The Fire Monster
Somehow the Academy overlooked, “The Son of Hercules vs the Fire Monsters” and it was not even nominated for an Oscar. The first Fire Monster emerges from a lake and Maxus (Son of Hercules, Blond with Elvis do) kind of flips underhanded a flint tip spear and nails the beast right in the eye. He (the beast) sinks into the lake and a lot of red stuff bubbles up. Any resemblance to Godzilla is unintentional.
Gort
Well this silvery fellow came from “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, 1951. In times of annoyance, his visor would pop up and out would come a bright ray which could do about anything. To quote Klaatu, “there’s no limit to what Gort could do.” 57 years later a remake has been launched starring Keanu Reeves. It’s said to be a turkey, so just stick to enjoying my painting.
Rubberized Karate Alien Monster
A series of Japanese epics were made in the 50’s featuring “Starman”, a stern, oriental looking hero who sports a cape, can fly and battles evil. This evil guy appears to be a regular human in an over-the-top rubber suit with some serious teeth. When he fights Starman, both deploy wind-milling martial arts skills but they don’t quite make contact as special effects were in their infancy. Starman, none the less, wins.
Old Bolt Neck
People say, “that’s Frankenstein” but, in fact, it’s Frankenstein’s Monster. Frankenstein is the mad scientist. So does the monster have a name? Perhaps LeRoy? No one knows. Boris Karloff’s brilliant performance and makeup in the 1931 film created the template for the creature’s enduring popularity and launched dozens of sequel films. And still coming. The story came from a book called “The Modern Prometheus” by Mary Shelly written in 1818. It was quite a serious book
The Polar Bear of Death
With the arctic habitat being destroyed by global warming, the Polar Bear of Death is born and standing 60 feet tall with flame breath to boot, he wreaks vengeance on mankind. It’s a cliché but Tokyo always gets it first. The bear’s flame does generate a lot of greenhouse gas but you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs, he reasons.
Flash Gordon’s Ride
OK, it’s not a robot but was anything ever cooler than Flash’s Art Deco space ship with its stubby wings, stand-up piloting position, deck gun, nose torpedo shooter (sounding like one of those air guns which fired ping pong balls), sliding exit door plus flip down ramp, periscope, upward spiraling take-off technique, propulsion system copied from a 4th of July sparkler complete with smoke, and that fantastic noise like a wasp colony on steroids? The answer is no.
Bubbling Red Face
Fall asleep under a sun lamp and see what happens? This rather sympathetic monster lurches around in a film called “Panic”. There are air-sacs in the make up so his skin pulses! How’s that for terror? What really impressed me though, is the care he took with his hair-do. A kind of blue, John Lennon look.
Smoking Robot
This robot was a “toy” made by Yonezawa of Japan. I investigated Yonezawa on Wikipedia and got the following:
“It is unclear what has become of the company, but it is believed to be involved in the production of industrial electronics”
Oh yeah. That’s what they want you to think…
Listen to Your Mummy
The granddad of all Mummy movies and arguably the best is Universal’s “The Mummy” starring Boris Karloff. After his resurrection, he ditches the linen and goes around as a regular, albeit creepy, Egyptian. But he’s got powers. When he looks at you like this. It’s curtains.
Morlocks
“The Time Machine” was written by HG Wells in 1895 and it spawned several movies. This image is from the 1960 version and it shows the cannibalistic, underground, glowing eye Morlocks getting ready to eat some helpless Eloi. In the book, both Morlocks and Eloi were devolved humans with the Eloi being androgynous, passive, small, stupid creatures and with the Morlocks being…Morlocks. But in the movie, the Eloi had evolved into…Yvette Mimieux. Darwin would be proud.
An Oddity from Star Odyssey
“Star Odyssey” was a bizarre cheesy copy of Star Wars made in 1979. It had the bar scene, R2D2 looking something like a toaster, and light saber fights with the “light blade” apparently being a venetian blind. With its special effects budget running into the hundreds of dollars, it was, for some unknown reason, able to introduce a robot boxer with a weird head who manages to lose to a human. I’m not sure how this fit into the plot. Was there a plot?
Sick of Sushi
By 1960, many of hipper monsters felt that Tokyo was over. In a contemporary interview, Mothra told Barbara Walters, “I mean, Barbara, like attacking Tokyo is so…Godzilla.” Victim City trends were definitely migrating to the West and, accordingly, I have painted Mothra, in her larval stage, in the act of eating Los Angeles.
No More Mr. Nice Monster
Godzilla, AKA “King of the Monsters”, appeared in some films as rather cuddly type who would take his marching orders from button cute Japanese children and then fight for mankind. And he was a caring Dad for Godzilla Jr., who couldn’t breathe fire but produced smoke rings.
