23 Svengali ( 1931 )

This  one  isn't  quite  in  the  same  league  but  it's  worth  watching  if  you  can  take  John  Barrymore's  over-ripe  performance  in  the  title  role  with  his  multiple  accents  and  gravity-defying  beard. Based  on  a  Gothic  horror  novel  it  concerns  a  self-regarding  but  unrecognised   Polish  pianist  looking  for  a  singer  to  propel  him  to  fame  and  riches. He  finds  what  he  is looking  for  in  Trilby  O  Farrell  ( Marian  Marsh )  an  artists'  model   and  uses  his  real  talent - hypnosis - to  bend  her  to  his  will. There's  a  central  flaw  in  the  narrative  that  a  girl  like Trilby  would  probably  be  amenable  to  stardom  and  wealth  without  being  hypnotised  but  it's still  a  decent  horror  film. It  was  so  successful  that  Warner  Brothers  quickly  signed  the  pair  up  for  a  similar  film,  The  Mad  Genius , before  the  year  was  out .

Marian  Marsh   ( as  Trilby )

Sex  :  Hmm,  there's  a  lot  of  innuendo  around  Trilby. Svengali  insinuates  that  Trilby  has  slept  with  many  of  her  employers  and  persuades  her  that  she  is  unworthy  of  her  boyfriend  Billee ( Bramwell  Fletcher ). Later  in  the  film  though  Svengali's  words  are   open  to  the  interpretation  that  they  haven't   had  a  sexual  relationship  because  his  spell  cannot  make  her  love  him.

In  one  scene  we  see  Trilby  at  work  apparently  posing  in  the  nude  for  a  room  full  of  artists. Even  without  the  benefit  of  the  pause  button  , the  obvious  difference  in  skin  tone  suggests she's  posing  behind  a  prop  torso   and  when  she  runs  away  on  seeing  Billy  she's  clearly wearing  a  white  dress . However  we  do  see  her  bare-shouldered.

Death :  Svengali's  spell  has  the  power to  force  her  to  die  with  him  ( he's  suffering  from  a  heart condition )  at  the  film's  conclusion.

Marian's  real  name  was  Violet  Krauth  , the  daughter  of  a  German  chocolate-maker  based  in Trinidad. She  was  a  successful  actress  who  knew  her  own  mind  and  retired  from  acting  in 1959. She  set  up  a  conservation  charity  in  the  1960s  and  died  in  2006  aged  93.

Carmel  Myers ( as  Madame  Honori )

Sex :   It's   hinted  that  Madame  Honori  has  been  Svengali's  mistress  but  without  money  or talent  he's  no  longer  interested  in  her.

Death : Drowns  in  the  Seine  ( offscreen  ). It's  left  ambiguous  whether  this  is  an  act  of  free will  after  Svengali's  rejection   or  under  the  compulsion  of  Svengali's  spell.

Carmel  had  been  a  big  name  in  the  twenties  as  a  silent  screen  vamp  but  was at  the  tail  end  of  her  film  career  here. She  later  dabbled  in  real  estate  and  a  perfume  company  before  a  brief  TV  comeback  in  the  early  seventies. She  died  in  1980  aged  81.

22 Frankenstein ( 1931 )

This  was  the  other  seminal  horror  film  to  come  out  in  1931, universally  recognised   as  a  classic. Like  Dracula  , Frankenstein  was  based  on   a  successful  play  rather  than  the  source  novel. Frankenstein  though, as  directed  by  James  Whale, is  much  more  watchable  today  than  Dracula  with  better  sets, better  acting  and  a  more  coherent  narrative. It's  also  more  morally  ambiguous - does  the  demented  Frankenstein  really  deserve   a  happy  ending  after  the  havoc  he's  caused  while  his  creation  burns  to  death ? As  with  Lugosi's  Dracula , the  film  made  a  star  out  of  Boris  Karloff  as  the  Monster.

