They are two of Universal Studios' greatest, one a sequel that many believe surpasses the original and the other a founding piece of horror cinema.
On October 1, Fathom Events presents James Whale's The Bride of Frankenstein and Karl Freund's The Mummy.
Each stars Boris Karloff as its lead "fiend", with Edward Van Sloan (Dracula's Van Helsing and Frankenstein's Dr. Waldman) as the insightful Dr. Muller in our 1932, bandaged classic. In this case, Karloff portrays Ardath Bey, aka Imhotep, aka The Mummy, with the mysterious Zeta Johann as his reincarnated love, Anck-su-namun.
For 1935's The Bride, Karloff reprises his most famous role as the Frankenstein Monster, with Elsa Lancaster as the creature's would-be betrothed (and as Mary Shelley in a delightful prelude), with Colin Clive once more as the guilt-ridden Henry Frankenstein and Ernest Thesiger as the conniving Dr. Septimus Pretorius.
Most fans hold these entries close to their horror-filled hearts, celebrating their iconic characterizations and sweeping, macabre scopes. If you've seen them, you understand the sentiment, and if you've not, you can now experience their groundbreaking terror in a way that you could have never imagined.
Be warned: This double feature won't re-manifest any time soon, so revel in these giants of monster cinema for all their towering splendor while the opportunity calls.
Joshua Kennedy's Facebook assessment sums it up quite well:
ReplyDelete"I was appalled to hear new music and foley effects placed over Fathom Events' double feature of Universal Pictures’ THE MUMMY (1932) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). New sounds of doors slamming, footsteps, hands washing… Even more shocking is that the ORIGINAL music tracks are STILL playing underneath the NEW ones making for one diabolically convoluted and ghastly mess. #TheMummy #brideoffrankenstein #FathomEvents #universalstudios #universalmonsters"