The Best “Bad” Monsters from Black and White Movies
Are you in the mood for an exhilarating night of truly frightening (and sometimes downright silly) movie monsters? Are you looking to brush up on your movie monster trivia? Even with the multimillion special effects and CGI tricks of today, some movie monsters from the past are still entertaining and frightening audiences today. Despite the constant stream of horror pics by Hollywood, today's movie monsters are simply not as fun as the one's that once scared our parents and grandparents stiff. If you're looking for some movie fun, here are just a few of the best of the bad movie monsters of yore. Curl up with a bag of popcorn, pop one of these into your DVD player, and enjoy the fun of the classic movie monsters.
Nosferatu (1922) – The ultimate vampire/Dracula. Actually, not quite Dracula, but in the same vein. Nosferatu was a clear predecessor of Bella Lugosi's classic Dracula. This European creation has been dubbed the Phantom of the Night. His specialty consisted of drinking the blood of his innocent victims. The story behind the actor who incarnated the role of Nosferatu is equally, or perhaps more frightening than the actual film. For a good scare, check out Nosferatu.
Dracula (1931) - Bela Lugosi's Dracula is the standard by which other Dracula's must be measure. This classic horror pic directed by Tod Browning tells the story of the ancient vampire Dracula. He has arrived in England from Transylvania, and threatens the innocent young Mina. Some modern viewers may find this classic horror movie more laughable than frightening, while others may find themselves chilled to the bone. The film is permeated by an eerie silence throughout, punctuated by bursts of laugher by the strange Renfield, or menace from the even stranger Dracula. A strange film, and a true classic.
The Fly (1958)- This classic 1950s flick starts with the well-known premise: Dr. Andre Delambre, experimenting in his home laboratory with his newly created teleportation device, he accidentally swaps heads and an arm with an buzzing housefly. The Fly in this movie is truly a black-and-white movie marvel. Chances are you will not soon forget this creature. Later, David Cronenberg remade The Fly in 1986, with Jeff Goldblum as the doomed scientist.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) – Like The Fly, The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a classic from the black and white monster movie vaults. The storyline features a classic monster movie premise: a team of explorers and scientists find the strange "Gillman" during an expedition to the Amazon. The Gillman is a half-human, half-amphibious creature that is truly unpleasant to look at. After being capture, the Gillman breaks free and kidnaps Kay, who is the fiancée of one of the scientists on expedition. Even gill men, it appears, have feelings. The creature made several appearances in sequels to this black and white movie monster favorite.
Godzilla (1954) – Who is not familiar with the classic movie monster, Godzilla? A Japanese creation whose first appearance was in Gojira, Godzilla has been exported successfully and remade several times. Godzilla's creation story goes like this: American scientists testing nuclear weapons accidentally awaken the furor of a dinosaur-like beast that cannot be stopped. He is 164 feet tall, resembles a lizard-dinosaur, and breaths in fiery radioactive swoops. At first scientists believe that volcanic eruptions or possibly earthquakes are causing the damage experienced by the citizens of Japan. That is, until they see the ferocious beast in the flesh, stopping over Tokyo.
King Kong (1933) – Warmly received by critics and audiences alike, the recent remake by director Peter Jackson was faithful to the original. But if you're in the mood for some black and white monster movie fun, there's no substitute for the original. A film crew lands on Skull Island for an exotic shoot. Along with the desert island beauty they find a strange group of natives who worship a giant gorilla named King Kong. He is captured and returned to New York, where he is put on display and exploited by the greedy filmmakers. Meanwhile, the giant age has developed a strong penchant for the beautiful blond star of the movie, Ann Darrow. Despite King Kong's robotic gestures and the rudimentary special effects, this film remains a favorite monster movie classic.
