Halloween is usually a bad night at the box office. Costume parties and trick-or-treat jaunts keep people away from movie theaters. And church harvest festivals are popular family events.
Some theaters show scary movies on Halloween, but those usually target young adults. Old movies are a better option for movie lovers of all ages, or for those who don’t watch modern slasher movies. They’re great to have on hand for a Halloween movie night at home.
Of course, the horror genre – like Halloween itself – is tricky for Christians. You can find some possible solutions here, but they may not work for all Christians. If you’re wondering whether to watch a monster movie or not, follow the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
This post shines a spotlight on 13 classic monster movies of the thirties. Universal Studios pioneered the genre, and most of these movies are Universal films. Their vampires, mummies, werewolves, and other monsters inspired today’s scary movies.
Now, on with the show.
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Classic Monster Movies of the Thirties
The thirties was a golden decade for monster movies. Horror films paved the way for modern Hollywood filmmaking. What’s interesting about classic monster movies is that they’re still recognizable. In fact, almost all major films of the 1930s are still major films today.
Monster movies like Frankenstein were so popular that Universal made several sequels. Thus began the “sequel phenomenon” that’s so prevalent today. Also of note: the 1930s introduced German expressionism into American culture. This, too, is evident in classic monster movies.
13 Classic Monster Movies of the Thirties
Old horror films are perfect for Halloween 🎃 or any time of year. Classic monster movies of the thirties are sure to please any fan of the genre. I’ve included “Parent Guide” links for each film, so you can make a better decision about letting your kids watch the movie with you.
Enjoy the show!
📖 READ – Silver Screen Scares: 13 Classic Horror Films of the 1930s
1. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Description: “Dr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that transforms him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Writers: Samuel Hoffenstein, Percy Heath / Based on a book by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Stars: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
2. Dracula (1931)
Description: “Transylvanian vampire Count Dracula bends a naïve 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.” (Source: IMDb)
Directors: Tod Browning, Karl Freund
Writers: Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston / Based on a book by Bram Stoker
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, David Manners
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
📖 READ – Bran Castle: The Famous Dracula Castle in Central Romania
3. Frankenstein (1931)
Description: “Dr. Frankenstein dares to tamper with life and death by creating a human monster out of lifeless body parts.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: James Whale
Writers: John L. Balderston, Peggy Webling / Based on a book by Mary Shelley
Stars: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
4. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Description: “A 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.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Writers: Waldemar Young, Philip Wylie / Based on a book by H.G. Wells
Stars: Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
5. White Zombie (1932)
Description: “A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman he loves away from her fiancé, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.” (Source: IMDb)
Directors: Victor Halperin
Writers: Garnett Weston / Based on a story by William Seabrook
Stars: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
6. The Mummy (1932)
Description: “An Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he thinks is his long-lost princess.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Karl Freund
Writers: John L. Balderston / Based on a story by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer
Stars: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Approved | Parents Guide
7. The Invisible Man (1933)
Description: “A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: James Whale
Writers: R.C. Sherriff, Preston Sturges / Based on a book by H.G. Wells
Stars: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Approved | Parents Guide
8. King Kong (1933)
Description: “A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.” (Source: IMDb)
Directors: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Writers: James Ashmore Creelman, Ruth Rose / Based on a story by Merian C. Cooper
Stars: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
🎞️ Rating: Pre-Code / Passed | Parents Guide
9. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Description: “Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: James Whale
Writers: William Hurlbut, John L. Balderston / Based on a book by Mary Shelley
Stars: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
🎞️ Rating: Not Rated | Parents Guide
10. The Raven (1935)
Description: “Dr. Vollin is a brilliant but unstable surgeon with a morbid obsession for instruments of torture. He saves the life of Jean Thatcher, a beautiful young socialite injured in an automobile accident and becomes increasingly attracted to her.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Lew Landers
Writers: David Boehm, Guy Endore / Based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe
Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
11. The Werewolf of London (1935)
Description: “After botanist Wilfred Glendon travels to Tibet in search of a rare flower, he returns to London haunted by murders that can only be the work of bloodthirsty werewolves.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Stuart Walker
Writers: John Colton, Harvey Gates / Based on a story by Robert Harris
Stars: Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson
🎞️ Rating: Passed | Parents Guide
12. Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
Description: “When Countess Marya Zaleska appears in London, mysterious events occur leading Dr. Von Helsing to believe the Countess must be a vampire.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Writers: Garrett Fort, John L. Balderston / Based on a book by Bram Stoker
Stars: Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill
🎞️ Rating: Passed | Parents Guide
13. Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Description: “Returning to the ancestral castle long after the death of the monster, the son of Dr. Frankenstein meets a mad shepherd who is hiding the comatose creature. To clear the family name, he revives the creature and tries to rehabilitate him.” (Source: IMDb)
Director: Rowland V. Lee
Writers: Willis Cooper / Based on a book by Mary Shelley
Stars: Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi
🎞️ Rating: Approved | Parents Guide
Wrapping It Up
There you have it: 13 classic monster movies of the thirties. Some of the most interesting and noteworthy films from a key time in movie history. Monster movies and other horror films laid the foundation for modern cinema.
Join me again in the coming days for a look at other frightful films from the 1930s. And if you are reading this in October, 🎃 Happy Halloween! ◻️
Related Posts
- Bran Castle: The Famous Dracula Castle in Central Romania
- How the Spookiest Day of the Year Came to Be
- Silver Screen Scares: 13 Classic Horror Films of the 1930s
Now It’s Your Turn
Thank you for reading my post. Now it’s YOUR turn to chime in. What do you think about classic monster movies of the thirties? Will you and your family watch one for Halloween? Which one?
Let’s fill the comments with friendly conversation. Scroll down to leave a reply, ask a question, or say just hello. And if you liked this post, please give it a share.
Blessings, Annette
📋 NOTE – You are reading “Silver Screen Scares: 13 Classic Monster Movies of the 1930s.” An earlier version appeared on HubPages in 2014. It has been updated for the Savoring Home community.
Photo Sources
- Drazen Zigic / Getty Images | Canva | License
- Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons | Public Domain
