10 Worst Recastings In Horror Movie History

When it comes to classic movie monster actors, you really can’t get much better than the legendary Boris Karloff. 

Born William Henry Pratt, Karloff was a prolific performer, appearing in 81 movies before landing the role that would make him a star: Frankenstein’s monster. 

Karloff appeared in six Frankenstein-related movies over the course of his career, playing the monster in the first three of Universal’s classic creature features. Then came The Ghost of Frankenstein in 1942, with Baris Karloff nowhere to be seen. 

Due to scheduling conflicts, the former monster was unable to appear in this new flick, so Lou Chaney Jr., a fellow Universal employee, was given the part instead. Chaney famously got off to a bad start, as he had a major allergic reaction to the character’s make-up, and things only got worse from there. 

Karloff had such a great presence about him that he embodied the monster perfectly without even saying a word. Chaney simply lacked the gravitas of his predecessor, and whilst he was apparently a lovely man to work with, that did not translate to horror-hungry audiences.