Mae  Clarke  ( as  Elisabeth )

Sex : No. Her  wedding  dress  shows  a  bit  of  cleavage

Death : Survives

This  was  Mae's  golden  year  too  as  this  and  The  Public  Enemy  with  James  Cagney  proved  to  be  her  most  popular  films. Her  career  however  lasted  until  1970. She  died  of  cancer  in  1992  aged  81.

Marilyn  Harris  ( as  Maria )

Sex : No

Death :  In  a  scene  which  still  packs  a  hefty  emotional  punch, Maria  drowns  when  the Monster  misinterprets   the  game  they've  been  playing  and  throws  her  into  a  lake. Her  death leads  directly  to  the  Monster's  destruction.

Seven -year  old  Marilyn  was  unable  to  capitalise  on  the  film's  success  and  she  was  more  or  less  an  extra  in  her  subsequent  films. She  left  the  business  in  1944  when  she  got  married  and  died  of  cancer  in  1999  aged  75.

21 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde ( 1931 )

We're  back  to  this  story  again  but  this  is  the  best  version  yet. Frederic  March  won  the  Best  Actor  Oscar  for  his  performance  in  the  title  roles. This  version  was  noted  for  its  strong  sexual  content.

Miriam  Hopkins  ( as  Ivy  Pearson )

Sex : Ivy  is  a  bar  singer  who  tries  to  seduce  Jekyll  when  he  rescues  her  from  a  street  mugging. He  resists  her  advances  although   perhaps only  because  his  friend  interrupts  them. Hyde  tracks  her  down  and  makes  her  his  sex  slave  with  bruises  to  match.

Ivy  appears  to  be  topless  in  a  clinch  with  Jekyll  but  on  closer  inspection  she's  wearing  some sort  of  body  stocking. She  displays  a  lot  of  cleavage  in  some  of  her  scenes  with  Hyde.

Death : Strangled  to  death  by  Hyde  after  reporting  his  abuse  to  Jekyll.

Miriam  had  a  long  and  successful  career  in  film  and  was  noted  for  a  long-running  feud  with Bette  Davis. She  died  in  1972  aged  69.

Rose  Hobart  ( as  Muriel  Carew )

Sex : Some  passionate  embraces  with  Jekyll  but  it  doesn't  go  any  further. She  shows  a  bit  of cleavage.

Death : Survives

Rose  was  never  a  big  star  but  was  very  busy, often  playing, as  here, the  secondary  female  role. Her  film  career  ended  in  1949  because  her  work  in  securing  better  working  conditions  for  actors  saw  her  blacklisted  in  the  McCarthy  era  though  she  later  made  a  comeback  in  television. She  died  in  2000  aged  94.

20 Dracula ( 1931 )

And  so  we  move  into  the  talkie  era . 1931  was  a  seminal  year  for  the  horror  genre  with  two films  that  defined  it  for  decades  afterwards  and  I  suspect  that  for  people  who  aren't  fans  of  the  genre  they  still  do.

The  first  of  these  alphabetically  was  Todd  Browning's  Dracula.  Bram  Stoker's  Gothic  novel   had  been  turned  into  a  successful  stage  play  in  1924  and  the  film  is  based  more  on  that than  the  original  book.  The  Hungarian  actor  Bela  Lugosi  had  been  playing  Dracula  on  stage  and  lobbied  hard  for  the  part  although  he  had  to  accept  a  niggardly  salary  to  secure  it.

The  film  was  an  enormous  success  and  for  many  Lugosi's  portrayal  remains  definitive. Viewed  today  it  all  seems  a  bit  creaky  , the  unrealistic  bats  , Lugosi's  hammy  delivery  with  its  awkward  pauses   ( he's  much  better  when  he's  not  speaking  )  and  numerous  plotholes  most  notably  the  wide  disparity  in  the  times  Dracula's  victims  take  to  die.  However  we  must  remember  that  we're  at  the  dawn  of  the  cinema  as  we  know  it  today  and  make  allowances.

I've  said  in  each  case  below  that  the  characters  don't  have  sex  but  of  course  the  whole  concept  of  the  vampire  bite  has  a  deep  sexual  subtext.

