UNIVERSAL MONSTERS IN A TIME WARP

One of the better 100-year Universal Pictures tributes I've seen so far has been in the 72nd issue of the British film genre magazine, SCIFI NOW. Written by Daniel Cairns, "The Complete Guide to Universal Monsters", provides a perspective on the studios' place in film history and popular culture.

Leaning on David J. Skal for verisimilitude, Skal reminds us that one of his often-used quotes is "I frequently call DRACULA the most influential bad movie ever made." While I admire his historical knowledge, I can't disagree with Mr. Skal's critical observation more. But, hey, he's the "expert" according to the article's sidebar.

The feature includes a Best of the Best list of what Cairns considers the finest Universal monster movies: DRACULA, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, THE WOLF MAN, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. I believe the list tries to use the films as the best examples that spawned the future film cycles of these near-mythical creatures. If that's the case, frankly I would have gone with FRANKENSTEIN over BRIDE, even though we all know which was the better overall production.