Favorite Updates of Traditional Monster Movies
1. Van Helsing (2004)
Deep in the wilderness of Transylvania an ancient evil has preyed on villagers for centuries. As the country's family of protectors dwindles, the Vatican calls in its most dangerous operative to assist. Known as a murderer and a holy man, Van Helsing has faced down many treacherous creatures as redemption for a bloody and forgotten past. But never has he faced such a villain as the vampire Dracula, who commands others of his kind and even enslaves werewolves to do his bidding. Will he succeed where generations of Transylvanians have failed? Or will he and his comrades fall victim to greater schemes of a cold and cunning enemy?
To be honest, I watched the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi and was pretty bored. And then I tried watching the Dracula with Keanu Reeves in it and killed it with fire. So maybe I don't have a great track record with the classic vampire film. But I did love this movie. By turning back the clock and focusing on the actual badass in the Dracula pantheon, we get a good old monster hunting movie with vampires, werewolves, and walking science projects with some themes on determining who the actual monsters are. For having Hugh Jackman in it, the film didn't do particularly well in the box office, but the style, characters, effects are all way better than people give it credit for. It does justice to most of the heavy hitters of classic monster films, so if I could only name one movie for this particular list, it'd be Van Helsing.
2. The Mummy (1999)
Out in the deserts of 1920s Egypt, the wealth of ancient pharaohs is waiting to be discovered by the brave, canny, and foolhardy. The greatest of all treasure troves awaits within the hidden city of the dead, the fabled Hamunaptra. Into the search enter a ragtag band, including an ex-soldier, a librarian, and a con man, ready to match pistols and wits against ancient traps, robed marauders, and rival adventurers. But what they find out in the desert is far beyond what any of them could have imagined, a terrible evil reborn out of betrayal and blasphemy which has powers that defy explanation. It seems that indeed some harm can come from reading a book, but if they work together can they manage to put the creature back in his sarcophagus?
Almost twenty years before all this flailing around about trying to create a Dark Universe reboot of the Mummy franchise, there was this 1999 reboot of a 1932 film. And before Van Helsing this movie debuted the idea of remaking a shambling horror classic into a fast-paced adventure film. While the original Mummy has a classic villain in Boris Karloff, this reboot ups the ante by including a great all-around cast with Brendan Frasier, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah, and Oded Fehr. It's a lot of fun watching these characters bounce from danger to danger, and there is plenty of action, magic, and humor to go around. And this is not just a fluke, as this recipe stands up in the sequel The Mummy Returns.
3. Shape of Water (2017)
Life moves slowly for Elisa, an intelligent, thoughtful woman whose mutism makes her outcast from the shiny confromity of post-WWII America. She scrapes a living with a few equally marginalized friends as a janitor for a military laboratory, an unimportant cog in a machine of science and progress. But then one accident allows her a glimpse of a remarkable being that changes all that. Military scientists hope to unravel the secrets of an aquatic humanoid and weaponize its marvels. What begins with curiosity evolves into an unlikely friendship, but as the days continue time for this strange captive is running out. Can Elisa and her allies rescue the gill man, or will they be swept aside by those they serve?
There's been a lot said for this Best Picture winner, so I'm pretty sure that most everything I could say about it has been said more elegantly. It has all the hallmarks of a Guillermo del Toro film. It's darkly beautiful, treads the fine line between magic and mundane, and features a truly creepy villain. But probably what strikes me the most is the dramatic reworking of the monster genre. The traditional heroes of a monster film are the wholesome, young, white, and well-bred couple who are maybe not quite as brilliant as the villains but are praiseworthy because they abide by the rules of society. In the Creature of the Black Lagoon, the original gill man movie, this pattern holds true. Any one not fitting this description is either a foil or subservient. And the monster itself, although usually pitied by the heroes, is at the end of the day still an outcast and either disappears or is killed by a heavy-hearted protagonist. This film turns that notion on its head, giving the people most ignored or ridiculed by society the roles of heroes and allies.
4. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Brad and Janet are college sweethearts on the road to a respectable life of married bliss. But a few wrong turns and a broken-down car lead to a spooky mansion well off the beaten track, and Brad and Janet's sheltered lives turn upside down. A strange cast of characters are staying at the mansion's Annual Transylvanian Convention, but none are more strange or charismatic than the mansion's owner, Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Drawn into Dr. Frank-N-Furter's catchy songs and wacky experiments, the young couple go through a transformation that could be called brainwashing and/or enlightenment. But as mesmerizing as these Transylvanians are, all good parties must come to an end. What secrets do they hold, and will the world ever be the same?
What The Shape of Water did to flip the heroes and villains, Rocky Horror Picture Show did it first. It makes fun of those traditional protagonists and celebrates the weirdos. But while The Shape of Water gets dark and serious, this film is bright and comical. Lots of great songs, sarcasm, and some sly tweaks and breaks into the fourth wall. It has the ingredients of a typical drive-in monster movie, but breaks it down so that it's really the so-called "monsters" that run the show in style. It's easy to see why it has a cult following, to the point of commonly having audience participant midnight screenings around Halloween. Also Tim Curry's performance is truly unique and magnetic.
