Monster Mash: Icons of Horror Cinema Part 3

Well this is it! The final post for Halloween 2013! But never fear, I've saved the best for last....



As mentioned in Part 2 of last year's Icons of Horror, even though I've covered all of the "Big Ones" when it comes to classic horror film actors, from Lon Chaney Sr. and Jr., Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, etc., there are still many more notable actors who absolutely deserve to be mentioned and honored. So without further fanfare, away we go!

Hollywood Royalty

The Barrymore Family - It is slightly cheating, I'll admit, to lump them all in as one entry, but at the same time, it's appropriate and fair. The Barrymore Acting Family started with stage actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew, who were fairly well known in the 19th century. Their three children, Lionel, Ethel and John (grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore), would all become stage actors as well, before joining the burgeoning new field of "moving pictures", and all three would go on to become stars of the silent film era. So much so, in fact, that the Barrymore name on a title card often insured a film financial success.

While all three of them mostly acted in more serious (and often prestigious) dramatic roles, they all also featured in at least one horror/thriller type of film, which is why they all make this list. Ethel Barrymore starred in the genre the least, mostly being a dramatic actress. But she did star in the 1946 psychological thriller "The Spiral Staircase", as well appearing in the 1948 fantasy/mystery film "Portrait of Jennie". John Barrymore was slightly more connected to horror, as he starred in the title role in the 1920 silent adaptation of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". It should be noted that there were actually three different films based on Dr. Jekyll released in 1920, one of them a German expressionist film by F.W. Murnau, but Barrymore's version is the most famous and enduring of them. In the sound era, he starred in two different 1931 films, both with a similar premise of hypnotic control, called "Svengali" and "The Mad Genius". He would feature in the genre one final time, in Universal Pictures' 1940 film "The Invisible Woman", though this film was more tongue-in-cheek comedy than horror or science fiction.

Lionel, of course, was the most prolific of the three in this regard, beginning with the 1927 silent film "The Thirteenth Hour". While not a horror picture, he also starred in the 1929 adaptation of "The Mysterious Island", which was originally filmed as a silent picture, but was later adapted with sound and talking sequences right at the dawn of the sound era. He would go on to feature in two prominent and memorable horror films, the 1935 Bela Lugosi feature "Mark of the Vampire" (itself a remake of the lost silent classic "London After Midnight"), and 1936's "The Devil Doll". He would also feature in the many "Dr. Kildare" films, as well as their spinoffs starring his own character "Dr. Gillespie". Late in his career, he would also star in two fantasy films, 1939's "On Borrowed Time", and again as the villain Henry F. Potter in Frank Capra's classic "It's a Wonderful Life". On a final note, as evidenced by the picture above, all three siblings did feature together in one film, 1932's "Rasputin and the Empress".

Notable Roles:

Ethel - Czarina Alexandra in "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932), Mrs. Warren in "The Spiral Staircase" (1946), Miss Spennie in "Portrait of Jennie" (1948)

John - Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920),  Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock Holmes" (1922), Captain Ahab Ceeley in "Moby Dick" (1930), Svengali in "Svengali" (1931), Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov in "The Mad Genius" (1931), Prince Paul Chegodieff in "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932), Professor Gibbs in "The Invisible Woman" (1940)

Lionel - Professor LeRoy in "The Thirteenth Hour" (1927), Director of "The Unholy Night" (1929), Count Dakkar in "The Mysterious Island" (1929), Grigori Rasputin in "Rasputin and the Empress" (1932), Billy Bones in "Treasure Island" (1934), Dan'l Peggoty in "David Copperfield" (1935), Professor Zelen in "Mark of the Vampire" (1935), Paul Lavond in "The Devil Doll" (1936), Dr. Leonard Barry Gillespie in the "Dr. Kildare" and later "Dr. Gillespie" films (1938-1947), Julian Northrup in "On Borrowed Time" (1939), Henry F. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) 

 

The eternal gentleman.

