Blasphemous dislike of the classic!

Fear not, you're not the only one to think so.
Most fans agree it's a stagey, melodramatic affair. The reason I like it is because it introduces so many iconic elements that have been utilized in horror films to this day.
It was actually an adaptation of the stage play, which is why it appears so stiff. Director Tod Browning never bothered to change it visually for film, so it pales in comparison to Wales' "Frankenstein" and other early Universal monster films. Check out "Freaks", or "Return of the Vampire" for some better examples of his work.

I am not a HUGE fan of the classics (i.e. Hammer films). I don't hate them at all, it just seems that it needs to be the right time and day to enjoy them. Saturday mornings and late late night television. Unless it is a film with Vincent Price.

"You know, I don't see why everybody says Shakespeare is such a great writer. I mean, everything he writes is a CLICHE!"

...

It's cliched because its influence has been so pervasive, everything that followed it copied it in some way or another.

There's a disappearing art to watchign the old movies. Because they didn't have the effects, they expected you to go with them a little, use your imagination, actually pay attention. Many of the modern movies, as great as some of them are, don't ask for that kind of involvement. And they don't get it either...no transformations or 'splosions every few minutes, and the attention span wanders...

There, I'll stop sounding all snooty and "back-in-my-day"-ish now. I realize that the current generation is coming from a different place movie-wise, and it's mostly pointless to argue the greatness of the black and white melodramas on their merits. But I think it's a shame that the classics get unfairly maligned because of it.

By the way...what's the average age of the posters here? I'll start...I'm 32, and I loved the Universal Classics.

I'm 28, and I'm gonna love the Universal Classics this weekend

27 and the Universal Classics actually love me very sexually indeed...

I haven't seen too many, but I like what i've seen.

I think the complaint about them not showing the wolf transformation is a little lame, considering this is a 1931 movie! But yeah, it's basically the Lugosi performance that makes the film. I've heard that the spanish language version, filmed simultaneously on the same sets (working at night) is, aside from lacking Lugosi, a much better film. I haven't seen it, though.

I've seen it and it is a superior version. I don't know if it's on DVD. I bought it on VHS years ago.
The black & white film is utilized a lot better. The film contains high contrast shots as opposed to Browning's virtual monotone cinematography. The story's sexual undertones are more pronounced as well.

The movie is a bit slow, especially the scenes where there is no background music-the scenes sometimes drag.

keep in mind that when Dracula came out back in the olden days, it terrified people. Times change.

I think it can still be called a classic since it was one of the first, trendsetting vampire movies, but when you stand it up to modern horror it's bound to lack a bit.

I still say "The Alligator People" should be bumped up to classic status.

I'm personally 17 and I...actually have never watched fully front-to-back, only one old Universal classic. Creature From The Black Lagoon. At a 3D showing at The Guild theater. (which I might add was quite entertaining)

The reason I never watched the old classics is because there's so many films from so many different eras to see. And my dad has a strange tendency of watching really really shitty movies just about every week. I actually haven't seen a movie fully since OUATIM last Saturday...GOOD GOD HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG?!!? eek! Okay, gonna solve that later...*ahem* (*muttermutter* no wonder I've been feeling out of touch this week)

But, err, where was I? Oh right. Old classics. I've seen bits. Tiny bits of the beginnings. Frankenstein's was cool. The Mummy had some good stuff...actually, I did watch almost all of that, but I fell asleep at one point...was really really tired that day, though, not cuz of the flick.

I'm going to eventually see the classics. I just haven't gotten around to it yet, okay?

Edit: Oh yes! My damn point. I don't find old movies to be boring unlike some people like my fellow teenagers. I love a film if it's a good film that's told well. Speed of the film really has no bearing on me unless it's poorly paced. That's all. So yeah, I probably will not have the same symptoms as this poor fellow.

The Universal Monsters Series DVD is a real treat in this respect...it has not only the Browning version with a great documentary and cool commentary track by a film historian whose name escapes me, but also the ENTIRE Spanish Language film, subtitled, naturally, which is great to see.

There are aspects of the Spanish language version that I admit are better--cinematography, sexual undertones, etc...but as for it being a superior version, that's up to taste. It has its strengths, and there's no denying them, but it also has its weaknesses. The actor playing Dracula is not very good, imo, but maybe it's b/c he's in Lugosi's shadow. Also, the pronounced lack of Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan are also minuses in my book. Actually, the actor playing Renfield in the Spanish lang. version has a completely different take on the character, much more manic and raving lunatic than Frye's comparitively quiet, disturbing portrayal--and it's effective in its way. But as for me and my household, give me Dwight, or give me Undeath!

I mean, come on, it's not Dracula without that laugh!

I love the oldies so much I actually own two life-size cutouts of The Creature from the Black Lagoon and as is to be expected. The Wolfman.

Each one is rising (or stalking) from their prospective haunts, holding their own dvd's firmly in scaly/fury mitts, ready to force them on whoever is around in an attempt to make them see their brilliance.

36, and I love the classics, though I do find Dracula and Bride of Frankenstien a little silly. I loved Creature, Wolf Man, Frankenstien, and most of all The Invisible Man.

Haven't had much opportunity to see Hammer films, but I've no doubt that I'd like most of them.

