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 Last night I watched the 2021 documentary BORIS KARLOFF: THE MAN BEHIND THE MONSTER on the Tubi streaming channel. The film was directed and co-written by Thomas Hamilton. It's a fine program, giving a fairly complete retrospective on Boris Karloff's acting career. What makes it a cut abo read more

In our current climate, it almost seems like an oxymoron to have a shoestring budget period piece, but many of Val Lewton’s best movies were founded on this formula. His three-film partnership was beneficial for all parties involved and we would like to consider how he was able to fashion Karl read more

“Things have been awfully dead around here.” I am forever indebted to Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The duo were my entry point into classic film as a kid, and many of their comedies (Buck Privates, Rio Rita, Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man) still rank among my all-time favorites. read more

Silver Screen Standards: Boris Karloff It was an early afternoon in June as I trooped along from Edinburgh’s Royal Mile near George IV Bridge with my family in tow. We were headed for Greyfriars Kirkyard to poke around the tombs until our tour time at Edinburgh Castle, and the old city heaved wit read more

Decades after getting his big break in Frankenstein (1931), Boris Karloff revisited the idea in Frankenstein 1970 (1958). This time he was the one harvesting body parts and playing with knobs as Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Karloff is the draw in this low-budget quickie production which recently made it read more

Today, I'm writing about the monsters played by Boris Karloff in the horror films of the 1930s. The photo above shows Karloff as Frankenstein's monster in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). This article is part of the 2016 Summer Under the Stars Blogathon hosted by Journeys in Classic Film. "Th read more

Share This!   What evil force is loose that empties graves of these long dead…buries those still alive…leaves behind it death…AND WORSE! Boris Karloff is still rather summarily dismissed in some circles as the actor who played Frankenstein or perhaps by younger generations as he wh read more

Share This! THE  MAN  WHO  MADE  A  MONSTER “Mr. Carl Laemmle feels it would be a little unkind to present this picture without a word of friendly warning,” begins Edward Van Sloan, one of the stars of the upcoming movie, speaking from the screen.  Standing meekly on a stage, he further cautions read more

Share This! Destruction to all he touched or looked upon! The last time we met Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi at this site and under this byline was in The Black Cat (1934).  Well, gentle reader, in comparing that film with The Invisible Ray, made two years later and featuring the same two actors, read more

Share This! Destruction to all he touched or looked upon! The last time we met Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi at this site and under this byline was in The Black Cat (1934).  Well, gentle reader, in comparing that film with The Invisible Ray, made two years later and featuring the same two actors, read more

Humanizing villainous characters "'Men don't go about being bad just for the sake of being bad. Unless they are Lon Chaney, Priscilla Dean The Wicked Darling mentally deranged. There must be a reason for their badness, some human failing. Otherwise they merely are fictional characters having read more

Share This! From the Depths of the Earth, He Will Rise. Long thought to be among the ranks of famous lost films within ten years of its 1933 release, The Ghoul finally came to light in the late sixties. That version, however, was missing several significant scenes and was almost unwatchable, though read more

Share This! From the Depths of the Earth, He Will Rise. Long thought to be among the ranks of famous lost films within ten years of its 1933 release, The Ghoul finally came to light in the late sixties. That version, however, was missing several significant scenes and was almost unwatchable, though read more

Share This! “We shall play a little game, Vitus.  A game of death, if you like . . . ”—— Boris Karloff to Bela Lugosi First off, to set things straight and orient any readers venturing into unfamiliar horror film territory, this Black Cat is the 1934 version with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, read more

Happy Birthday, Boris Karloff November 23rd. An Icon of horror cinema, Karloff ranks with Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price as the most recognizable faces. Clearly, he and Chaney are the best actors that the horror genre has had to offer. With more than 150 film appearances, with performance read more

Happy Birthday, Boris Karloff November 23rd. An Icon of horror cinema, Karloff ranks with Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price as the most recognizable faces. Clearly, he and Chaney are the best actors that the horror genre has had to offer. With more than 150 film appearances, with performance read more

Happy Birthday, Boris Karloff November 23rd. An Icon of horror cinema, Karloff ranks with Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price as the most recognizable faces. Clearly, he and Chaney are the best actors that the horror genre has had to offer. With more than 150 film appearances, with performance read more

Born November 23, 1887 Horror Icon Boris Karloff Boris Karloff appeared in over 200 film and television roles, silent and sound, including Frankenstein, The Mummy, Tower of London, The Body Snatcher, The Black Cat — and of course The Grinch! Boris Karloff as Frankenstein, himself, and The Grin read more

Directed by: Norbert Pfaffenbichler Starring: Boris Karloff I was delighted to end SIFF 2014 with a movie that combined two of my favorite things: classic movie stars and experimental film. Austrian filmmaker Norbert Pfaffenbichler's ode to the madness of Boris Karloff is one of my favorite films f read more

In his 1981 history of horror fiction Danse Macabre, Stephen King dubs Thriller "probably the best horror series ever put on TV." It's still hard to argue with King's assessment. While this 1960-62 anthology series was inconsistent, it boasted some of the most chilling content ever broadcast on read more