Helen  Chandler  (  as  Mina  Seward )  

Sex : No

Death :  Presumed  to  survive. It  appears  that  Van  Helsing's  destruction  of  Dracula  has  saved  Mina  from  succumbing  to  the  infection  of  his  bite  but  as  the  film  ends  rather  abruptly at  this  point  we  don't  really  know  that  for  sure.

Helen ,  whose  acting  in  this  is  pretty  awful  perhaps  because  she  didn't  want  to  do  the  film , was  from  Carolina  and  was  a  respected  stage  actress. Her  career  faltered  towards  the  end  of the  thirties  due  to  alcohol  abuse  and  was  ended  by  being  badly  burned  in  a  fire  caused  by falling  asleep  with  a  cigarette  in  1950. She  died  during  an  operation  for  a  stomach  ulcer  in 1965  aged  69.

Frances  Dade  ( as  Lucy )

Sex : No  but  she's  clearly  interested  in  Dracula  even  before   he's  taken  a  nibble  at  her

Death :  Killed  by  Dracula's  bite  and  becomes  a  vampire  herself  though  we  only  get  the briefest  glimpse  of  her  in  action. When  Van  Helsing  tells  Jonathan  Harker   and  Mina  to  go on  ahead  at  the  end  of  the  film  his  unfinished  business  may  be  finding  and  destroying  Lucy as  well.

Frances  was  from  Philadelphia  and  her  acting  career  was  brief. She  married  a  wealthy socialite  in  1932  but  later  moved  back  to  Philadelphia  and  became  a  nurse.

 Anita  Harder (  as  Flower  Girl )

Sex : No

Death : Casually  killed  in  the  street  by  Dracula  when  he  first  arrives  in  London

This  was  Anita's  only  film  appearance. She  died  in  her  home  state  of  California  in  1987  aged  81.

19 The Unknown ( 1927 )

This  film  was  made  the  same  year  as  the  last  two  but  we  seem  to  have  jumped  light  years  in  terms  of  picture  quality  and  unambiguous  sexual  content  not  to  mention  a  leading  lady  who  is  far  better  known  for  her  performances  in  the  sound  era.

The  film  was  made  by  Tod  Browning  who  was  well  known  for  pushing  the  envelope  in  his  films. It  stars  Lon  Chaney  as  a  thief   with  the  perfect  cover ; he  is  also   Alonzo  the  Armless  in  a  travelling  circus. His  act  consists  of  shooting  and  throwing  knives  at  the  ringmaster's  daughter  Nanon   ( Joan  Crawford )  with  his  feet  while  his  arms  are  hidden  in  a  body  brace . She  is  sexy  but  frigid   giving  the  come-on  and  then  shrinking  from  strong  man  Malabar ( Norman  Kerry )  and  hanging  round  Alonzo  because  she  believes  he  has  no  arms  with  which  to  paw  her. Alonzo  becomes  obsessed  and  goes  to  increasingly  desperate  lengths  to  possess  her.

Despite  the  lack  of  sound  this  is  totally  gripping  from  start  to  finish  ( an  economical  53 minutes )  with  an  amazing  performance  from  Chaney  even  though  the  stunts  with  his  feet were  achieved  by  camera  trickery  rather  than  his  yoga  abilities.  Crawford  and  Kerry  too  are   excellent  as  the  other  sides  of  the  love  triangle.

Joan  Crawford  ( as  Nanon )

Sex :  While  Alonzo  is  away  Nanon  overcomes  her  frigidity  and  becomes  engaged  to Malabar. When  Alonzo  returns  she  leaves  Alonzo  in  little  doubt  that  they  are  already  having  sex.

Alonzo's  act  involves  stripping  Nanon   to  a  bra  and  tight  pants  which  becomes  Joan's costume  for  the  first  five  minutes. She's  dressed  provocatively  throughout  the  film  and  is  in another  bra  and  thin  skirt  for  the  climax.

Death :   Survives

Joan  of  course  went  on  to  be  a  major  film  actress  although  she  didn't  return  to  horror  until much  later  in  her  career  when  she  could  no  longer  be  considered  a  girl. She  was  rarely  this scantily-clad  again.