Not in my painting. I show his less sensitive side. He’ll burn you, eat you up, and Tokyo too.
Reptilia, the Snake Girl
Would you say my painting is..…to scale? Hahahaha.
This movie always struck me as somewhat of a feminist revenge piece. Women can often be heard complaining that they are dating snakes so why not be transformed into one? You can spread a lot of venom around in 90 minutes.
Sony radios, Nikon cameras and now
The Grabbo monster. Actually, pictured is Mrs Grabbo. Her infant mistakenly fell into the Sea of Japan and was interned by the authorities. This brought the parents from their home planet, to effect a rescue, but a series of violent misunderstandings between Mr. /Mrs G. and the Japanese military led to Tokyo being trashed yet again. Grabbos fly without moving their wings and pack standard blue radioactive flame breath. Peace breaks out at the end and the Grabbos fly off into the sunset.
Politically Incorrect Monster
Back in the day, wolves scared people. They attacked livestock and in some lurid reports, children. So the Werewolf was created. But now we know wolfies, are noble, intelligent and valued members of the natural world. And we’re enthusiastically inviting them to repopulate their old ranges. So the idea of scaring people with a “werewolf” has passed its sell-by date.
I propose: The WereInvestmentBanker.
He Took a Little Walk
The younger archaeologist opened the forbidden chest and pulled out the Scroll of Thoth. With the mummy quiescent but stood up in his sarcophagus, the archaeologist quietly read the spell of awakening not realizing…And then the mummy slowly opened his eyes and moved his arm. The scene shifts to the two older archaeologists outside. They heard screams and maniacal laughter. They ran inside. The young man, now quite insane said, “he took a little walk”. 1933, thanks, Boris.
Nosferatu, Welcome Count “Orlok”
It was entirely the Bram Stoker “Dracula” story but in 1921, the studio didn’t want to pay for the book rights so they ripped it off: Nosferatu=Vampire and Orlok=Dracula. But the make-up created for the 6 ft 6 inch actor, Max Schreck, was incredible and the movie, directed by FW Murnau is a true classic. It’s had two prominent remakes with first Klaus Kinski and then William Dafoe recreating the Schreck masterpiece. My painting is of Kinski. Who’s a weird person, by the way.
One of the Things in The Thing
The concept began with a story called, “Who goes there?’ This was followed by “The Thing from another world” starring James Arness as the monster. Yes, that James Arness who played Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke. But the John Carpenter 1982 remake. Whew. Everyone’s a monster. Even Wilford Brimley for gosh shakes. Roger Ebert called “The Thing”, “A Great Barf Bag Movie”. The print ads ran, “A Great…Movie” –Roger Ebert-
Gettin’ all Medieval on Quasimodo
His massive arms chained, his shirt ripped away, Q is savagely whipped by the Paris police. He screams his pain and rage for he has done nothing. Quasimodo is masterfully played by the Man of 1,000 faces, Lon Chaney, in the 1923 silent adaptation of “the Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Chaney’s skill is so evident that I wish he could have been born later and could therefore have made more contemporary movies. Or that he lived longer. He died in 1930, only 47 years old.
An Unlikely Romantic Hero
Do you know Lon Chaney? Man of 1,000 faces? Or his great grandson, Dick? (Only kidding). Well, in the 1925 silent film, “Phantom of the Opera”, Lon produced make-up and a character so compelling that it spawned dozens of films, novels and plays, but the unmasking scene, which actually caused the cameraman to lose control of his focus, was never topped. And then in 1986 , Weber’s play made the Phantom into…Carey Grant?? There’s just no understanding women.
You’re a visual person
Or you wouldn’t be interested in my painting. I therefore urge you to see or see again Fritz Lang’s silent era masterpiece of 1927, “Metropolis”. The story and acting seem obsolete but the visual power of the moving and still scenes and vignettes in the film continue to astonish and may never have been equaled.
I’ve painted Rotwang’s iconic female robot who leads the workers into their doomed revolt.
A nine Tana Leaf cocktail, Barkeep
Here’s a close up of Kharis, star of “The Mummy’s Hand”, Ghost, Tomb and Curse. Four movies all with the same plot: Kharis is awakened by the Priests of Arkham with Tana Leaf tea and he goes about murdering the defilers of the Tomb of the Princess Ananka, his former old lady. The image I’ve painted has an interesting piece of film trivia associated with it. By hand, the editor colored Kharis’ eyes dead black, on each frame. Makes him look quite the soulless monster.
There goes the Ozone layer
Before planes like the Concorde played havoc with our upper atmosphere, there was Rodan. He looks like a Pterodactyl but he’s way bigger and flies at a couple of thousand miles per hour. The sonic boom alone, is sufficient to level great swaths of Japanese commercial and residential real estate. He was originally dug up as an egg by miners. Hey, when you find an egg as big as the Rose Bowl, you cover it up again. Hello?
