Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

Released Sep 17, 2021

1 hr. 30 min.

Documentary

List

92%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

Drawing from dozens of interviews including Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Roger Corman, Ron Perlman, Sara Karloff, Peter Bogdanovich, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant, Sir Christopher Frayling, and Kevin Brownlow, 'Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster' takes us to the heart of the man, with a gripping, intimate portrait of Karloff and the genre he helped define.

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Chad G

This is an excellent documentary about the true Master of Horror. Having a love for horror films, I have seen a fair number of Boris Karloff's films yet I knew nothing about his life until I watched this documentary. Despite the fact that this documentary is dry at times, it covers a fair amount of Karloff's films and shares some behind-the-scenes details with how they were made. Definitely worth watching especially if you're a fan of Karloff's.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/17/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Thomas Hamilton, who directed this movie and co-wrote it with Ron MacCloskey* (also the writer of Karloff and Me), had a big task when making this movie. Horror fans love Boris Karloff, so what new things can we learn about someone that we know so much about? And is what we know merely his roles and not the real man behind the mask? To tell the story, there's a tremendous cast of people on hand, everyone from Caroline Munro, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant and Ron Perlman to Guillermo del Toro, Peter Bogdonovich (who directed what Karloff wanted to be his last film Targets) and John Landis. Oh there's more — Roger Corman, Jack Hill, Joe Dante, Leonard Martin, Donald Glut and even Bela Lugosi Jr. and Sara Karloff. I learned from this film the fact that Karloff — born William Henry Pratt — was an Anglo-Indian who dealt with prejudice for his looks and a family scandal, two subjects that he would never discussed. Or that he struggled until 1931's The Criminal Code, a Howard Hawks movie, and of course Frankenstein. Even before he was a star, he was once waiting for the bus in the pouring rain and was picked up and given a ride by an actor he didn't know: Lon Chaney Sr., who told him "to find something different that will set you apart and is different from anything someone else has done or is willing to do and do it better." At the time, Karloff was working backbreaking — literally — manual labor jobs to subsidize his family when acting wasn't paying. Karloff acted in eighty movies before the "overnight success" that came from being discoverd by James Whale and cast in Frankenstein. The part may have typecast him for life, but Karloff even had the opportunity to play Broadway in Arsenic and Old Lace and played non-monster roles for Val Lewton in The Body Snatcher, Bedlam and Isle of the Dead. Karloff said Lewton had the man "rescued him from the living dead and restored his soul." Beyond a litany of the roles that Karloff played so well — TV like Thriller, Bava's Black Sabbath, Michael Reeves' The Sorcerers, Corman's The Raven, the voice of the Grinch, the Jack Hill directed Mexican films Isle of the Snake People, The Incredible Invasion, Fear Chamber and House of Evil and many more — the film shows you who Karloff was as a person, including a moving appearance on This Is Your Life. There's so much more to discover — how Karloff felt about the Fu Manchu movies, the fact that he wasn't even invited to the premiere of Frankenstein, the pain he was in at the end of his life yet how he could still turn it on and perform — in this delightful movie. A man that didn't become a scar until 44, who overcame racism, a lisp and the tough world of Hollywood rejection was able to become not just a star, but a legend. Trust me — this is more than recommended watching. *McCloskey travelled internationally to conduct research for the documentary for over a period of 23 years!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Manny P

Excuse me, but WTF would Stefanie Powers know about Boris Karloff ? She's famous for a woeful series with the equally wooden Wagner ?

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/01/21

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Thomas Hamilton

Director

Sara Karloff

Self

Guillermo del Toro

Self

Ron Perlman

Self

Stefanie Powers

Self

Christopher Plummer

Self

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

In Thomas Hamilton's not-quite-adoring but hugely affectionate biographical documentary, Karloff emerges as a very decent man, whose job was to terrify millions. And whose often-startling filmography is worth a revisit.

Jan 28, 2022

Full Review

Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Altogether this is one huge knowledge bomb, and given the depth of research and rich store of archive material, it's a shame that the original parts of the documentary are so shonky...

Rated: 3/5

Jan 26, 2022

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Rex Reed

Observer

This movie honors both requirements of any documentary you can call memorable. It educates and entertains at the same time.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 17, 2021

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

this documentary is a paean to Karloff’s artistry and understated advocacy for actors’ rights with fellow horror icon Bela Lugosi.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 16, 2023

Full Review

Jessica Scott

We Who Walk Here

Taking such a rote approach to such a remarkable man feels like a wasted opportunity, especially given the incredible access that the filmmakers had.

Dec 17, 2022

Full Review

Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

As you might suspect, watching Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster will inspire a very strong urge to watch as many Karloff films as possible...

Sep 14, 2022

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Synopsis

Drawing from dozens of interviews including Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Roger Corman, Ron Perlman, Sara Karloff, Peter Bogdanovich, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant, Sir Christopher Frayling, and Kevin Brownlow, 'Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster' takes us to the heart of the man, with a gripping, intimate portrait of Karloff and the genre he helped define.

Director: Thomas Hamilton
Screenwriter: Ron MacCloskey, Thomas Hamilton
Distributor: Abramorama
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 2021
Sound Mix: Stereo

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