Werewolf Wednesday: The Evolution of Lon Chaney Jr's Wolf Man

Previously on this date: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Frightening Frankenstein Figures!

The Wolf Man is one of the great monsters of the classic Universal canon, no doubt about it. Unique among the classic movie monsters, the hirsute horror was portrayed throughout his existence by a single actor: Lon Chaney Jr. Chaney Jr. is generally held in lesser regard than many of his peers, but I maintain that, while he was not as versatile as Karloff, Lugosi, or his own father, he was a good deal better than he is normally given credit for. today we're taking a look at a selection of photos and film stills to demonstrate how the look of the Wolf Man changed over the years.

Naturally, 1941's The Wolf Man is the place to begin.

His look was basically unchanged for several years, as this shot from 1944's House of Frankenstein shows.

However, once master makeup artist Jack Pierce was replaced with Bud Westmore, the makeup process was altered in several ways to make it quicker and easier. This was the result, seen in 1948's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

These photos of Chaney's appearance as the Wolf Man on the 1960s TV series Route 66 display the importance of someone like Pierce or Westmore, not to mention an adequate makeup budget.

As a bonus, here's a nice shot of The Wolf Man co-star Evelyn Ankers pitching in.

Creep on back tomorrow for more classic horror goodness!

Transylvania Tuesday: Bram Stoker's Dracula

Previously on this date: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and The Monster Squad!

Few horror films are as divisive as Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 release Bram Stoker's Dracula. Personally, I consider it an interesting failure. There are some issues with the script, some baffling casting-- you know who I'm talking about-- and several strange creative decisions. At the same time, it's visually stunning, with some very nice makeup effects and costumes, and it boasts one of my favorite scores from any movie. It's also the only film adaptations (as far as I'm aware) of Stoker's story that portrays the Count as a creepy, elderly man who becomes young after he consumes blood, as in the novel. Today, our focus is on Gary Oldman's portrayal of the titular Count. Whatever gripes you may have with this movie, it cannot be denied that Oldman is amazing throughout.

Mummy Monday: Christopher Lee edition

Previously on this date: Freaks (1932)  and Monster Muumuu Heads!

While Christopher Lee is best known as Dracula in the long-running Hammer series-- outside of the Lord of the Rings movies, anyway-- he also had a memorable turn as the bandage-swathed menace alongside Peter Cushing in Hammer's 1959 version of The Mummy. While I've made no secret that I consider this a pretty mediocre movie, the makeup effects are quite good. The role as scripted gives Lee nothing to work with, as this movie goes with the mummy as a shambling automaton, rather than the enthralling threat of the Karloff version, his physicality and the costume make for a visually interesting monster nonetheless.

Frankenstein Friday: Karloff in and out of the Monster makeup

Previously on this date: The Comedy of Terrors and The Rattle of Bones

Here's your weekly dose of Frankenstein goodness! Today we'll be looking at some photos I've come across over the years that haven't yet been featured here, all from the first two Universal Frankenstein films. Enjoy!

As a bonus, here's a shot of Karloff playing the part of the mad scientist alongside Glen Strange's Monster in 1944's House of Frankenstein!

Throwback Thursday: Son of Dracula

Previously on this date: Frankenstein (1931) and Corpse Bride & Hanged Man decorations

When assigning themes to each day of the week, I had a couple of problems with Thursday. Frankly, there just aren't many alliterative words that would make suitable themes. Sure, there are a couple of possibilities, but none were ideal. finally, I decided to just go with the standard Thursday theme used across all social media: Throwback Thursday. That presented its own set of challenges, namely, since I'm doing posts based on classic horror here, every post is a throwback! However, the solution quickly became apparent: Since I'm only doing posts on the weekdays this month, there are quite a few worthy articles from the first couple of years of the blog that are not being linked in the "previously on this date" bit at the beginning of each post. So, on Thursdays this month, I'll choose one of those to re-present for your enjoyment!

Today's throwback is my feature on 1943's Son of Dracula, which was originally posted on November 17, 2010. Despite the miscasting of Lon Chaney Jr. as the vampire king, it's an enjoyable romp in the style of Universal's horror films of the 1940s. It has several things working against it, but the phrase "greater than the sum of its parts" most certainly applies. go check the article out at the link above, and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

Werewolf Wednesday: Oliver Reed in The Curse of the Werewolf!

Previously on this date: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and The Frankenstein Project!

1961's The Curse of the Werewolf is generally regarded as one of the lesser films in the Hammer horror cycle, though it's a perfectly decent movie in its own right. (I'll have to get around to doing a full feature on it here one of these days.) It's perhaps best known today for starring a young Oliver Reed. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm convinced that Benicio Del Toro's Lawrence Talbot in the 2010 remake of The Wolf Man was based on Reed in this film. Take a look at the photo below and try to tell me you can't see a strong resemblance.

 Get a load of this next one; Hammer definitely knew where their box office bread was buttered!

Transylvania Tuesday: Christopher Lee's Dracula

Previously on this date: Garfield's Halloween Adventure and The Wolf Man!