Invasion of the Art Deco Martians
HG wrote the book but Orson made the famous Mercury Theatre radio broadcast on Halloween, 1938. 15 years later, George Pal made a terrific movie of “War of the Worlds”. And did the Martians have boss war machines or what? If they’ld checked our planet’s air as carefully as they molded the lines of their war machines, we might be a colony of Mars.
The Original Heavy Metal Dude
The connection between Heavy Metal and hot babes is widely known. But did you know the role Tobor played? He was initially invented in the Captain Video TV series but in 1954, he got a promotion to “Tobor the Great” and starred in his own movie. And he was…girl crazy. My painting is of the historic movie poster and the text intro was, “A Man Made Monster with Every Human Emotion.” Heh, heh. And what a cool name! “Tobor” is “Robot” spelt backwards! Whoooaa.
Nice Doggie
I took this image from…a toy! Not the most fuzzy wuzzy plaything so I was wondering why parents would buy it for little Billy. I got to thinking:
“Billy, Billy, you don’t want a doggie just cause Tommy has one next door? If Tommy jumped out of the window, would you jump too? Doggies seem nice but they can…change. How about a Gerbil?”
The Secret Life of Appliances.
There’s a whole cottage industry which consists of hacking up respectable appliances and turning them into Anthro-form robots. So cute. Beats the heck out of the crusher yard. The little guys are hard to paint in group form but do an internet search for “robots formally known as appliances” and the results are hysterical.
In Mid Transformation
My vote for the best comedy wrapped around a horror film goes to “An American Werewolf in London”. My painting captures the amazing transformation scene halfway. Today this would be done digitally but in 1981, it was some cutting edge work which was so good and so original that a complete new category of Oscar was created: Outstanding Achievement in Makeup. Was this subsequently won by Tammy Faye Bakker? (only kidding)
The American Dental Association…
notes that if you’re a ghoul and you haven’t had regular dental checkups for, say, 900 years, you’re likely to see some yellowing on your teeth. This can spread to the eyes and affect your disposition too! Make an appointment today for a session of professional whitening. We accept Visa, Mastercard and all major dental insurance. The new, pale toothed you, will drive the ghoulettes crazy.
A head as seen in “The Head”
Let’s review the plot of this 1957 movie. Pictured is a scientist who has developed a serum which can keep a decapitated head alive. He proves this out on his dog (poor Fido!) but then his evil assistant cuts the scientist’s head off and retains it in the tank with serum. The assistant’s evil scheme is then to help out his girlfriend, a great looking nurse who, sadly, has a hunchback, by switching out her body with an exotic dancer. You can’t make this stuff up.
A shave and a haircut + tooth filing
And Dean Stockwell, who plays a werewolf with minimalist makeup, in “The Washington Werewolf”, would look like any other local attorney. After eating a few folks, Dean comes across a government dwarf who’s building a monster and the dwarf stymies the monster by commanding him to “SIT”. Dog programming kicks in. Moving right along, Dean’s wife is the White House Press Secretary and the film ends with a fistfight between the President and the werewolf. Really. Honest.
The James Brown of monsters
JB concerts always end with “Soul Brother #1” collapsing, having sung and danced himself into exhaustion. But as he’s led off the stage, he hurls off his cape and revives for a killer encore. Gamera, the giant, saber toothed, flying turtle, star of 12 movies, works the same game. Gamera is a good monster and is invariably almost wiped out by a bad monster (or grouping thereof), but then, his eyes pop open, he stirs, the music swells, and he kicks booty with old reliable radioactive flame breath.
Full Frontal Godzilla
None of that later Godzilla phase when he’s a sweet natured “good” monster with family values (cute baby Godzilla blows smoke rings) and saves the Earth or, at least, Japan. Noooo. This is the early Godzilla. He’s got the foot stomp. He’s got the teeth. He’s got the radioactive flame breath. He’s got the tail whomp. He even flies, kind of. He’ll eat you up. And Tokyo too.
Unpleasant lies the crown
It’s not always good to be the king. In one of the finest silent films ever made, Lon Chaney gives an over the top performance as Quasimodo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923). In the middle of the story, Quasimodo is cruelly crowned “King of Fools” with this being a vehicle for the peasants of Paris to abuse and laugh at him. But he gets some revenge. And saves the girl.
Pretty much the last thing you see
cause when Kharis grabs you, it’s lights out. He’s pictured here from one of later Mummy movies (The Mummy’s Hand, Tomb, Curse and Ghost) and we note that he’s lost an eye since his first appearance. Wear and tear from being burned up in a house, drowned in a swamp etc. But he’s always back for more. It’s remarkable how many folks he grabs and kills because he moves kind of slow, dragging that leg. Just a brisk walk will leave him in the dust, muttering to Amon-Ra but victims seem to seize up.
