10. Lon Chaney, Jr. in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Lurching out of the lab first comes Lon Chaney, Jr. Son of silent movie legend Lon Chaney, Chaney, Jr. was always destined to be a horror movie actor and after his star-making turn in The Wolf Man he was the obvious choice to fill the (sizeable) boots of Boris Karloff. Playing the part as a silent brute with almcost none of the pathos of Karloff’s performance, the Lonster nonetheless turned in a somewhat memorable performance in what is probably the most fun of the Universal Frankenstein movies.

9. David Prowse in Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974)

The body of Darth Vader and darling of slightly rubbish sci fi and comic conventions, Dave Prowse played the Monster in Horror of Frankenstein, but turns in better performance in Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell, the last of the Hammer Frankenstein movies. Encased in a bulky body suit, this Monster was almost troglodytic in both apperence and demeanor and, despite the low budget makeup and body suit, Prowse does manage to bring some pathos to the doomed creature.

8. Bela Lugosi in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Remembered by most as one of the worst Frankenstein Monsters in cinema history, I feel that Lugosi has been short changed by time. Yes, he’s far too old and frail looking to play the Monster, but here’s the thing: In the climax of Ghost of Frankenstein, the Monster has the brain of his friend Ygor (Lugosi) implanted into his head but the experiment goes wrong and the Monster goes blind. Ok, so a blind Monster with Bela Lugosi’s brain in his skull. Good stuff. And that’s how Lugosi played the part, speaking in his own voice and groping at the air, his arms held out in front of him. Problem is, all references to the Monster’s blindness were cut, as was all of Lugosi’s dialouge, rendering him ridiculous. Of course, whenever anyone does an impression of the Frankenstein Monster they hold their arms out and grunt, doing Lugosi’s Monster rather than Karloff’s. So I guess, in a round about way, Lugosi got the last laugh after all.

7. Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein (1974)

Mel Brook’s affectionate – and damn funny – spoof of the Frankenstein movies produced at Universal is one of the all time classic horror movies, and probably my favorite Mel Brooks movie. Peter “Ray’s dad off of Everybody Loves Raymond” Boyle plays the Monster somewhere between Boris Karloff and Fred “Herman Munster” Gwyne. Gene Wilder turns in a typically brilliant performance as Freddy Frankenstein and Terri Garr is almost painfully cute as Inga, but the film is stolen by Marty Feldman’s hunchbacked Eye-Gore and Peter Boyle’s Monster. The scene with Gene Hackman as the blind hermit and the song and dance number with the Monster and Freddy tapdancing their way through “Puttin’ on the Ritz” are worth the price of admission alone.

6. Christopher Lee in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

The Hammer Frankenstein series made a radical departure from the Universal series by chosing to follow the adventures of Peter Cushing’s Baron Frankenstein than the adventures of his Monster. The Baron created a new Monster in each film, starting with Christopher Lee in The Curse of Frankenstein. Lee, an actor capable of bringing incredible depth to his performances (when he puts his mind to it, but to be fair, most of the time he just plays Christopher Lee), plays the Monster more like Lon Chaney than Boris Karloff, but there are moments when a spark of humanity shines though and we feel the tragedy of the Monster. The makeup is as far removed from the Universal design as it gets nd it’s testament to the genius of Roy Ashton that it managed to become an icon of Hammer horror. If only Lee had played the Monster more in line with the way he played the Mummy, then his performance would’ve ranked far higher on this list.

5. Freddie Jones in Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed! (1969)

Freddie Jones is perhaps more famous as a director than an actor, which is a shame because he was a great actor occassionally touched by brilliance: his performance, for example, as Bytes in The Elephant Man is one of the standout performances in a film packed with heavyweight thespians. In Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed he plays a sensitive and misunderstood Monster

4. David Warner in Frankenstein (1984)

David Warner’s touching performance as the Monster makes number five on our list. Thoughtful and articulate, the Monster in this version of the story is much closer to Mary Shelley’s intentions; indeed, the Monster is disfigured by a fire in this version, rather than being a mess of stitches and dead flesh. The scene where the childlike Monster meets his creator (Rober Powell looking creepily like a young Peter Cushing) is heartbreaking as the Monster kneels before Frankenstein in adulation, believing him to be God.

3. Glenn Strange in House of Frakenstein (1944)

This is maybe an odd choice for the number three spot on this list, but hear me out. Glenn Strange played the Monster three times: House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and the classic comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) and, sadly, in two of those three movies, he isn’t given much to do, spending most of the movie on his back on a lab table until being brought to life in the final reel for a lurch around the lab. That said, when it came time for Aroura to make their line of classic monster model kits, they based the Frankenstein’s Monster model on Glenn Strange and thus, for a generation of monster kids, Glenn Strange was the face of the Frankenstein Monster. Couple this with the fact that that Glenn Strange was the only actor who managed to look legitametley frightening in the Jack Peirce makeup (with the exception of Karloff in the original) and you have an iconic representation of Frankenstein’s creation.

