The Horror File: Son of Cool Hollywood Horror Trivia

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) was played by two stuntmen. The subsurface Creature was Ricou Browning in a suit, noted for his ability to hold his breath for up to four minutes underwater, an important benefit if you don't want bubbles or a bulky aqualung to ruin the effect. Instead, Browning had access to an oxygen tube available nearby where he could take a breath Besides the suit, Browning also had to wear heavy weights strapped on to him.

It took five hours each day to make Lon Chaney, Jr., up for The Wolfman (1941), his favorite role. The various appliances, including the yak hair for his fur, were applied bit-by-bit for transformation scenes during time-lapse sequences with Chaney remaining in one pose from shot to shot until the change was complete. Boris Karloff underwent four hour makeup sessions for Frankenstein (1931) and seven hours for the more detailed makeup scheme for The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Shooting had to be delayed until 1pm due to makeup demands. By the way, Elsa Lanchester's own makeup as the Bride was so rigid, she had to use a straw for lunch. Bull Montana took 4-1/2 hours as the apeman in silent classic The Lost World (1925) while Frederic March's Mr Hyde makeup in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) took four hours.

For The Exorcist (1973), the cast included three actual Catholic priests as well as Jason Miller (Father Karras), who was a playwright. Vasilki Marliaros, who played Father Karras's mother, was discovered by William Friedkin at a Greek restaurant in Manhattan.

Their first pairing in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) made instant stars of Christopher Lee who played the tragic creature and Peter Cushing as Doctor Frankenstein. Lee's first comment was a complaint that he didn't have any lines. Cushing's response: "You're lucky. I've read the script."

Charlton Heston wanted the lead as the police chief in Jaws (1975), but the idea was to go with lower profile actors. Of course, they benefitted greatly when the movie became a hit.