—From “Scare ’Em to Death — and Cash In” by Richard G. Hubler, from the May 23, 1942, issue of The Saturday Evening Post
They must be based on some pseudoscientific premise.
They must be believable in characterization. A scientific premise, such as the building of a monster, may seem phony, but never the character or motives of Doctor Frankenstein.
They must have unusual technical effects. One of the best was the operating table ascending into the lightning, a sequence so good in the original Frankenstein that it was repeated in the latest.
Besides the major monster, there must be a secondary character of weird appearance, such as Igor, the broken-necked assistant of Frankenstein.
The hero must not only be horrible but likable to work up audience sympathy. “My horror films have to be tragic and inevitable,” says Waggner. “Just like a Greek play.”
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