Atsa Some Scary Monster
In 1972, the Italians decided to take a whack at the Frankenstein saga with “Frankenstein 80” (numerically challenged, it seems). The make up budget was limited to some stick-on red zippers to indicate how the creature was sutured together and he went by the handle of “Mosaic” despite the film’s title. All the characters were given German names in homage to the story’s origin but the Italianate nature of Mosaic was confirmed by his insisting on murdering one beautiful signorini after another.
Thanks, Mr. New Zealand Taxpayer
In 1984, the New Zealand film board offered the movie going public, “Death Warmed Up”. In this paragon of public spending, a deranged scientist performs genetic experiments on a range of folks but this sadly results in the folks becoming murderous Zombies. In the special effects zenith of the film, said Zombies, when killed, further entertain by having their heads explode. I have sought to capture this moment in my painting.
Peek a Boo; I bite you
Here’s a cute scene from “Grave of the Vampire”, (1972). The Vampire is lurking in the basement. The “girl” for some ditsy reason decides to go down there and look for her missing something or other despite the fact that it’s pitch black. She hears some breathing and does what? She approaches and says, “is someone there?” The Vampire, with an inherent sense of drama, lights a match so he can see where he’s biting. The rest of the film develops conventionally (wooden stake ending).
He keeps going, and going and going
Having appeared in 115 commercials (and counting), the Drum Pounding Bunny is, in fact, a pocket robot. Although he looks like a toy on screen, he’s 42 inches tall and cost tens of thousands of dollars to build. And he’s a killer. Just ask a Duracell executive how many casualties they’ve taken. I did not paint the battery image on the drum but if Energizer sends me a box of triple A’s, I’ll do it. I am, after all, a professional.
70 tons of Iron Personality
The “Iron Giant” starred in a 1999 movie of the same name and he’s about the largest robot painted in this series. The movie is highly recommended. It’s a sweet story which shows that even if you start out big and scary, you can have a heart of gold (another metal, after all).
Part of Iron Giant’s charm is his visor/mouth which gives him a goofy, overbite look.
The Governor of California (larval stage)
Now, sometimes called, “the Governator”, Arnold became the iconic “Terminator” in the first installment of the popular film series in 1984. He’s done 3 movies and there’s presently a TV series running which shows the appeal of robots from the future trying to wipe out humanity. My painting shows the metal skeleton of the first Terminator and he’s not just a bunch of bones. He’s got attitude.
“I’ll be baaaaaack.”
The night HE came home
Ah, “Halloween”. The financial and critical success of this 1978 icon launched the directorial career of John Capenter and the semi movie stardom of Jamie Lee Curtis. It gave rise to 9 sequels with a certain diminution of quality towards the end. And dozens of other slasher films are pale copies. Michael Murphy, the monster, wears a bland white mask. The director’s concept was to contrast violent evil with a rather featureless face, inspired by the mien of William Shattner (cool trivia point).
Scariest movie ever?
Well, it’s gotta be at least in the top five. “Alien” was more than a great horror movie- it was a great , Oscar winning movie with a fine cast, an amazing look, wonderful special effects and a powerful story. It had one fine sequel (“Aliens”), then two poor ones and ended up in the trash of “Alien vs Predator”. Today, the monster would probably be done digitally but in 1979, it was, a guy in a rubber suit. The actor was Bolaji Badejo, a 7 foot, 2 inch tall Nigerian design student discovered in a bar. Really.
An Inside Job
Did you think a monster art series could be considered comprehensive without the inclusion of The Cookie Monster? I didn’t think so.
He looks harmless enough with his 70’s style blue shag carpet pelt but consider: cholesterol, diabetes, crumbs all over house, and the need to replace one’s wardrobe with roomier garments and you’ll see why he deserves the appellation, “monster.”
A nightmare if you paid to see it
“A Nightmare on Elm St” (1984) by Wes Craven introduced Freddy Krueger and his ridiculous green and orange sweater. Craven admitted that without “Halloween” (an actual good movie), he doesn’t make, “A nightmare…” He further went on to say that bad dreams on the part of Cambodian children after the Pol Pot massacres inspired him to create this monster who moves from dreams to reality and back. There were six, count ‘em, six sequels.
The Energizer Monster: Jason
He keeps going and going. “Friday the 13th” was a crummy 1980 rip off of “Halloween”. The plot’s simple: Jason, who has anger management issues, dons a hockey goalie mask and murders teenagers, generally with a machete. The third sequel (1984) was “The Final Chapter” but it was followed by “The New Beginning.” Sequel #8, “The Final Friday” (1993) has been followed by three more sequels including the latest in 2009, called; wait for it…, wait, “Friday the 13th”. Nifty, huh?