Basil Rathbone - Aside from having one of the coolest names of all time, Basil Rathbone also happens to be one of the most well known actors of all time. He is, of course, most famous for portraying the most enduring and popular version of Sherlock Holmes, in a series that lasted 14 films long. There have been many others to portray Mr. Holmes, many of them very good (my personal favorite being Peter Cushing). But Mr. Rathbone is undoubtedly the most popular Holmes, and arguably the best. While many of the Sherlock Holmes films were murder mysteries (in fact most of them were), which does dabble in the "horror/thriller" arena, he also starred in several actual horror films, a perhaps lesser-known fact about him.

The first of which is actually one of his best roles, coming before his Holmes series began, starring in the titular role of the "Son of Frankenstein" in 1938, the last film to feature Boris Karloff as "The Monster". He would star as  the future Richard III in 1939's semi-horror film "Tower of London", which also featured Karloff, as well as a young Vincent Price. He also featured alongside Bela Lugosi in the 1941 film "The Black Cat". In fact, after his run as Holmes was up, his later career would begin to more and more feature him in sci-fi, thriller, fantasy and horror roles. He would re-team once more with now-star Vincent Price in two 60s gothic horror/comedy films, Roger Corman's "Tales of Terror" and Jacques Tourneur's "The Comedy of Terrors". In fact, his last notable film was the rather silly 1967 picture "Hillbillies in a Haunted House", which also featured John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr.

Notable Roles: Mr. Murdstone in "David Copperfield" (1935), Levasseuer in "Captain Blood" (1935), Sir Guy of Gisbourne in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), Baron Wolf von Frankenstein in "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), Sherlock Holmes in the "Sherlock Holmes" series (1939-1946), Richard - Duke of Gloucester in "Tower of London" (1939), Dr. George Sebastian in "The Mad Doctor" (1941), Montague Hartley in "The Black Cat" (1941), Narrator/Policeman in "The Wind in the Willows" segment of "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad" (1949), Sir Joel Cadman in "The Black Sleep" (1956), The Wizard Lodac in "The Magic Sword" (1962), Carmichael in "Tales of Terror" (1962), John F. Black Esq. in "The Comedy of Terrors" (1964), Professor Hartman in "Voyage to a Prehistoric Planet" (1965), Dr. Farraday in "Queen of Blood" (1966), Reginald Ripper in "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" (1966), Gregor in "Hillbillies in a Haunted House" (1967)

One of the most underrated actors of all time.

 Charles Laughton -  A huge star in his time, but sadly far lesser known now, Charles Laughton was a quintessential character actor. He starred in many well known, dramatic roles during his career, but he was also a bit better known for his turns at horror than those listed above. This began in the 1931 classic "The Old Dark House", where he portrayed the affable yet sad Sir William Porterhouse. Next was his role as Dr. Moreau in 1932's "The Island of Lost Souls", in which he featured alongside a heavily made-up Bela Lugosi, of course based on the H.G. Wells novel "The Island of Dr. Moreau". It was in this role that he really established his ability to play a truly imposing, sadistic and chilling villain.

He would go on to star in a rather heroic and empathic effort as Quasimodo in 1939's adaptation of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". He later had a turn as Sir Simon de Canterville in 1944's "The Canterville Ghost", playing a benevolent but cowardly  spirit. In 1951 he starred alongside Boris Karloff in "The Strange Door", once again playing a sadistic villain. In fact he took a turn in the director's chair in 1955's "The Night of the Hunter", a thriller starring Robert Mitchum. He wasn't most well known for his horror roles, but he was one of those rare actors who was great at whatever role he played, and it just so happened that the horror genre gave him the chance to play some of his most adventurous and memorable characters.

Notable Roles: Sir William Porterhouse in "The Old Dark House" (1931), Dr. Moreau in "The Island of Lost Souls" (1932), King Henry the VIII in "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933), Inspector Javert in "Les Misarables" (1935), Captain William Bligh in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935), Quasimodo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939), Sir Simon de Canterville in "The Canterville Ghost" (1944), Captain William Kidd in "Captain Kidd" (1945), Sire Alain de Maletroit in "The Strange Door" (1951), Captain William Kidd in "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd" (1952)

The second most famous Frankenstein's Monster.

