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Volume 14 • Number 26
Spring 2009
Cover Painting by Daniel R. Horne
VIEW FROM THE VAULT .............................................................................................................................2
LETTERS TO THE VAULT ...............................................................................................................................3
BORIS KARLOFF AT WARNER BROS. 1935-1939 .................................................................................................4
By Greg Mank
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For years, film history has basically smiled on the five star vehicles Karloff made for the brothers
Warner. The Walking Dead is one of Karloff’s most moving horror triumphs, and West of Shanghai, The
Invisible Menace, Devil’s Island, and British Intelligence—whatever their B picture eccentricities—all
provide top billing showcases for the star’s versatility. Yet coverage has never fully focused on what
happened behind the scenes of Karloff’s “Warners’ Five,” until now!
ONE BROWNING, TWO HELENS, AND A HOST OF FAKES: ........................................................................................20
Narrative and Cinematic Trickery in The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
By Gary D. Rhodes
Long-time MFTV contributor Gary Rhodes looks at the production of Tod Browning’s The Thirteenth
Chair, a film that marks Tod Browning’s shift away from his collaborations with Lon Chaney, Sr., and
the beginning of his work with actor Bela Lugosi.
VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES, AND SORCERERS: ......................................................................................................36
The Best of Hammer Horror in the 1960s
By Mark Clark and Bryan Senn
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Mark and Bryan give us a sneak peek at their upcoming book, Sixties Shockers: Horror Films of the 1960s.
This excerpt from the book looks at their choices of Hammer Studios’ top three films (The Brides of
Dracula, The Plague of the Zombies, and The Devil’s Bride) from the decade.
UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL’S THE STRANGE DOOR (1951): Part One ...................................................................46
By Tom Weaver and Steve Kronenberg
Tom and Steve share with Monsters from the Vault, The Strange Door chapter from their upcoming
book, Universal Terrors: The 1950s (the long-awaited sequel to Universal Horrors). Part One looks at
the inspiration, synopsis, and cast of the 1951 Universal-International film.
FILMS FROM THE VAULT ............................................................................................................................60
DVD Reviews by Mark Clark
Reviews of Fox Horror Classics Volume 2 (featuring Chandu the Magician, Dragonwyck, and Dr. Renault’s
Secret) and Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (featuring Scream of Fear, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, The Curse
of the Mummy’s Tomb, and The Gorgon).
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BOOKS FROM THE VAULT ...........................................................................................................................62
Book Reviews by Mark Clark and Bryan Senn
Reviews of I Talked with a Zombie: Interviews with 23 Veterans of Horror and Sci-Fi Films and Television
and Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies.
ON THE COVER: Artist Daniel Horne’s fabulous painting of Boris Karloff as John Elman from the
1936 Warner Bros. film, The Walking Dead.
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Monsters from the Vault is published two times a year by Monsters from the Vault, P. O. Box 981,
Abingdon, Maryland 21009-0981. Visit our Web site at www.monstersfromthevault.com for current
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