Top 12 Favorite Pre Code Horror Films
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- Опубликовано: 23 июл 2024
- I countdown 12 of my favorite movies made during the Pre-Code era of Hollywood. This video is fan made and non-profit.
©
The Criterion Collection
Universal Studios Home Video
Warner Bros. Home Video
For those who keep asking me why I didn’t include Freaks. I didn’t think it was much of a horror film other than the final scene. I thought it was more a soap opera set in the sideshow. Now will everyone please stop telling me I didn’t include Freaks!
so ya didn't include Freaks?
@@tzackaria7 Pay attention, will ya!
@@tzackaria7 If you wouldn't of asked,i would of..😂
Also,i agree,freaks is Exploitation flick,not Horror.
@@sspdirect02 Freaks doesn’t belong on the list.
Great list! Watched most of these in the 60s/70s on a horror program called Creature Features.
Yes ! In Memphis the MC was a Dracula looking guy called Sivad that hosted Creature Features. Remember?
@@tinypurplefishesrunlaughin8052 Yeah, and the hand with six fingers coming out of the ground? Probably a graveyard
In Pittsburgh, it was called Chiller Theater. The MC, Bill Cardille, had a bit part in the original Night of the Living Dead.
@@Dick_Z_Normas There was a Creature Feature show here in Philadelphia on the defunct WKBS-TV Channel 48 during the '70's also with Shock Theater (Dr. Shock) on Channel 17..... ;--)
@@kevinogill6726 Actually the six-fingered hand was coming out of a force-perspective red stream, possibly of blood...
From what I've read, the wife of Bram Stoker refused to allow anyone but Bela Lagosi play Dracula. She had seen him on stage in Europe and wanted him because *"...he WAS Dracula!"*
These 1930s movies had a definite "creep" factor that I think most modern films lack. These films were standard fare for the Saturday night "creature features" on our local television stations when I was a kid.
In the "60"s the movie studios released and sold the rights to the horror movies to the networks . Each broadcasting area had Friday or Saturday night showings that revolved around local celebrities that entertain between commercials and movies. Cleveland Ohio WJW channel 8 had Gulari , followed Big Chuck and Houlihan . Then it became Big Chuck and Little John. Their skits became more popular than the movies. It was Vincent Price that scared me the most. One Friday night after watching Vincent Price I slept under the bed.. One of the most famous late night horror host was Elvira mistress of the night.
After the release of horror films to the networks ,opened the doors to TV Show the Munsters, The Addams Family,and Boris Karloff hosted a weekly show.
Yes, I remember Ghoulardi (Ernie Anderson) on WJW in 1963 when I was in college in Wooster, OH, down the road from Cleveland. Lot of fun takes on grade B B&W scifi/horror flicks. @@josephdennison4890
You may be thinking of Vampira, as Elvira didn't appear until around 1980 I believe. Obviously influenced by Vampires despite what the courts said IMHO.
I think you should have made it thirteen and included Edgar G. Ulmer's 1934 masterpiece 'The Black Cat' - murder, necrophilia, incest, ailurophobia, drugs, deadly chess, torture, flaying alive, and Satanism, starring Karloff and Lugosi at the peak of their powers - all in stylish art-deco sets, with a splendid classical score.
really disturbing movie
sean putz must be too sensitive to view a movie which is that intense
....actually, 1934 is not considered pre-code; although I agree it's an outrageous and marvelous film.
It was shot & released prior to the implementation of the code in mid 1934 so technically it is pre code-they'd never allow all that blood in the car crash after 34 crash sequence@@glennmenin7857
At the time I made this video, I hadn’t seen it.
The incredibly underrated Claude Rains knocks it out of the park as the Invisible Man. I thought he was the highlight of Casablanca. (No disrespect to Bogart and Bergman).
What always impresses me is that these classic horror films were made with sometimes as few as a dozen crew members.
A far cry from today's movies with their scrolling credits list of hundreds, sometimes thousands.
Yes, with also listing 10+ Exec producers and 10+ producers. Had to have them to finance the pictures today.😅
Yeah just a single credit card. No long drawn out credits during the prologue and ten minutes afterward.
John Barrymore's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920) does the transformation with no make-up and is utterly brilliant.
Excellent post.
So many of those great silent movies are being overlooked by today's audiences. It is time for those great films to enjoy a massive revival.
