The bells! The bells! Over a century ago, Universal’s "Super Jewel" of 1923 was released! Lon Chaney brought Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame to life, ushering in the beginning of the Universal Studios Monsters legacy. Here's the history of the production.

We owe the world of Universal Studios Monsters to the creativity of many wonderful people. But without one pioneering man, in particular: Carl Laemmle, the founder of Universal Studios, the entire entertainment world would be a vastly different place. And we must shine a spotlight on "Boy Genius" Irving Thalberg, who was the first general manager of Universal City, and changed Hollywood forever!

While one specific person can't be attributed to creating cinema, the pioneering group of people that brought the world of moving pictures to life in the mid-1890s is vastly important. It didn't take long for horror movies to conjure. This episode celebrates the early days of horror films, before the Universal Monsters graced the silver screen in the 1920s and 1930s.

"It's alive!" Long before the classic monster movies we all know and love, the horrifying creatures of the night were brought to life on the page. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Bram Stoker's "Dracula". H. G. Wells' "The Invisible Man". Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera". This episode covers where the Monsters originally came to life-- books!

I bid you welcome a new world of gods and monsters! This is "The Monster Archives", a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes history of the Universal Studios Classic Monster and Horror films that fans have been celebrating for over a century. This introduction episode offers an overview of the sprawling legacy of the Monsters and sets the stage for Season One of this exciting podcast!