Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror

by Michael Mallory, Jason Blum (Foreword)

This revised and updated volume is the perfect gift for any fan of horror movies and pop culture's most iconic monsters.

The year 2021 is a milestone anniversary year for horror's most iconic films—Universal Studios' Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man. Those landmark movies—as well as Universal's new releases—are celebrated through this beautiful and frighteningly informative volume, newly expanded to include what the present and future holds for these venerable characters. With a foreword by Jason Blum that places horror in the context of our modern culture, the monster movie is new again—and no fan can afford to be without this book.

From the 1920s through the 1950s, Universal Studios was Hollywood's number one studio for horror pictures worldwide. This official illustrated history is the comprehensive and definitive volume of cinema's most enduring genre. Lavishly illustrated with production stills, posters, and rare behind-the-scenes shots, the book tells the complete history of these fascinating characters and the captivating films through which they achieved international recognition. Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horroris a one-book library on horror films.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Film, Vampires, Media Tie In, History, Werewolves

268 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2009

About the author

Michael Mallory is an internationally-recognized authority on the subjects of film, animation and 20th century pop-culture, and the author of sixteen nonfiction books, which include The Art of Krampus, Essential Horror Movies, and Marvel: The Characters and their Universe. With the legendary American animation artist Iwao Takamoto he co-authored the memoirs Iwao Takamoto: My Life With a Thousand Characters, and has written more than 600 magazine and newspaper articles that have been published worldwide. A former newscaster, occasional actor, and frequent public speaker, Mike lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.

Reviews

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the "real deal"...the ultimate primer to everything that is classic Universal Horror (with some science fiction thrown in). I didn't find many "Gee, I never knew that" revelations, but the wonderful pictures and free-flowing writing style made this a most enjoyable read.

For the person who isn't a genuine "Monster Kid" and who doesn't have a copy of the original Famous Monsters of Filmland within easy reach, this is probably the best introduction to the films and characters that I've found. Oh, there are those that go much more in-depth, but they often read like research volumes. This is a loving tribute to the films and the professionals who made them a reality for the imagination.

Not unlike many of the "recap" books, this one also includes plot overviews. The benefit is that they don't describe everything that happens. The drawback is that they do reveal the endings. However, in its defense, the revelations often lead to observations and speculations on the part of the writer that are truly interesting and worth pondering.

The scope of the book runs from the silent Universal Horrors (including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which I never considered to be a horror movie) through to the co-licensed and produced Hammer horror films that reinvigorated the Universal monsters. There is even a nod to the aforesaid Famous Monsters of Filmland and the Aurora Monster Model kits...which found a place of honor in my house!

The Monster Kid in me would have really loved this book had it been available in my Chiller Theatre days...although the Hammer horror films wouldn't have been released yet...and he responded with great enthusiasm while reading it today.

I highly recommend this one.

[Tobin Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous coffee table book about the heyday of Universal Monsters movies—and their often slapdash, inconsistent, yet somehow still loveable sequels.

Mallory does a great job of walking you through the initial movie and all its follow-ups, the key players, and the things and actors that changed along the way.

I'm going to have to go back and revisit my collection of Universal Monsters movies. It's been too long since I was sitting in my parents' rec room, staring wide-eyed in horror, awe, or humour at the events unfolding on our old television screen.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for any fan of the Universal Monster movies. Beautifully illustrated with film stills, promotional photos, posters, lobby cards and behind-the-scenes photos (my favourite being Boris Karloff in full Frankenstein's Monster make-up genteely sipping his four o'clock tea from a china cup and saucer).

There's a short history of the studio and an overview of the macabre silent movies that were the precursors of the later Monster horrors. Each of the classic films Monster are described in brief, with some production details and information about the actors, directors, writers and some of the crew. Then there are spotlight sections on individuals who were important to the series.

