Complete Universal Horror Films 1920-1960
I want this list to be thorough, so it contains any film from 1920 through 1959 that: A) qualifies as horror, sci-fi, dark thriller, or dark fantasy, or anything else that a fan of late-night horror movies might crave; and B) Was was produced, released by, or owned by Universal Studios in the past or present.
This means it contains some movies that are lost, some movies that Universal no longer owns, and some movies (mostly Paramount) that it did not produce but has since acquired.
It also contains some films whose status as horror (or the other above mentioned genres and sub-genres) is questionable, or even doubtful, all in the name of thoroughness.
I hope to continue to update this list, adding new entries and describing the status of the more obscure ones listed.
This means it contains some movies that are lost, some movies that Universal no longer owns, and some movies (mostly Paramount) that it did not produce but has since acquired.
It also contains some films whose status as horror (or the other above mentioned genres and sub-genres) is questionable, or even doubtful, all in the name of thoroughness.
I hope to continue to update this list, adding new entries and describing the status of the more obscure ones listed.
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- DirectorDouglas GerrardStarsMonroe SalisburyHenry A. BarrowsRay GallagherCount Camello lives on his fine estate in Italy, near the home occupied by Sir James Drake and his family. Gregory Baldi, a parasitical cousin of the count, is courting Mary Drake, and although the count also loves the girl, he conceals his feelings out of respect for his cousin. When war breaks out, Camello enlists while Gregory convinces Mary's brother Oliver that Oliver has killed an opponent in a duel and that the only way to escape a murder charge is to disguise himself by going to war under Gregory's name. Wounded, Count Camello returns from the front and, after Gregory is reported dead, proposes to Mary. On the eve of their wedding, Gregory returns unexpectedly and, in dire need of money, buries his cousin alive in the family vault. The count escapes and disguises himself to watch over Mary. Meanwhile, Oliver returns, having discovered Gregory's duplicity, and in the ensuing fight between them Gregory is killed, thus freeing Mary to turn to the count.After he is struck by lightning, a Count regains consciousness in his tomb.
- DirectorLambert HillyerStarsLon ChaneyVirginia ValliJack MowerA gang of blackmailers sends a cripple to San Francisco to expose a banker they have been blackmailing. However, the cripple meets and falls in love with the banker's daughter.
- DirectorWilliam ParkeStarsMilton SillsMargaret CampbellClaire AdamsReporter Will Campbell has himself arrested and imprisoned, where he gathers information to prove his theory that most victims of capital punishment are wrongfully condemned. Following his parole, Will finds work in a bank with the help of Minnie O'Reilly. When a detective is shot during an attempted robbery, Will grabs the gun and pursues the killer. However, Will is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder. His innocence is discovered too late and Will is hanged, seconds before the prison warden receives a stay of execution. Hoping to rectify the injustice, the warden allows a doctor to experiment on the body with adrenaline, and Will is brought back to life. After he is released, Will discovers that his nagging wife has divorced him and he reunites with Minnie.A scientists brings an executed man back to life.
- DirectorWallace WorsleyStarsLon ChaneyPatsy Ruth MillerNorman KerryIn 15th-century Paris, the brother of the archdeacon plots with the gypsy king to foment a peasant revolt. Meanwhile, a freakish hunchback falls in love with a gypsy dancer.Public Domain
- DirectorHerbert BlachéStarsGladys WaltonMalcolm McGregorJohn St. PolisDr. Copin hypnotizes Joy Fielding, and she develops a split personality. She changes from an innocent, beautiful young lady into a cruel vamp, to the distress of her boyfriend."A hypnotist causes a woman to suffer from a split personality."
- DirectorRupert JulianLon ChaneyErnst LaemmleStarsLon ChaneyMary PhilbinNorman KerryA mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.Public Domain
- DirectorPaul LeniStarsLaura La PlanteCreighton HaleForrest StanleyRelatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
- DirectorPál FejösStarsConrad VeidtMary PhilbinLeslie FentonA middle-aged magician is in love with his beautiful young assistant, who is in love with his young protege', who turns out to be a bum and a thief.