Excellent list and King Kong is without a doubt one of the most influential (and enjoyable) movies in the history of cinema.
Claude Rains: “I’ve often wondered why you don’t return to America. I like to think you killed a man. It’s the romantic in me!” (different movie but I wanted to applaud your wonderful taste in classic film actors!) Thank you for developing this list - the lighting effects in The Mummy are just so stunning. So much love and genuine talent went into these masterpieces - I’ve always been a huge fan of the German expressionists during the Silent era but there were some serious sound masterpieces in the short and glorious pre-code moment!! Thank you for honoring these outstanding films.
Well, you managed to hit all my favorite horror films, well done. I saw many of these films in the early 1960s, years later I saw the uncut versions of them...huge differences...
You are absolutely right on all counts! You left out Bride of Frankenstein, which would have made it my list of 13 all-time masterpieces, but I understand why you did. Great work, Mr. Pultz. I am shocked, shocked! by how few of these movies my innocent wife has seen! I'll soon set THAT right, muahahahah!!
Bride of Frankenstein came out when the Code came into effect.
I'm a huge fan of pre code Hollywood, I have several movies at home, it refreshing to know people still watch the classics, in those early sound movies they remade many of the silent movies. Script writers had more material to work with, and that is why the classics still hold up. Thanks for, the excellent movies list. I hope to hear more of your lists,
Didn’t realize most of my favorite old movies were precode. The R’s that were rolled in the Invisible Man are a triumph 😆
Original 'Werewolf of London', with Henry Hull. One of my favorites. I was totally blown away by it when I saw it when I was a kid, in the late sixties.
That was in 1935. The code was in effect.
All great choices seen them all, recently viewed White Zombie again. The depiction of the beautiful woman held captive by a giant gorilla escaping a burning NYC was also used as anti German propaganda during World War 1. These posters are easily accessible. Did the lesbianic Dracula's Daughter evoke precede controversy?
Great compilation, a combination of art, style, elegance and horror. I find these films inspiring. The costuming, performances and set dressing are wonderful.
not to mention all the pioneering effects and makeup of these early horror had on films even today
What a wonderful collection and your commentary was perfect; clear, informative, and hit on all the important points. Thank you!
I was hoping for "Freaks", one of my top 5. Your favs are definitely classics in every way
I really like you're thoughts on these films. I've seen all but two and agree with you on the list. Thank you so much for what you do. New subscriber today. 👌🤠👍
I've seen both the Lugosi and the Spanish versions of DRACULA, shot simultaneously, the Lugosi by day, the Spanish version by night. I saw them during a special showing TCM arranged on the big screen, and they were shown one after the other. It would be great if we could splice scenes from each into one better version.
The Laurel and Hardy films shot in a number of languages sometimes improve on the film as they shot each version, even going to new and improvised scenes.
A 'merged' version might be easier than Dracula, as the actors were different.
One DVD set has them both. Rip them, and you could do the rest yourself with basic video editing software.
Overall, the Spanish version is a better film, with more interesting camera movement. The only way it suffers is that it doesn't have Bela Lugosi as Dracula.
watch the lugosi Dracula with the Philip Glass soundtrack. It improves the movie to a five star masterpiece. the soundtrack justifies camera movements. It's so good with the soundtrack. It would be incredible to see movies like scarface and Frankenstein with soundtracks.
@@docmalthus Nah it also suffers from the fact the actors for Renfield and Van Helsing are not as good as the ones in the original and the fact it is way too padded and long with scenes that were done quickly in the original being given unnecessary long dialogue that makes it too talky.
Yes, "The Code" not only tamed horror films to make them hardly horror at all, but its 'moral' strictures basically gave the non-horror movie-viewing audience (practically everyone) a somewhat unrealistic view of life in general. In reacting to a few real film excesses, it distorted everything else. Thanks for your take on the matter.
Pat, in Chicago
I definitely agree with you on that! I mean, who wants to see a "Horror Movie", with either all, or at least most, of the Horror taken out of it? It's pretentious!
The Frederick March portrayal of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in my opinion is still the best . I once had a book that showed the complete story in still shots , plus how the special FX were done . Most interesting .
This is a great list and I must agree with your enthusiasm for King Kong. I've seen it many times, own it as a DVD and continue to watch it once in a while when I'm in the mood. It was amazing and, as you say, the music is a big part of it's appeal.
