universal studios. the name conjures up so many memories to horror fans of beautiful matte paintings. er. landscapes and fog enshrouded countrysides and full moons and howling wolves and taverns and torch wielding mobs. yet and it is quite strange looking back on those films and how little the era which produced the true classics lasted. the 30 had it masterpieces and but those were mostly from the same directors and many of their films are mostly of historical interest today. the 40 produced more mindlessly fun matinée films than it did high art and and most fans agree that the classic era of the gothic horror films ended in 1945 with house of dracula and bumped around with the abbott and costello comedies and and was officially dead by the 50 and the coming of the atomic age. so it strange that perhaps one of universal finest gothics was made in the 50s. that alone makes the film an oddity and since costume dramas were on their way out everywhere. it may not be comparable to the all time classics like the james whale films and the wolfman and but damn does it condense all the fun elements of those films into one delicious treat. get ready for nothing but pure entertainment. since various social mores had changed and the film also indulges in violence that would not have been allowed in earlier eras while there no blood and but we see characters shot and stabbed directly and and there even a burning torch to the face. the film may not really be a horror film and but it sure has the atmosphere and look and feel of one. it begins in the dead of night with howling winds(and wolves) as two men seal the tombs of two apparently dead young lovers and but wait. one of them is not dead and but he can not move. he trapped and but talking silently in his own mind and unable to communicate. what is his story. now that is how you start a horror film. english businessman sir ronald burton(richard greene and giving one of his best performances)sets out under the alias of richard beckett to investigate the disappearance of two friends of his who disappeared at the castle of one eyed austrian count von bruno(did sacha baron cohen see this. ). it seems many years ago von bruno posed as a god to the natives in africa to steal ivory and he was exposed by burton men and and the natives disfigured him. now he is lusting for revenge. the film has all the clichés and a jonathan harker style ride to the castle and an inn full of wary villagers and death traps and and a hulking manservant(lon chaney jr. ). the torture chamber scenes are genuinely suspenseful and including a panel in the floor that activates a dungeon door(which makes for an ingenious getaway scene later on) and a hunting expedition involving an imported panther(. )and even an alligator pit. and then there the romeo and juliet style fake death that leads to the film prologue. the plot is cliché and the world view is black and white. but it still incredibly entertaining and with director nathan juran making every scene pile on the atmosphere and seem fresh and new. there are several plot holes and too. why does ronald attempt to leave the castle so early. and he never does solve the mystery of what happened to his friends even though it obvious and but he doesn not know that when he gives up and and he seemed so sure earlier. weird. all of the actors are great. despite being a rude upperclassman and richard greene makes burton one of the most likable protagonists i have ever seen in a horror film. rita corday is excellent as the count peasant wife who becomes burton love interest and she may have the stereotypical falling in love with just a glance problem of all film heroines of this era and but her portrayal of a long suffering woman in a loveless marriage to a sadistic monster is very convincing and she also shows a suspicion and wit few film heroines of this era do and even seeing a forced attempt by burton to quiet her(and to paw at her necklace and although it is simply to analyze it as it has an important clue) as a rape attempt and yet she never seems nasty in her paranoia and the audience sympathizes with her. even though he fails to make von bruno seem truly foreign and otherworldly(he is a villain in a horror film after all) and stephen mcnally gives a truly chilling performance as the sadistic nobleman. when he reveals his burnt eye and and laughs maniacally and it is truly scary. lon chaney jr. is also great as his mute henchman gargon. but the best performance is undeniably by boris karloff as the mysterious physician dr. meissen. he has little screen time at first and but steals every scene he is in. it is a performance that is both creepy and sad and mysterious and ultimately and heroic. as he leers evilly as he applies leeches to one of bruno henchman and spies on our hero and speaks in that famous you know i am up to no good voice only karloff could make and you wonder whether if he is a hero or villain and always skulking about. and although he does function as the main agent of our hero escape and he still shows human frailties such as greed and fearfulness for his own life and even cold bloodedly poisoning a man for burton benefit before he even gets burton to agree. his plan to help our hero and heroine escape also puts them directly in the clutches of von bruno as he arranges an amazingly sadistic(if unbelievably flawed)death for them that had to have inspired similar scenes in corman poe series. he may not have much screen time and but this is easily one of boris best performances. while the ending may seem abrupt and anti climatic for some and half the fun is getting there and and there much excitement to be had. kick back and relive the days when heroes were heroes and villains were villains. it no masterpiece and but it escapist fun at it best. 
