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Post by siamesesin on Feb 15, 2006 1:54:01 GMT -5
We had a slasher killer poll, but I was curious about this one. My roommate is a huge aficinado of classic movies, and the one thing we always agree on is the horror films.
Now, without Lon Sr., I personally don't know if we could have had the others. The obvious joke would be "Especially not Lon Jr." One mustn't overlook the fact that Lon Jr., despite some later stinkers, was the only one that played all three of the biggies. Max Shreck was a one-hitter, but a fantastic one.
Honorable mentions across the board for me would be John Barrymore (great Jekyll/Hyde), Peter Lorre, and Dwight Fry (Renfield). I know I'm leaving out some killer ones, so that's why I included the other option.
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Post by losingmydignity on Feb 15, 2006 2:04:48 GMT -5
I like them all, but Karloff is my favorite.
He could have a quiet dignity or be villainous, pathetic or brutish....a wide range of performances and did comedy well too. Plus, love that voice.
When I was a kid we had to do biographies on somebody and I chose Karloff out of all the people in the world. I'd still go with the man who was really William Henry Pratt.
Lugosi had his moments but was mostly a ham. Chaney was brilliant for his time...one of the few silent actors whose performances hold up pretty well. Chaney Jr. is fine but not a great actor. I met Vincent Price, he was a true gentleman, he'd be my second pick.
Chris Lee was great in the second wave of horror but you should have put Peter Cushing in too.
And for future reference...it's "Who's your favorite." {I say that having found a terrible typo in a cover letter I emailed out tonight}
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Post by siamesesin on Feb 15, 2006 2:13:53 GMT -5
I am shamed for my bad grammar. I want to change it but don't know how.
I thought about Peter Cushing but didn't have enough bullets. I was reminded by Pest about Edward Van Sloane too.
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Post by Mechanical Torgo on Feb 15, 2006 8:06:07 GMT -5
Karloff is my favorite. He was great in the Frankenstein movies.
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Post by Don Quixote on Feb 15, 2006 8:12:38 GMT -5
Lon Chaney.
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Post by Wild Rebel on Feb 15, 2006 8:21:06 GMT -5
As much as I love the others, I have to go for Karloff. Even in non-monster movies ( Scarface, Five Star Final, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Targets) he's wonderful. I also love the Chaneys. Lon Jr. got a raw deal. Find some of his non-monster movies like Of Mice and Men, High Noon and others....he was a very good actor when he was given a chance. And Max Schreck appeared in more than one horror movie....it's just that few played outside of Germany and many are lost now. And then someone got the bright idea of promoting Nosferatu as being his only picture to make it creepier.....and then the author of Shadow of the Vampire picked up that idea and ran with it...so his other work may be forgotten except for scholars. |
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Post by Ratso on Feb 15, 2006 10:11:02 GMT -5
Hell yeah! He's the man of a thousand faces. |
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Post by Don Quixote on Feb 15, 2006 10:24:59 GMT -5
Yeah he is. Did you ever see that one movie where he played a Chinese guy? It wasn't a major role or anything, but I didn't even know it was him until I saw a special on it on TCM at three in the morning.
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Post by Wild Rebel on Feb 15, 2006 10:26:58 GMT -5
Yeah he is. Did you ever see that one movie where he played a Chinese guy? It wasn't a major role or anything, but I didn't even know it was him until I saw a special on it on TCM at three in the morning. . I used to have the sound version of The Unholy Three taped from TNT....I'm sooooo pissed that I lost that. And it's not on DVD.  |
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Post by siamesesin on Feb 15, 2006 10:53:48 GMT -5
And Max Schreck appeared in more than one horror movie....it's just that few played outside of Germany and many are lost now. And then someone got the bright idea of promoting Nosferatu as being his only picture to make it creepier.....and then the author of Shadow of the Vampire picked up that idea and ran with it...so his other work may be forgotten except for scholars. You're right, and I've seen some of those movies . I was trying to keep this to the actors in relation to their more classical horror appearances, and sadly, Schreck is usually only remembered for Nosferatu. My comment was overall based and not in regards to "Shadow of The Vampire". Good points, all of it. Thanks Reb. |
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Post by carolina on Feb 15, 2006 11:25:29 GMT -5
I voted for Lon Chaney.
however, my all-time favorite horror film has got to be The Black Cat, which has - ironically - Karloff and Lugosi.
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Post by Wild Rebel on Feb 15, 2006 11:37:00 GMT -5
And Max Schreck appeared in more than one horror movie....it's just that few played outside of Germany and many are lost now. And then someone got the bright idea of promoting Nosferatu as being his only picture to make it creepier.....and then the author of Shadow of the Vampire picked up that idea and ran with it...so his other work may be forgotten except for scholars. You're right, and I've seen some of those movies . I was trying to keep this to the actors in relation to their more classical horror appearances, and sadly, Schreck is usually only remembered for Nosferatu. My comment was overall based and not in regards to "Shadow of The Vampire". Good points, all of it. Thanks Reb. I figured that....I just didn't want that story that Schreck appeared out of nowhere, made one film and then disappeared to be re-inforced no matter how much I love the Willem DeFoe movie. That's also why I understand why other actors like Elsa Lancaster (great as the Bride and Willard's mother but that was it), Edward Van Sloan, David Manners, Ernest Thesiger (he was also in The Old Dark House) or Richard Carlson ( Creature of the Black Lagoon and lots of alien invasion movies) weren't included. Most of them played the "normal" people....the heroes. |
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Post by Chuck on Feb 15, 2006 12:48:35 GMT -5
Karloff.
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Post by Shep on Feb 15, 2006 19:55:36 GMT -5
Peter Cushing.
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Post by Crowfan on Feb 15, 2006 20:57:35 GMT -5
I voted for Christopher Lee but I like them all. Vincent Price was a Midwestern boy(from Missouri) so I like him a lot too. But all the actors are great.
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