2. Charles Ogle in Frankenstein (1910)

Speaking of men looking scary, it’s fitting that one of the first even monsters seen on film – Charles Ogle as Frankenstein’s Monster in the first ever Frankenstein movie – is to this day one of the best and scariest monsters ever filmed. Produced by the Edison company, Frankenstein may be the first horror movie ever made and it was considered lost for many years. Genre fans rejoyced, therefore, when a print was found and a DVD was released. Charles Ogle plays the Monster as a twisted and deformed conniver who delights in leering at his creator through the bed curtains (a scene which is still unsettling to this day) and is created in a vat of bubbling chemicals. Some brilliant special effects and a standout performance by Ogle make the Edison Frankenstein not merely a collector’s peice, but a genuine classic.

1. Boris Karloff in Frankenstein (1931)

Iconic is too small a word. One of those rare occasions when character and actor come together as one, Boris Karloff’s performance as the Monster in James Whale’s 1931 Frankenstein is one of the greatest performances in cinema. Able to show an astounding variety of emotions through the gresepaint and collodion, Karloff’s performance works on so many levels. For a start, he looks bloody scary, like a walking corpse, but couple this with the tragedy and pathos and childlike innocence of his performance and it’s easy to see why Karloff, almost eighty years on, remains the definitive Frankenstein Monster. The makeup works so well with Karloff’s face that it’s easy to forget that this wasn’t what Karloff really looked like; the acting shown by the relatively unknown at the time Karloff is astonishing. Easily one of the best performances in the horror genre, and one that, despite being almost totally unlike the creature she had created, Mary Shelley would probably have been proud of.

In the foreword to the second edition of her novel “Frankenstein,” Mary Shelly told her creature to “go forth into the world and multiply.” Even she, however, couldn’t possibly have imagined the impact upon popular culture her creation would have. Say the name “Frankenstein” to almost anyone in the world and they will instantly know what you’re talking about. Give me your thoughts below and check back soon for the next installment in our never ending top ten countdowns. End transmission.

10. THE STAY PUFT MARSHMALLOW MAN

And why the hell not?  Every bit as destructive as King Kong or Godzilla and equally scary, the Stay Puft Marshmallow man is the one thing in “Ghostbusters” that would actually be pretty scary in real life.  Slimer and the other ghosts are a bit too comedic to be really scary, but a giant marshmallow walking down the street crushing everything in it’s path?  Now that’s scary.  If you’re still wondering why he made this list, well, to quote Ray, “he just popped in there.”

9. THE FLY

Cheeseburger!  Wether you’re talking about the classic 1958 Vincent Price vehicle or the 1986 Jeff Goldblum grossout, it’s always wise to make sure you’re alone in the booth BEFORE teleporting.  In the original Andre Delambre winds up with the head and arm of a fly which leads to the famous “heeeelp meeee!” ending, whereas in the remake cranks the dial to 10 and snaps it off giving us Seth Brundle teleporting while intoxicated causing him to pull his teeth out, puke on his food and ultimately transform into a giant fly.  “Be afraid…be very afraid.”

8. BRUCE THE SHARK

Not strictly a monster, but still awesome and iconic as hell.  Realizing the shark was a tad on the rubbery side, Steven Speilberg wisely kept it out of sight for three quarters of the movie, building up tension like the bastard love child of Alfred Hitchcock and Brian dePalma.  When the shark finally makes his first apperance, we’re so caught up in the story and the deep, primal fear of the unkown terrors swimming around our legs that we neither notice or care the blatant fakery on display.  And that, my friends, is filmmaking genius.

7. PINHEAD

Possibly the creepiest monster on the list, and certainly the only one to freak me out as a kid, Pinhead (or Captain Elliot Spencer to his friends) was played to ghoulish perfection by Doug Bradley. The character of Pinhead has evolved over the years, but I’ll always remember him for his – like the shark in Jaws – fleeting apperance in the original “Hellraiser:” hidden in the shadows and intoning vauge yet terrifying threats about torture and hell.  And those nails, man… Those fucking nails.

6. FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER -tie- COUNT DRACULA


As played by Boris Karloff and Bela Lugsoi, these two are so inexorably intertwined in horror movie history that it’s impossible to seperate them and that’s why they’re tied at number 6.  Two of the most iconic characters in movie history, the Monster and the Count are the archetypes for almost every horror movie character that followed.  Every monster created by science (Mr. Hyde, Godzilla, Them, the Invisible Man, the Fly) and every supernatural monster (the Wolf Man, Michael Myers, The Mummy, Edward fucking Cullen) can trace their roots back to the characters of Frankenstein’s Monster and Count Dracula.

