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Blog
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Ranking the Universal Monster Movies
Flashback, Universal Monsters, Movies Chris Well 9/1/22 Flashback, Universal Monsters, Movies Chris Well 9/1/22

Ranking the Universal Monster Movies

“There are tons of Universal films—these are just the classic monster movies…” Horror writer Anda Kent watched the seven original Universal monster movies and ranked them…

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Star Trek: What are the scariest episodes?
TV, Aliens, Flashback Chris Well 8/25/22 TV, Aliens, Flashback Chris Well 8/25/22

Star Trek: What are the scariest episodes?

An episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds featured the scariest approach yet to the Gorn. Paramount+ celebrated by exploring several more scary examples from Star Trek legend.

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Flashback: Joe Dante on ‘I Married a Witch’ (1942)
Flashback, Magic, Movies, Comedy, Witches Chris Well 8/18/22 Flashback, Magic, Movies, Comedy, Witches Chris Well 8/18/22

Flashback: Joe Dante on ‘I Married a Witch’ (1942)

Veronica Lake casts a seductive spell as a charmingly vengeful sorceress in this supernatural screwball classic. Director Joe Dante says, “It’s a delightful, charming, and very funny movie …”

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Flashback: Owl Goingback—Bram Stoker winner “Crota”
Flashback, Books Chris Well 8/8/22 Flashback, Books Chris Well 8/8/22

Flashback: Owl Goingback—Bram Stoker winner “Crota”

CROTA is a magical tale blending elements of mystery, suspense, and Native American mythology. The novel won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, and was one of four finalists in the Best Novel category.

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Ultra Q: The Japanese X-Files Show That Preceded Ultraman
Flashback, TV, Aliens, Giant Monsters Chris Well 8/4/22 Flashback, TV, Aliens, Giant Monsters Chris Well 8/4/22

Ultra Q: The Japanese X-Files Show That Preceded Ultraman

Ultra Q is an SF kaiju series made in the tradition of Toho’s many SF/horror films. The first of the long-running Ultra Series, the series was followed quickly by the more popular Ultraman.

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How Charles Addams helped Ray Bradbury’s monster family in ‘From the Dust Returned’
Books, Flashback Chris Well 7/18/22 Books, Flashback Chris Well 7/18/22

How Charles Addams helped Ray Bradbury’s monster family in ‘From the Dust Returned’

Ray Bradbury, in an extraordinary flight of the imagination a half-century in the making, took readers to a most wondrous destination—into the heart of an Eternal Family.

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Frankenstein vs Wolf Man: Fight Scene
Flashback, Movies, Universal Monsters Chris Well 7/7/22 Flashback, Movies, Universal Monsters Chris Well 7/7/22

Frankenstein vs Wolf Man: Fight Scene

1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man stars Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein’s monster, and Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man. The film is a sequel to both The Ghost of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man.

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26 Swamp Monsters from Myths, Comics, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more
Comics, Flashback, TV, Movies Chris Well 6/23/22 Comics, Flashback, TV, Movies Chris Well 6/23/22

26 Swamp Monsters from Myths, Comics, X-Files, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more

There are swamp monsters at more than one comic book company—and, as you’ll see in this list, there are other sources involved, including mythology and TV…

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Flashback: Shirley Jackson—The Haunting of Hill House
Books, Flashback Chris Well 6/20/22 Books, Flashback Chris Well 6/20/22

Flashback: Shirley Jackson—The Haunting of Hill House

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre. Published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror.

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Saturday Creature Features at Rosendale, NY
Movies, Universal Monsters, Giant Monsters, Flashback Chris Well 6/10/22 Movies, Universal Monsters, Giant Monsters, Flashback Chris Well 6/10/22

Saturday Creature Features at Rosendale, NY

In Rosendale, NY, come see a series of classic (and wonderfully campy!) monster movies. Costumes will be encouraged, games will be played! Come by for the fun!