- DirectorPaul LeniStarsMary PhilbinConrad VeidtJulius MolnarWhen a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
- DirectorPaul LeniStarsLaura La PlanteMontagu LoveRoy D'ArcyA producer decides to reopen a theater, that had been closed five years previously when one of the actors was murdered during a performance, by staging a production of the same play with the remaining members of the original cast.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsWarner OlandNeil HamiltonJean ArthurDuring the Boxer Rebellion in China during the early 20th century, in which a Chinese secret society attacked all westerners and anyone who associated with them, Dr. Fu Manchu's wife and child are killed by foreigners. Enraged, he vows to take his revenge on the British army officers he holds responsible for the killings.Apparently acquired by Universal from Paramount, but may never have been shown for legal reasons.
- DirectorRowland V. LeeStarsWarner OlandO.P. HeggieJean ArthurThe villainous master criminal Dr. Fu Manchu sets out to destroy the people he holds responsible for the death of his family.Paramount Fu Manchu thriller starring Warner Oland. Apparently the legal status of this picture is in doubt. If Universal does own it, it may never have shown it on TV.
- DirectorRupert JulianJohn WillardStarsHelen TwelvetreesRaymond HackettNeil HamiltonDisappearances and strange goings-on in a spooky old mansion.Lost film.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsAntonio MorenoLupita TovarAndrés de SegurolaStrange happenings and disappearances take place in an old dark house.Spanish Language version of The Cat Creeps (1930)
- DirectorTod BrowningKarl FreundStarsBela LugosiHelen ChandlerDavid MannersTransylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naive real estate agent to his will, then takes up residence at a London estate where he sleeps in his coffin by day and searches for potential victims by night.
- DirectorGeorge MelfordStarsCarlos VillaríasLupita TovarBarry NortonCenturies-old vampire Dracula preys upon the innocent Eva and her friends.
- DirectorEdward SlomanStarsWilliam 'Stage' BoydLilyan TashmanIrving PichelAn elderly woman installs a horn in her crypt in case she's buried alive.Paramount film acquired by MCA/Universal in 1958.
- DirectorLloyd CorriganStarsAnna May WongWarner OlandSessue HayakawaPrincess Ling Moy, a young and beautiful Chinese aristocrat lives next door, unbeknownst to her, to Dr. Fu Manchu, a brilliant but twisted genius who is out to rule the world. She is involved with Ah Kee, a handsome young man, who also unbeknownst to her, is a secret agent out to thwart the heinous plots of Fu Manchu. As it turns out, Fu is not only her next-door neighbor, he is also, (unbeknownst to her), her father. When she finds out, will she take her father's part and fight the men out to get Fu, or will she become a brave heroine and save the world even if it is from the devious doings of her own Dad? Yes, it's dated, and there isn't nearly enough of Warner Oland in it; but it moves along well, has a lot of action, Wong and Hayakawa were fine actors, and if you're a Charley Chan fan, it's worth it to how much, if any, of Fu Oland used when creating Charley Chan.Paramount Fu Manchu thriller with Warner (Charlie Chan) Oland as Fu Manchu and Anna Mae Wong as his daughter.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsColin CliveMae ClarkeBoris KarloffDr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
- DirectorRobert FloreyStarsBela LugosiSidney FoxLeon AmesA mad scientist seeks to mingle human blood with that of an ape, and resorts to kidnapping women for his experiments.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodStarsSylvia SidneyChester MorrisRobert CooganA gang of crooks evade the police by moving their operations to a small town. There the gang's leader, John Madison, encounters a faith healer and uses him to scam the gullible public of funds for a supposed chapel. But when a real healing takes place, a change comes over the gang.Paramount remake of the 1919 melodrama that made Lon Chaney a star.
- DirectorJames WhaleStarsBoris KarloffMelvyn DouglasCharles LaughtonSeeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when they stumble upon the Femm family estate.Public Domain (?)
- DirectorErle C. KentonStarsCharles LaughtonBela LugosiRichard ArlenA mad doctor conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there.Probably the best Paramount horror film acquired by MCA/Universal in 1958.
- DirectorKarl FreundStarsBoris KarloffZita JohannDavid MannersA resurrected Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he believes to be his long-lost princess.
- DirectorA. Edward SutherlandStarsCharles RugglesLionel AtwillGail PatrickA monomaniacal zoologist is pathologically jealous of his beautiful but unfaithful wife Evelyn and will not stop short of murder to keep her.Paramount film acquired by MCA/Universal in 1958.
Sort of a follow- up to "Island of Lost Souls."