The Deep Meaning of the Universal Monsters

The celebration of Halloween in America seems to be at an all-time high. Is this just because corporations are learning how to capitalize on the costumes, decorations, and candy of the season, or is something deeper at work?
In this video, we'll explore the religious and philosophical symbolism of the Universal Classic Monsters- Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, and the Mummy, and why these old films can give us insights into what the increasing celebration of Halloween means in our culture.
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[@omniviewer2115]

The curious thing about "the Other" when applied to the Creature from the Black Lagoon is that it's a double subversion of the idea. On the one hand, the Gill Man is "the Other" because he's humanoid, but clearly not human; he's some sort of strange amphibious twist on what we know to be human. On the other hand, the humans are "the Other(s)" because they are the ones invading the Gill Man's home and messing things up. To him, the film is a home invasion story.

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Great point!

[@joelhicks9985]

I absolutely love this and your channel! I just finished undergrad with a theology degree and minor in cinema, so I feel like you’re a kindred spirit :-) You’re spot on about the otherness in the classic horror films, and the care that directors like James Whale consistently showed their monsters. The interactions between the blind man and the monster in Bride of Frankenstein (my personal favorite) especially stand out to me as a way that the church should exist in the world. I’m also very interested in the way that the Biblical apocalyptic genre functions parallel to stories like the Universal classics. Just as the book of Revelation reminds us not to shun the strangeness in our world and religion-a butchering of one of David Dark’s ideas-Halloween makes us take ourselves less seriously as we step into a stranger’s shoes. At any rate, happy Halloween!

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Yes! Apocalyptic literature as Universal Monster stories is an AMAZING connection! Thanks for your encouragement! Glad you're finding the channel helpful

[@AnalysisWithAlex]

Awesome exploration of how the Universal Monsters were situated with some prevailing cultural ideas and how we can still see them now. Not to even mention how significant they were for contemporary filmmaking, which sets the stage for so many other of our popular stories. I would be interested to see what you think about how these attempts to revive these characters have gone, mainly because they are seen as failures. I wonder how changing these stories from their original meaning to fit the MCU mold caused them to fail? At least, that seemed to be the case. Awesome video!

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Thanks, Alex!! Yeah, I was explaining to my kids how this was the original MCU. The recent efforts to reboot them into some kind of MCU clone could have happened with better direction, IMO. I only watched the Dracula movie, and it wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen. In fact, it had a bit of 90's over-sincerity, which was kind of endearing in a quirky way, but struggled to find a clear audience. MCU worked (financially) because kids and parents could watch it together. Horror is a tough genre to make that work.

[@traviswadezinn]

Great assessment - enjoyed it!

[@DeepTalksTheology]

thank you!

[@steverlfs]

Unlike some horror films today, the Universal monsters I grew up with presented a very Christian world view. While evil is powerful and terrifying, the power of God is always supreme. Dracula must flee from the cross, Maleva uses Christian ritual to help the Wolfman. I would like you to do a video on just one film in particular: "Dracula's Daughter" 1936. This film illustrates everything you said perfectly.

[@GhoulishSighs]

For someone who is a believer in God but also drawn and intrigued by the dark, spooky, unknown this video is top tier I love halloween and horror , I really enjoyed your take on the topic!

[@11111Garth]

You nailed it. Everyone will eventually try to engage with stories and myth to re-enchant the world with some spirit even if they don't believe it.

[@JohnWMorehead]

Thanks for finding theological and religious significance in these classic horror films, in horror in general, and in Halloween. This is a breath of fresh air from casual dismissal by many conservative Christians. I have been exploring these issues for years at the TheoFantastique blog and various books. Keep up the good work.

[@basementmadetapes]

Are u familiar w the Marshall McLuhan quote, “Technology forces us to live mythically” I think about this often in light of the rise of modern myths like superheroes as well as monsters It’s a little different from what you’re saying, however the sentiment is not that different. As an author my best stuff always intersects at what I call myth and mud. Fiction allows us to explore in ways that philosophy and even religion won’t, or at least, doesn’t allow. At least in my experience I’m not a Christian. But I grew up in church and went thru a deconstruction of my own but anyway, I appreciate your thoughtful approach

[@DeepTalksTheology]

"myth and mud"- I really like that! I think you're right about good fiction. Some people come to traditional religion looking for a way to predict and control their lives. Others come primarily for the awe and wonder. (Getting both of those people together in community is always tricky!) Rarely would someone come to a work of fiction and expect it to help them control their lives/mitigate risk/etc. In that way, fiction can do a better job of increasing openness to experience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@basementmadetapes]

@@DeepTalksTheology I think that’s accurate, the want for control / prediction vs the wonder crowd. That’s definitely true from my experience. Hope u keep making these vids. They are good. And having someone like u out here getting into the weeds of it instead of torching it down w patent religious panic is refreshing. There’s a few of u out there, I know. But u bring a lot of weight to these discussions

[@vanguardian2864]

If the universal monsters are ever rebooted in the future, I hope studios take Godzilla minus one as the inspiration for how to do this. This means lower budgets, better scripts, don’t show the monsters too much, make the characters LIKABLE, use PRACTICAL EFFECTS, and keep the focus on the horror.

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Agreed!