Tribute to Boris Karloff
 

A nice article by Cinematical on the legend of our genre - Boris Karloff.

http://www.cinematical.com/2010/08/2...boris-karloff/

Good to see the incredibly versatile and talented actor get some recognition in a mainstream movie website.

Really fine article. Karloff will always be the King of Horror to me. He was a consumate actor and his presence in a film always elevated the material. The only other horror actor who approached his versatility was Price.

Ditto.

Whenever I watch films of this horror legends, one of the finest qualities about them that always fascinates me was their excellence in dialog delivery in every scene they perform. Where under the gentle tone of Karloff we liked to guess there's probably something sinister he's hiding, on the other hand Price had the wonderful power to turn any script into a classic poetry.

When I was a little kid, Dad took me to see a re-release of Frankenstein. I was of course scared out of my pants as the tension grew, with the machine rising up, the lightning, and naturally "It's alive!" all thanks to James Whale.

But when we first see the monster, if you remember, they open the dungeon door and his BACK is to you! What a great touch of irony and scariness. Then he turns around and there are 3 successive jump cuts, each one closer to the face, until you're looking straight into those dead eyes.

Well, I jumped right out of my seat and ran out into the lobby, peering at the movie thru the curtains. It took a while for me to venture back to my seat, where Dad was laughing his butt off.

Great actor for the horror genre.

However, he played in all types of films including an Indian Chief in Unconquered.

I have really been purchasing all of the releases that come out on him.

I already have a 9 quality picture (DVD) on Thriller which is now being released on DVD. One of the best series for tales of the supernatural. Some of the plain mystery episodes were not bad either.

Karloff starred in a few of the episodes. The best of the series had Boris in it and it was called The Incredible Doktor Markenson. Very creepy and scary. Here Boris was raising the dead ( including himself) from fungus retreived from graves. WoW!

Have recently watched on DVD the following Boris Karloff films:

The Devil Commands
The Body Snatcher
Frankenstein
The Bride Of Frankenstein
The Black Cat
And naturally from Thriller The Incredible Doktor Markesan!

Great actor and made films when there was much better gothic and creepy atmosphere and not a lot of computer animation.

Here's to you Boris, old goul. Have a glass of blood for me,!

Noted Karloff TV Performances
 

Boris Karloff was alway great! A super actor for the horror genre.

There were two TV performances that stood out for me.

The first one was an episode from the excellent TV series Thriller. The name of the episode was The Incredible Doktor Markesan. To me it was the best of the whole series.

[IMG]http://www.horror.com/forum/picture....&pictureid=619[/IMG]

Old deserted house, fog, graveyards and all around eerie atmosphere.

When the DoKtor's nephew & wife come to seek temporary at his house shelter until they can get jobs at Penrose University, they find the place in shambles. When they eventually come in contact with the good? Doktor, he agrees to let them stay in the master suite but only if they will not come out at anytime from dusk till dawn. He enforces that rule by locking them in at night.

Little do they realize that the Doktor is actually dead and lives back in the cemetery. He has discovered a mold found in graves that can resurrect the dead.

At night he has resurrected three dead professors who had him put out of the University. He keeps on going over their testimony so that when there will be another trial to be held in the future and is to be heard before Prof. Angus Holden (who originally dismissed him) , he will be vindicated for his findings because they actually worked.

The nephrew cleverly undoes the lock on the door and see the above sight: Markesan and the three dead professors. He doesn't know what to think. He needs to get to Professor Holden at the University

When Markesan's nephew finds out from Professor Holden that the doctor has been dead for some time he heads back to the house to get his wife. Meantime his wife has wandered downstairs and is the the grasp of the doctor and the three dead professors.

When the nephew confronts Markeson, he finds out that his uncle is completely mad. When one of the dead professors starts to get up from his makeshift coffin, he falls and causes a gigantic light to fall on Markesan and kills him.

The nephew to his great dismay finds that his wife has now become part of the living dead.

The second program was an episode from The Girl From Uncle entitled The Mother Muffin Affair.

Surprising everyone, Karloff appeared in drag as Mother Muffin.

[IMG]http://www.horror.com/forum/picture....&pictureid=620[/IMG]

Mother Muffin was head of a group of assasins and was out to assasinate the daughter of a mobster. So UNCLE with April Dancer & Napoleon Solo were fighting THRUSH and Mother Muffin.

Needless to say the story was not that great but to see the old trooper at it while he suffered with arthritus and respiratory problems was worth the 50 minutes. He gave a great performance as usual and probably had a great time doing it.

Unfortunately he was to die not long thereafter.

What an actor. And a real giant in the horror genre.

Here's looking to you Boris. I will toast you with a nice glass of claret.

Have you ever noticed that Karloff really never gave a "bad" performance. No matter what the movie was, he was good. Truly an amazing actor.
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I agree 1000% with that statement.