What would this haunting Halloween season be without our favorite monsters, Munsters and ghouls?

Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi are horror film legends, but few know them as union activists and founding members of the Screen Actors Guild. Between 1933 and 1937, both actively recruited actors and actresses to join the as-yet-unrecognized union – a delicate and risky business.

Universal Studios had a hammerlock on the horror genre during Hollywood’s studio era. Their stable of stars, directors and writers understood the very nature of putting the face on a memorable monster. An eerie remote locale…dark and desperate situations…flawed characters (including a fair share of assorted loathsome ghouls), and a script tinged with wicked humor; this was the recipe for success.