EXCELLENT treatment! You made me laugh a few times with your vocal inflections but it’s all good… It was very entertaining and great insights, as well. Bravo!
This is a very good video with lots of information and good choice of clips used, thank you for making this available. I understand why all your choices were done and all are still watchable today, but not with the order. Islands of Lost Souls should be in top 10. Dracula and Mystery of the Wax Museum I would put a few notches lower. I would have liked to have seen The Black Cat (1934) at some point on the list.
If you would like to see a really good , true story about Bela lagosie check out the movie " Ed Wood " staring Johnny Depp. Really funny and fact filled movie
@@kevinmcdonnell5090 Martin Landau as Lugosi was amazing and worthy of the Oscar.
I agree completely with your mention of "The Black Cat." "I'm going to flay the skin from your body!"
I've seen all of these except The Old Dark House and Murders in the Zoo. Thanks for pointing me toward them.
Must sees !
"Have a potato". Perhaps my all time favorite movie line.
Funny how some of the most simple lines are so memorable
@@majorneptunejr simple lines, simple minds
"House of Wax" was playing on channel 8 from Cleveland on July 4 1969 ("Houlihan and Big Chuck Show" the replacement to the "Ghoulardi Show"), I stayed up to see it. But there was a storm and the power went out, so I went to bed. I got up to find out we'd just had the worst flood I would see in my lifetime. A creek that you could jump over in the summer was a raging river that was peeling asphalt off the road and floating cars away. Every road to the village I lived in was washed out. It took me yrs before I'd get another chance to see "House of Wax".
Bramwell Fletcher spoke at my high school about 1975. He claimed the story called for him to be killed by the mummy, but that he suggested the character go crazy.
Bravo ! Your description of all these incredible classic movie gems is so great ! I mean you are spot on with all your extremely interesting information about each film . Iam a bit older guy who has watched several times and most
Cont. Of your movies on your list I've viewed over 50 times ! So I think iam qualified to comment on your presentation. My final comment is , " GREAT JOB ! "
We need to give credit to Universal Studio and the "powers that be"
for being willing to film horror films at a time when churches and bishops had a strangle-hold on their scared congregations.
It wasn't until the early 40's when these early horror movies became regular fare at the local theater.
I remember a triple feature: "Dracula," "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein."
Being 8 years old, I was "blown away!"
all of my favorites. I am amazed at the atmosphere, and photography
Great list, all great movies, there is actually two that I have not seen and will be looking for. I remember as a kid watching the Saturday afternoon horror movies. One of my favorites from the 30's was The Most Dangerous Game, maybe more of a suspense than a horror film but thrilling none the less.
You made great choices. These are among my favorite horror films of any era.
@1:15 little clarification. PG-13 came about as the result of outcry over Gremlins and Temple of Doom. They did not have that rating as they had PG. Considered to have too much gore for PG so an intermediate level was made to indicate higher levels of violence. The first movie to carry the PG-13 was Red Dawn in 1984. Dear God, I saw that in a drive in....almost 40 years ago. Ugh..... WOLVERINES!!!!!
I've enjoyed all of these wonderful movies. Watched them many times. And here we are 2022 delighted to see that you enjoyed them too. Thanks for the great video
I LOVE the Lionel Atwill movies, particularly Dr. X. They're so fun and creepy. The 2-strip technicolor just adds to the creepiness. This is a very good list. I'm a classic film nerd, and this RUclipsr is especially knowledgeable. I'm Impressed! I especially enjoy pre- code movies.
Top of my list Sean; THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME!
Your video is excellent young man, great work and some amazing clips, especially the tid-bit about Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde... Thanks
Many years after the film was released, Boris Karloff was asked what he felt about being remembered for playing the monster in Frankenstein. With all that makeup and everything.
He answered simply " When you watched the movie,......did you feel sorry for the monster?"
After they said yes. " Even through all the make-up and everything?" "I'd say that was a great performance as an actor."
You want to be scared of the Monster but at the same time, your heart breaks for him because he didn’t ask to be brought into the world. As a person with Autism I could identify with the Monster view of the world and being confused by certain things.
@sspdirect02 Many people can identify as having been "othered" at some point in their life. Everyone should experience it since it tends to brings compassion and empathy.