universal studios. the name conjures up so many memories to horror fans of beautiful matte paintings. er. landscapes and fog enshrouded countrysides and full moons and howling wolves and taverns and torch wielding mobs. yet and it is quite strange looking back on those films and how little the era which produced the true classics lasted. the 30 had it masterpieces and but those were mostly from the same directors and many of their films are mostly of historical interest today. the 40 produced more mindlessly fun matinée films than it did high art and and most fans agree that the classic era of the gothic horror films ended in 1945 with house of dracula and bumped around with the abbott and costello comedies and and was officially dead by the 50 and the coming of the atomic age. so it strange that perhaps one of universal finest gothics was made in the 50s. that alone makes the film an oddity and since costume dramas were on their way out everywhere. it may not be comparable to the all time classics like the james whale films and the wolfman and but damn does it condense all the fun elements of those films into one delicious treat. get ready for nothing but pure entertainment. since various social mores had changed and the film also indulges in violence that would not have been allowed in earlier eras while there no blood and but we see characters shot and stabbed directly and and there even a burning torch to the face. the film may not really be a horror film and but it sure has the atmosphere and look and feel of one. it begins in the dead of night with howling winds(and wolves) as two men seal the tombs of two apparently dead young lovers and but wait. one of them is not dead and but he can not move. he trapped and but talking silently in his own mind and unable to communicate. what is his story. now that is how you start a horror film. english businessman sir ronald burton(richard greene and giving one of his best performances)sets out under the alias of richard beckett to investigate the disappearance of two friends of his who disappeared at the castle of one eyed austrian count von bruno(did sacha baron cohen see this. ). it seems many years ago von bruno posed as a god to the natives in africa to steal ivory and he was exposed by burton men and and the natives disfigured him. now he is lusting for revenge. the film has all the clichés and a jonathan harker style ride to the castle and an inn full of wary villagers and death traps and and a hulking manservant(lon chaney jr. ). the torture chamber scenes are genuinely suspenseful and including a panel in the floor that activates a dungeon door(which makes for an ingenious getaway scene later on) and a hunting expedition involving an imported panther(. )and even an alligator pit. and then there the romeo and juliet style fake death that leads to the film prologue. the plot is cliché and the world view is black and white. but it still incredibly entertaining and with director nathan juran making every scene pile on the atmosphere and seem fresh and new. there are several plot holes and too. why does ronald attempt to leave the castle so early. and he never does solve the mystery of what happened to his friends even though it obvious and but he doesn not know that when he gives up and and he seemed so sure earlier. weird. all of the actors are great. despite being a rude upperclassman and richard greene makes burton one of the most likable protagonists i have ever seen in a horror film. rita corday is excellent as the count peasant wife who becomes burton love interest and she may have the stereotypical falling in love with just a glance problem of all film heroines of this era and but her portrayal of a long suffering woman in a loveless marriage to a sadistic monster is very convincing and she also shows a suspicion and wit few film heroines of this era do and even seeing a forced attempt by burton to quiet her(and to paw at her necklace and although it is simply to analyze it as it has an important clue) as a rape attempt and yet she never seems nasty in her paranoia and the audience sympathizes with her. even though he fails to make von bruno seem truly foreign and otherworldly(he is a villain in a horror film after all) and stephen mcnally gives a truly chilling performance as the sadistic nobleman. when he reveals his burnt eye and and laughs maniacally and it is truly scary. lon chaney jr. is also great as his mute henchman gargon. but the best performance is undeniably by boris karloff as the mysterious physician dr. meissen. he has little screen time at first and but steals every scene he is in. it is a performance that is both creepy and sad and mysterious and ultimately and heroic. as he leers evilly as he applies leeches to one of bruno henchman and spies on our hero and speaks in that famous you know i am up to no good voice only karloff could make and you wonder whether if he is a hero or villain and always skulking about. and although he does function as the main agent of our hero escape and he still shows human frailties such as greed and fearfulness for his own life and even cold bloodedly poisoning a man for burton benefit before he even gets burton to agree. his plan to help our hero and heroine escape also puts them directly in the clutches of von bruno as he arranges an amazingly sadistic(if unbelievably flawed)death for them that had to have inspired similar scenes in corman poe series. he may not have much screen time and but this is easily one of boris best performances. while the ending may seem abrupt and anti climatic for some and half the fun is getting there and and there much excitement to be had. kick back and relive the days when heroes were heroes and villains were villains. it no masterpiece and but it escapist fun at it best. ---------------------------------Answer Question Below----------------------------------

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