Thread: Overrated/Underrated Part 1: The 1930's

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I hope to do more of these threads but I thought I'd start with the 30's. Which films you do you think are Overrated/Underrated from the 1930's? Discuss...

For Me it would have to be...

Overrated: Dr. X

Runner-up: The Black Room

Underrated: Murders In The Rue Morgue


I love The Mystery Of The Wax Museum so I couldn’t wait to see Dr. X which was made before Mystery but has the same director, some of the same cast and is also shot in Technicolor but it just isn’t as good as Mystery. I do enjoy the film and plan on revisiting this one sometime soon but for now it ranks up there as my most overrated Horror film of the 1930’s

The Black Room plays much more like a costume melodrama than a horror film, much like the Tower Of London, but isn’t nearly as satisfying.

It never ceases to amaze me how little love Murders In The Rue Morgue gets. It has great direction and atmosphere, one of Bela’s best performances and it’s the closest a Pre-Code Universal Horror film ever gets to living up to the to the reputation of being a Pre-Code film.

Not diggin' on the 30's Horror, eh? Oh, well.

Overrated: My choice here may be somewhat controversial, but I'm going to vote for the original Tod Browning version of Dracula(1931). Ok, so this was the film that created the horror genre... and the performances by Lugosi and Dwight Frye are excellent. However, when compared to Frankenstein (1931) and The Mummy (1932) I believe it to be an inferior film. It's flaws are accented when compared to George Melfords Spanish Language version which was filmed at the same time, using the same sets but emerged as a more aesthetically pleasing film.

Underrated: Here I would agree with Mr Scratch and go with Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). A great performance by Lugosi as Dr Mirakle, some great sets and imaginitive use of lighting. Admittedly the continuity may be a little off here and there, but overall a very enjoyable movie and unjustifiably underrated in my opinion. Certainly Lugosi at his best.

Thanks for posting Baron!

Glad to see someone else is a fan of Murders In The Rue Morgue.

While I disagree with Dracula being overrated I can definitely see why you would choose it. I love Dracula and it’s one of my favorite films but it does have it’s flaws, as do most early 30’s films.

It’s interesting you brought up Frankenstein and The Mummy, I agree that on some levels they are both better films in different ways yet are also not quite as good as Dracula in other ways.

Frankenstein is a better structured film but it has a weaker second half and lacks that sense of the bizarre and dread that Browning gives to Dracula. I think it also learned from Dracula’s mistakes so to speak.

For me sometimes I kind of like the things that are “wrong” with a film and for better or worse nothing has the same feel as Browning’s Dracula.

Most over rated:
OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) Even with James Whale directing, it just LACKS something....the later versions were better (Bob Hopes is the best). Still worth a look, but when it was not officially released, copies sold for a kings ransom, and it just wasn't worth THAT much...rent it if you can.
Most under rated:
THE WALKING DEAD (1935) Sort of what one of the CSI episodes would have been like if they had filmed it back then. Karloff is set up for murder and given the chair. In an amazing lab scene they bring him back and he starts to hunt down his killers....Boris doesn't have to lift a finger...he just has to WALK towards them and LOOK at them and they freak...the dialogue they all probably thought was very realistic is pretty laughable now, but so is the first version of "V" with the aliens and the poofy 80's hair. Lab stuff done by the guy who wired up Frankenstein. Very rarely seen and hardly ever heard of anymore.

Originally Posted by Mr. Scratch

Thanks for posting Baron!

Glad to see someone else is a fan of Murders In The Rue Morgue.

While I disagree with Dracula being overrated I can definitely see why you would choose it. I love Dracula and it’s one of my favorite films but it does have it’s flaws, as do most early 30’s films.

It’s interesting you brought up Frankenstein and The Mummy, I agree that on some levels they are both better films in different ways yet are also not quite as good as Dracula in other ways.

Frankenstein is a better structured film but it has a weaker second half and lacks that sense of the bizarre and dread that Browning gives to Dracula. I think it also learned from Dracula’s mistakes so to speak.

For me sometimes I kind of like the things that are “wrong” with a film and for better or worse nothing has the same feel as Browning’s Dracula.

I had an idea that my choice here would be the subject of some controversy and more or less Universal (no pun intended) disagreement and I did think long and hard before posting it at the risk of being branded a phillistine.

All your above points are very valid, particularly the one about Frankenstein learning from Dracula's shortcomings.