Glenn Strange - While Boris Karloff "created' the role of Frakenstein's Monster on film, and his is the image most think of when they think of those movies or that character, Mr. Glenn Strange also deserves a bit of credit, for carrying the role to a lot of success in later years. While Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi had turns as The Monster in "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man", after Karloff had given up the role for health reasons (it had ruined his back), it would be Glenn Strange who would carry the role from 1944 onward. While sitting in a make-up chair for an action film in 1944, infamous make-up artist (and creator of the classic Frankenstein's Monster look) Jack Pierce noticed that Strange had the right kind of face to play the monster, and thus he was cast in "House of Frankenstein", a monster-mash picture also featuring Boris Karloff himself, this time as a mad scientist who wants to carry on Dr. Frankenstein's work.

Karloff actually coached Strange in the role off-camera, thus effectively "passing the torch" to him, and as fate would have it, he starred in the role for three films, the same number that Karloff had played the Monster in. He became so famous in the role himself, that for decades after it was actually his face that toys and other merchandise and art were modeled after. He became known for the role most especially in 1948's "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein", which became a massively popular hit. He played other monsters, and starred in a few other horror films, but ironically, like Karloff before him, he is most well known for his time as "Frankenstein".

Notable Roles: Petro in "The Mad Monster" (1942), Man riding buckboard in "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), Andy in "The Black Raven" (1943), Giant/Steve in "The Monster Maker" (1944), Frankenstein's Monster in "The House of Frankenstein" (1944), The Monster in "House of Dracula" (1945), Chief Galley Overseer in "Sinbad, The Sailor" (1947), The Monster in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948), Atlas the Monster in "Master Minds" (1949)

Stylin' and profilin'.

George Zucco - A man who is arguably going to be the least well-known figure on this list. He starred along-side titans of his era, yet also featured in many films that are today obscure. He was not a "big star" in his day, but what he was, was a great actor, who always brought presence and style to his roles, no matter how ridiculous the plot, or how cheap the budget. But what he also was, was one of the most deserving actors of the title "Icon of Horror Cinema". This son of Britain began his film career as a serious, dramatic actor (as so many horror/sci fi stars often do). His first real brush with a great, but decidedly less serious role, was in the 1936 adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The Man Who Could Work Miracles", where he played a butler to a rather ridiculous and silly British army general. One of his first major, and enduring memorable roles, was opposite Basil Rathbone playing the role of Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' malevolent arch-nemesis, in 1939's "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". A role which, by the way, he knocked out of the park, and it remains arguably his finest work. That same year he featured alongside Bob Hope is a remake of the 1929 horror/comedy hit, "The Cat and The Canary", as well as having a minor role in the Charles Laughton vehicle "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".

It was in the 1940s when Zucco really became firmly established as a star of the horror genre, beginning with his role as the villain Professor Andoheb in 1940's "The Mummy's Hand". Highlights from his prime in the 40s include "Dr. Renault's Secret", "The Mummy's Tomb", "Dead Men Walk", "The Mad Ghoul", "The Mummy's Ghost", and "Fog Island". He also had a smaller role in "House of Frankenstein", sharing billing with the likes of Boris Karloff, Glenn Strange, Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr. and John Carradine. Ultimately, his film career lasted a solid 20 years, from 1931-1951. His last real horror role was in the 1947 mystery/thriller "Scared to Death", which was ironically also one of Bela Lugosi's last major roles, and Lugosi's only color film. Zucco may not be as well remembered as some of his contemporaries, but that needs to change, because he took even shitty roles and made them stand out, the sign of a great actor.