5. GODZILLA

The Big G himself!  Originally a metephor for the nuclear bomb before transforming into the jolly green giant who proteced Japan from aliens and space montsers, Godzilla has more films under his (sizeable) belt than any other character on this list save Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster.  No matter if he’s stomping Tokyo or saving it, Godzilla is as iconic as they come has inspired countless movie monsters.  Whether watching the shaky camerawork of “Cloverfield” or the “friend to all children” Gamera, spare a thought for the big guy who started it all.  Just don’t mention the bloody woeful American version.

4. NORMAN BATES

Inspired by the true life crimes of Ed Gein, Norman Bates is a young man with one hell of a mother fixation.  Played to perfection by Anthony Perkins, what makes Bates truly a scary character is that he’s seemingly harmless, charming even in an awkward sort of way.  But when he snaps, get the fuck out of the shower.  Not a monster in the “green and scaly” sense of the word, but truly a monster in the “one who inspires horror” sense.  First brought to life in Robert Bloch’s novel “Psycho” but made iconic by Hitchcock’s masterpeice of the same name.  Two sequels and a prequel followed and are all decent – watchable at least – but, like Godzilla, don’t mention the re-make.

3. PAZUZU THE DEMON

One minute Regan McNeill is an ordinary 12 year old girl, the next – thanks to an archeological dig in Iraq – she’s spewing pea soup, grabbing hypnotherapists’ nutsacks and making a list of 1001 innapropriate uses for a crucifix.  Though the original film strongly suggests that Satan himself is possessing Regan, the novel it’s based upon and the film’s sequels and prequels (“Exorcist III” is better than you’ve been told it is, by the way) reveal the true culprit behind the head spinning, carpet pissing anticts that go down in that unassuming house in Georgetown: the Assyrian demon Pazuzu; king of the underworld with the head of a lion, two pairs of wings and a snake for a dick.  Often called the scariest film of all time (it’s not) “The Exorcist” is a fucking classic, and that dude Pazuzu is not one to be fucked with.  To quote Twisted Sister, “stay away from Captain Howdy.”

2. THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Not content with being one of the greatest monster movies of all time, “Creature From The Black Lagoon” had to go one step further and introduce one of the greatest movie monsters of all time.  The Creature (known to monster fans as the Gillman; Creech to his friends) falls squarely in the misunderstood monster category alongside the Frankenstein Monster and King Kong in that he really doesn’t do anything overtly nasty.  Think about it, if you came home from work one day and found a bunch of people having a party in your house you’d be pretty miffed too.  “Creature From The Black Lagoon” may look dated now (but only if you’re one of those people that can’t appreciate the classics) but it was a gamechanger in it’s day, creating a whole new genre of evolutionary nightmares, taking horror out of the gothic age and into the atomic age.  If the classic Universal Studios monsters are the Rat Pack, then the Gillman is Elvis: the new kid on the block who rewrote the book and made sure that nothing would ever be quite the same again.

1. KING KONG

There are people who say “Citizen Kane” is the best film ever made.  Some people say “Gone With The Wind” is the greatest.  Others still claim that “The Godfather” is the greatest ever made.  But they’re all wrong.  The single greatest motion picture ever made is the 1933 original “King Kong.”  And even if it wasn’t perfect in every way, it would still be an awesome freakin’ film thanks to the special effects work of Willis O’Brien – the man who created Kong.  Most flesh and blood actors haven’t got as much character and charisma as that 18 inch model had thanks to the genius of O’Brien.  Never mind the 70s remake or the more recent Peter Jackson CGI fest (why have one T Rex when you can have three, right?  Right?  Wrong.) stick to the 1933 classic.  Put it this way, they don’t call him the Eight Wonder of the World for nothing.  “Scream Ann!  Scream for your life!”

Ten honorable mentions, in no particular order:
1. THE THING (John Carpenter’s “The Thing”)
2. THE XENOMORPHS (“Alien” and sequels)
3. THE WOLF MAN (“The Wolf Man” and sequels)
4. FREDDIE KRUGER (“Nightmare on Elm Street” and sequels)
5. THE LIVING DEAD (“Night of the Living Dead” and sequels)
6. COUNT ORLOCK (“Nosferatu”)
7. MICHAEL MYERS (“Halloween” and sequels)
8. CLOVIE (“Cloverfield”)
9. THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (“The Bride of Frankenstein”)
10. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (as played by Lon Chaney in “The Phantom of the Opera”)

So, once again, there ya go.  Cheers/jeers?  Post commentage below. End transmission.