Regarding a Recent Book by Film Director John Landis

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Hey, gang,

I recently picked up a rather large book at my local library, entitled, "Monsters in the Movies: 100 Years of Cinematic Nightmares," by the aforementioned Mr. John Landis.

Let me tell you, the book is loaded with great photographs of many of the giants of the horror film genre, including Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Caradine and Sir Christopher Lee, among several others. 

There are several interviews with some of the prominent people in the horror film industry included, such as an interview with the late, great Ray Harryhausen, master of the stop-action film special effects.  Tom Hanks has said that Mr. Harryhausen's almost magical work in "Jason and the Argonauts,"  qualifies it as a masterpiece of special effects.  I liked Mr. Harryhausen's work in "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms."  Seeing that huge dinosaur meandering around in lower Manhattan was a treat to watch.  (I'll bet that particular "critter" would have quickly cleared all of the demonstrators during their so-called "Occupy Wall Street Protest" at Zuccotti Park on Church Street and Cortlandt Street a couple of years ago!)      

Mr. Landis also interviewed the great Sir Christopher Lee.  I found it interesting to read that Sir Christopher stated that he was not overpaid while he was making all of those wonderful Dracula films for the Hammer House of Horror during the 1950s and 1960s. I recall that KLS also mentioned that the DS actors were also not overpaid during her time on the show in her first book, "My Scrapbook Memories of Dark Shadows."

The only reference to any of the Dan Curtis projects that I could find in the book was a listing for Mr. Curtis' 1974 production of "Dracula," with the late, and menacingly taciturn Jack Palance.  I don't know why John Landis did not mention either "House of Dark Shadows" or "Night of Dark Shadows."  Then again, John Landis made scant mention of his own film based on a hit television series, "Twilight Zone" The Movie." 

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to those of you who can't get enough, reading about "Nosferatu," The Phantom of the Opera," and "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes"!

Bob