Don’t Mess with Texas. Yee Haw.
We got the Chainsaw Massacre. This 1974 film has spawed five sequels and stands out for its over the top disgustingness. Unless you think a guy (Leatherface), who wears a mask of human skin, and cuts up folks with a chain saw while fastidiously wearing a butcher’s apron, so that his cannibalistic family can get them some Barbeque is not disgusting. He was inspired by a real killer, Ed Gein, who wore human skin but didn’t get up to all the other stuff (cinematic license at work).
I’m Melting
Great Dialog! After saying, “I'll get you my pretty and your little dog too!", The Wicked Witch of the West goes on to say, "You cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world, what a world! Who would've thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? I'm gone! I'm gone! I'm going!" And this lets the Good Witch of North tell Dorothy that she’s saved. “Toto too?”, Dorothy asks. “Toto too!” Hey, there’s no place like home.
Another girl crazy creature
The Creature from the Black Lagoon was a classic 50’s horror film with a familiar plot (creature is discovered, kidnaps beautiful girl, is defeated by boyfriend). Does come back for two sequels though. The six foot, five inch tall actor, Ben Chapman, played the creature in the usual rubber suit. He was an amiable, decorated Korean War veteran who spent the rest of his life appearing as the Creature at different events, signing autographs, selling memorabilia etc. He died in 2008 at age 79.
Get out yer marshmallows
It’s not enough being 200 feet tall, with BIG teeth and claws, and able to fly, and did I mention the Earth Shaking Tail Whomp? No, the Big Fellow also gets radioactive flame breath. And he’s…a star! Godzilla has appeared in no less than 28 Japanese films and of course, in the 1998 Mathew Broderick vehicle. But did you know he’s got his own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame? And he’s got an MTV lifetime achievement award. Size does indeed matter.
Gettin’ all possessive
The Exorcist was not just a great horror movie but was a great movie, period. It won Oscars and was wildly popular and financially successful. Chubby teenager, Linda Blair, attained a kind of stardom at age 14. She turned 50 in 2009 and has had a lengthy “B” movie career as a minor actress. Many of her films exploit the notoriety Linda gained in her greatest role. The film was taken from a book based on a real incident. And a little advice regarding Exorcist 2, 3, and The Beginning. Pass.
You call that a tooth?
I like to imagine the costume supervisor at Toho studios instructing his workmen, “The tooth needs to be bigger.”, “No, Bigger, it’s not a hamster tooth.” “Get with it. Bigger, longer.”
Tohu always thought that more is more. Gamera is, in addition, a heroic, rocket propelled flying giant turtle with flame breath and the friendship of a Japanese and American cub scout who urge him to fight hard and save the earth. Or at least, Tokyo
We’re gonna need a bigger boat
Jaws, a great movie, is said to have launched the “summer blockbuster which opens everywhere” scheme. It also, like so many others, gave rise to lousy sequels: Jaws 2, Jaws 3D and Jaws, the Revenge. None were directed by Spielberg (there’s your problem) but Jaws, the Revenge was named one of the 50 worst movies ever made so that’s something. A boat ride, whereby you’re attacked by a giant robotic shark, continues to entertain visitors to Universal Studio Tours after 33 years!
Ancestor
I derived my painting from an astonishing photograph of a 4,000 year old Peruvian mummy. He is no monster but like all real mummies, an incredible glimpse of the past. How did he come to be in the position pictured? Did he die in agony or did someone put his hands over his face for some obscure reason? It’s impossible to say but it seems that in more modern times, he was channeled by Edvard Munch to create, “The Scream”.
The Real Deal
Hey I’m a Texan. We love bats. Our state mammal is a bat. But it’s a bug eating bat, not a…Vampire. Vampire bats are native to North and South America and they find creatures like cattle. They then slash the hapless victim with razor sharp incisors (check painting) to a depth of about 1/3”. Their saliva inhibits clotting and they lap up the…blood. The do sometimes bite humans who’ve maybe had a bit too much to drink and have crashed out. They can transmit rabies. Sweet dreams!
When babies turn bad
It’s hard to imagine a lower concept than a newborn baby is some sort of little monster which murders everyone in sight. But that was Larry Cohen’s premise when he made “It’s Alive” in 1974. We see the baby monster but not in action as that would be too ridiculous to film. The movie ought to have sunk like a stone, but no! Larry makes “Alive again” in 1978 and “Island of the Alive” in 1987. Did that exhaust the franchise? We get a 2008 sequel made in Bulgaria. You can’t make this stuff up.
