“When I was nine I played the demon king in Cinderella and it launched me on a long and happy life of being a monster.” – Boris Karloff
“This creature of yours should be kept under guard. Mark my words. He will prove dangerous.” — Line from Frankenstein (1931).
Frankenstein (1931). With Mae Clarke.
“Horror means something revolting. Anybody can show you a pailful of innards. But the object of the roles I played is not to turn your stomach – but merely to make your hair stand on end.” — Boris Karloff
Frankenstein (1931). With Colin Clive.
Behind the Mask (1932). With Jack Holt and Constance Cummings.
Karloff being made up as The Mummy (1932). Jack P. Pierce is the artist at work. The process took eight hours, starting at 11:00 A.M. Once the aged skin look was added to the face and head, Karloff could no longer talk and had to mime.
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) trolley card. With Myrna Loy.
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932). With Myrna Loy and Charles Starrett.
“You must be indulgent of Dr. Werdegast’s weakness. He is the unfortunate victim of one of the commoner phobias but in an extreme form. He has an intense and all-consuming horror of cats.” — a line from the classic horror movie, The Black Cat (1934).
“Come, Vitus. Are we men or are we children? Of what use are all these melodramatic gestures?” – line from The Black Cat (1934). With Bela Lugosi and Lucille Lund.
“I didn’t begin my stage or my screen career with the idea of becoming a horror character but the chance which led me into that type of role has brought me the things I want and lifted me out of the rut and so long as I remain on the screen, I do not expect to deviate.” — Boris Karloff in 1935.
Photo: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
“My dear old monster. I owe everything to him. He’s my best friend.” – Boris Karloff
With director James Whale.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). With Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, and Ernest Thesiger.
The Walking Dead (1936). Co-stars Marguerite Churchill. Directed by Michael Curtiz.
“Acting has a peculiar appeal for me – the dual appeal of doing parts such as others do, and of achieving odd effects in makeup. At this date, anyhow, I’m not tired of doing either. Their combination forms what is perhaps the ideal way of making one’s living and defeating boredom that would come from retiring from an active life.” — Boris Karloff
Source: 1937
Photo: West of Shanghai (1937)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
