Smirk, Sneer and Scream
Great Acting in Horror Cinema
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About the Book
While you may think the old adage about oil and water being unable to mix applies perfectly to the cinema of terror and the craft of great acting, many a grease-painted scare and fluid performance have been combined in the strange alchemy that is the horror film. From the silent mastery of Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera to the cultured cannibalism of Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, the genre has seen an impressive number of noteworthy portrayals, far removed from the stereotypical leering monster and terrified maiden.
Part One of this work highlights the stars of this screen style—those whose numerous roles and outstanding performances made their names synonymous with horror cinema. Part Two covers actors who, although not normally associated with the genre, still contributed to its history. Part Three covers the great actresses in horror films and highlights their acting achievement. An appendix lists all the Academy Award nominations and winners in the horror genre.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Mark Clark
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 272
Bibliographic Info: 71 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011 [2004]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6419-7
eISBN: 978-0-7864-2682-9
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Preface 1
Part One: Horror Stars 5
Lon Chaney 7
Boris Karloff 13
Bela Lugosi 37
Lionel Atwill 54
Dwight Frye 61
Peter Lorre 66
John Carradine 73
George Zucco 79
Lon Chaney, Jr. 84
Vincent Price 90
Peter Cushing 104
Christopher Lee 119
Other Horror Stars 128
Part Two: Mainstream Actors 139
Fredric March in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 141
Charles Laughton in Island of Lost Souls 145
Claude Rains in The Invisible Man 148
Laird Cregar in The Lodger 152
Anthony Perkins in Psycho 156
Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead 160
Michael Rooker in Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer 164
Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs 169
Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense 172
Other Mainstream Actors 176
Part Three: Leading Ladies 181
Gloria Holden in Dracula’s Daughter 184
Simone Simon in Cat People 189
Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 193
Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby 198
Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair in The Exorcist 203
Sissy Spacek in Carrie 209
Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween 213
Kathy Bates in Misery 218
Jodie Foster in The Silence of the Lambs 222
Other Leading Ladies 227
Appendix: Horror Cinema and the Academy Awards 235
Bibliography 243
Index 249
Book Reviews & Awards
“a good book…illuminating…a fine critical study…indepth”—Classic Images; “refreshing…the author is at all times personable, credible, and literate…too interesting, well-written, and just plain fun to be passed over”—Monsters From The Vault; “devour this book from cover to cover”—Little Shoppe of Horrors; “a beauty…balanced between the old and new…insightful…heavily recommended…a fun read”—Midnight Marquee; “well-researched”—VideoScope; “readable, well reasoned…clear, concise writing”—Scarlet Street; “flawless”—Video Watchdog; “interesting”—B Monster Bulletin; “great book”—www.horrorreview.com.