Amazing review and thank you for posting it. I saw many of my favorites listed (I love the original King Kong!) And have just discovered three new movies to watch! (I never knew there was an earlier movie of the wax museum or a film, looking forward to seeing it.)
Love this video. These are some of my favorites, as well.
One thing, though: the past tense of cast is cast. There is no such word as casted.
Thank You. If one looks up the word "cast" you understand that Actors are indeed "cast" into a role. That aside, I Truly enjoyed this Video.
Sean Pultz - that was nothing short of sensational. You made my day. It was entertaining and brilliantly informative.
... WAY, WAY, COOL!!!... I just discovered your channel and I love it!!! The only movie on this list that I have not seen is Doctor X. I plan to watch it soon...
Thanks dudeloops!
Side Note for "Island of Lost Souls/Island of Dr. Moreau": The 80's Band "Oingo Boingo" headed by the Great "Danny Elfman" did a song called "No Spill Blood" that is a direct reference to Island of Lost Souls/Island of Dr. Moreau. It even mentions "The House of Pain".
This is a very good documentary style short.
.... I'd recommend this as a good introduction to learning about horror films 1930/33 period.
Thanks!
It’s more of a countdown rather than a documentary. But I appreciate the compliment.
Enjoyable countdown - I shall have to delve through your library the check out your other works.
I've always wondered how, considering we only get around 2 weeks of Summer in the UK how the Griffin would have staved of hypothermia. The alternative being swathed in fur coat, mittens and a balaclava.
Excellent list and commentary, SP! I spent the entire time wondering whose (so familiar!) voice yours sounded like. I ran through the whole gamut in my mind... Matthew Broderick? no,.. River Phoenix? no,... and it finally came to me -- Christian Slater! You could be a voice double for him!!
Solid list. I have a great blu ray of House of Wax '53, that came with "Mystery" '32 as a *bonus* LOL .... best bonus feature ever!
Awesome list! I have collected all of these in my collection! Thanks
I appreciate your research and narration. New subscriber. I am looking forward to see more of your channel
Your 12th, "The Island Of Lost Souls" and your 11th, "Murders at the Zoo" were written by Philip Wylie.
Wylie was a hugely important author who is now sadly barely remembered. He was a wildly prolific novelist across genres, a provocative essayist and critic, he wrote what the American Library Association chose as the most important book of the first half of the 20th century, introduced Carl Jung's ideas to the English speaking world and was for a decade the foremost interpreter of Jung in English, created the comic book Doc Savage character in his novel The Savage Gentleman and the inspiration (acknowledged) for Superman in his novel Gladiator, wrote one of the first American television series, and his stories about deep sea fishing published in the Saturday Evening Post led to a Florida fishing tournament prize being named after him (as well as to that TV series). He was also a creator of the Atomic Energy Commission, a speech writer by commission for Harry Truman and a founding member of the Lerner Marine Laboratory. For his time he had progressive ideas about sexuality though they wouldn't be modern today. He spent his last years writing for the environmental movement. I could go on. (If that sounds like a lot, he did have some trouble mid-century with amphetamines.)
In fact your 6th film, "The Invisible Man," though generally said to be based on the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, more closely resembles Wylie's "The Murderer Invisible"...
I wasn't aware that Philip Wylie wrote the scripts for "Island of Lost Souls" & "Murders at the Zoo." It's amazing that he's not better remembered today, considering how influential he once was. I think he mostly known today as the author of "When World's Collide," which is probably his most enduring work.
Thank you for this very informative comment. 👏
The other screenwriter of Island of Lost Souls was Waldemar Young, who was the grandson of Brigham Young! H.G. Wells dismissed the film but it's generally considered a classic.
@@teastrainer3604 Sharp eye! You're right.
But I always thought most of the writing was Philip's, based on themes that would follow his books for the next two decades. He often worked with a partner to handle the business side of things while he focused on the writing, like Edwin Balmer on When Worlds Collide... Nice to meet another who knows PW.
@@Knockface " It's amazing that he's not better remembered today..."
Aye.
I'm sorry this isn't getting more love. An excellent job very well done indeed! Both liked and subscribed.
Excellent piece. I hope I can find some of these films here on yt. Sure, the quality might not be very great, but I'm prepared to make that sacrifice seeing as how my options are so limited.
Great list! I could not argue with any of your choices…especially Kong!
