Horror Movies | Hollywood Yesterday

Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill, The Vampire Bat (1933)

September 23, 2022 By Joi

Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill, The Vampire Bat

The Vampire Bat came out the same year as King Kong… our heroine Fay Wray went through an awful lot during the early 30s… monsters everywhere! Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray are excellent in this film which also stars the wonderful Melvyn Douglas, Maude Eburne, and George E. Stone.

This one’s perfect for getting in the mood for Halloween and VERY much worth adding to your movie collection!

You can find The Vampire Bat on dvd (Amazon link), on Blu-ray (Amazon link), or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Fay Wray and Lionel Atwill, The Vampire Bat

Elsa Lanchester as The Bride of Frankenstein….. as Iconic as Any Film Character

October 29, 2021 By Joi

Elsa Lanchester in her Iconic role as The Bride of Frankenstein

I have always considered Elsa Lanchester’s Bride of Frankenstein to be one of the most iconic characters in the history of film. Phenomenal when you consider…

She’s the only female monster from the collection of classic horror films by Universal Studios.
She’s only briefly (very briefly unfortunately) even in the movie!

And yet, the Bride and her phenomenally talented portrayer are as known as any of the monsters, present or past! The next time you watch The Bride of Frankenstein, pay close attention to her every movement and expression. With an extremely limited amount of screen time, she puts on an acting clinic. In the words of a very good song… Every little thing she does is magic.

You can find The Bride of Frankenstein on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Elsa Lanchester as The Bride of Frankenstein

Creature from the Black Lagoon: Julie Adams and Ben Chapman

October 28, 2021 By Joi

Ben Chapman and Julie Adams, Creature from the Black Lagoon

One of my guilty pleasures, when it comes to old movies… particularly old horror movies… is Creature from the Black Lagoon. SO FUN! The 1954 classic wasn’t just one of the most entertaining old horror films made, it may have had the all-time BEST movie poster (see below).

Well, at least one of them!

Ben Chapman and Julie Adams

You can find Creature from the Black Lagoon on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the greatness on Prime Video.

The Legendary Movie Poster for Creature from the Black Lagoon…

Creature from the Black Lagoon Movie Poster (Amazon Link)

Funko Pop Collectors: Creature from the Black Lagoon (From the Universal Monsters Collection)

October 27, 2021 By Joi

As you’d probably expect, I collect a lot… make that a LOT… of old Hollywood and classic tv items – photographs, books, dvds, magazines, dolls, paper dolls, lobby cards, and (one of the most fun collectibles) Funko Pops!

I love that they actually make quite a few that appeal (greatly!) to those of us who love classic film and television shows. I Love Lucy, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Betty Boop and other classic cartoons, and classic horror film favorites are just a few of the ones either in my collection or expected to join the family very, very soon!

This wonderful Creature from the Black Lagoon pop (Amazon link) is one I have my eye on. I’m trying to collect all of the pops in the Universal Monster collection.

They also have…

Wolfman

The Mummy

Bride of Frankenstein

Frankenstein

Dracula

The Invisible Man

Each link is an Amazon link. The prices vary a great deal from monster to monster but collectibles never really come cheap and most of them actually increase in value over the years.

Madge Bellamy and Bela Lugosi: White Zombie (1932)

October 14, 2021 By Joi

Madge Bellamy, White Zombie

White Zombie is a horror film you really don’t hear much about. Oddly enough, it was believed to be lost until its rediscovery in the Sixties. I really hate that this movie is hardly ever shown on television because it is very entertaining and Bela Lugosi is, as one would expect, completely mesmerizing.

The plot of White Zombie: A lovestruck young man turns to a voodoo doctor to help him lure a beautiful woman away from her fiancé. He, instead, turns her into a zombie slave!

HATE when that happens.

The 1932 classic horror movie stars Bela Lugosi and Madge Bellamy. It was directed by Victor Halperin.

According to his son, Bela Lugosi, Jr., this was one of Bela Lugosi’s favorite films. He is absolutely and completely wonderful in the role of “Murder” Legendre.

You can find White Zombie on dvd (Amazon link).