This isn't an encyclopedic, in-depth history of the studio and films: it's not for scholars. It is a fun overview or introduction; delightful and entertaining and has sent me back, with a renewed interest and appreciation, for the films I used to stay up late as a kid to watch on the TV, lights out, tucked under a blanket on the coach and worrying about whether I, though pure of heart, might turn into a wolf when the wolfbane bloomed when the autumn moon was bright!

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos and accurate information of the classic Universal Studios Monster movies. I highly recommend it to any fan of the grand masters; Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Chaney Jr., etc.

[eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

really great read for those interested in the subject matter! learning more about UCM films is always a lot of fun to me because of the wide reaching effect they’ve obviously created in horror (and the other tellings of the ips the films themselves are based off of), but I’ve only seen a couple of the more popular ones. I really loved the attention to detail with things like the spotlights on figures important in these films on and behind the screen and the added chapter in the second edition discussing how the effect reaches into the modern day a bit.

added points for mentioning the postage stamp collection because I have larger versions of the designs from that for frankenstein’s monster and the phantom and I think they’re so cool

[Augusto Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in the age of the Creature Double Feature on Boston’ WLNE-56 I fell in love with all these movies and read some books about them that I purchased at Scholastic Fairs, so to see this book as an adult I had to get it. It was a quick, easy read, explained each movie, the birth of Universal and short segments on some of the actors that were not as famous.

This is a book for the fan of classic Universal Horror movies.

[Evan Lakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this incredible book in one sitting. I’m a huge fan of the universal monster movies (The Wolf Man) being my favorite. This book goes into great detail of every movie beginning with The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of these films.

[Andrew Shaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great, but it could have been so much more -- larger, full-color poster reproductions (only a few are full-page)...more info on the screenwriters (it's mostly focused on the stars and directors)...and a full listing of every Universal Studios monster movie alongside the release date, etc. (how could they leave this out?!?). Fingers crossed for volume 3!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid book covering all the Universal monster movies from the thirties all the way to the fifties. Includes sections dedicated to each movies as well as the important actors, writers, directors, make-up artists and other film makers who were instrumental in creating such memorable movies.

[Don Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive, with tons of photos from in front and behind the camera, synopses of the major and minor Universal Horror series and their sequels, and profiles of the people involved. A real treat for Classic Horror fans.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint about this book is that, especially for many of the sequels in these franchises, the information we get focuses on summaries of each film's plot rather than details about the productions. Very comprehensive, but I wanted more about the behind-the-scenes stuff!

3.5/5

[Kelsey Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, well-researched, and imminently readable guide to all of the classic Universal Monsters. I enjoyed the plot descriptions, the fun facts sprinkled throughout, and the credit rightfully given to the many creatives behind the films.

However...

The final chapter - new to the updated edition - does feel rather tacked-on, and I would have loved a more in-depth look into Halloween Horror Nights. I completely understand why the misguided films of the DUCU weren't featured, yet I don't know why there are no mentions of The Mummy films from the 1990s or the theme park rides based on them.

[Casee Maxfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge horror fan and the Universal Classic Monsters are part of my DNA. This book was a treat, but I have two big bones to pick with the author. One, Evelyn Ankers should have her own section just as her frequent costar, Lon Chaney Jr did.

Ankers was THE scream queen of the 40s and deserved that honor.

Secondly, the author says that Acquanetta was Native American. That is not true. If that author had done some serious digging, he would have found the truth: Acquanetta was a black woman who passed herself off as Latina or Native American. Her brother was a judge in the Philly area and he was black.

Other than that, a good book

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute must-read for any fan of the Universal monsters! Mallory begins at the silent movie era and the beginnings of Hollywood and takes the reader on a journey through the golden age of Universal horror. The book is basically divided by character series (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man...) with spotlights on prominent actors, directors, etc. The beautiful-quality photos perfectly compliment the text. For those, like myself, who were raised on these movies, this was like reading a book about old friends.

[mabuse cast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good coffee table book overview of the classic 1920s-1950s universal monsters film cycle, that while people who are die hard fans of these films will probably not learn a ton of new facts from this book, it still has a couple of new things that I learned about these films from it!

