4. Boris Karloff As The Monster In Frankenstein
If you were to see little children or even adults dress up in a Halloween costume today, more than likely you will see many of them dress up as Frankensteins monster. The look of the monster has influenced pop culture throughout the years in T.V. shows, movies and even music. None of this would have been possible without the make-up genius of Jack Pierce and the acting talents of Boris Karloff. Out of all of the characters he has played, Boris will always be best remembered as Frankensteins monster. He gave the monster life with his superb performance that made him memorable, more so than most of the actors in the film, but it was Jack who gave it an unforgettable face. Jack was the make-up artist who designed the look of the monster that consists of the iconic flat top, grayish-green skin and bolts in the neck. Large heavy boots were also worn by Boris that made it difficult for him to walk but that help complete the look of the monster. Its not often that liberties are taken in creating something so original that is from another source such as Mary Shelleys novel, yet still be able to produce something so unique and timeless in that era of movie cinema. The look of Frankensteins monster has yet to be surpassed and undoubtedly will ever be as different interpretations of it have been presented in movies since then. 3. Lon Chaney Jr. As The Wolf Man In The Wolf Man
Of all the monsters that came out of Hollywood, none have been a more personal favorite of mine than The Wolf Man in the movie of the same name. Many incantations of the character have been done since the release of the 1941 classic with every movie since providing a fresh take of the werewolf, but it was Lon Chaneys performance and the make-up techniques of again mentioned Jack Pierce that cemented the path that other artists soon followed. After the death of his father, Lon Chaney Jr. caught the acting bug and decided to make his mark in cinematic history by starring in movies and changing his birth name from Creighton Tull Chaney to his fathers name. Chaneys pivotal role came in the movie The Wolf Man, which he would play again in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Frankenstein as well as other movies. The make-up was done by Jack who took 6 hours to apply and 3 hours to remove. What makes this make-up memorable was not just the look of the wolf man, which was ground breaking at the time, but also the transformation of Lon Chaney Jr.s character in to the wolf man. The scenes for the transformation were shot in a way that allowed for the make-up to be applied little by little within a few frames at a time so that when run together, we see a gradual transformation of the wolf man. Jack Pierces technique in applying the make-up not only made Chaney a bona fide star, but him as well where his make-up genius was also displayed in Dracula and as previously mentioned, Frankenstein.