A third rate Phantom
The Czech actor, Herbert Lom, starred in a 1962 remake of The Phantom of the Opera. Well, hey, Herb. I knew Lon Chaney. Lon Chaney was a friend of mine. And you ain’t no Lon Chaney. The Phantom does not unmask before his girlfriend as is proper, but only at the end of the film. You can see that Hammer Films had drained the make up budget. They also reportedly tried to interest Cary Grant in playing the romantic (non monster) lead in the film. He said no. Go figure.
I never drink…wine
So many film monsters appear in heavy make up. It’s hard to act when you’re wearing a rubber suit or are wrapped in linen. But when Lugosi played Dracula, it was all Bela, with just a touch of dental work. And what a performance. “Listen to them; children of the night. What music they make.” Bela never escaped from the shadow of the Vampire. He was typecast for the rest of his career. There’s a statue of him in Budapest and his family had him buried in Dracula’s cape when he died at age 73.
That Cursed Wolf Again
Hammer films based “The Curse of the Werewolf” (1961) on the book, “The Werewolf of Paris” but the film was shot in Spain. At first I figured that it was August and all the French were on holiday in Spain but no. Hammer had built a studio in Spain to do a horror film about the Spanish Inquisition but Catholic protests were such that they dropped the project. So, hey, let’s do a wolf flick. My painting shows the young Oliver Reed, who made a bunch of Hammer films, in pretty good make up. Woof, woof.
Who you gonna call?
Ah, Ghostbusters. A wonderful film now a quarter of a century old. I would grant it the following superlatives:
Best comedy/horror mash up.
Did not screw up sequel (there’s still time, Ghostbusters 3 is being discussed)
Best movie song. By a looooong shot.
An impossible act to follow
Christopher Lee played Count Dracula in five films but he just couldn’t match Lugosi’s portrayal. Bela had the looks, the accent. He WAS Dracula. Did this give Chris an inferiority complex and a drive to outshine Lugosi? Maybe. To compensate, Lee learned to speak Italian, French, Swedish, German, Spanish and Russian. He married a hot Danish model in 1961 is still with her! In 2005 he was named the most marketable star in the world and in 2009, at age 87, Queen Elizabeth knighted him.
A Buta-Kala
The Buta-Kala are Balinese demons. They are “considered as the immediate cause of all that is injurious to human joy and comfort, physical and mental, natural and social. Wars, epidemics, catastrophes, arguments, anger, confusion, greed, sadness and other disturbances are signs of their presence.”
So he may look like a wooden puppet to you but he makes more trouble than, for example, Godzilla
Baron Von Frankenstein creates…
A funny guy! Fred Gwynne played Herman Munster in a B&W TV series that lasted for 70 episodes, starting in 1964. It spawned five movies as well and proving the adage that “what goes around, comes around” it was reborn as “The Munsters Today” in 1988 with a new cast and (whew) another 72 episodes. Fred knew how to play a moron. Or have you forgotten, “Car 54, where are you?” But he could also act seriously. I saw him on Broadway in 1974 in “Cat on a hot tin roof” and…fantastic.
The good Doctor is Abominable
Vincent Price actually got excellent critical reviews for his 1971 film: The Abominable Dr Phibes. It was campy and “over the top”. The “hero” is disfigured and his wife is killed by incompetent doctors. Does he sue for malpractice? No. He kills the doctors, one by one, creatively employing the 10 plagues of Egypt. Vince got out a sequel several years later and then, oddly, the movie inspired a series of heavy metal, ska, and punk rock songs done by diverse admirers of the movie and story.
My, what long teeth you have, Grandpa
Al Lewis graduated with fellow actor, Fred Gwynne, from “Car 54, where are you?” to “The Munsters” where he memorably played Grandpa Munster. To get the role, Al lied about his age, claiming to be born in 1910 rather than 1923. He figured he had to be older than Yvonne DeCarlo (b. 1922) who was to play his daughter! In civilian life, Al was an old school NY, Jewish radical who ran for Governor in 1988 on the Green party ticket. Dying in 2006, he was cremated with his ashes interred in a cigar box.
Come on. Admit it.
The first time you read, “Lord of the Rings”, and came to where the Balrog of Moria apparently kills Galdalf the Gray in the Chamber of Mazarbul, YOU COULDN’T FREAKIN’ BELIEVE IT. How can this book go on without Gandalf? Well, JRR took pity on us readers and used a little literary license. Gandalf was killed but was resurrected by Eru Ilúvatar as Gandalf the White! Like an ad for washday detergent! Whew. I have painted the Balrog who comes across like an evil ram/goat on fire.
John Barrymore, Phooey
Barrymore was the most famous actor of the early 20th century. He was also considered to be quite the hunk and was known as, “The Great Profile”. Now, my painting shows a greater profile. Karlof’s make up as Frankenstein’s monster is an iconic image recognizable all over the world. It launched Boris’ career but only after Bela Lugosi refused to play the monster as he didn’t think the monster had “dramatic depth”. Really. Oddly, no one knows who actually created the fantastic flat top monster look.
