The History of the Universal Monsters: How ‘The Invisible Man’ Nearly Vanished Into Hollywood Limbo [Halloweenies Podcast]

In 2025, the Halloweenies are celebrating the storied legacy of the Universal Monsters. Dracula, Wolf Man, Frankenstein, his Bride, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man… all will be covered. In fact, each monster is getting their own month, giving the Halloweenies plenty of time to dig deep into their respective origins and chart their influence over the past century and some change.

Last month, the gang traveled to ancient Egypt to unravel Karl Freund‘s 1932 classic The Mummy starring Boris Karloff. This month, they book a night at The Lion’s Head Inn to unravel the sordid and wild discoveries behind James Whale‘s 1933 Hollywood wonder The Invisible Man starring Claude Rains.

Topics include: the movie’s long road to realization, Rains’ commanding presence, H.G. Wells’ approval over script, the iconic and groundbreaking special effects, Whale’s resistance to returning to horror post-Frankenstein, the fact that it’s definitely an underseen installment in the Universal Monster lineup, and how it’s also one of the scariest.

Stream the episode below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies ? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, and Alien! This year it’s all Universal, all Monsters. Which creature is next? Stay tuned.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind , for hilariously irreverent commentaries (eg The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , Gremlins , Jaws ), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (eg Killer Klowns from Outer Space , Invasion of the Body Snatchers ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast .

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The post The History of the Universal Monsters: How ‘The Invisible Man’ Nearly Vanished Into Hollywood Limbo [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.