Deep in the wilderness of Transylvania an ancient evil has preyed on villagers for centuries. As the country's family of protectors dwindles, the Vatican calls in its most dangerous operative to assist. Known as a murderer and a holy man, Van Helsing has faced down many treacherous creatures as redemption for a bloody and forgotten past. But never has he faced such a villain as the vampire Dracula, who commands others of his kind and even enslaves werewolves to do his bidding. Will he succeed where generations of Transylvanians have failed? Or will he and his comrades fall victim to greater schemes of a cold and cunning enemy?
To be honest, I watched the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi and was pretty bored. And then I tried watching the Dracula with Keanu Reeves in it and killed it with fire. So maybe I don't have a great track record with the classic vampire film. But I did love this movie. By turning back the clock and focusing on the actual badass in the Dracula pantheon, we get a good old monster hunting movie with vampires, werewolves, and walking science projects with some themes on determining who the actual monsters are. For having Hugh Jackman in it, the film didn't do particularly well in the box office, but the style, characters, effects are all way better than people give it credit for. It does justice to most of the heavy hitters of classic monster films, so if I could only name one movie for this particular list, it'd be Van Helsing.
2. The Mummy (1999)
Out in the deserts of 1920s Egypt, the wealth of ancient pharaohs is waiting to be discovered by the brave, canny, and foolhardy. The greatest of all treasure troves awaits within the hidden city of the dead, the fabled Hamunaptra. Into the search enter a ragtag band, including an ex-soldier, a librarian, and a con man, ready to match pistols and wits against ancient traps, robed marauders, and rival adventurers. But what they find out in the desert is far beyond what any of them could have imagined, a terrible evil reborn out of betrayal and blasphemy which has powers that defy explanation. It seems that indeed some harm can come from reading a book, but if they work together can they manage to put the creature back in his sarcophagus?
Almost twenty years before all this flailing around about trying to create a Dark Universe reboot of the Mummy franchise, there was this 1999 reboot of a 1932 film. And before Van Helsing this movie debuted the idea of remaking a shambling horror classic into a fast-paced adventure film. While the original Mummy has a classic villain in Boris Karloff, this reboot ups the ante by including a great all-around cast with Brendan Frasier, Rachel Weisz, Arnold Vosloo, John Hannah, and Oded Fehr. It's a lot of fun watching these characters bounce from danger to danger, and there is plenty of action, magic, and humor to go around. And this is not just a fluke, as this recipe stands up in the sequel The Mummy Returns.
3. Shape of Water (2017)
Life moves slowly for Elisa, an intelligent, thoughtful woman whose mutism makes her outcast from the shiny confromity of post-WWII America. She scrapes a living with a few equally marginalized friends as a janitor for a military laboratory, an unimportant cog in a machine of science and progress. But then one accident allows her a glimpse of a remarkable being that changes all that. Military scientists hope to unravel the secrets of an aquatic humanoid and weaponize its marvels. What begins with curiosity evolves into an unlikely friendship, but as the days continue time for this strange captive is running out. Can Elisa and her allies rescue the gill man, or will they be swept aside by those they serve?
There's been a lot said for this Best Picture winner, so I'm pretty sure that most everything I could say about it has been said more elegantly. It has all the hallmarks of a Guillermo del Toro film. It's darkly beautiful, treads the fine line between magic and mundane, and features a truly creepy villain. But probably what strikes me the most is the dramatic reworking of the monster genre. The traditional heroes of a monster film are the wholesome, young, white, and well-bred couple who are maybe not quite as brilliant as the villains but are praiseworthy because they abide by the rules of society. In the Creature of the Black Lagoon, the original gill man movie, this pattern holds true. Any one not fitting this description is either a foil or subservient. And the monster itself, although usually pitied by the heroes, is at the end of the day still an outcast and either disappears or is killed by a heavy-hearted protagonist. This film turns that notion on its head, giving the people most ignored or ridiculed by society the roles of heroes and allies.
4. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Brad and Janet are college sweethearts on the road to a respectable life of married bliss. But a few wrong turns and a broken-down car lead to a spooky mansion well off the beaten track, and Brad and Janet's sheltered lives turn upside down. A strange cast of characters are staying at the mansion's Annual Transylvanian Convention, but none are more strange or charismatic than the mansion's owner, Dr. Frank-N-Furter. Drawn into Dr. Frank-N-Furter's catchy songs and wacky experiments, the young couple go through a transformation that could be called brainwashing and/or enlightenment. But as mesmerizing as these Transylvanians are, all good parties must come to an end. What secrets do they hold, and will the world ever be the same?
What The Shape of Water did to flip the heroes and villains, Rocky Horror Picture Show did it first. It makes fun of those traditional protagonists and celebrates the weirdos. But while The Shape of Water gets dark and serious, this film is bright and comical. Lots of great songs, sarcasm, and some sly tweaks and breaks into the fourth wall. It has the ingredients of a typical drive-in monster movie, but breaks it down so that it's really the so-called "monsters" that run the show in style. It's easy to see why it has a cult following, to the point of commonly having audience participant midnight screenings around Halloween. Also Tim Curry's performance is truly unique and magnetic.
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