At a glance
Universal Monsters Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High St. 614-247-4433, www. gatewayfilmcenter.com "Dracula": 2 and 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; "The Mummy": 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday; "The Invisible Man": 2 and 7 p.m. Wednesday through Jan. 12 $12 roles,” Biography.com quotes him as saying. “Then parents would tell their offspring, 'Eat your spinach and you'll grow up to be a nice man like Bela Lugosi.' As it is, they threaten their children with me instead of the bogeyman."
In “The Mummy,” Boris Karloff was wrapped up in the lead role as the ancient Egyptian high priest brought back to life 3,700 years later. The mummy falls for a woman he recognizes as a reincarnated princess from his era.
Karloff rose to stardom after playing the role of the monster in “Frankenstein" after Lugosi rejected the role, according to Biography.com. The role became a springboard into horror movies for Karloff, who became known for giving monstrous creatures depth and humanity.
“The Invisible Man” starred Claude Rains, an actor who wouldn’t become typecast into horror-movie roles. The versatile performer onstage, on-screen and on television made his U.S. screen debut in the film.
Rains was nominated for four supporting-actor Academy Awards — for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939), “Casablanca” (1942), “Mr. Skeffington (1944) and “Notorious (1946) — but never won an Oscar.
At least one reviewer of the era marveled at the special effects in "The Invisible Man" but had less to say about the acting.
On Nov. 18, 1933, critic Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times wrote: “It is hardly necessary to dwell upon the performances of the cast beyond saying that they all rise to the demands of their parts.”
Upcoming films in the Universal Monster series include “The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), screening Jan. 13-15; “The Raven (1935), Jan. 16-18; “The Wolf Man” (1941), Jan. 19-21; “Phantom of the Opera” (1943), Jan 22-24; “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” (1948), Jan. 25-26 and 28; and “Creature of the Black Lagoon” (1954), Jan. 29-31.