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The Munsters in Color: 9 Examples Since 1964
Flashback, Universal Monsters, TV, Comedy Chris Well 6/9/22 Flashback, Universal Monsters, TV, Comedy Chris Well 6/9/22

The Munsters in Color: 9 Examples Since 1964

While The Munsters are better looking in black & white, there have actually been lots of times they were in color. We’ll share several examples of how the family returned to the screen.

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The Munsters: Herman Munster the Star
Flashback, TV, Universal Monsters, Comedy, Music Chris Well 6/9/22 Flashback, TV, Universal Monsters, Comedy, Music Chris Well 6/9/22

The Munsters: Herman Munster the Star

On classic 1960s sitcom The Munsters, Herman Munster regularly gained some kind of notoriety—including the several times he was mentioned on the radio, TV, or in the newspaper.

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Flashback: Ultraman—Origin of Japan’s Greatest Hero
Giant Monsters, TV, Flashback, Aliens Chris Well 6/1/22 Giant Monsters, TV, Flashback, Aliens Chris Well 6/1/22

Flashback: Ultraman—Origin of Japan’s Greatest Hero

Making his debut in 1966, Ultraman is a giant superhero who fights giant monsters. Following the first series, a whole list of Ultra characters appeared in a whole bunch of other series.

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Count Dracula: 13 Versions—From Dizzy to Daring
Vampires, Flashback, Comedy Chris Well 5/28/22 Vampires, Flashback, Comedy Chris Well 5/28/22

Count Dracula: 13 Versions—From Dizzy to Daring

The title character from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula has been popular over time, and appearing in so many adaptations, riffs, and parodies in all kind of media.

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Everything Wrong with The “Trashfire Sequel” to Phantom of the Opera
Music, Witches, Flashback Chris Well 5/23/22 Music, Witches, Flashback Chris Well 5/23/22

Everything Wrong with The “Trashfire Sequel” to Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber told Entertainment Weekly, “The ending of the show is the ending of a chapter of my creative musical life because I can’t take it any further.”

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Monsters Vs. ‘Murder, She Wrote’: Vampire, Witches, Ghosts, and the Headless Horseman
Flashback, TV Chris Well 5/15/22 Flashback, TV Chris Well 5/15/22

Monsters Vs. ‘Murder, She Wrote’: Vampire, Witches, Ghosts, and the Headless Horseman

“Murder, She Wrote” was (kind of) presented as normal life, but there were a few episodes that featured supernatural themes, such as witches, ghosts, a vampire, and more.

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King Kong: 13 Alternate Versions
Flashback, Giant Monsters Chris Well 5/11/22 Flashback, Giant Monsters Chris Well 5/11/22

King Kong: 13 Alternate Versions

The creature from 1933’s classic film has been borrowed, riffed, parodied, or outright stolen for a number of movies, comics, stage productions, and more.

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Universal Classic Monsters: Debuts of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, and more
Universal Monsters, Flashback, Movies Chris Well 5/9/22 Universal Monsters, Flashback, Movies Chris Well 5/9/22

Universal Classic Monsters: Debuts of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, and more

Universal films set the standard with revolutionary makeup, mood-altering cinematography, and groundbreaking special effects.

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The Munsters: 9 Artistic Performance Episodes
Flashback, TV, Comedy, Universal Monsters, Music Chris Well 5/4/22 Flashback, TV, Comedy, Universal Monsters, Music Chris Well 5/4/22

The Munsters: 9 Artistic Performance Episodes

The family from Mockingbird Lane often sang and danced their way into viewers’ hearts. From the original series, here are examples of the characters sharing several performances.

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Complete Gamera: Giant Monster Movies
Giant Monsters, Flashback Chris Well 4/18/22 Giant Monsters, Flashback Chris Well 4/18/22

Complete Gamera: Giant Monster Movies

Gamera is a giant monster, or kaiju, that appeared in a dozen Japanese films. Intended to compete with Godzilla, Gamera has become a Japanese icon in his own right…

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Chris Well celebrates stories about monsters and the people who hunt them and/or love them. Over the years (please don’t ask how many), Chris has worked in different kinds of media as a writer, producer, performer, broadcaster, and/or college instructor. Now he hosts the website Monster Complex®. Find out more about Chris at StudioWell.com.

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