I've been collecting lots of original Hammer horror films stuff w Christopher Lee etc and am planning on watching the greats. I'm a big film fan but my knowledge of monster movies is pretty limited. If anyone wants to contribute a Top 10 Monster Movie Classics list that would rule...
Limited you say? How limited? If you're a film fan just starting to explore the weird wonderful world of creature features I recommend checking out a beautiful coffee table book called "Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic". (Perhaps best acquired through Inter-Library loan.) Which uses lots of snips from interviews and contemporaneous film reviews to help give a broad overview of the evolution of the American horror film. From the silent era through the 1960s. Illustrated throughout with gorgeous reproductions of original publicity photos from the films being discussed.
As for my personal suggestions well, the Hammer films are largely remakes/"re-imaginings" of monster movies that had been successful 20-30 years prior at Universal Studios, so I think you should definitely check out at least some of the Universal films.
Of the Universal monster movies the best is probably
The Bride of Frankenstein, it's a good idea but by no means essential to see the also excellent original 1931
Frankenstein before seeing
Bride.
Bride of Frankenstein Official Trailer #1 - (1935) HDThe Wolf Man,
The Creature from the Black Lagoon and
Werewolf of London are good fun as well. 1931's Dracula is a bit hard to call a "monster movie" (you never even see Dracula with fangs) but is worth seeing for the magnificent sets and costumes of the first half. As well as for its historical significance as it was incredibly influential and probably the first proper "talkie" horror movie. I'm rather fond of
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein is funny. All of the movies in
"The Mummy" series are enjoyable, albeit only in a cheesy way after the elegant first entry.
More recently and outside Universal/Hammer I could go on forever but off the top of my head
The Howling (the first one- not any of the dreadful sequels)
American Werewolf in London and
Night of the Living Dead are all must-watch.