The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, which I attended during all of last year, began its second year a couple of weeks ago with the first class of a four-week course on Universal monsters, intended to “examine the main themes and stylistic characteristics of the horror films produced by Universal Studios during the 1930s.” I blogged about my classes sparingly during all of last year, but I will keep a steadier, clearer log this time around.

Teacher Charlie Ellbé opened the class with a lecture covering the origins of Universal and horror in general, tracing the influence of German Expressionism using a clip from NOSFERATU (1922) and establishing THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1925) and THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1928) as vital predecessors—sharing sets, aesthetics and cast members with other Universal productions. THE MAN WHO LAUGHS was examined for its recycling of sets as well. All of this led to the screening of Tod Browning’s masterful DRACULA, which is a perfect entry point into the world of Universal monsters, which I have a passing—and apparently lazy (!)—acquaintance with.

The post-screening discussion touched upon a variety of fascinating points, notably DRACULA’s minimal use of sound and significant theatricality—the stasis of the mise en scène, the slightly exaggerated performances and the naturalism inherent to the animal imagery all contributing to a specific mood and atmosphere. This makes DRACULA quite unique among the Universal productions, and perfectly matches Bela Lugosi’s legendary performance. Also shown was a clip from the Mexican version, which was shot at the same time and used the same sets, looks undeniably subpar yet totally awesome in its campy, unconvincing Dracula and Spanish-speaking glory.

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