Monsters in the Movies

460 Pages·2011·9.61 MB·English

by  John Landis

Table of Contents

How to Use this eBook
Foreword
Introduction
Vampires
Vampires
In Conversation: Christopher Lee
Werewolves
Werewolves
An American Werewolf in London
In Conversation: Joe Dante
Mad Scientists
Mad Scientists
In Conversation: David Cronenberg
Zombies
Zombies
In Conversation: Sam Raimi
Ghosts
Ghosts
Mummies
Mummies
In Conversation: Guillermo Del Toro
Myths, Legends, & Fairy Tales
Myths, Legends, & Fairy Tales
In Conversation: Ray Harryhausen
Dragons & Dinosaurs
Dragons & Dinosaurs
Monstrous Apes
Monstrous Apes
In Conversation: Rick Baker
Nature’s Revenge
Nature’s Revenge
Atomic Mutations
Atomic Mutations
The Devil’s Work
The Devil’s Work
In Conversation: John Carpenter
Space Monsters
Space Monsters
Monstrous Machines
Monstrous Machines
Human Monsters
Human Monsters
The Monster Makers
Monster Makers
Monster Directors
Make-up Artists
Monster Designers
Stop-motion Animation
Matte Painting
Miniatures
Copyright
HOW TO USE THIS EBOOK

On devices with both portrait and landscape orientation, this book is best viewed
in portrait orientation and with the type size set to minimum.
On touch screen devices, you can tap on any movies mentioned in the essays and
conversations to go straight to that movie’s photograph and caption. If you
double tap on any photograph, it can be enlarged.
The top of each screen features links to the chapter opener and to the table of
contents.
FOREWORD

I busied myself to think of a story, which would speak to
the mysterious fears of our nature and awaken thrilling
horror. One to make the reader dread to look around, to
curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart.
Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein

Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our
conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our
feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.
Ingmar Bergman, film director

Fantasy, horror, and science-fiction films are where most of the monsters in this
book are to be found. These three genres have among the most ardent and
faithful fans. Just Google “horror film websites” and see how many people are
deeply passionate about this stuff.
There are many books about the movies, and like the movies, most of them are
not that good. So I feel the need to clarify that this has been a labor of love and
not a class assignment. This book is meant to be fun. It is not some heavy tome
on the meaning of violence in the cinema, or a ponderous examination of film
theory. This is a book with a lot of photographs of monsters in the movies. The
films represented here are included not because they are necessarily good or bad
films, but only because of the monsters that appear in them.
Even though this eBook is mostly photographic essays, included are some
conversations with a few of my friends that will be of interest. I spoke with
people who have made enormous contributions to the cinema, and in particular
the cinema of monsters! Let me express my deep thanks and appreciation to Ray
Harryhausen, Sir Christopher Lee, David Cronenberg, Rick Baker, Joe Dante,
John Carpenter, and Sam Raimi for participating. You will be impressed by what
these guys have to say.
Most of what is written here is from my memories of the films, with additional
research at the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles Public Libraries, as well as the
research at the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles Public Libraries, as well as the
Internet for fact-checking names and dates. The Internet is an amazing source of
information. It is an equally amazing source of misinformation, and often
disinformation. The Internet allows literally anyone to say anything, which is a
very sharp double-edged sword. Reading the Internet postings of some people, it
is clear that the writers have issues far beyond whatever ignorant or hateful bile
they are spewing forth. On the other hand, there are often thoughtful and
fascinating insights to be found on the web (said the spider to the fly!).
I apologize for any factual errors (blame my editors for not catching them).
However, I do take full responsibility for any opinions expressed. Just remember
that the quality of anything is entirely subjective. Have a good time. I know I
did.
Foreword [Book Contents]
Michael Jackson’s Thriller [John Landis, 1983]
Michael as a zombie in this all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing horror film.
Foreword [Book Contents]
Triple-terror thrills
A one-sheet poster advertising a triple feature showing of Frankenstein [1931],
Dracula [1931], and The Wolf Man [1941]. In the late ’40s and early ’50s, actor
and cowboy Glenn Strange (who played the Frankenstein monster in both House
of Frankenstein [1944] and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein [1948]
would put on the costume and a rubber mask and, with other performers dressed
as Dracula and the Wolf Man, rampage through the theater as the kids screamed
with delight.
Boris Karloff and Mae Clarke in Frankenstein [James Whale, 1931].
INTRODUCTION

This guide is not meant to be an encyclopedia of every
monster that has ever appeared in a movie. Nor is it my
intention to write an exhaustive history of horror, fantasy,
and science-fiction cinema. It is a pictorial overview of
monsters from the movies that I have chosen. Most of the
images come from The Kobal Collection; others come
from friends who make monster movies.
My criteria for inclusion of a particular monster is simple: the illustrations in this
volume are there because I think they are cool. Some have cultural and historic
importance, some are terrifying, some are beautiful, some are repulsive, and
many are just silly. Please remember my ambition is that of an entertainer, not of
a scholar. You may learn quite a bit of useful and fairly esoteric information, but
that is entirely up to you.
What is it about the movies that holds such power over the popular imagination?
Although the medium itself is a relatively new one, pictures projected from
strips of film to create moving images have had a massive impact on world
culture. Hollywood movies and the international cinema have become the basis
of what can only be described as our global mythology.
Montage is the juxtaposition of images to create a narrative. Even children, the
first time they watch a film, instantly understand the concept of montage. When
one is shown the outside of a building and then the characters inside it, the
viewer understands this radical shifting of time and place at once. When we are
presented with a close-up of a man looking out a window and then “Cut To” a
car driving down the street, we do not have to be told that the car is what the
man on screen is seeing (his “point of view”), we just know it. Human beings
from around the world automatically accept and comprehend this film language.
Even more magically, when two characters are on screen and one says, “You
drive the car, and I will take a bus. We will go to the airport and fly to Paris.
There you will rent another car and I will take a taxi and we will meet at the
Eiffel Tower in two days.” Then the screen CUTS TO: EXTERIOR EIFFEL
TOWER—DAY and our two characters approach one another and shake hands.