Notable Roles: Moody the Butler in "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" (1936), Professor Moriarty in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (1939), Mr. Crosby in "The Cat and The Canary" (1939), Procurator in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939), Professor Abdoheb in "The Mummy's Hand" (1940), Dr. Perry in "The Monster and The Girl" (1941), Dr. Lorenzo Cameron in "The Mad Monster" (1942), Dr. Robert Renault in "Dr. Renault's Secret" (1942), Abdoheb in "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942), Dr. Lloyd/Dr. Elwyn Clayton in "Dead Men Walk" (1943), Heinrich Hinkel in "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" (1943), Amos Bradfield in "The Black Raven" (1943), Dr. Alfred Morris in "The Mad Ghoul" (1943), Bruno Lampini in "House of Frankenstein" (1944), Nicholas in "Voodoo Man" (1944), Abdoheb in "The Mummy's Ghost" (1944), Leo Grainer in "Fog Island" (1945), Professor Andrew Forbes in "The Flying Serpent" (1946), Dr. Joseph Van Ee in "Scared to Death" (1947), Palanth the High Priest in "Tarzan and the Mermaids" (1948)

Charming, yet devilish. Mr. Milland rocked.

Ray Milland - Born in Wales, though you'd never know it from his many films with spot-on American accents, Mr. Ray Milland was one of a kind. In the same sense that certain actors, like a Boris Karloff, or a Bela Lugosi, or a Vincent Price, or a Christopher Lee, have that unmistakable voice and persona, so did Milland. His first brush with "horror" of any kind, was in the 1934 murder mystery "Charlie Chan in London". After working his way up to leading man status and leading roles, his first turn in a real horror film was as the lead man in Lewis Allen's 1944 classic "The Uninvited". He would again star in a Lewis Allen thriller in 1948's "So Evil My Love". Perhaps his defining role, however, came under Alfred Hitchcock, in his 1954 classic "Dial M for Murder". It was likely this role that got him future parts in the 60s and 70s in often far less classy horror fare.

He worked with Roger Corman in the 60s, in two very decent pictures, "The Premature Burial" (The only one of Corman's official "Poe Series" films not to feature Vincent Price) and "The Man With X-Ray Eyes". In 1962 he also starred in a film that he himself directed, the science fiction film "Panic in the Year Zero!". In the early 70s he played roles in fairly schlocky horror films like "Frogs" and "The Thing With Two Heads" (which saw his white racist character's head attached to a black man's body). The role I remember him best for, and the role that I first saw him in as a child, was as the villain Aristotle Bolt (what a great name) in 1975's adaptation of "Escape to Witch Mountain". A great role, and a fantastic movie that I still love to this day.

Notable Role: Neil Howard in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934), Christopher Powell in "The Jungle Princess" (1936), Roderick Fitzgerald in "The Uninvited" (1944), Stephen Neal in "Ministry of Fear" (1944), Mark Bellis in "So Evil My Love" (1948), Tony Wendice in "Dial M for Murder" (1954), Guy Carrel in "The Premature Burial" (1962), Harry Baldin in "Panic in the Year Zero!" (1962), Dr. James Xavier in "X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes" (1963), Jason Crocket in "Frogs" (1972), Maxwell Kirshner in "The Thing With Two Heads" (1972), Stewart Henderson in "The House in Nightmare Park" (1973), Aristotle Bolt in "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975), Sire Uri in "Battlestar Gallactica" (1979)

 

A face not everyone recognizes, a voice few can forget.

 


Roddy McDowall - Yet another great talent out of the UK, here we have an actor who is very well recognized behind a signature ape mask, with his singularly distinctive voice, yet I have often brought him up in conversation, only to have people say "who?". Very disheartening indeed, considering he is one of my favorite actors of all time, not to mention one of the finest character actors of all time. Again, he is someone not as intimately known in the horror genre because of his lack of iconic roles (no Frankenstein's or Draculas), but nonetheless he did have many great horror roles. His first was a rather minor role in the 1941 Fritz Lang film "Man Hunt". He also featured in a 1948 Orson Wells adaptation of "Macbeth". Throughout much of his earlier career, in fact, he had roles in some pretty huge films, such as John Ford's "How Green Is My Valley", "Cleopatra", "The Greatest Story Ever Told", and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks".

Of course, his most well known role, even though under a mask, is that of Dr. Cornelius from the "Planet of the Apes" films. A role which is deservingly memorable and honored, him starring in all but the second film "Beneath the Planet of the Apes", where he was replaced by a similar (but not the same) sounding actor. Oddly enough, he starred in a straight up horror film the year before that, in 1967's "It", a film about a disgruntled young man who comes in control of an ancient Hebrew Golem, which he sends out to destroy his enemies. It's one of those movies few people know what the hell you're talking about if you mention it, but it is a really underrated classic, and a good, manic role for him as the villain.