The first time I saw King Kong was in 1955 , as a 4 year old....Watching it on TV was scary enough that I didn't see it at a theater until I was in high school , in the 60's....Now , as a 70 year old I am enjoying the restored version on DVD , which has all of the "good parts" added back in!.......Still one of MY favorites , even today!.....Great job on this , video....Thanks!
Funny I just posted about me as a 4 yearold in the 50s seeing King Kong It was a highlight of my youth
@@davidschmidt9339 I just posted a similar text,it was all anyone spoke of for weeks(the kids at school atound 6 years old),it awoke something in us that`s still there to this day.
Well done. Excellent presentation, & your heart is obviously in the right place! ❤
"The guy they cast as Dracula was no Bela Lugosi." - Yeah, but the guy they cast to play Reinfield was f'in amazing!
I enjoyed every moment. Well done.
All nicely done, I thought. Many thanks S.P. 👍
As predictable, the disappointees now come at you with their scoldings, for non-included faves!
Ain't gratitude just grand?
Subscribed!
Indeed.
A wonderful video! I learned a lot about some great films, and it was a pleasure to see clips from the beautifully restored versions. An enticement to see the entire films! I think it’s worth noting that in The Old Dark House, the unusual step was taken of casting a woman as a man. The odd, be-whiskered, bedridden Sir Roderick Femm was played by Elspeth Dudgeon. In the credits, John Dudgeon was listed. An innovative and effective touch! I remember when I first saw it, I thought he was a strange man with a voice that didn’t match his face. Creepy. I believe the restored version is available in its entirety free on RUclips. Lucky us! Thanks again for the well made video. A lot of care and work went into it.
Very solid films indeed! Watching them late at night kept me up as a youth! Love King Kong it is #1!
Three minutes in and the digression is stunning. Can't wait.
Dr. Moreau is chilling, Laughton is so good!
Wow. I had no idea. Great work!
I saw King Kong when I was about 4 years old. I was transfixed by it. The first meeting with the natives was awesome.
I love that movie. I watch it every once in a while even at age 72
In my 60s now,my first meeting with Kong was around 5 or 6 years old,i still remember it like yesterday,and like millions of others nothing was the same from that day on,a great pick,a timeless movie that i hope will have the same effect on young minds and transport them to Kong island the way it did for me and instill a love for the craftsmen and artist who inspired Ray Harryhousen to thrill us in the ensuing decades,the world is a richer place with their legacy.
Thanks, this took a lot of research and work.
Thanks. I hadn't heard of some of these. I'll look 'em up
Great reviews, thanks. Verrry interesting...
Thank you this was great!
Some people don't consider it a horror movie, but my favorite is Freaks, directed by the great Tod Browning. The only way I can describe it is truly fascinating from start to finish.
YES! A fabulous, original film! (PS, loving your "Blazing Saddles" reference name.)
Yes I agree. I consider it a horror film. All of the films on this list are great, but then the list should have been for 13 movies.
Since you use that as your username, then all I can say is ..
It's twue! It's twue!
😄
@@kelf114 A wed wose, how womantic.
I agree. The ending gave me chills
Thanks for your cool video on this interesting topic
A few of these I've never seen or heard of, but most of them were regularly shown as late night movies on TV when I was growing up in the '60s and '70s. It's not that I have a lot of nostalgia for the days when we had, at best, 4 or 5 channels to choose from, but it is a shame that younger people have grown up without ever seeing these classics, or pretty much any black and white movie.
I'll take any old black and white movie with real sets over today's computer movies with all that CGI.
One of the most beautiful series of sets is in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1935. Absolutely gorgeous. They recreated an entire forest!
Max Steiner's score overshadows king kong, the music alone is a horror classic.
Glad to see Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde getting some love here. I feel this film doesn't get the recognition it deserves. I hope it will come out on Blu-Ray some day soon.
I've seen and loved all of these movies. Great choices, ending with the GOAT; KING KONG!!!
Not a loser in the list. I am very fortunate to have seen most of them. As a child I would stay up late on Saturday nights to watch our local "Shock Theater " program which never bothered with censorship because of it airing from midnight until four in the morning.
Great video, go treat yourself and your team to something nice...you deserve it.
All through my childhood they never showed Island of Lost Souls on TV in my area. I finally caught a short clip of it on Night Gallery, and I was so impressed I was stunned. I had trouble concentrating on the rest of the show.
