But there is far more to this story than that. Hyde is about a guy who drinks a potion that turns him into a crazed, bug-eyed murderer for a few minutes. If you only know this story from the Bugs Bunny cartoons, you might think that Dr. Both of these vampire classics are spooky, suspenseful, and well worth a watch. Still, it doesn’t end well for either of these '30s era creatures of the night. Both movies were made before the Hayes Code, which means they were under no obligation to have the good guys win. Dracula was based on the stage play, so it's more removed from the novel. Nosferatu is based directly (and illegally) on Stoker’s novel it's a moody epic that falls under the heading of German Expressionism-not unlike say, The Man Who Laughs. Vampires could also shape shift into bats, wolves, rats, and other animals you’d be unlikely to invite into your bed. They looked like Bela Lugosi for crying out loud! They used hypnosis to beguile comely young women in white nighties, ladies who would have been horrified to discover that they had succumbed to a blood-sucking demon spawn. Think back, if you will, to a time when vampires were bad guys. Since both of these movies are based loosely on the same book, we’re making them a single entry. Watching Frankenstein will make you feel angry with the doctor, frustrated with the parents of that tiny girl, frightened for Elizabeth, and terribly sad for the monster-who continues to have a bad time despite being the only one who had no choice in the matter. But the body of a murderer stuffed with an abnormal brain? That's not exactly what anyone is looking for when they choose to defy the gods. We all probably have at least one person in our life that we wish could live forever (well, hopefully). It’s probably natural for a doctor to want to uncover the secrets of life and death. Of course, the doctor IS the monster, which is easy to discern if you read the book. Bringing up this movie today is likely to inspire some wag to explain that “ Frankenstein” is the doctor, not the monster. Boris Karloff stars as the Monster in Whale’s version, becoming immediately iconic in the role. This is the second film adaptation, the first being a 16-minute short from 1910. There have been so many film versions of Mary Shelly’s novel, but we speak here of the 1931 movie by James Whale. No, the giant ant puppets don’t compare to modern special effects, but the institutional blundering in the face of insect-based disaster will leave you feeling uneasy. Them! holds up as being reasonably truthful and pretty dang scary. Also keep an eye out for martial law to be declared in Los Angeles. When two small boys are taken by the ants, the cops get serious about finding a solution. Watch for local cops to tell him that they totally believe him-then turn right around and tell everyone else that he’s a raving loon. While investigating, the police come upon a local drunk who had seen giant ants eating sugar from an overturned train. Gramps Johnson, a local store owner, is killed under mysterious circumstances. Them! combined current societal woes like science run amok, distrust of the government, and disaster preparedness. But that’s not why it did so well at the box office. Them! is also the movie that got James Arness cast on Gunsmoke. James Whitmore was such a prolific and decorated star, it’s hard to believe that he ever appeared in a movie about giant ants.
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