1930's

The start of the 1930s bought sound and music into the horror film industry. Music started being used to build suspense so the audience knew that something scary may be about to happen while sound simply meant the characters could talk as well as being able to scream. The horror films of this decade could be described as ‘exotic fairy tales’ with characters often being inhuman, hence the surge in monster appearance. This bought more and more people into the cinemas as they came in to see what monsters and creations the films had in store. An example of monsters being successful in this era was the birth of several old classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, King Kong and the Mummy.  The 1930s also brought the introduction to mad scientists in the horror films.

The American horror film was properly created in the 1930s, most notably the Universal Horror film productions. A number of Hollywood actors made a name for themselves in horror films of this decade, in particular Bela Lugosi , Dracula, 1931 and Boris Karloff, Frankenstein,1931. Films of this era frequently took their inspiration from the literature of Gothic horror and more often dealt with themes of science versus religion rather than supernatural themes.  Universal Monsters or Universal Horror is the name given to a series of distinctive horror, suspense and science fiction films made by Universal Studios from 1923 to 1960. The series began with the 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and continued with such movies as The Phantom of the Opera.

Dracula 1931- is a vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Dracula brief plot- After a harrowing ride through the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe, Renfield enters castle Dracula to finalize the transferral of Carfax Abbey in London to Count Dracula, who is in actuality a vampire. Renfield is drugged by the eerily hypnotic count, and turned into one of his thralls, protecting him during his sea voyage to London. After sucking the blood and turning the young Lucy Weston into a vampire, Dracula turns his attention to her friend Mina Seward, daughter of Dr. Seward who then calls in a specialist, Dr. Van Helsing, to diagnose the sudden deterioration of Mina's health. Van Helsing, realizing that Dracula is indeed a vampire, tries to prepare Mina's fiance, John Harker, and Dr. Seward for what is to come and the measures that will have to be taken to prevent Mina from becoming one of the undead.

King Kong 1933- King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 Giant monster Adventure film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. In 1933, the bold and successful filmmaker Carl Denham travels by ship with a large crew, his friend Jack Driscoll and the starlet Ann Darrow to an unknown island to shoot a movie. The local natives worship a huge gorilla called Kong and they abduct Ann to offer her in a sacrifice to Kong. Jack Driscoll, who is in love with her, Carl Denham, who aims to capture the animal for an exhibition in New York and part of the crew hike into the jungle, where dinosaurs live, trying to rescue Ann. King Kong falls in love for Ann and protects her against the dangers. But the gorilla is captured and brought to New York. In the middle of a show in Broadway, King Kong escapes, bringing panic to the Apple city.