7. Men of Distinction
Just as we have scream queens, so do we have a long, proud tradition of horror actors of distinction. It all began with Max Schrek's portrayal of Count Orlok in Nosferatu. Then in the 1920s and 1930s we had the emergence of Bela Lugosi as the diabolical but charming Dracula and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster. These two men would go on to have long, illustrious horror careers. There was also Lon Chaney (Phantom of the Opera) and his son Lon Chaney Junior (The Wolf Man). Peter Lorre was also a welcome addition from Germany (M, The Testament of Dr Mabuse). Delving further on to the 20th Century we have Horror Gods Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee who dominated our screens mainly through Hammer Horror productions in the 1960s and 1970s. Vincent's finest hour was playing sadistic Matthew Hopkins in Witchfinder General and Christopher Lee's finest moment was playing the sinister Lord of a Scottish isle in the Wicker Man. Euro horror has thrown up some stalwarts like Spanish cult figure Paul Naschy - King of Spanish horror cinema, Italian Giovanni Lombardi Radice who frequently expired at the hands of cannibals and zombies. Honourable mentions go to George Eastman and Ivan Rassimov. And where would we be without Robert Englund's anti-heroic portrayal of Freddie Kruger over the years? They may not have won Oscars but their performances as chilling bad guys or dashing heroes make horror a great genre.
Clare Simpson
Contributor
My first film watched was Carrie aged 2 on my dad's knee. Educated at The University of St Andrews and Trinity College Dublin. Fan of Arthouse, Exploitation, Horror, Euro Trash, Giallo, New French Extremism. Weaned at the bosom of a Russ Meyer starlet. The bleaker, artier or sleazier the better!
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Clare