Where do you find Cave Trolls?
This is like, “who’s buried in Grant tomb?” It’s Grant! And you find Cave Trolls in caves as opposed to Snow, Mountain, Stone, Wood and War Trolls (all servants of Sauron), who are found respectively, in, well, you know.
The fellowship had a terrible fight with a Cave Troll early in their quest. He was powerful but stupid like many Senators. Legolas managed to kill him by shooting an arrow through his open mouth into his pea sized brain.
“Thief, Thief, Baggins, We Hates It”
Smeagol (AKA, Golum) is a lovely character who skulks through the “Hobbit” and all three books of the Trilogy. He embodies the complexity of the story because he is, at once, an evil threat, a victim of the ring and the one who saves Middle Earth. Like most of the monsters in the Peter Jackson films, Smeagol is a digital creation. His appearance and manner of moving was created by software which combined the essence of three Los Angeles trial lawyers.
Culturally ahead of his time
Swamp Thing started as a comic “hero” but grew into two movies and two TV series (one animated). And there’s the Swamp Thing video game naturally. He’s got super strength and can regenerate himself like any plant. He also commands…vegetation. But he’s an early adopter environmentalist. He fights to save the swamp and the critters within it. And he helps humanity here and there. Since his heyday was ‘70’s-‘80’s, there’s no record of his position on the Kyoto Climate Change treaty.
150 years! Piece of Cake
Bernie Madoff was depressed on receiving a 150 year prison term for his Ponzi fraud but if you tried this on Dracula, what would he care? To prove my point, we have the 2004 film, “Dracula 3000” which finds him in his usual coffin on a space ship in the year 3000. “In space, there is no daylight”, warns the poster (from which I made my painting). Dracula’s hooked up to some tubes as you see but is ready to bite. Back to Bernie. He can get a 15% sentence reduction for good behavior.: 127 years
Say, in 1950 you were asked…
What new sports would be making it big in the US in 2000. You might think that soccer would finally click here or cricket. Or maybe, considering the demographic shift to seniors, croquet would become the next TV sensation. But would you have foreseen the Monster Truck Jam? Ah, that would take a visionary. And I’ve painted none other than the DC comics, officially licensed, BatTruckSter, winner of the World Finals Racing Championship in 2007 and 2008. Holy Axle, Batman.
Let’s don’t sugarcoat Orcs
The father of the Orc, in literary terms, is JRR Tolkien. I’ll let him describe them:
“Fanged, bow-legged and long-armed, and some have dark skin as if burned. They are also squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes ... degraded and repulsive versions of the lowest type of human. They are miserable, crafty and vicious beings who have a taste for human flesh, or Orc flesh.” Now on the bright side…
An acquired taste? Sushi?
Well, the old, bad Godzilla, before his rehab, would gobble up a reasonable number of bite size (he’s got a really big bite) citizens of Tokyo. So I’ve painted him with stained teeth. He looks in a bad mood which I put down to getting articles of clothing, particularly belts and shoes, rammed between his teeth. Does he view this as Monster Sushi? It’s not clear. The Big Guy can roast his snacks before eating with just a soupcon of Flame Breath.
Afraid of the dark?
I guess everyone is, a little. Why else would the whole Vampire shtick have arisen? Sunlight kills him, but he kills you at night. He rules the night creatures (bats, wolves, disco clubbers). He’s got a big old dark cloak. Even before labor day, you won’t see him wearing light colors; he goes for black with a touch of red.
Almost reincarnated
The latin root “carn” means “flesh”. Think “carnivore” or Art Carney. So reincarnation is returning to flesh which is what Imhotep does in the excellent umpteenth remake of “The Mummy”. Starring Brendan Frasier, this film and its two sequels is a comedy/horror mash up like “Ghostbusters”. After being summoned from the dead, Imhotep gradually rebuilds his body. My painting shows him nearly back except for some mouth issues.
The Doctor is in
Here’s the world’s most famous (and perhaps the only) Latverian. It’s Doctor Doom, nemesis of the Fantastic Four. He is a great scientist (but evil), has some magic powers (Mom was a witch) and has really cool armor which projects blasts of energy, gives out a massive electric shock if touched and even allows Doc to survive in Space or underwater. He is able to transfer his consciousness into any nearby being which probably explains why he keeps winning Latverian elections.
The Original Heavy Breather
Ah, the Darth Vader character. You just need to see the outline of his helmet to identify him. He was honored by being named the “third greatest movie villain ever” by the American Film Institute. His iconic helmet was inspired by German World War One helmet. Oh those Germans. They not only make great cars. But the greatest honor was when a slime mold beetle was named after him. Really. Agathidium vaderi. This does seem to conflate Star Wars with Ghostbusters.