As we've discussed before on these digital pages, there's no doubt that Bela Lugosi is the definitive Dracula. That said, the great Christopher Lee made the role his own in a series of performances spanning three decades. Indulge in some decadent vampire action today with these shots of Lee in action as the vampire king!

Mummy Monday: A Master at Work

Previously on this date: Tombstones and Dracula's Daughter!

Today, enjoy a few photos of makeup master Jack Pierce working on the mask and costume Lon Chaney Jr. wore for the Mummy sequels in which he starred. The sequels to the original (and excellent) The Mummy are infamous for their lack of quality relative to most of Universal's classic horror output, but Chaney made for an imposing monster all the same!

Frankenstein Friday: Teatime with Boris

Previously on this date: From Hell It Came! and The Curse of Frankenstein!

31 Days of Halloween Kickoff!

It's back! Longtime TMR readers will surely recall that this blog began five years ago with me doing a Halloween and/or horror-related post every day of October. I was unable to do that the past couple of years, as work and real-life responsibilities got in the way, and I missed it quite a bit. Unfortunately, those things that eat up my time haven't gone away, but I decided to make a concerted effort to return to daily posting this year. To help things work with my hectic schedule, I'll stick to posting on weekdays(aside from the 31st, which is on a Saturday), which will technically make this 23 days of Halloween, but we'll stick with the 31 Days tag on all the posts for simplicity's sake. You'll only get some cool photos or something along those lines more often than not. I'll make sure it's something worth stopping by for though, so no worries there! I'll also include links to past entries that were posted on the same day in years past. Speaking of, on this day one year ago, we similarly kicked off the month of October, four years ago I had a feature on the Ray Bradbury classic From the Dust Returned, and five years ago, the inaugural post featured the 1933 classic The Invisible Man! I'll mostly stick to a theme for each day of the week; for instance, tomorrow will be Frankenstein Friday! (I do love my alliteration, after all.)

For today, enjoy this assortment of photos from classic horror movies to ease you into that Halloween mood! Here's an awesome shot of Bela Lugosi in full Dracula regalia, from his stage days!

Here are a couple of shots of makeup wizard Jack Pierce working on Boris Karloff.

Peter Lorre looks appropriately macabre with a bald head in 1935's Mad Love.

Glenn Strange's Frankenstein Monster is pretty freaked out by his Batman comic!

Lon Chaney is captivating as always as the tragic clown in 1924's He Who Gets Slapped.

That's it for today. Hope to see you again tomorrow, and each day thereafter! 

Opening an Auto World UltraRed chase car!

It's a hotly-debated topic in the world of collectors of... well, pretty much anything that comes in a package: Do you open it, or keep it sealed? It's a common problem among adult collectors of such items as action figures and die-cast cars. There are pros and cons on both sides. If you keep it in the package, it tends to be worth more(assuming it's an item that retains any value at all), but on the other hand, how can you really enjoy it when all you can do is look at it in its sealed plastic prison? This will demonstrate how I feel about the whole thing. MOCers, shield your eyes!

Not only did I open it, but the car I opened is one of the rare UltraRed chase cars!

I'm an opener. I won't presume to tell anyone else how to spend their money, or that the way they choose to enjoy their hobby is wrong, but I see it this way: These things are made to be enjoyed and appreciated. Some people derive pleasure simply from the knowledge that they own a certain collectible, and seeing it inside its package is enough. That's perfectly fine, but I like to go beyond that. What that means for action figures is appreciating the sculpt up close, with no barriers in the way, and putting them in silly or badass poses on my shelf. When it comes to cars, I like to examine the models up close and really take in the detail, especially when they're as well-made as Auto World's product. Whatever your preference, the important thing to remember is that we're all enjoying our hobby in whatever way we see fit, and it's really not something that's worth arguing about. We share some common interests, and we should be celebrating that, not fighting with one another.

On that note, I'll leave you today with a shot of my small collection of Auto World die-cast cars. I only have a few of their models, but they're probably my favorite manufacturer of die-cast cars right now. They do beautiful work at a good price, and they're pretty easy to find, to boot! As always, click to embiggen the photo.

See you all next time!

LEGO Collectible Minifigures Monster Series Grope Guide!

It's that time again! Another LEGO CMF series is hitting the stores, and the bags are just begging to be groped, bought, and opened! Even better, this series seems to have been designed specifically with me in mind, as it is all monsters! (The Haunted house is about to get seriously overcrowded!)

For whatever reason, the stores around here are only just getting the new series, and the local Target-- which is usually my go-to source for the CMFs-- has stopped carrying them altogether, so I haven't been able to put together my usual grope guide to help you TMR readers who are also lovers of the LEGO CMF line. (There must be dozens of you, right?) Thankfully, a friend sent me a photo he found at this blog, which is a great guide! As always, click on the pic to embiggen.

I'll be using this in my own bag-groping adventures. (Yeah, I know what I said. Quit your snickering!) So save this to your phone so you'll have it handy, and get groping!