Sunday, 24 November 2024

Boris Karloff: The Face Behind the Mask (2021 Thomas Hamilton & co-scr)

Combinations of many archive interviews featuring people like Leonard Maltin, Peter Bogdanovich, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Frayling and John Landis, as well as Karloff's rather serious looking daughter. He'd had a bad upbringing as one of seven children, an abusive father, mother with mental problems and brother involved in a killing; perhaps why he then was married five times.

Was a moving Frankenstein and objected to throwing the girl in the water. Moved to stage after initial horror (both The Mask of Fu Manchu and The Mummy look good) and found success in 'Arsenic and Old Lace', but the contract wouldn't release him to be in the film, which he much regretted. Was pleased at a minor renaissance through Val Lewton, then in the fifties returned to the stage. Presented 'Thriller' series in early sixties and acted in some memorably creepy looking episodes. Despite emphysema and crippled legs gamely continued through Roger Cormans and later stuff. 

The Targets story: when he'd finished the 'appoint in Samara' story in a single take, at 2AM, the crew spontaneously applauded. Even though it wasn't, he described it as his final film.



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