October Stories: Creature Feature
I took a completely informal survey of my workmates last week, asking them this question: "Names three classic movie monsters." I confess, I was a bit surprised how long it took for someone to come up with one of the original classics (and she said "Bela Lugosi"). I got plenty of answers of Freddie and Jason and Chucky, and even some Candyman and "you know, that guy from Halloween," but no-one seems to remember Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolfman, the Mummy, or the rest of their archetypal cohort.
If we go back to the holiday's earliest modern roots, the stars of our show should be ghosts, devils, and witches. After all, legends says that All Hallow's Eve is the night when the wall between this world and the next is thin — spirits walk the earth, imps cause mischief (and more), and those wise in the old ways work their will on the world. Once the media — in the form of popular novels and early Hollywood films — figured out that people are willing to pay to be frightened, it was a short jump to the creation — and exploitation — of the horror genre, and the pillaging of literary (or pseudo-literary) sources for material. In fact, many of the earliest motion pictures could be classified as horror, or at the least, fantasies.
But even though I grew up with an unhealthy fascination with creatures of the night, until recently I had not seen many of the classic monster movies. To correct this gap in my education, I have spent the last week watching as many of these as possible. Now, in my self-appointed role as cultural crypt-keeper and monstrous maven of the macabre, I'll pass this knowledge along to you. I'm willing to bet that for many readers these films would be considered classics in the Twain sense: movies which people praise and don't watch.
10 Comments:
Hey MKH, the classics are cool again. I'm working on an article about classic costumes making a comeback among adult Halloween celebrants.
I have been pleasantly surprised to find out how many costume shops are getting huge orders for Dracula, and Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, etc.
I'll be curious to hear your take on the old films after you've watched a few more.
MKH,
What about the classic "B" movie monsters? "The Creatue from the Black Lagoon", just to name one. Oddly enough, I still get creeped out not by the classic monsters but villians from both movies and comic books. Do you remember the portait of the Joker I did for you? To me, that still is pretty creepy. Love, me.
Well, I think your work friends may have been interpreting the word "classic" the way my father does: archetype of crap. But then, I must admit that I first thought of my intense childhood love of Gamera. You know, the giant flying super-turtle peer of Godzilla, the one what has the flames shooting out of his leg holes while he spins around like a top? That was pretty awesome. But I can't remember who had the two tiny Japanese chicks singing in a clamshell. Was that Mothra?
Gamera is really neat
He is filled with turtle meat
We all love you Ga-me-raaaaa.
But.... while I love the Japanese classics and their kin, like, oh, King Kong vs. Godzilla, I grew up on Famous Monsters of Flimland. The Universal pics, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, even The Wolfman, defined old skool horror.
I wonder if MKH picked up Creater Feature on the old WSM from Nashville during his Paducah days. Sir Cecil Creepe, etc., the cheezy horror movie host, words by Pat Sajak, political analyst Floyd Kephart's picture on the mantle. Kinda Dada for Nashville in 1970.
Creater = Creature. Accident, or Freudian slip?
Actually I saw most of my Creature Features in south Florida on Channel 51's Saturday afternoon horror show, hosted by M. T. Graves.
I still think I missed my calling as a horror host.
I forgot about Creature Feature! I loved that!
I remember being frightened of the stop-motion creatures in The Seven Faces of Doctor Lao. It's actually meant to be a funny movie, but I was only 5 or so at the time. I saw a drive-in double feature with She. Both are based on literary classics. "She" was by H. Rider Haggard. The other was based on The Circus of Dr. Lao, by Charles G Finney (one of my favorite short novels). For days after, I had nightmares. For years, I thought it was all one movie called, "She,and the Seven Faces of Doctor Lao." Hey. Gimme a break... I was five.
Ah! I didn't see this post with the title. Now I feel like I copy cat.
If I admit that I love these old movies, does that make me one of the cool kids?
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