© 1998 by SMITHMARK Publishers All photographs contained in this book are courtesy of the Everett Collection, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without first obtaining written permision of the copyright owner. This edition published in 1998 by SMITHMARK Publishers, a division of the U.S. Media Holdings, Inc., 115 West 18th St. New York, NY 10011. SMITHMARK books are available for bulk purchase for sales pro‑ motion and premium use. For details write or call the manager of special sales, SMITHMARK Publishers, 115 West 18th St. New York, NY 10011. Editorial Director: Elisabeth Sullivan Edited by Marisa Bulzone Designed by Jay Anning/Thumbprint ISBN: 0‑7651‑0885‑2 Printed in Hong Kong Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98‑60692
By Zach Zito, Mel Neuhaus & Michael Lederman
a division of U.S. Media Holdings, Inc. 115 West 18th St. New York, NY 10011
CONTENTS GOTHIC TALES OF TERROR 8 Dracula 12 Phantom of the Opera 16 Frankenstein 20 The Mummy 22 The Wolf Man 24 Edward Scissorhands
THEY CAME FROM OUTER SPACE 28 The Thing (From Another World) 29 War of the Worlds 30 The Day the Earth Stood Still 32 The Day of the Triffids 33 Invasion of the Body Snatchers 34 The Blob 35 It! The Terror from Beyond Space 36 Alien
4 Monster Madness
SCIENCE HAS RUN AMOK 40 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 42 The Invisible Man 44 The Fly
PREHISTORIC THROWBACKS AND POST-ATOMIC MUTANTS 48 King Kong 52 The Creature from the Black Lagoon 53 The Beast from 20.000 Fathoms 54 Attack of the 50 Foot Woman 55 The Incredible Shrinking Man 56 Them! 58 Godzilla 62 Photo Captions 63 Selected Filmography 64 Index
Monster Madness 5
6  Monster Madness
GOTHIC TALES OF TERROR Dracula
Phantom of the Opera Frankenstein The Mummy The Wolf Man Edward Scissorhands
Monster Madness  7
8  Monster Madness
Previous page Max Schreck in Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror (1922).
Left Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931). Béla Lugosi as Count Dracula about to bite Helen Chandler as Mina in the film that forever typecast the Hungarian actor as the vampire. Lugosi never wore fangs as Dracula.
I am... Dracula!
The character of Dracula has been the subject of so many films that it comes as a surprise that Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel has just passed the centennial of its original publication. It seems as if the Count has been with us far longer than one hundred years. Vlad Dracula, or Vlad the Impaler, was a 15th Century figure who was known for excessive cruelty and horrifying acts of torture. His favored method of murder was to impale his vic‑ tims on wooden stakes. Regarded as a hero and liberator by his own people, he fought off the Turkish conquerors and preserved the independence of his Transylvanian kingdom. Stoker combined the historical tales of Dracula with Euro‑ pean vampire folklore to create the character for his novel, in which a 500-year-old Transylvanian nobleman has bled his country dry, and must move to England in search of new, unsuspecting victims. Dracula first appeared on film in the 1922 German silent film Nosferatu, with the title role played by Max Schreck. But for its 1931 film, Dracula, Universal Studios cast Béla Lugosi, fresh from playing the title role in the Broadway play on which the film was based. With his chilling presence and heavy Hungarian accent, Lugosi was utterly convincing when he announced, “I am...Dracula!” The film launched Uni‑ versal’s parade of classic horror titles, and Lugosi’s portrayal established the standard to which all future film vampires would be compared.
Universal produced several more Dracula films, with and without Lugosi, throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s. But ironi‑ cally, it was Lugosi who would play the Count one last time for Universal, as Dracula , along with Frankenstein and the Wolfman, meet Abbott and Costello in the 1948 tour de force that brought the studio’s classic horror run to an end. A decade later, England’s Hammer Films brought forth a fresh, Technicolor remake of the original with their Horror of Dracula, starrring Christopher Lee in the title role. So popular was his portrayal, he would go on to play the Count in six more films for the studio. Other outstanding actors to don the black cape are Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Francis Lederer, Ferdy Mayne, Louis Jourdan, Udo Kier, Jack Palance, George Hamilton, Frank Langella, Klaus Kinski, Leslie Nielsen, Duncan Regehr, and most recently, Gary Oldman, Richard Roxburgh, and Gerard Butler. Dracula’s nemesis, Dr. Van Helsing, has been played by an equally stellar roster, including John Gottowt, Edward Van Sloan, Peter Cushing, Laurence Olivier, Anthony Hopkins, and Hugh Jackman.