He provided the voice of V.I.N.CENT the robot in the 1979 classic "The Black Hole" (probably the darkest film Disney ever produced), and had other memorable voice acting roles later on, such as The Mad Hatter in the 90s Batman animated series. One horror film that more people might recognize him for, and one of his very best roles in my humble estimation, was in 1985's "Fright Night", where he is a horror actor modeled heavily after Peter Cushing in Hammer's "Dracula" films, and he is more or less pushed into trying to fight a real vampire by one of his biggest fans. It's an underrated 80s gem, and in a decade where horror films were progressively more and more all about gore and shock factor, it managed to retain a very classic feel to it (even though the less said about it's unnecessary sequel, the better).

Notable Roles: Ronnie Cavanaugh in "The Pied Piper" (1942), Prince Malcolm in "Macbeth" (1948), Gregory Benson in "That Darn Cat!" (1965), Arthur Pimm in "It" (1967), Cornelius in the "Planet of the Apes" series (1968-1973), Mr. Jelk in "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971), Acres in "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), Benjamin Franklin Fischer in "The Legend of Hell House" (1973), Mr. Stallwood in "The Cat From Outer Space" (1978), Dr. Mellon in "Laserblast" (1978), White Robe in "Circle of Iron" (1978), Hassan in "The Thief of Baghdad" (1978), V.I.N.CENT in "The Black Hole" (1979), Samwise Gamgee in "The Return of the King" (1980), Father Stone in "The Martian Chronicles" (1980), The March Hare in "Alice in Wonderland" (1985), Peter Vincent in "Fright Night" (1985), Ratty in "The Wind in the Willows" (1987), The Mad Hatter in "Batman: The Animated Series" (1992) and "The New Batman Adventures" (1997)

Those eyes.

Donald Pleasence - I don't think it's any great secret by now that many of the Icons on this list (Parts 1 through 3), are British actors. I'd like to think that is because in the UK film scene, there is more emphasis on looking for people with good classically trained stage backgrounds, IE actually caring about acting skills, than in the US where over the decades it has become more and more about finding pretty looking young people and giving them acting lessons afterwards. Then again in all fairness, a good majority of actors in Hollywood also came from strong stage acting backgrounds as well, up until a certain point in the 70s or 80s, I guess. But I digress.

Donald Pleasence, I think it kind of goes without saying, even if you're unfamiliar with his work, is another of those great British actors. In a similar vein to Basil Rathbone, the name Donald Pleasence kind of just screams "I'm British", in a good way. After getting his start in the fairly new (in the 50s) television medium, he started getting parts in theatrical works. One of his first genre roles was in the now almost entirely unknown 1956 British production of "1984". While not a horror film, it's also notable that he had a significant role in the 1963 classic "The Great Escape". He even featured as Satan himself in "The Greatest Story Ever Told". He really started getting on a role in the late 60s, however, playing Dr. Michaels in "The Fantastic Voyage", and then becoming immortalized (and later parodied by Mike Meyers) as the arch-villain Blofeld in 1967's James Bond film "You Only Live Twice". Ironically, this was the only film in which he played that role, it being filled by other actors in other Bond films, yet he undeniably was the best and most iconic Blofeld there ever was.

He would continue building his resume, including starring in George Lucas' first film "THX 1138", the Amicus horror anthology "From Beyond the Grave", and as Bolt's assistant Mr. Deranian in "Escape to Witch Mountain". But of course, his most famous horror role, came in one of the biggest unexpected hits of all time, John Carpenter's 1977 independent film "Halloween". He would wind up playing the role of Dr. Loomis in 5 of the "Halloween" movies, pretty much cementing him in the mind's of modern horror fans. In fact, his reprisal of the role in 1995's "The Curse of Michal Meyers" was his last film role before he died, and the film is dedicated to his memory.