18 The Cat and the Canary ( 1927 )

This  is  the  most  famous  of  all  the  dark  creepy  house  murder  mysteries  and  has  been  filmed six  times.  An  eccentric  old  man  dies  leaving  a  will  not  to  be  opened  for  20  years. When the relatives  gather  his  fortune  is  left  to  a  girl  Annabelle  ( Laura  La  Plante )  on  contrived conditions  that  she  stays the  night  in  the  house  full  of  jealous  relatives  and  is  still  sane  by the  morning,  otherwise  the  fortune  goes  to    Aaaargh  !  - at  that  point  the  solicitor  is  pulled away by  a  creepy  hand  that  pops  out  of  the  revolving  bookcase.

Although  made  by  Universal  Pictures  it  was  directed  by  Paul  Leni  , poached  from  German Expressionist  cinema  where  he  made  Waxworks . It's  clear  from  his  use  of  shadow  and  illusion  to  indicate  disturbed  minds  that  he  was  bringing  something  new  to  the  Hollywood  party  here.

It's  not  that  easy  to  follow  the  plot  but  it  holds  your  interest.

Laura  La  Plante  ( as  Annabelle  West )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Laura   was  Universal's  biggest  star  at  the  time  and   moved  over  into  the  early  talkies  but  the newer  stars  soon  eclipsed  her. She  made  her  last   film  in  1957. She  died  in  1996  aged  91.


Gertrude  Astor  ( as  Cicely )

Sex :  In  the  film's  most  comic  scene  the  shy  hero  Paul  is  trapped  under  the  bedroom  shared by  Cicely  and  her  aunt  while  they  are  undressing. He  and  we  get  a  glimpse  of  Gertrude's legs  and  bare  feet.

Death : Survives

Gertrude  was  very  tall  and  usually  used  in  comic  parts. Her  skills  as  a  character  actress  allowed  her  to  maintain  a  career  down  to  the  early  sixties. Her  last  appearance  was  in  The  Man  Who  Shot  Liberty  Valance. She  died  in  1977  aged  90.



  

17 The Magician (1926 )

This  is  a  good  film, quite  sexually-charged  for  its  day  although  Somerset  Maugham  on  whose  novel  it's  based  didn't  care  for  it. It  concerns  an  evil  magician  and  hypnotist  Oliver  Haddo  ( based  on  Aleister  Crowley )  who  needs  to  kill  a  virgin  to  complete  a  black  magic  rite.  His  eye  falls  on  a  sculptress  Margaret  Dauncey  who  has  recently  been  restored  to  health  by  her  now-fiance  Dr  Burdon. Margaret  falls  under  Haddo's  sway  after  he   takes   her  in   a  trance  to  a  bacchanalian  orgy.

Alice  Terry  ( as  Margaret  Dauncey )    

Sex :  Margaret  witnesses  a  copulating  couple  ( extras ) at  the  orgy  and  is  clearly  up  for  being next  with  the  same  near-naked  guy  although  Haddo  brings  her  out  of  the  trance  before anything  happens. Some  of  her  costumes  show  some  cleavage.

Death : Survives

Alice  was  director  Rex  Ingram's  wife  and  she  too  expressed  dissatisfaction  with  the  film. She retired  with  him  when  talkies  came  along  and  took  up  painting. After  suffering  from Alzheimer's,  she  died  in  1987  aged  88.

Gladys  Hamer  ( as  Susie  Boyd )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Gladys   was  a  British  girl  from  Birmingham and  a  fair  bit  older  than  Alice  whose  friend  she  plays. Her  film  career  lasted  until  1935  and  she  died  in  1967  aged  82.

Rosita  Garcia   ( as  Arab  Girl )

Sex : No

Death :  Bitten  by  a  horned  viper  carelessly  discarded  by  Haddo  after  demonstrating  his immunity  to  its  bite  ( there is  only  one  puncture  mark  on  his  hand  though ).  She  is  rushed  to hospital  but  Haddo  later  refers  to  the  incident  as  a  "tragedy"  implying  that  she  perished.