Monster meets girl; falls off building
Kong, star of seven movies echoes Beauty and the Beast. The seven comprise only “major” movies and don’t include cheesy Japanese Kong vs Gamera type films done by Toho studios. And five or so video games. So we’re talking a popular monkey here. Although the original 1933 eponymous film is thought to be rather campy today, it was rated a great film back then and pioneered stop action special effects.
He Just Retains Water
Jabba the Hut is built for comfort , not built for speed. I do appreciate that a lot of male Star Wars watchers barely remember him because Carrie Fisher looked pretty hot in her bikini. But he was a wonderfully imagined monster. Great voice, and wonderful lip licking shtick. And here’s a joke: What does Jabba the Hut and Alexander the Great have in common? Same middle name.
Puppies, Baby Seals and X Files Folk
Yup, they all have these weird big eyes. What can you say? Outer space is dark. You’ld think that when aliens would be captured around Roswell or Area 51, they’ld be sporting sunglasses. I mean they’ve got the hyper nuclear spaceship thing going so what’s so hard about a little eye protection?
Le Voyage Dans La Lune
In 1902, seriously early, French filmmaker, Georges Melies made a movie of the Jules Verne story translated as, “A trip to the moon.” Verne imagined a looooong canon that would shoot an occupied bullet to the moon. The lunarnauts are unhurt by the acceleration and party with moon beings. But the image I’ve painted is wonderful and iconic. The Man in the Moon gets it right in the eye. To film it, they used an actor in, well, moonface. Splat.
Arnold meets his match
When “Predator” was released in 1986, Schwarzenegger commented that he finally had an opponent (at least in a movie) who was physically more imposing than Mr. Olympus. Ya think? And the alien hunter has all kinds of cool weapons. The movie was good, the monster’s make up was hip but, as so often happens, the franchise deteriorated into Cheesy sequels. But if you visit, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, you can tour the lovingly maintained jungle camp where Predator was filmed
Cthulhu…Who?
Here’s a Boss monster dreamed up by HP Lovecraft. I’ve painted him as Lovecraft described him, “A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque scaly body with rudimentary wings” And he’s often seen near the cosmic ocean. He’s so powerful that there’s no agreement how to spell his name. Candidates are: Tulu, Clulu, Clooloo, Cthulu, Cighulu, Cathulu, Kutulu, Q’thulu, Ktulu, Kthulhut, Kulhu, and Thu Thu.
Just a Big Dope in Paper Mache
By the high standards of the original Frankenstein movie, the make up used for the Monster in Hammer Films’ remake, “The Horror of Frankenstein” is rather like a bunch of kids made it in summer camp. The Monster has none of Karloff’s acting ability; he just lurches around and is more a figure of pathos than of menace. He none the less manages to end a few peasant lives because, hey, it’s a monster movie. Don’t rush out to rent it though.
Davy Jones out of the locker
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise has a great monster in “Davy Jones”, a kind of squid person played by the fine British actor, Bill Nighey. It’s thought that “Davy Jones” is a sailor’s corruption of “Devil” who takes men who die at sea. And stores them in his locker (the sea bottom). Here’s some cool trivia: David Bowie’s real name is Davy Jones. He changed it to “Bowie” because he figured he’d never be as famous as Davy Jones, wait for it, of the Monkees.
“They’re all screwed up”
That’s an immortal line from George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968). This film supercharged the Zombie oeuvre to its popularity which continues today. The film cost $115,000 to make and grossed $42 million in its theatrical release. God knows what it’s earned since then. That’s Undead Return on Investment! The “all screwed up” line was voiced by a character who was trying to describe what the Zombies looked like to the police. A fine summary of Zombieness.
When a Giant Fly is too beautiful
The original and first of six “Fly” movies was done in 1958 and featured David Hedison with a big ‘ole rubber fly head and one claw. Now that seemed pretty ugly (except to girl flies) but the 4th remake in 1986 done, big budget, by David Cronenberg, produced amazingly repulsive make up for its star, Jeff Goldblum. Yecch. The female star, Gena Davis, refused to play in remake #5 because it was all too disgusting. But some weird Canadians made an Opera from “The Fly”. The Buzz was favorable.
Don't be scared, but here is the complete Artomat Series of Monsters and Robots. Well...mostly Monsters. By scrolling down, you can find your favorites like Dracula, Frankenstein, multiple werewolves, Freddie, Jason, the Alien, Mummies, Godzilla, Terminator, Darth Vader and even The Cookie Monster. But there's also obscure monsters like Mrs Grabbo, The Head, and Rubberized Karate Alien Monster. Scroll If You Dare!
