Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Greatest Classic Monsters

1 - Vampires
(best: Lugosi, 1931; Lee, 1958)

2 - Frankenstein's Monster(s)
(best: Karloff, 1931; Karloff & Lanchester, 1935; Boyle, 1974)

3 - Werewolves
(best: Chaney Jr, 1941; Naughton, 1981)

4 - Kong
(best: 1933)

5 - Witches
(best: Hamilton, 1939; Lake, 1942; Hayes, 1969; Robertson, 2007)

6 - Ghosts
(best: The Haunting, 1963; Blair Witch Project, 1999)

7 - Mummies
(best: Karloff, 1932; Parker, 1955)

8 - Zombies
(best: Romero films, 1968 ff)

9 - Godzilla
(best: Toho films, 1954 ff)

10 - Phantom of the Opera
(best: Chaney, 1925)

2 comments:

Kevin A. McIlwain said...

Wow. You know less about monsters than you do about music.

On Vampires: you are leaving out TONS of vampires that were memorable, including the iconic Max Schreck as Orlock in the 1921 film Nosferatu.

On Frank's monster: Can't believe you left Christopher Lee off the list. What a glaring omission! I would have also added Glenn Strange.

On Werewolves: Henry Hull (1935's Werewolf of London) is needed. Oliver Reed was near-iconic level in 1961's Curse of the Werewolf. Most of the cast of The Howling would have been welcome on a definitive list.

On Witches: Hamilton is definitive, but Anjelica Huston in 1990's The Witches is a must. Also, for my money Lucille La Verne (1937's Snow White) is deserving of mention.

On Ghosts: No versions of A Christmas Carol? For shame. I would add Daveigh Chase from The Ring (2002).

On Mummies: Again...no love for Christopher Lee.

Keith H. McIlwain said...

Schreck was an oversight; my bad.

Huston & La Verne could also have been included; my bad.

Ghosts - I hadn't thought of A Christmas carol, but that's not a bad idea. Particularly the Sim version.