Bela Lugosi, White Zombie

Valerie Hobson from The Bride of Frankenstein

October 13, 2021 By Joi

Valerie Hobson

Lovely Valerie Hobson’s luck would be MY luck… she appears in a movie, did an outstanding job, and looked like a billion bucks… but remains in the vast shadows cast by the film’s lead characters and stars! The same can pretty much be said of every actor and actress who appeared in any of the old Hollywood Horror films. The monsters always steal the show!

However, when you’ve seen a film as many times as I’ve seen this one, you come to truly appreciate all that the supporting cast brings to the party. Without them, the party wouldn’t be such a smashing success. You can take it one step further, even. If they didn’t have the delicious team-player mentality that made them perfectly comfortable with dwelling in the shadows, the monsters would not have become the iconic stars they STILL are today.

I, for one, LOVE the ones who live in the shadows as much as those in the spotlight. It takes all of them to make the magic work.

Lovely Valerie Hobson was born in Northern Ireland in 1917. The Bride of Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and Great Expectations are three of her best-known films.

You can find The Bride of Frankenstein on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler, Dracula (1931)

October 12, 2021 By Joi

Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler, Dracula (1931)

One of my favorite old horror movies is undoubtedly Dracula (1931). Everything about this movie is just deliciously old horror school greatness. Many today wouldn’t even categorize this one as horror compared to the ones they’ve grown up on but can you imagine how scary this was when it was released?! There’s no doubt in my mind Bela’s Dracula starred in a LOT of nightmares. Of all the old Hollywood monsters, Dracula is easily the scariest in my opinion.

You simply CANNOT trust him OR his dentally magnificent smile!

This was actually the first film I ever saw Helen Chandler in (when watching this in the 70s as a child) and I have loved her since. Beautiful face and loads of talent and onscreen charm.

You can buy the iconic 1931 film Dracula on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler, Dracula

Boris Karloff and Makeup ARTIST Jack Pierce: Behind the Scenes of The Bride of Frankenstein

October 11, 2021 By Joi

Boris Karloff and Jack Pierce

When watching my BELOVED old Hollywood movies or reading about them, I often come across men and women who I desperately wish had written a book. Makeup artist extraordinaire Jack Pierce is one of them. This man worked on some of the most legendary movies of all time and with some of their most extraordinary stars.

He had some stories to tell and I want to know every one of them!

You can find The Bride of Frankenstein on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Helen Chandler and Bela Lugosi, Dracula (Girl.. RUN!)

October 10, 2021 By Joi

Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler, Dracula

I remember the first time I saw Dracula (1931)… even as a child I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how anyone didn’t know Bela Lugosi was bad news the minute they saw him! Seriously… how could they not run as far and as fast as they could in the opposite direction the minute they laid eyes on him.

I’m pretty sure I would have outrun a cheetah to get away from his creepy vibes.

Then again, it wouldn’t have made much of a movie, would it?

I read something unusual a little while back. Apparently Bette Davis was considered for the role of Mina but someone “up the line” didn’t think she had enough sex appeal. Really? When the role dictated, she oozed it! Think “In This Our Life,” “Jezebel,” and “The Star” just to name a few.

I mean, her career did okay without this role but I thought the reasoning was preposterous.

You can buy the iconic 1931 film Dracula on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Sorry but the Bette Davis fan in me feels compelled to add a particular photo to the post… It’s like she’s telling Mr. Up the Line, “Boy, please.”

Bette Davis, Jezebel

Collin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff, and Ernest Thesiger: The Bride of Frankenstein

October 9, 2021 By Joi

Collin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff, and Ernest Thesiger

Okay, admittedly, I have been obsessed with posting The Bride of Frankenstein pictures of the day this month but I simply cannot help myself. Elsa Lanchester’s Bride is my favorite movie monster of all time and I want everyone else to appreciate her and her iconic film as much as I do!

I know I’ve gone on record as saying I am (overall) somewhat disappointed in this film but I want to clear something up while I have the chance. The disappointment comes only from the fact that she wasn’t given more scenes. I SO wish her character had been introduced earlier in the film and that she and her intended had wreaked havoc together.

Having said all of that, I do love many things about this film. The makeup, acting, and directing are all perfection… right to their core. Perhaps that’s why I get a bit disappointed when I watch it – it’s the realization of how MAGNIFICENT it would have been with more of the wonderful Elsa Lanchester.

It’s an iconic film to be sure and it is absolutely one of my favorite horror films.

You can find The Bride of Frankenstein on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.