Taking a closer look at the Universal Movie Monster Movies, there are parallels which make me believe that, at a certain dimension, they play out as metaphor of the Jewish struggle in America. It’s no secret that a coterie of savvy Jews played a paramount role in creating Hollywood, so it only makes sense that certain themes would manifest themselves from their collective unconsciousness. Their insecurities, desire to assimilate into society, hopes, dreams, fears, paranoia, etc. I’m not accusing Carl Laemmle Jr. (head of production for Universal during the time) of propaganda. This is more of a discourse into the psychology of the creators. What attraction did these characters have to them in the first place? Why did the movies deviate from the original source material so much? Is it more than pure spectacle? Or some latent issues manifesting into reality unbeknownst to the filmmakers themselves?
I’ve been reading David Mamet’s fearless novel, The Wicked Son, a non-fiction wake up call to the self-loathing, disenfranchised, apostate Jews of the world and can’t help but to see similarities in the celluloid versions of these Gothic archetypes. What was bubbling in my fellow Hebrews’ creative juices? Were the Universal Monsters an unintentional reflection of how these Jews saw themselves in the world?
DRACULA:
An Eastern European Immigrant who sucks the blood of his victims. The only way he can win the hearts of women is through Black Magic, and is repelled by the sight of the Holy Cross.
Was this a satire on the rancorous mantra that all Jews are bloodsuckers? Additionally, the employment of magic or intellect as the only way in which these creatures have power over women is suspicious when correlated with the poor self image stereotype of Jews.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA:
An insanely talented, yet grotesquely unattractive basement dweller (with a gross nose) pulls the creative strings of an opera house…again, only able to win the heart of a woman through Black Magic.
Tell me that Lon Chaney’s make-up doesn’t resemble an old anti-semetic cartoon of the Googly Eyed Jew! Was this the self image which the creators saw themselves as? Or how they believed SOCIETY saw them as? Also, the Phantom’s role as the tenebrous showbiz overlord has definite similarities with the adage of Jews running Hollywood.
THE WOLFMAN:
An American returns to his European roots only to find himself transforming into a monster during the Sabbath.
It’s interesting to note that Judaism began as a religion based around Moon worship. When does Lon Chaney turn into a hirsute beast???
FRANKENSTEIN
An intolerant mob seeks to destroy the mysterious creature who now lives among them.
This theme could be illuminated as the neurosis of assimilation into xenophobic, American society.
Were these allegories embedded with the pressures and difficulty of assimilation? An unconscious catharsis or even emotional cry? Perhaps being Jewish has made me more perceptive to these sort of thematics. All I’ve really done here is raise more questions. I can’t conclude anything here, only propose. BUT, what I am certain of is the absence of the Christian struggle in these archetypes. It’s widely understood that the Sci-Fi and Horror genres serve as social commentary, symbolically expressing the fears and concerns of the zeitgeist through metaphor. Keeping that in mind, is there something deeper going on with these universal ghouls and goblins?
**Note: When I first proposed this post to My Pal The Crook, he informed me about the Ian F. Svenonius book Psychic Soviet and a similar passage regarding Stoker’s Dracula. I’ll be checking that out in the very near future**