It is also a very pleasant and breezy read with some behind the scenes pictures I had not seen before from these films! I would say if you want a coffee table type book on the universal monster movies this is probably the one to get!

[Rase McCray · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest in the Universal Studios Monsters, this book is absolutely fantastic—I read three books on the topic for my film club this year, and this one takes the cake.

I particularly love that it has a nice blend of summary, analysis, historical context, trivia, and making of. It felt like all that I wanted in this kind of book—and it’s gorgeously laid out, with lots of pictures!

All in all, a tremendous book.

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I think if you'll study this picture and think about it when it's over, you'll realize this is something more than just a story told; it's a fable with a meaning and a significance"

If I'm being honest I don't watch a lot of scary movies, but this book has interested me for a while now. I loved seeing the history of all of these movies and I never felt lost about what was being discussed. I have more movies to add to my watch-list now.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic primer on Universal Monsters for a noob like me. I've always been interested, but felt like I was looking from the outside in. This gave me all the ins and outs and paired perfectly with my DVD set of Universal Monster classics. Beautiful layouts and enough info on each classic film (plus all the spin offs) to get you up to speed on the genre.

[Josef Ploski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved the Universal Monsters since as far back as I can remember. I thought I knew most everything about them but this book taught me so many new and exciting things. If you are a monster fan I can not recommend this highly enough.

[Fern · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really fun to read about all these different movies! I have a whole list of movies I wanna watch now :)

Watched so far:
The Man who laughed: pretty good, my first ever silent film!
started Frankenstein

On my list:
Frankenstein
dracula
wolfman
a bunch of silent films :)

[Troy-David Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Universal Studios monsters and the people who gave them life. This historical reference includes actors and directors, and I found it entertaining and informative, even as someone who knows a lot about the films and their background.

[David Grimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating learning about the early days of Universal and these iconic characters. You take for granted the work and time was put in cause they have been around nearly 100 years. The risks taken and ingenuity to bring these monsters to life was a great read.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing historical documentation of the Universal Horror Monster legacy with how it began and how it is impacting horror moving forward. A definite read for horror fans.

[Janna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cool compendium of Universal monsters, the actors who portrayed them, and the legacy they created,

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big, beautiful coffee table book. I wish the text had been a bit richer, but this was perfectly lovely.

[Rodney Aho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well done summary of Universal's classic monster movies. Pretty dang good writing.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a fan of classic monster films, I found this book a huge delight! It was amazing how the actors not only portrayed each character, but how they felt about their characters. I also liked reading the short biographical chapters on each of the individuals involved in the films and enjoyed seeing photos from the films and even some behind the scenes photos.

[Dann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror is an extraordinary chronical of Universal’s horror films. Starting with the silent films of Lon Chaney, author Michael Mallory discusses all of Universal’s classic horror films; providing a plot synopsis, some cast and crew information, and a review. Additionally, there are spotlight sections that highlight some of Universal’s various actors and filmmakers; such as James Whale, Lon Chaney Jr., and Jack Pierce. Mallory’s writing shows a clear affection for the films as well as an extensive amount of research. Also included are poster art and production photos for each of the films. A loving tribute, Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror provides readers with a comprehensive look at a remarkable period in cinema that still gives us nightmares.

[Ruz El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it 2.5/5

The good: Lot's of great pictures and some nice profiles on the people behind the scenes and actors from the films.

The bad: 90% of the book is detailed movie recaps. Which would be fine if this was the 70's and the films were hard to find. Today though, they are almost all available on DVD and get shown on the specialty channels. So the whole thing feels old fashion.

If you're a fan, it's not terrible but you probably already own most of the films so it's largely redundant.

[Tamara Vallejos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is a lovely primer for any film fan looking to learn more about the scope of the Universal horror films, I'm knocking down one star for the poor editing. The writing itself is really good, but there are some bizarre things in here, like a sentence that is abruptly cut off with no finish, some random typos, a misspelling of "whose" as "who's," etc.