When looking through the history of Horror Cinema, it’s difficult to find a more prolific performer than the late John Carradine (1906-1988). With over 350 credits in film and television to his name, most in the genres of horror and sci-fi, it’s not particularly surprising that he’s considered an “icon” of horror; one of its most legendary and enduring “stars”. From smaller early roles in Universal’s The Invisible Man, The Black Cat (1934), and Bride of Frankenstein (and later, turns behind the cape as “Dracula” in House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula) to later appearances in cult classics such as The Howling, Shock Waves, and The Boogey Man to countless schlockers like Dracula Vs. Frankenstein, Hillbillys In A Haunted House, and Evil Spawn, there’s really not much that Carradine wouldn’t and didn’t do. One can even argue that he found a way to continue acting from beyond the grave, appearing in two films released after his death!

So, it was pretty easy for me to make his vast library of horror film appearances one of the themes for our contributors to choose from for this year’s Halloween Horrors series. That said, I had zero plans of telling our contributors that it would be a possible topic of discussion. Instead, I hid the theme behind the “fake title” of “WWJCD?” hoping that someone would incorrectly decipher the abbreviation… which is exactly what happened. That said, our contributor was more than ready for the challenge presented to them, providing us with this wonderful look at one of Carradine’s many film works.

Danielle Zepeda returns to the Halloween Horrors series today for her 6th year, first joining us back in 2018 with a few thoughts on 1999’s Idle Hands.  She’s been a valued part of this series every year since, and this year is no different. Today, she joins us for a look at a film featuring not only this legend of horror, but a couple other legends as well.

“What Wouldn’t John Carradine Do?”
The Monster Club – The Enduring Legacy of John Carradine
By: Danielle Zepeda

John Carradine was one of those actors who seemed born for horror—tall, gaunt, and with a voice that could send shivers down your spine. With a career that stretched over six decades, picking just one of his films wasn’t easy. After all, as my theme goes: “What Wouldn’t John Carradine Do?” From House of Frankenstein to The Howling, he brought a dramatic flair to mad scientists, vampires, and all manner of classic horror tropes. He was a staple of that golden age of horror—when everything was eerie, theatrical, and just the right amount of over-the-top.

That’s exactly what led me to the 1981 cult classic, The Monster Club. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Scooby-Doo, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and a British horror anthology had a chaotic lovechild, this quirky little film might be exactly what you’re looking for.

Carradine plays horror novelist R. Chetwynd-Hayes, who starts his evening by being bitten by a very polite vampire named Erasmus, played by Vincent Price. Thus begins his journey to the titular Monster Club, a seedy, spooky nightclub with a dance floor full of werewolves, ghouls, goblins, and a few scantily clad vampire waitresses. But this isn’t just a place for monsters to boogie down to UB40 and B. A. Robertson—it’s also the setup for an anthology of short horror stories, each introduced by Erasmus and each featuring a different kind of creature from the monster family tree, complete with hilariously made-up names like “Shadmock” and “Humgoo.”

The first story, “The Shadmock”, follows a lonely hybrid creature with a deadly whistle who falls in love with a con artist. The second segment, “The Vampires”, adds a cheeky spin on the genre, as a kid discovers that his dad is a vampire—while a hilariously incompetent group of vampire hunters, led by Donald Pleasence, gets more than they bargained for. The final story, “The Ghouls”, is the darkest of the trio: a film director scouting locations stumbles upon an unsettling village where the residents are flesh-eating monsters, and he becomes trapped in a living nightmare. Back at the club, Erasmus isn’t quite finished with his coffin-side chat. He proposes that Hayes be granted honorary membership. Why? Because humans, he argues, are the most monstrous of all. War, greed, betrayal—you name it, we’ve done it. Without hesitation, the monsters all agree, and Carradine is made a card carrying member. The two legends close out the film dancing as The Pretty Things belt out “The Monster Club.”

So, What Is The Monster Club, Really?

It’s not high horror. It’s not even middle horror. It’s what happens when talented actors like Carradine and Price decide to lean into the absurd, the theatrical, and the purely fun side of the genre. The costumes look like they came straight out of a Halloween store. The lighting is all purple and green fluorescent bulbs, and themes range from tragic to hilarious to oddly touching. And somehow, it all works.

My personal favorite scene has to be the skeleton striptease. It gives a whole new meaning to peep show! You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and you’ll tap your foot to songs you’ll pretend not to like—but will absolutely add to your Halloween party playlist as soon as the credits roll.

And Carradine? He’s the anchor to the madness—stoic, scholarly, and somehow completely unfazed by a room full of monsters grooving to vampire disco. His reaction to the aforementioned striptease is delivered as if he were watching the nightly news. Much of his catalog is like lighting a pumpkin-scented candle for your TV—instant Halloween nostalgia. For many horror fans, John Carradine isn’t just an actor—he’s practically a seasonal tradition. No matter where you pull from his catalog you’ll find something that instantly makes it feel like Halloween. Price and Pleasance may have taken much of the spotlight, but I would consider Carradine a candidate for a horror hall of fame! I look forward to returning to The Monster Club (and Carradine himself) year after year.