John Landis 

Halloween horror: John Landis’s Monsters in the Movies – in pictures

From Kong to The Kraken, gremlins to gill-men, John Landis knows his monsters. Here's a selection of the American Werewolf in London director's favourite freaks
  
  


Werewolf Of London, The
Werewolf of London (1935): 'Henry Hull refused to wear the makeup Jack Pierce designed for the werewolf, as he felt it hid too much of his face. Pierce and Hull settled on the face pictured here in a highly retouched publicity photo from the original release. Pierce ended up using his first Werewolf of London design on Lon Charney Jr in The Wolf Man'
Photograph: Universal / The Kobal Collection Photograph: Universal / The Kobal Collection
Still from Sinbad
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958): 'One of the awe-inspiring Cyclops that live on the island of Colossa in the first of Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad trilogy. When roasting one of Sinbad's crew on a spit, he licks his lips in anticipation of his meal! One of the screen's greatest fantasy creations'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Columbia Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Columbia
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968): 'Hammer's first Technicolour horror film introduced the world to a new, dynamic, sexy and powerful Count Dracula: Christopher Lee. Dracula [Horror of Dracula in the US, Terence Fisher, 1958] also bought Lee's Dracula a worthy foe in Peter Cushing's driven Van Helsing. Both Lee and Cushing would go on to play these roles for decades.' Here's Christopher Lee as the Count in Freddie Francis's Dracula Has Risen From the Grave
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Hammer Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Hammer
Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1931): 'The collaboration of actor Boris Karloff, director James Whale, and makeup man Jack Pierce created one of the key icons of the 20th century. The image of Karloff's monster is deeply ingrained in the popular imagination, but Frankenstein and his monster have been portrayed in many different ways and by many different actors on stage, television and in the movies'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Universal Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Universal
The Mummy's Ghost
The Mummy's Ghost (1944): 'The second time Lon Chaney Jr played Kharis the Mummy'
Photograph: Universal / The Kobal Collection Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Universal/Universal / The Kobal Collection
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954): 'Julie Adams and the Gill-Man (Ben Chapman) in an unusual colour publicity still (the film is in black-and-white)'
Photograph: Universal / The Kobal Collection Photograph: Universal / The Kobal Collection
Still from Poltergist
Poltergeist (1982): 'Steven Spielberg produced this all-American suburban ghost story. JoBeth Williams' initial delight at invisibly moving kitchen chairs turns to terror when her daughter stares into a television showing static and announces: "They're here"'
Photograph: MGM/Sla Entertainment / The Kobal Collection Photograph: MGM/Sla Entertainment / The Kobal Collection
Still from Jason and the Argonauts
Jason and the Argonauts (1963): 'Jason (Todd Armstrong) fighting the Hydra, the seven-headed dragon that guards the Golden Fleece. Another scene lit up by Harryhausen's breathtaking stop-motion animation'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Columbia Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Columbia
Still from Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth (2006): 'Doug Jones as the Pale Man in Del Toro's remarkable movie. Ten-year-old Ivana Baquero gives a sensitive, very real performance as Ofelia, the young girl who is the star of the film'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Tequila Gang Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Tequila Gang/WB/Action images
Still from King Kong (1933)
King Kong (1933): 'Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), high up in the tree where Kong has put her for safety, looks on as he battles a TRex. Brilliantly staged, with innovative use of sound effects (by Murray Spivack). A classic sequence from Willis O'Brien's stop-motion tour de force'
Photograph: RKO / The Kobal Collection / Bob Burns Collection Photograph: RKO / The Kobal Collection / Bob Burns Collection
Still from Underworld - Evolution
Underworld – Evolution (2006): 'The second movie in the Underworld series, the story of the ongoing battle between the Vampires and the Lycans (short for lycanthrope – get it?), chock-full of computer-generated effects. Pictured is an excellent, practical werewolf costume in action'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Lakeshore Entertainment/Screen Gems Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Lakeshore Entertainment/Screen Gems
Still from Gremlins
Gremlins (1984): 'Joe Dante's wonderful, dark fairytale comedy. When cute little Mogwai Gizmo gets wet, eggs spout from his back and produce many more Mogwai. However, these Mogwai, like Stripe here, are downright dangerous. The enormous success of Gremlins allowed Dante to make the even more adventurous Gremlins 2: The New Batch in 1990. Gremlins is a marvellous mix of the sweet and the sinister'
Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Warner Bros Photograph: The Kobal Collection / Warner Bros
 

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