The Old Dark House (1932) d. James Whale (USA)

Almost forgotten in the Universal collection of horrors, this gem of a flick is often overshadowed by its more popular monster rally brethren. Director Whale’s follow-up to Frankenstein is well worth seeking out for its sheer atmospheric wackiness and gale-force acting from the entire ensemble, several of whom would turn up again for Whale in Bride of Frankenstein.

Boris Karloff receives star billing as the mute shuffling butler hulking about the titular Pemm mansion, Ernest Thesiger (Bride’s Dr. Pretorius) and Eva Moore play out a quibbling sibling rivalry as the occupants, and Brember Wills turns in an electrifying performance as their pyromaniac brother Saul.

A wonderfully photographed rainstorm assembles a curious collection of stranded travelers (the stellar cast includes Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart, Raymond Massey, and Melvyn Douglas) at the Pemm estate, and madness and mayhem ensue.

While not especially scary, there is atmosphere to burn, endlessly quotable dialogue, with each performance is juicier than the next and the energy never flagging. When the end credits roll, one feels the exhausted thrill of a wild amusement park ride. Do yourself a favor and book a room tonight.

Walking Dead, The (1936) d. Curtiz, Michael (USA)

A real disappointment, even for Karloff fans (and especially for those thinking they're picking up source material for the AMC zombie series). Boris stars as an ex-convict framed for murder who is then put to death in the electric chair. But as his innocence becomes apparent, semi-mad doc Edmund Gwenn brings him back to life…with a Lindbergh heart? (There’s a mildly amusing bit with Gwenn uttering, “He’s ALIVE.”) But then Karloff develops some sort of extrasensory ability to recognize those that railroaded him, and begins to show up at their places in the middle of the night.

But does he exact any kind of firsthand revenge? Nope, he just stands there while his victims freak out and fall out of windows or under trains or what have you. It’s like director Michael Curtiz and his quartet of screenwriters didn’t want to sully Karloff's character’s victim status by making him an actual villain. I’m all for suspension of belief, especially when it comes to the older genre flicks, but even a Fool has his limits.

Black Castle, The (1952) d. Juran, Nathan (USA)

Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Jr. receive prominent billing in this middling Universal effort, but neither is really given much to do: Chaney turns in another one of his patented “drooling idiot” roles, while Boris skulks in the shadows much of the picture, which could hardly be called a horror film to begin with. Instead, it concerns itself primarily with the dashing Richard Greene’s search for the killers of his companions, leading him to the door of evil count Stephen McNally.

While there, he (of course) falls for McNally’s bride, played by the fetching Rita Corday, and has a few close encounters with an alligator pit. But the overall tone is one of an adventure tale, complete with a climactic plot device lifted from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Good for a rainy day and Karloff completists, but that’s about it.