Monster Madness 9
10  Monster Madness
Above Frances Dade and Béla Lugosi in the English speaking Dracula.
Left Carlos Villarias and Lupita Tovar in Dracula (1931). Spanish language version of Dracula, filmed in Los Angeles by Universal Pictures at night using the same sets as the Béla Lugosi version, but with a different cast and director.
Monster Madness 11
England’s Hammer studio made its name with horror, principally beginning with The Curse of Frankenstein — an updating of the Mary Shelley novel with more explicit gore that seemed utterly shocking for 1957, and its inevitable follow-up, Dracula (released in the U.S. as Horror of Dracula to prevent confusion with the Béla Lugosi film), which contained more action, more blood, and hints of sex. With these two films began the modern horror picture: explicit and scandalous. Both departed dramatically from their Universal Pictures counterparts, and Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee (the protagonist and the monster, respect‑ fully, in each film) took their place beside Lugosi and Boris Karloff as timeless horror icons. Hammer had a merciless eye toward low budgets and commercial prospects, and (some‑ times distressingly) milked their franchises for all they were worth. No, the monsters did not meet Abbott and Costello, but the films did become more exploitative, more crass, and, ironically, out of date despite all the studios’ efforts to keep them modern. Hammer’s reputation became sul‑ lied in the 1970’s with often insipid attempts to update their icons; they even briefly turned to adapting TV sitcoms into big-screen films before the money ran out and the studio closed its doors. But Hammer retains a loyal cult following, particularly for those early films from its golden period, which ran approximately into the mid60’s. Those films, many of them directed by Terence Fisher, were classy, exciting, and elegant, and though the chills were usually rooted in the fantastic, and therefore necessarily arti‑ ficial, they were almost always worth the price of admission.
ly open their windows for their night visitor, and then the necks of their nightgowns. Before Dracula strikes, he brushes gently against their neck as a lover might, and becomes so aroused that his eyes become engorged with blood (glass contact lenses), then we see him bite, and blood courses down his chin; the woman sighs in ecstasy (tame now, but rated X in England when it was released!) When Lucy, await‑ ing Dracula, removes the cross from her neck and sticks it in a drawer, it’s with the same import as if she had turned a photo of her mother so that it didn’t face the bed. This film undoubt‑ edly influenced nearly every vampire film that followed; there is even a reference to vampir‑ ism as drug addiction. Peter Cushing, as Van Helsing, is far more dynamic than the elderly Dutch doctor of the original novel. He chases vigor‑ ously after his opponent, and when he defeats him in the famous climax, it’s with the skill of a gymnast. Lee has less to do, but makes such an impact in the opening scenes in Castle Dracula that his presence is felt even when he’s absent for long stretches.
Dracula’s victims eagerly open their windows for their night visitor, and then the necks of their nightgowns.
Prior to Hammer’s Dracula film, the character of Dracula was embodied in the “I want to suck your blood” parodies of Lugosi; it was impossible to separate the character from Lugosi’s rich Hungarian accent. When he did “suck blood,” it was with an uplifted cape, discreetly hiding the fang pen‑ etration from the audience. Tod Browning’s film was a talky adaptation, actually adapted from the theatrical production, and it showed. Sequel after sequel dumbed down the pre‑ sentation of the villain until he became merely a flapping bat on a string dissolving into a caped man with fangs. Terence Fisher’s Dracula, by contrast, is best seen as a deliberate attempt to reimagine the character and see the material from a fresh, more earthly point of view, instead of as a faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, which it definitely isn’t. If sex was merely hinted at in the original film, here the subtext is brought to he fore and underlined. Dracula’s victims eager‑
12 Monster Madness
Actually, Lee’s portrayal is very close to Stoker’s creation, though he retains a dignified British accent. In Stoker’s novel, Dracula really is a diabolical beast with blood on his lips and a scowl on his face, running from those who hunt him and taunting them from a distance. Therefore, after the opening scenes in Castle Dracula, Lee has very little dialogue, and almost performs his seduction scenes as though he were Rudolph Valentino in a silent film. The score by James Bernard is also worth mentioning. Bernard composed almost all of the “clas‑ sic” Hammer scores, and his work was typically lush and memorable. His Dracula theme is memorable, but rather inanely composed, so that the three-note theme seems to shout “DRAC‑U‑LA!” (This is intentional on Bernard’s part.) In later films, the Dracula theme will recede into an almost subliminal presence on the score, while more romantic and gothic themes paint the foreground. Still, this film restored class and dignity to Dracula and, by extension, the horror genre, which was otherwise stagnant through the 1950’s.
Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula, Terence Fisher, 1958). The first time Christopher Lee played the Count in this international Hammer sensation. With a steadfast Peter Cushing as Van Helsing and in vivid Technicolor, Lee’s powerful presence and sensual performance made a remarkable impact on movie audiences around the world. Here the Count is about to indulge in a snack in this typical Hammer publicity shot.
Monster Madness  13
14  Monster Madness
Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks upon this earth is the one who finds... True love? Left Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Francis Ford Coppola, 1992). Coppola’s new telling of Bram Stoker’s classic horror story has a major departure from Stoker’s book; motivation. As Count Dracula (Gary Oldman) is motivated more by romance (Winona Ryder) than by bloodlust. He is a fool for love. Dracula is, in fact, the ultimate romantic — love’s goriest victim.
Monster Madness 15
Right HBO’s True Blood (2008) True Blood revolves around the lives of handsome 173 year old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and local waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) living in a small Louisiana town.
16  Monster Madness
Monster Madness  17
Vampires who exhibit self-control is a new phenomenon that has permeated present day pop culture. The days of morbidly sinister vampires have ended, and a new breed of vampirism has evolved. Modern day vampires have become a fascinating part of mainstream pop culture primarily because TV writers and big screen producers have promoted the creatures in a new way. Modern day vampires are not all evil. In fact, some of these legendary beings have become self-controlled and compassionate in their design and purpose. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, Interview with a Vampire, Van Helsing, and Twilight have all encouraged a new breed of vampirism. The bloodthirsty creatures have become more sympathetic to humans and have entertained intimate relationships with them. The goal for the good vampires is no longer one that centers on domination and control but on intimacy and respect. The bloodthirsty television series and fang-piercing big screen thrillers have brought an empathetic vampire into the limelight. Modern day pop culture has come to adore the unselfish and disciplined vampire. Breaking down the lust for vampire lore, we find it based in two realms of non-reality. Some authors choose to build their vampire characters from the magical aspects we’ve become accustomed to. Avoiding the sun, silver and garlic. Interacting
18 Monster Madness
with Werewolves and Fairies. Probably one of the more pro‑ lific versions of this example is the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Now an HBO series called True Blood, this modern tale puts the girl-next-door Sookie into a world where vampires have “come out” and live openly among humans. Harris sticks to many of the traditional vampire
The goal for the good vampires is no longer one that centers on domination and control but on intimacy and respect. clichés, keeping them out of the sun and afraid of silver. Sookie interacts with vampires like you might do so with the mailman. Entertainment at its best for most vampire lovers. By comparison, some writers lean more heavily upon the supernatural world to provide you with a darker dish of vampire stew. From the realm of angels and demons, many
vampires are portrayed as tortured souls cursed to live in endless damnation. Reviled and oppressed, often hunted into extinction, these more traditional vampires represent the age old good vs. evil story lines. Demonic creatures of the night, preying on helpless humans. Falling somewhere between these two categories, The Vampire Diaries attempts to prey on recent surges in vampire popularity by appealing to the younger audience. It does an acceptable job of offering traditional vampire clichés while relying on magical rings to let its heroes move around dur‑ ing the daylight. L. J. Smith has penned a series that is both timely and fun. While at times, it’s hard to take it seriously, it does capture the romantic side of the vampire genre with the “boy meets girl” plot. Which brings us back to the allure of vampires. Why do we never tire of a good long-toothed tale? Whether you prefer the magical side or the darker supernatural side of these tales, you can still accept them for what they are. Just good entertainment and breathtaking fantasy.
Above CW’s The Vampire Diaries (2009) The Vampire Diaries Series is the story of two vampire brothers; the good-hearted Stefan (Paul Wesley) and the sadistic Damon (Ian Somerhalder) who are obsessed with the same girl, high-schooler Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) .
Monster Madness 19
Monster Madness Zach Zito Mel Neuhaus Michael Lederman
Starring twenty–five of the greatest monsters to ever stalk the silver screen Dracula, King Kong, Frankenstein, Godzilla — like all great stars of the silver screen, the mere mention of their names conjures immediate recognition of a famous line, a favorite scene, or the distinct memory of hours spent in a darkened theater or propped in front of the television set on a Saturday afternoon. Curiously, despite the havoc they have wreaked across moonlit moors and the streets of great cities, even the most horrific of these Hollywood creations are held to our hearts with great affection. Monster Madness pays tribute to twenty–five of the greatest monsters of the movies, those that have withstood the test of time to be icons of the world culture.
$25.00 US $36.00 CAN ISBN 014–303500–2