I often wonder if Frankenstein would have been quite the same film if Lugosi had played the part of the monster, as was originally planned, and Whale had not discovered Karloff? judging by his performance in the role in Frankenstein meets the wolfman(1943), I don't believe Lugosi would have imparted the same pathos to the role and that as a result Frankenstein would have turned out to be a very different movie indeed.

Please don't misunderstand..I love Browning's Dracula too.
I just can't help thinking that he (Browning) possibly could have done just a little more with it.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

I had an idea that my choice here would be the subject of some controversy and more or less Universal (no pun intended) disagreement and I did think long and hard before posting it at the risk of being branded a phillistine.

All your above points are very valid, particularly the one about Frankenstein learning from Dracula's shortcomings.

I often wonder if Frankenstein would have been quite the same film if Lugosi had played the part of the monster, as was originally planned, and Whale had not discovered Karloff? judging by his performance in the role in Frankenstein meets the wolfman(1943), I don't believe Lugosi would have imparted the same pathos to the role and that as a result Frankenstein would have turned out to be a very different movie indeed.

Please don't misunderstand..I love Browning's Dracula too.
I just can't help thinking that he (Browning) possibly could have done just a little more with it.

It’s hard to judge Lugosi’s performance as Frankenstein’s monster in Frankenstein meets the Wolfman to Karloff’s in Frankenstein, obviously he was a bit older and was working with a script that wasn’t nearly as good.

The original script of Frankenstein Lugosi saw as quite different from the one we know as Frankenstein now.

Originally Posted by uncletor

Most over rated:
OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) Even with James Whale directing, it just LACKS something....the later versions were better (Bob Hopes is the best). Still worth a look, but when it was not officially released, copies sold for a kings ransom, and it just wasn't worth THAT much...rent it if you can.
Most under rated:
THE WALKING DEAD (1935) Sort of what one of the CSI episodes would have been like if they had filmed it back then. Karloff is set up for murder and given the chair. In an amazing lab scene they bring him back and he starts to hunt down his killers....Boris doesn't have to lift a finger...he just has to WALK towards them and LOOK at them and they freak...the dialogue they all probably thought was very realistic is pretty laughable now, but so is the first version of "V" with the aliens and the poofy 80's hair. Lab stuff done by the guy who wired up Frankenstein. Very rarely seen and hardly ever heard of anymore.

With Bob Hope’s version of The Old Dark House, are of talking about The Cat And The Canary?

The Old Dark House is the type of Whale film you either like or don’t like, I’ve always enjoyed it for what it is.

The Walking Dead has quite a large following in classic horror circles. After Island Of Lost Souls, it was one of the most wanted classic horror titles to come to dvd

Originally Posted by Mr. Scratch

With Bob Hope’s version of The Old Dark House, are of talking about The Cat And The Canary?

The Old Dark House is the type of Whale film you either like or don’t like, I’ve always enjoyed it for what it is.

The Walking Dead has quite a large following in classic horror circles. After Island Of Lost Souls, it was one of the most wanted classic horror titles to come to dvd

William Castle did a remake of The Old Dark House in 1963, but I don't think Bob Hope was in it...

Again I agree with Mr Scratch in that the original is a movie that you either love or loathe. Personally, I love it.
Using Charles Laughton's dry wit and with the inimitable Ernest Thesiger camping it up like only he could in those days, James Whale manages to imbue this movie with a great sense of humour.... But not at the expense of the dark, brooding atmosphere.
For me, it's the characters that make this film...Who else but Ernest Thesiger could say "Have a potatoe" and make me grin like a cheshire cat??

I remember seeing The Walking Dead many years ago (on a Friday night Horror Double Bill if I remember correctly)...I'm not sure if it's available on DVD here in the UK.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

William Castle did a remake of The Old Dark House in 1963, but I don't think Bob Hope was in it...

Again I agree with Mr Scratch in that the original is a movie that you either love or loathe. Personally, I love it.
Using Charles Laughton's dry wit and with the inimitable Ernest Thesiger camping it up like only he could in those days, James Whale manages to imbue this movie with a great sense of humour.... But not at the expense of the dark, brooding atmosphere.
For me, it's the characters that make this film...Who else but Ernest Thesiger could say "Have a potatoe" and make me grin like a cheshire cat??

I remember seeing The Walking Dead many years ago (on a Friday night Horror Double Bill if I remember correctly)...I'm not sure if it's available on DVD here in the UK.

The Old Dark House is the type of film that could only be made in the early 30's.