Monster Movies. Real, classic, scary Monster Movies. Not slasher films or artsy psychological thrillers but we’re talking early 1900s Dracula, Frankenstein and The Mummy. These gorgeous vintage monster movie posters designed for Universal Studios have, over time, become revered as a true art form and are highly collectible. Today we’re sharing some of our favorites with you in honor of Halloween.
Vintage Monster Movie Posters
The other night I caught the 2019 documentary about Carl Laemmle by James L. Freedman on the Turner Classic Movie channel. The 90 minute movie about the German-Jewish immigrant who founded Universal Pictures and who saved over 300 refugee families from Nazi Germany was fascinating. A brilliant and generous man, Laemmle was also the man who first brought classic Monster Movies to cinema in the early 1900s.
Many of these movies had several style posters made. Not to mention, teaser posters, re-release posters, lobby cards and foreign posters. For this post, we’re chosen to share our favorites from Laemmle’s Universal Studios from 1925 through 1935.
Names forever linked with Monster Movies such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney were a result of these films and you’ll recognize their names all over the posters.
In 1936 Laemmle was forced to sell Universal Pictures due to financial reasons. However, this freed him up for more important humanitarian causes: like rescuing Jews from Nazi Germany. By the time of his death in 1939, Carl Laemmle had saved over 300 Jewish families, creating a legacy in their many descendants that thrives to this day.
Thank you to James L. Freedman, his film and website for the inspiration and information.
Learn more about Carl Laemmle here
Thanks to IMDB, Heritage Auction House and The Movie Poster Collector’s Guide for the images
Happy Halloween!
