In observance of that autumn spell when we celebrate the primal instinct of fear, Rainestorm highlights 31 days of spooky scares to season the eerie atmosphere of Halloween.

This week we pay obligatory homage to the studio that brought some of finest thrills and greatest cinematic cheese to the 20th century. It’s Universal Monster Week!

Reign of terror: 1939

The horror… the horror: I’m going to vex a few people as I skip right over Bride of Frankenstein (the Batman & Robin of Frankenstein movies) and straight into the equally campy but slightly more straight-faced second sequel. Basil Rathbone is perfect as the disdainful Wolf von Frankenstein, unwelcome heir of the now completely redesigned Castle Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi makes his first appearance as the nefarious Ygor, and Lionel Atwill is bafflingly protective as onetime monster victim Inspector Krogh. Though Frankenstein’s grotesquely “adorable” little boy shatters the proceedings whenever he opens his mouth, the interaction between the three main characters is gleefully engaging. Lugosi, in particular, hams it up to his utmost, clearly relishing his ridiculous role. Rathbone, who had reported contempt for the B movies in which he was obliged to star, lets it show through in his performance. Atwill is unflappable in his turn as Krogh. And Boris Karloff makes his final appearance as the monster, playing him as a muted, childlike creature who shares a special bond with Ygor.

Halloween Haunt: Back to Castle Frankenstein for more haunted proceedings. This time, the castle is stripped bare, favoring an angular, minimalist German expressionism with stark shadows. The monster ventures into a fog-layered cemetery during a lightning storm to revivify himself. Frankenstein’s laboratory is detached from the main castle this time around, enclosed in a concrete dome that now sits atop a sulphur pit.

Tastiest treat: Ygor’s hilariously absurd testimony to the village council, defiantly refusing to cooperate with them since they botched his execution and he is now, for some reason, no longer subject to it.

Check the candy for: Recurring Frankenstein player Lionel Atwill, who appears in no less than four Frankenstein sequels, each time as a different character.

Devilish discourse: “I scare him to death. I don’t have to kill him to death.”

Goes great with: Young Frankensein (1974). Of all the Frankenstein films, this one, more than any other, inspired Mel Brooks’ hilarious sendup of the genre. Atwill’s Krogh provides the best fodder for Kenneth Mars’ priceless Inspector Kemp, and his and Gene Wilder’s spoof of the darts game is classic.