36! GG gets 5 stars just for breathing without a machine! Okay so I'm 37 and, without Renfield, I think Dracula can be a tad on the dull side as well. At times it's like watching a videotape of your friend's kid in his first high school play. I've been trying to get my younger daughter who is 10 (cripes my younger daughter is nearly as old as many of you! Who am I, Kurt Vonnegut? 'sigh' So it goes.) interested in the Universal horror scene but it's not happening. I will note, however, that she is the proud owner of a VHS copy of Night of the Creeps.

Invisible Man is my favorite as well (followed by The Wolf Man).

I'm in my 30's as well and was raised watching the Universal classics, 1950's big bug movies and Price, Cushing and Lee. Then came the hard stuff...

My oldest son is eleven. Arranged marriage, perhaps? A VHS copy of Night of the Creeps is the type of dowry a fine upstanding father-in-law can respect and look forward to.

***edited because I have all types of typing issues today***

I am 29 and was raised on Hammer and Godzilla films. I discovered the universal monster universe when I was about 20...Dracula is slow...and not a great film in general, but then I think the scource material is lacking somewhat. Frankenstien is sheer genuis...and Creature still scares me a bit

Hmmm. In-law to Farmer Vincent. Hey you make the big time I.S. money....it's a deal. The grandchildren they'll breed for us will know no fear. Let's get together in Chicago in early November and seal the deal.

Chicago? You live in Minneapolis. I live in Arizona. You moving to chi-town?

Creature is one of the best--that scene early on in the tent with the baseball-mitt sized claw closing around the native's face..good stuff.

And just for the record, I "discovered" the Universal classics when I was about 8 on late night Creature Features, and they instilled in me the love of film that brings me back here everyday.

And Wolf Man is the best, Jerry...THE BEST.

p.s.--How can Dracula be "slow" at 70 mins? I've seen things in it that I could accuse it of, but slowness never was one for me. Maybe I'm just weird.

Forgot the age thing. 27 this Nov. Odd thing, I love all of them, but own none.

Well I'm 32 (or will be very soon) and it begins and ends with the Universal classics for me. Hell, my name is from the Black Cat.
Dracula IS great. While it may suffer for some people due to lack of music, it's a genuine classic. I had bought this on 16mm last year and watched it at my theatre after midnight last Halloween and was just knocked out again after all these years. Seen it on tv and video etc, but on the big screen it was like seeing it again anew and it's fantastic. Dwight Frye and Bela Lugosi's performances are awesome.
And it is only their performances that make it better then the Spanish version, which I do find to be much creepier (although Frye's laugh is about as creepy as creepy gets.) As Scott said, both versions are on the latest DVD (as well as the US version with the new Philip Glass soundtrack.)
That being said, I'll also join in and say The Wolfman is one of my favorite films of all time (and it's my love for Frankenstein meets the Wolfman and the House of films that makes me really hope with 10 year old boyn nostalgia that Van Helsing will rock!)

Is it a requisite of being in your 30's to love the Universal classics? I'm 32 and while I like them I don't go out of my way to watch them anymore. It's more about the nostalgia factor than anything else. I watched them over and over when I was a kid and while I did love them then, they just don't do it for me anymore. The one that still does though is Creature From the Black Lagoon. I'll watch that one every time.

Dracula, to me, was definitely the weakest of them all.

Context is everything. According to an article by Bob Bankard published on phillyburbs.com a few years ago:

"As hard as it may be to comprehend today, Universal's Dracula was shocking to 1930's sensibilities. The result was a audience reaction was very similar to the 1975 audience reaction to 'Jaws'. The lines grew longer and longer, some people were disturbed enough to leave the theater, and Dracula became an instant icon - the focus of jokes, quips, and the now ubiquitous impersonations. This was a big thing; that Dracula guy is Dead - he's a dead guy, and there he is, walking around!

I know. But hey - horror movies had to start somewhere."

<a href="http://www.phillyburbs.com/halloween2001/dracula/print.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.phillyburbs.com/halloween2001/dracula/print.shtml</a>

I don't know Floyd, I think I love them even more now than I did as a kid and it's not all nostalgia. Nostalgia plays a big part in my loving big bug movies or grade B-Z 50's 60's, etc flicks, but I genuinely love the Universals.
I'm a big fan of mood and atmosphere, not just scares, and I'm not afraid of a little melodrama (which would explain why I've bought 280 episodes of Dark Shadows on DVD so far ) and I just love them. I love the sets,. the forests, the castles, fireplaces, gypsies, devil worship, grave robbing, vivisections, etc. I'd rather watch Bela Lugosi flay Boris Karloff alive by watching silhouettes and shadows in The Black Cat then see a face skinned off in Dagon (don't get em wrong, Dagon is probably my #1 or 2 horror flick for last year, and I love gore as much as the next guy--but like I said, for me it begins and ends with the Universals.)
And for a lot of these movies (like The Black Cat) there's more perversion and psychosis between the lines than in some hardcore movies of today. As Barry Gifford once wrote, "the world isn't Black and White, it just looks better that way."

... yeah, but you gotta see the uncut 4 hour version with all the beer jokes and fake tits ... it really makes all the difference

Yea, I also dont get Shakespeare. Boring if u ask me. Im 16 though and I have a very short attention span so that might be the problem. I love the classics really. I like some more than others ofcourse. Like the Wolfman is not my FAVE but it's alright.