JP Nunez
I’m a huge Boris Karloff fan. As a kid, I was first introduced to him in Frankenstein and The Mummy, and as I grew older, I discovered a bunch of his other, non-franchise roles such as The Black Cat, The Body Snatcher, and Isle of the Dead. To this day, ninety years after his breakout role, his spot on the horror actor Mt. Rushmore is as secure as ever, so when I first saw the trailer for Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, the documentary instantly shot to the top of my to-watch list.
I love horror history, so I’m super excited to learn more about the life and career of one of my favorite genre actors of all time. In particular, there are three things about this trailer that really caught my eye. For starters, it mentions that Karloff always felt like an outsider, and that’s something I can very much relate to.
In fact, I think all horror fans have felt that way at some point in their lives. Even though horror films have been getting a lot more respect over the past several years, it’s still very much an outsider genre, so it’ll be cool to see how one of our most celebrated actors felt the exact same way that we do.
Secondly, I’m also super intrigued by the trailer’s hints about Karloff’s early life before he hit it big in Frankenstein. At one point, it mentions that he left home because he was running away from something that scared him, and I’m really curious about what that could’ve been. I admittedly don’t know much about this part of his story, so I can’t wait to learn more.
And finally, I love the great cast of filmmakers that are part of Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster. The trailer shows us clips of legendary directors Guillermo del Toro, Joe Dante, and John Landis, and it tells us that we’ll also be hearing from the likes of Ron Perlman, Christopher Plummer, and Roger Corman. Those are some amazing artists, and I can’t wait to hear from their own lips how Boris Karloff has influenced their work.
Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster is set to come out in the next month or two, but it looks like the film’s release isn’t entirely set in stone yet. Earlier reports said it was coming out in October, but the latest news says it’s set to begin a limited theatrical run September 17 with a digital release some time later. Either way, it’s coming soon, and this trailer has me super pumped to see it.
So what do you think of the trailer for Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster? Do you agree with JP that it looks like a real treat for horror history buffs? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for more trailers we’ve got you covered!
