With the stellar box office returns from DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN, Universal tried (and not for the last time, either) to create a horror franchise from scratch. Mixing the newfound stardom of Boris Karloff, the undead appeal of the still-potent Tutankhamen craze, and a century-spanning romance, cinematographer-turned-director Karl Freund crafted the most poetic film in the Universal cabinet of curiosities. The central tension of early horror films—that the monster is often a more attractive mate than the heroine's fidgety, stuffed-shirt fiancé—was never thrown into such stark relief.