There’s nothing I love more than a good mad scientist movie (except, perhaps a good haunted house movie). So, in honor of STEAM Week, I’ve provided a list of some of the most dastardly, dangerous, and devious mad scientists ever to grace the silver screen. Since this is a classic horror list, we’re limiting ourselves to films from 1930-1960. And of course, as a quick disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list. There are so many mad scientist movies that I could have included, but this is just a quick selection to get you started!
Frankenstein (1931)
You can’t have a mad scientist film list without including the OG mad scientist, Dr. Frankenstein. This chilling film features a young man driven by mad ambition to create life. In order to carry out his fiendish plans, he creates a body out of the parts of other bodies, stitching them together and filling them with electricity. The experiment is a success, but a fatal mistake on the part of his assistant imbues the creature with a criminal brain, and sets off a train of events that will only end in terror and destruction.
This film was followed by a handful of sequels, including The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939).
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Based on HG Well’s The Island of Dr. Moreau, this classic chiller is the story of Edward Parker, a shipwrecked sailor who finds himself on a mysterious island, owned by the brilliant scientist, Dr. Moreau. What our castaway soon learns that is that Moreau lives out here in relative isolation after being chased out of London for his experiments…which involve vivisection and other horrifying methods as he attempts to create hideous human-animal hybrids. When the lone female hybrid, Lota the panther woman falls in love with Parker, he comes under the intense scrutiny of Dr. Moreau, who is excited to see where events lead next. However, Parker realizes that he can’t stay here–it’s too dangerous to be trapped on an island with an unstable madman, and he must quickly plot his escape.
The Invisible Man (1933)
A well-meaning scientist creates a formula that turns him invisible. But, an unexpected side effect of the serum preys upon his mind, slowly driving him insane. As he struggles to find a solution and reverse the drug before it’s too late, his suspicious behavior attracts the attention of the local constabulary. Dogged at every turn, his sanity slipping away, it becomes a game of cat and mouse as the police try to apprehend a dangerous criminal they can’t even see.
The Invisible Ray (1936)
The discovery of the powerful new element, Radium X is one of the greatest scientific advancements in years. And Dr. Janos Rukh is understandably proud. However, what neither he nor his team of fellow researchers realized is that the element is highly toxic, producing all manner of terrifying side effects, including madness, glowing hand-prints, and a deadly touch. While an antidote is administered in time to save his life, the poison quickly works its way into Rukh’s brain, making him deeply paranoid that his fellow researchers are planning on stealing his ideas.
Devil Bat (1940)
After a business deal leaves him out in the cold, kindly doctor Carruthers harbors a secret grudge, believing that his business partners deliberately betrayed him. In order to exact his revenge, he concocts a terrifying plan involving a very special aftershave lotion (which he gifts to each victim), and the giant killer bat he has been growing in his attic. Once each victim splashes a little of the aftershave on, he releases the giant bat.
Captive Wild Woman (1943)
An insane scientist doing experiments in glandular research (if you watch enough horror films, you’ll see this as a running theme!) becomes obsessed with the idea of turning a female gorilla into a human. By extracting glandular fluid from a human woman and injecting it into the veins of a captive gorilla that he had stolen, the impossible is made possible, and the ape becomes human.
Voodoo Man (1944)
Death doesn’t have to be permanent…not when you have scientific know-how and voodoo rituals on your side. Dr. Marlowe kidnaps young women and brings them back to his remote house in the countryside, where he and his assistants use a combination of science and black magic to steal the women’s life forces and transfer them into the body of Marlowe’s long-dead wife.
The Black Sleep (1956)
Dr. Ramsay awaits his execution in a London prison, accused of a murder he claims he did not commit. Salvation comes in the most unlikely of sources, as Ramsay is approached by Dr. Cadman, who offers him escape in exchange for his assistance in further experiments. Cadman then drugs Ramsay with a special concoction known as the Black Sleep, which puts him into a state of apparent death, until after the execution date has passed. Upon joining Cadman’s service, Ramsay learns the truth of his experiments– using the Black Sleep, Cadman sedates his victims so that he can experiment on their brains.
If you enjoyed these films or would like to see more like them, please consider joining our cohort of fiends at the Horror Film Club! We meet on the first Wednesday of each month for some classic chillers from the 1920s-1960s.
STEAM Week: July 9-15, 2023
All week long, we’ll celebrate and learn about science, technology, engineering, arts and math with a variety of programs for all ages, blog posts and more.
