exotic plant. He also finds that Dracula's condition is caused by a bizarre virus in his blood, and the doctor sets out to synthesize an antidote while giving Dracula blood transfusions to keep him healthy (and make him behave).

However, Dracula puts the bite on Stevens' assistant, so the doctor exposes the evil Count to the killing rays of the morning sun. Unfortunately, the good doctor's own blood has already been tainted by the Count's, causing Stevens to periodically turn into a blood-crazed killer. He eventually destroys his own hunchbacked assistant (played by a pretty young woman, Jane Adam — an original touch).

And then the doctor finds the dormant Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange) in a series of tunnels near the castle. Stevens manages to cure Chaney's lycanthropy, but he revives the Frankenstein monster for evil purposes. Lionel Atwill again plays the chief of police (though he changes names and towns from film to film), and he leads a police raid on the castle, aided by the now-cured Chaney. The cops do battle with the doctor and the monster.

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, from a screenplay by Edward T. Lowe and Curt Siodmak. Jack Pierce provided the makeup.

This was the last serious monster round-up from Universal, but we do get to see these Universal superstars one last time in the popular and highly enjoyable "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".
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Invisible Agent (1942)



Third film in "The Invisible Man" series from Universal. Jon Hall stars as the son of Jack Griffin, the original invisible man, in this lighthearted morale-booster for the war effort. Hall uses his father's formula to help America battle the Axis forces.

The invisibility formula still causes eventual madness, but certain nations of the world want to use it to unleash invisible armies on their enemies. Secret agents Peter Lorre and Sir Cedric Hardwicke keep the hero on his toes (and steal the show).

Also starring Keye Luke and Ilona Massey (as the slinky girl from Berlin). The plot successfully combines elements of the thriller, melodrama, and farce.

Good special effects by John P. Fulton, as usual. Screenplay by Curt Siodmak, who also wrote "The Invisible Man Returns", "Donovan's Brain" and many others. Directed by Edward L. Marin. Music is credited to Hans Salter. The series ended ingloriously with "The Invisible Man's Revenge", also starring Hall, but not as the same character. ____________________________________________________________________

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

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Seven years after the original, Universal gave us this entertaining sequel to "The Invisible Man". In the 1930s and 1940s, mystery movies were extremely popular, so Universal chose a script by Lester Cole and Curt Siodmak that combined the Invisible Man concept with a good old fashion murder mystery.

Vincent Price plays Geoffrey Radcliff, a man wrongfully imprisoned for murder. John Dutton plays Dr. Frank Griffin, the brother of Jack Griffin (the original Claude Rains character). Dutton visits Price in prison and uses his brother's infamous formula to make Price invisible so he can escape and search for the real killer. A wonderful race-against-time story; Price must find and deliver the killer to the police before the invisibility formula destroys his sanity.

After being shot as an escaped prisoner, Price struggles his way though the exciting climax, which takes place in a coal yard.

Great special effects by John P. Fulton. In addition to the usual hollow-shirt-and-pants effect, the invisible man is seen as an outline in a rain storm and a bubble in a cloud of smoke.

Skillfully directed by Joe May, with music by Hans Salter and Frank Skinner. One year later Universal cranked out a quick but amusing spin-off, "The Invisible Woman", played strictly for laughs.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)