Fanboys Anonymous

One of the first words I ever uttered was "mono". That was short for monster. From the very beginnings of my life, I loved monsters. They were cool. They still are. My parents were twisted, I guess, because we always used to watch horror films. Sure, they were more low key like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, but that is pretty scary for a little kid. It didn't matter. I loved it all.


The Universal Monsters have become cultural icons. I watched them as a kid and this was the start of my life-long love affair with all things Gothic and macabre. Discovering Edgar Allan Poe solidified this devotion. The moonlight skyline, the creepy, dusty hallways, and the decrepit graveyards of Universal's wave of horror films during the 30's and 40's are some of the most atmospheric movies ever made. I consider Bride of Frankenstein (1935) the best of them all.

The 50's saw Universal slide away from these horror classics. While we got one more classic monster in the Gill-Man, I consider The Creature from the Black Lagoon more of a science fiction film. Resurrected in the late 90's by a trio of action films, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Universal was back for a time. The films made money, but were greeted with mixed reviews from critics and fans. I liked the first two. The less said about Dragon Emperor, the better.

A few years ago, we got the lack-luster The Wolfman  starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins. Later this year, we'll  sees the release of Dracula Untold, which has a lame title, but fun trailer. See the trailer for yourself here. Universal announced that writer Robert Orci will oversee some new films, including a reboot of The Mummy and Van Helsing, the latter starring Tom Cruise. I'm all for it. However, if the trailer for Dracula Untold is any indication, these films should have plenty of explosions and action with only a few nods to the Gothic sensibilities of the films of old.

There was talk of Guillermo del Toro doing a reboot of Frankenstein, including some elements of Bride. How awesome would that be? I guarantee they won't do it his way, though. Black and white films are boring, right? Kids want 'splosions and boobs and whatever. Damn it. We'll never see my old "monos" again. No more mummies coming out of crypts, vampires walking down grand stair cases, or cobwebbed mausoleums. Oh no! We gotta have fire and explosions and giant action set pieces.

This is coming, people. Orci co-wrote the first two Transformers films and has said Universal will create a shared universe with their monsters, a la The Avengers film series. Universal did it before, of course, with Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, House of Frankenstein, and House of Dracula, but what comes from Orci and company will be so far removed from these films, they'll be unrecognizable. I don't want that. I want creepy, atmospheric horror films.

So, am I being an old coot? Am I a codger just bitching and moaning or should Universal do it like they did back in the day and give us some more Gothic films, rather than action blockbusters? Sound off below!