Notable Roles: R. Parsons in "1984" (1956), John Barsad in "A Tale of Two Cities" (1958), RAF Flight Lieutenant Colin Blythe in "The Great Escape" (1963), Satan in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965), Dr. Michaels in "The Fantastic Voyage" (1966), Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice" (1967), SEN 5241 in "THX 1138" (1971), Jim Underwood in "From Beyond the Grave" (1974), Lucas Deranian in "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975), Baron Danglars in "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1975), Doctor Harmon in "Oh God!" (1977), Dr. Sam Loomis in the "Halloween" series (1978-1995), Dr. Jack Seward in "Draclua" (1979), Mr. President in "Escape From New York" (1981), Priest in "Prince of Darkness" (1987)

The man himself.

  
Akira Takarada - Not necessarily the same brand of "horror icon" that many of these other esteemed gentlemen are, but the fact of the matter is, Japanese actor Akira Takarada starred in more than enough science fiction and monster films to qualify in spades. Besides, he's one of my personal favorites, and I think if you've starred in not one but several Godzilla films, you basically win. One of the hot new young stars of Japanese studio Toho in the mid-50s and throughout the 60s, Mr. Takarada featured in more Godzilla films than just about any other actor, and he had roles in many of their other science fiction fare as well.

I am humbled to point out, that he also has the distinction of being one of only two people on this now three-part list who are still alive, and surprisingly, still acting. The other is (as of 2013) Sir Christopher Lee, still kicking at age 91, and currently featuring in the new Hobbit films. Akira Takarada himself is now 79 years old, still acting in both Japanese television and film, and he is at least heavily rumored to have a cameo role in the upcoming 2014 American "Godzilla" film (which will hopefully be a hell of a lot better than the 1998 film America tried).

By virtue of the fact that pretty much his entire career has been spent in his native Japan, the only film fans who are really going to know who he is, are naturally fans of Japanese films, most especially the sci-fi and kaiju films he is known for. But I am here to help make him known to the world, because the guy rocks, and he had some great roles in some of my favorite Toho films of all time, most especially Astronaut Fuji from my all-time favorite Godzilla film, "Invasion of the Astro Monster" (also known as "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero"). On a somewhat humorous note, he is also strongly connected with Disney films in Japan, as he has done the voice dubbing work for characters like the villain Ratigan from "The Great Mouse Detective" and the evil Jafar in "Aladdin".

Notable Roles: Hideto Ogata in "Gojira/Godzilla" (1954), Takeshi Iijima in "Half Human" (1955), Prince Wakatarashi in "The Birth of Japan" (1959), Takano in "The Last War" (1960), Ichiro Sakai in "Mothra vs. Godzilla" (1964), Astronaut K. Fuji in "Invasion of the Astro Monster" (1965), Yoshimura in "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster" (1966), Lt. Commander Jiro Nomura in "King Kong Escapes" (1967), Dr. Ken Teshiro in "Latitude Zero" (1969), Joji Minamino in "Godzilla vs. Mothra" (1992), Nataro Daigo in "Godzilla: Final War" (2004)




 

So there ya go, that is pretty much my list of "Icons of Horror Cinema". This entry wound up being longer than I'd planned on it being, but I "Hulk Smashed" my way through and just got it done. There are, of course, as many of you I'm sure might point out, many other actors who could be considered "Horror Icons", most especially when it comes to more modern horror films. Some of these would be names like Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, etc. And while I wouldn't dispute them being icons of horror cinema, please understand that this list sticks to the more classic actors and films. Besides, plenty of people have written articles and books and made videos and documentaries galore talking about many of the better known, more modern horror stars. I feel like my part in all of this, as usual, is to help let people know about some of the older, lesser known stars of yesteryear, because they are the ones that deserve to be remembered and recognized, whereas many new stars are already well remembered and very much recognized.

So with that, I will bid you all a very merry Samhain, and a very Happy Halloween! Stay safe out there, and do yourself a favor, make sure to celebrate the occasion by sitting down and watching at least one or two classic sci-fi/monster/horror films. You'll be glad you did, and I'll rest easy knowing I inspired some classic love. Cheers, and Happy Haunting!


Check out Part 1 and Part 2!

Make sure to have yourself a Mad Monster Party!