The Invisible Man was aired on "Svengoolie" couple months ago (Jan 2022) and I got a kick out of the dancing down the lane. During that airing I had the thought that Paul Muni would have been a good choice also.
I remember back in 1972/73 I saw "The Invisible Man" for the first time in New York with my family while on Summer vacation, on a 13" B/W TV at 10/10:30pm and I LOVED IT!!!!!! An ETERNAL favorite!!!!!
4:44
About Island Of Dr. Moreau...darndest thing...I remember reading author Robert Bloch...an article in a 1960's issue of Famous Monsters Of Filmland (a classic fanzine) described the movie as "Charles Laughton hamming it up for dear old Paramount."
I was a callow youth. So I thought the movie was no good. Silly me. As an adult I appreciate Laughton for the talent he was. I need to revisit the movie.
Btw...the version of Dr. Moreau with Marlon Brando...avoid that one like the plague.
Agreed! The Burt Lancaster version is also pretty forgettable.
I remember that quote.
@@1950Grendel
Oh fellow geek...with the Ray Harryhausen Cyclops avatar...I raise my hand in beckoning and greet you in the distance as we pass each other like ships on life's ocean. Vaya con Dios. Long Live Mythos.
Kindly bear with my penchant for extravagant metaphor. You should see my fanfiction...or perhaps you would just as soon pass up on that opportunity.
@@royjacksonjr.4447
The Burt Lancaster Dr. Moreau...I saw that on the CBS late movie...maybe even in the time before Dave Letterman's late show.
Burt always delivered a creditable performance. His Dr. Moreau was a very stern pitiless figure.
"What is the law?!" he would demand. And then his hybrid creatures would recite the catechism.
You know, you may have jump started the desire to look that movie up again.
Without specific reference to physicality, Brando let himself go something awful in his latter years. And his Dr. Moreau...slathered with lotion...wearing an umbrella hat, like Bill Murray wore on the golf course in Space Jam.
There's a video somewhere on RUclips describing in appalling detail the shyte show that was the filming of that movie. Both the docu and the film must be seen to be believed. Any brave soul will find once more than enough.
The actors in the Marlon Brando Island of D.r Moreau wished THEY could have avoided that movie like the plague. I've read behind the scenes stuff that curled my hair.
I absolutely 💯% ❤ pre code anything, anytime!! You are the man, man!! Thanks for shedding light, into dark corners.😮
WOW!! Great video!!!
Great vid. For some reason at 25:05, Hyde reminds me of an insane Jon Cryer from Two and a Half Men in silly makeup who's really impressed with his look.
The effects for "The Invisible Man" and "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" must have been mind-blowing for audiences of the time - they're still impressive and ingenious today.
Probably more of an adventure film than horror, but I'd put in a word for "The Most Dangerous Game" starring Fay Wray. I think it was shot back-to-back with King Kong, or perhaps even at the same time.
Oh, and I have to give credit to the most recent "House of Wax" for one idea that was original (spoilers follow)...the museum is literally made of wax, so as it burns, the protagonists are sinking knee-deep into the floor and finally claw their way out through the facade. The rest of the movie was awful, but that concept was pretty great.
I saw this recently
22:26 The guy that played Dracula in the Spanish version was Carlos Villarias. He was in over 90 films and has a well-documented career that proves that he is clearly not Nicolas Cage. Just ignore how much they look alike, the similarities in their acting styles and the number of vampire movies that they were both in. While you are at it; the picture of the US Civil War soldier that looks like both of them is probably something that you also don't need to be thinking about.
Great video. Thanks.
I watched this awhile back, and enjoyed it again today. It's off topic, but I would like to mention that--particularly at the ends of your sentences--your voice sounds a great deal like that of Brent Spiner.
We knew who Mr. Lugosi was. You can’t mistake that voice.
I think ever since feature films (film shorts and serials) were produced during the silent film era on the east coast (yes before Hollywood) it was literally a free-for-all, anything goes. As someone interested in silent film history and its hunks, it is fascinating to learn about the topic.
