The Classic Movie Monster
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The Classic Movie Monster is just as scary and intriguing today as he ever was! Here are pictures and bios of the BEST Classic Movie Monsters!
Dracula
In the 1800s Bram Stoker introduced
the world to one of the most enduring characters in horror movie
history: Count Dracula. Based loosely on the ancient tyrant "Vlad
the Impaler", the original Dracula was an immortal being with a
thirst for blood and sociopathic tendencies.
Since the Count's humble beginnings, the vampire has been the subject of folklore, fictional literature and of course Horror Movies! Nosferatu brought the creepy embodiment of death to the silver screen in 1922 as an ugly walking corpse that spread death in his wake.
It was in 1931 that Count Dracula got the style overhaul that inspired the vampire image to this day (Dracula, 1931 Directed by Todd Browning). Bella Lugosi played Dracula in this rendition, and his suave demeanor, manicured good looks and turned-up black collar remain the recognizable symbols of a vampire and the image of a classic movie monster.
Christopher Lee carried the torch
starting in 1958 (Dracula, 1958 Directed by Terence Fisher) and really
solidified the vision of Dracula as a man of high society. OK, so he kills
people and drinks their blood but, he does it with STYLE!
Vampires will endure, of this there is no doubt. The vampires of today and of the future will terrify and delight horror movie enthusiasts again and again - But the early embodiments of the prince of darkness equal a Classic Movie Monster that will live on forever.
Frankenstein
In 1818,
Mary Shelly published a novel titled Frankenstein; or, The Modern
Prometheus. The Frankenstein novel was revised in 1831,
and became Ms. Shelly's best known work.
Boris Karloff brought the Frankenstein Monster to the silver screen in 1931 (Frankenstein, 1931 directed by James Whale) and a pop icon was born. The Karloff version of the monster created an image of fear and tragedy that spawned an entire genre of undead horror fiends.
The Frankenstein Monster became a Classic Movie Monster, partly, because of his complexity. The monster is not merely an abomination hell bent on destruction, but also a tragic victim of circumstance. At the end of the day, it's just not his fault he is the way he is. He's just made that way.
James Whale's Frankenstein has been the subject of much study and analysis. The imagery, foreshadowing and ethical dilemmas introduced are, at a minimum, brilliant. Boris Karloff (My favorite actor in the Classic Movie Monster space) does a superb job of making the realities of reanimating the dead interesting and conflicting. We feel sorry for the Monster and are actually sad when he meets his demise.
The Wolf Man
The first known horror movie
appearance of a Werewolf was in the silent film from 1913 The
Werewolf directed by Henry MacRae. This film was unfortunately
lost in a fire in 1923, and reportedly revolved around ancient Indian
legends of men becoming wolves to exact vengeance on those who
have wronged them. This film was followed by another titled The
Wolfman, also silent and directed by Paul Powell in 1915, and
another silent film with the same title directed by Edmund Mortimer in
1924.
The most famous and enduring version of a werewolf is played by Lon Chaney Jr. in 1941. The Wolf Man, directed by George Waggner is a compelling tale of the horror and tragedy of an ordinary man who becomes a wolf when "the moon is full and the wolf bane blooms". This version also makes use of stop-action photography and (for the time) cutting-edge special effects so that we actually get to SEE the transformation of man to wolf! This one made horror movie history. Lon Chaney Jr. gives the wolf-creature depth and, as with Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster, encourages the viewer to feel sorry for the character and wish that everything could work out well for them. Of course, it won't, but a Classic Movie Monster is born!
The Mummy
Who doesn't like a
Mummy! What a foreign concept to the cultures of many in Western
civilizations: Wrap the dead in cloth and preserve the body for
centuries to come. This is a practice just SCREAMING to be turned into
a horror genre! Sometimes, it seems, these preserved dead come back
to life!
The two earliest versions of The Mummy were silent films,
one released in 1911 (Director unknown) and one in 1912 directed by
A.E. Coleby. Ironically, each of these early entries to the Mummy genre
didn't embody the Classic Movie Monster we have come to know and love -
they were romantic comedies!
Boris Karloff (As you know by now,
my favorite Classic Movie Monster actor) brought Im-ho-tep to life in
the 1932 version of The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund. This
classic black and white masterpiece has been called "the best mummy
movie ever made". This movie is full of intriguing imagery and
suspense, and should not be missed.
The story of a mummy coming back to life has been told many times since through Hammer films (GREAT) and with Brendan Frasier (not so great) and certainly will be told many times more. The early version reigns supreme, however, because Hollywood had not yet figured out what the "formula" was for a horror movie (or for any movie for that matter) and so the levels of experimentation evident the first days of the "talkies" result in a Monster with a level of cool that Jason Voorhees can only aspire to.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Is The
Creature from the Black Lagoon the missing link? It may appear so.
After finding an animal's claw that closely resembles a human hand, a group of scientists decided to explore the Amazon looking for, well, whatever they could find. They do manage, of course, to bring a beautiful woman with them, the fiancée of the lead scientist.
Lucky they did, for the Creature they encounter certainly has an appetite for the pretty girls. This aquatic Romeo also has gills, fins, huge eyes and fishy lips.
The Creature from
the Black Lagoon was released in 1954 and directed by Jack Arnold.
Unlike many of the Characters that are noted as being a BEST Classic
Movie Monster, the amphibious Creature from the Black Lagoon has not
spawned several movie versions (Although there seems to be a remake in
the works for 2006). Still, the Creature himself remains one of the
most recognizable Monsters around.
What the
Creature from the black lagoon did do was manage to stand out
in the creature-feature movie turmoil of the 1950s. This human-like
aquatic marvel plays to many fears people may have of the unknown. Mix
that with a cool fish suit and the result is an enduring Classic Movie
Monster that is fun to watch to this day.
The Blob
Well, the blob himself (was it a
"him"?) is not really a monster per se. Or is it? Let's see...
A meteorite crashes to earth, leaving a crater in the ground and some kind of gelatinous substance. An old farmer picks it up with a stick (wouldn't you?) to get a closer look. Well, I guess he won't do that again because the slim gets on his hand and proceeds to eat him up!
Now we have a Jelly-Blob that is just a bit bigger. And then it eats something else, and grows bigger. Then another person and bigger! Soon there is a huge gooey alien that is threatening life on this planet as we know it!
The Blob was first released in 1958 and was directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. In this first version we also see Steve McQueen in his last known billing as "Steven". The original movie The Blob is really part horror and part science fiction.
The Blob was redone in 1988 and directed by Chuck Russell. Now THIS
blob is scary! Meaner, more violent and MUCH more likely to cause a
gory end, the Blob of 1988 removes much of the science fiction and
really lays on the horror. Both are worth seeing, as long as
you can get past the urge to "compare". The general feedback has been
that if like one, you will like the other much less. Which one ends up
being your favorite is a matter of your inclination, either toward
schmaltzy 1950s sci-fi or the overt doom and destruction of the late
80s. In either case, The Blob delivers, and it remains a
Classic Movie Monster.
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