Rosita  was  actually  Uruguayan. She   only  made  six  films  and  is  uncredited  in  half  of  them. She  died  in  1997  aged  90.
 

16 The Bat (1926 )

This  film  was based  on  a  Broadway  play  and  is  more  of  a  murder  mystery  than  a  horror  movie  to  be  honest  but  it's  got  the  right  setting  and  atmosphere. A  mysterious  criminal  known  as  "The  Bat"  terrorises   a  spinster  and  her  guests  as  he  searches  for  some  hidden  loot  in  her  mansion.  It's  pretty  average   stuff.

The  film  is  also  noted  as  a   clear  and  obvious  influence  on  Batman

Jewel  Carmen  ( as  Dale  Ogden )

Sex : No  but  her  white  dress  is  pretty  see-through  at  times

Death : Survives

Jewel  was  born  Florence  Quick  in  Kentucky. She  was  actually  the  wife  of   the  film's  director Roland  West  and  peripherally  involved  in  the  scandal  that  broke  in  1935  around  the  death of his  mistress  Thelma  Todd   in  1935  . They  were  quickly  divorced  and  Carmen  dropped  out  of the  public  eye  though  in  truth  she  hadn't  made  another  film  after  this  one. She  died  in  1984  aged  86.

Louise  Fazenda ( as  Lizzie  Allen )

Sex : No, she's  comic  relief

Death : Survives

Louise  was  born  in  Indiana  of  Portugese  descent. She  was  more  of  a  character  actress  than  a  dolly  bird  and  as  such  her  career  lasted  until  the  end  of  the  thirties. In  later  life  she  was  known  as  an  art  collector  and  philanthropist. She  died  of  a  stroke  in  1962  aged  66.

15 Wolfblood ( 1925 )

This   is   an   interesting little  film, the earliest surviving werewolf film and notable for its contemporary setting and blue collar characters. Dick Bannister  ( George  Chesboro )  is  the  site foreman  for  a logging  firm  owned  by  young  socialite  Edith  Ford  ( Marguerite  Clayton ) . After being  seriously  injured  by  members  of  a  rival  operation  Dick  is  given  a  tranfusion  using wolf's  blood  by  Edith's  fiance  Dr  Horton  ( Ray  Hanford, a  man  with  a  nice  line  in constipated  expressions  ) and  all  fear  he  may  have  turned  into  a  werewolf. The  contrived happy  ending  is  a  disappointment  but  otherwise  this  is  fairly  enjoyable.


Marguerite  Clayton  ( as  Edith  Ford )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Marguerite  was  coming  towards  the  end  of  her  film  career  here  after  a  very  busy  previous decade. She  died  in  1968  aged  77.

14 The Phantom of the Opera ( 1925 )

This  adaptation  of  Gaston  Leroux's  1910  novel  stars  Lon  Chaney  again  as  the  titular  phantom. There  are  multiple  versions  of  it  as  it  was  reissued  twice, the  last  time  in  1930  when  some  spoken  dialogue  was  added  although  not  from  Chaney  who  had   contracted  throat  cancer  by  that  time  which  rather   defeated   the  object. One  of  the  young  ballerinas  in  the  film  only  died  a  couple  of  years  ago.

Mary  Philbin  ( As  Christine  Daae )

Sex : Nothing  - the  Phantom  kidnaps  her  twice  but  doesn't  molest  her.

Death : Survives

Mary  was  yet  another  actress  who  failed  to  make  headway  in  the  talkie  era  and  eventually  retired  to  take  care  of  her  parents. She  turned  up  at  the  LA  opening  of  Lloyd-Webber' s  musical  version  of  the  story. She  died  in  1993  aged  90.

Mary  Fabian  ( as  Carlotta )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Mary's  only  in  the  1930  version  when  she  replaced  Virginia  Pearson  as  the  rival  singer  in  one  on  stage  scene. Pearson  was  retained  in   two  other  scenes  but  craftily  re-branded  as  Carlotta's  mother. Mary  was  not  an  actress but  an  internationally  recognised  soprano  who  did  Philbin's  singing  parts  as  well. She  died   in  1973  aged  72.