Great Job, Sean 👏
Great tour of precode fare. Bela Lugosi was in two additional films I sometimes found on Saturday afternoon TV that feel like they, too, could be pre-code: “the Human Monster”, about a sadist that was in charge of a mental hospital (‘nuff said), and “The Invisible Ray”, about a doctor that travels to a remote African jungle to find a recent meteor impact crater, and mines it for radioactive ores, which he installs in a shielded box on a tripod like a camera in reverse, which he used to cure cancer, blindness, etc, but eventually turns into a weapon. Some of those old horror movies could really churn your guts !
used to see these, on late night tv, and sat afternoon, along w/ the bowery boys in the 60s
1) Island of Souls
2) Murders in the Zoo
3) The Old Dark House
4) The Mummy
5) The Mask of Fu Manchu
6) Doctor X
7) The Invisible Man
8) Dracula
9) Frankenstein
10) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hr Hyde
11) Mystery of the Wax Museum
12) King Kong
Thanks! Was hoping someone wrote it out
Man you picked everyone of the best heart films I've ever seen in love thank you for your list May the living God Jesus Christ bless you and your endeavor to share these great cinematic movies that are not full of Filth and smut like today
It doesn't belong in the top 12, or maybe the top 20, but if you've ever seen "She" (1935) it's unforgettable.
(But it's been sinfully colorized - watch in the original B&W, if you ask me.)
It's not a pre-code movie though.
@@Professicchio Come to think of it. technically, you're right. But it's of the era, and just past pre-code, and it would certainly fail current cultures code. The viewer will have to decide whether there's a discernible important difference between '34 and '35, but you actually right. It's not pre-code.
"Sinfully colorized"? --There's nothing at all wrong with colorization, when it's well done. The last three colorized films I've seen were "Plan 9 from Outer Space", The Three Stooges--"Disorder in the Court", and, yes, Richard Cunha's "Missile to the Moon", complete with blue moon girls. I'll never go back to watching any of those again in B&W. I would probably draw the line at Citizen Kane, although, even then, you'd still have the option to see the original. That choice is always there. The availability of a second version, doesn't eliminate the first.
I really don't know if what I'm about to say connects with what you're talking about here, but when I saw you list a movie by the name of "She" in your comments, it reminded me of a movie about a Female "Dracula", that was astonishingly beautiful, but that (I believe) went only after Women, the side-theme being, if you will, about this Female Dracula actually being a "Lesbian" Vampire. It was definitely a very dark movie, and yet, I was definitely drawn in by the subject matter. Until about 8 years ago, I'd never even known that this movie even existed! As I alluded to, it was a very compelling movie to watch!
@@histubeness To each their own. I grew up with B&W movies and B&W television. It doesn't exercise me at all to watch B&W, and often I think it has it's own beautiful aesthetic. A younger audience lacking that experience might find B&W requires more effort. I will say that it can be done well or it can be done poorly.
This may have been the first time I clicked on one of your videos, but I knew the #1 before I did. There is only one King. King Kong. An enjoyable treat none the less, I'll have to find Mask of Fu Man Chu.
I have seen and enjoy all of those movies listed. I agree to a point, but wish that The Wolfman had been included somewhere in the list, if for nothing but the makeup/special effects aspect. Like most of the others listed, the makeup and special effects were an important and painstaking part of the movie. Thank you for your compilation. There are a couple that I haven't seen in a while that I will now dust off and watch again.
The Wolf Man came out when the code was in effect.
I think of King Kong as a monster film rather than a horror film, so I would leave it off the list although it's fabulous. Dracula is my favorite horror film (even though it gave me nightmares as a kid) because Bela Lugosi delivered one of the best performances in movie history. The same can be said for Frederic March's Jekyll & Hyde -- a very physical role with March jumping around like an ape when he was Hyde.
Thanks for sharing!!!
I've heard that it was said that people chose to see FRANKENSTEIN over eating, During The Depression ! I also heard it was one of the first cases of fanatic people to see the film over and over. I think the interveiw quote was something like "Yes ,at first I had never been so Terrified! but then I realized it is immersed in such an amazing amount of emotions with incredible performances that I then became full enthralled and I couldn't get enough"
There's one thing we can happy of living in our time. Less than 100 years ago The Island of lost Souls was Banned. It did freak me out quite a bit when I first saw it as a boy glued to that old Zenith. I NEVER forgot it
I remember that once a year at mass we had to stand and take the Legion of Decency pledge. I remember just mouthing the words even though my mom would not let me see any movie nailed by the Legion. This ended when she let me see Goldfinger.
Growing up in a Catholic family in the ‘60s we would get The Catholic Standard. I always wanted to see the movies that got the C for Condemned rating.