Author: Ghost of Gruebeard

As World War II reached its bloody climax and the second Universal horror cycle with it, Boris Karloff signed on with Val Lewton’s unit at RKO for three films that would prove to be among his best. ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945) saw him in fine form as a Greek general stranded on a plague-ridden island; thanks to director Mark Robson, the film effectively wraps the viewer in a sense of funerary dread. THE BODY SNATCHER (1945) was even better and gave Karloff probably his best role after the Frankenstein Monster as Cabman Gray, a bodysnatcher who procures raw materials…

BORIS KARLOFF William Henry Pratt November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969 “The Monster was the best friend I ever had.” There have been many fine portrayals of Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, Jekyll and Hyde and other classic horror characters but when it comes to the Frankenstein Monster, Boris Karloff stands as unquestionably the greatest actor ever to essay the role. That such a gentle and sensitive personage, on and off screen, would not only make his mark in the horror genre but also become its virtual avatar is surprising. In the multifarious roles Karloff portrayed over the…