Lon Chaney Sr. - Phantom Of The Opera: "Phantom"

Lon Chaney Sr. - The Phantom Of The Opera

Portrait,15 1/2 x 10 /2 in.
Lead on Paper

Another piece in the ongoing series of Classic Universal Horror Monsters is in my opinion - the original Horror monster.  Before there was Lugosi there was Chaney, before there was sound there was Chancey, before there were make-up artists there was Chaney.  We still don't honestly know how he achieved the upturned nose make-up for The Phantom of The Opera to this day, though these days most people believe he used very thin wire to upturn his snout.  Seemingly impervious to pain in the service of achieving a realistic appearance on screen Chaney is considered by some to the first character actor.  Whatever your opinion on the man might be it's hard to argue that he is anything but a legend among horror fans.  Once he haunted the screen, they say he still haunts the opera set which is miraculously still standing today, but if you want he can always haunt your wall!

Lon Chaney Jr. - The Wolfman,"The Wolfman" (1941)

Lon Chaney Jr. - The Wolfman

Portrait, 8 1/2 x 11 in
Lead on Paper

In another piece spotlighting the Classic Horror Films of the 40's and 50's for the Halloween season, Lon Chaney Jr. can be seen in the 1941 Universal Classic Horror film, The Wolfman, lurking in the mist while howling at the moon!  And why not this is a heck of picture, in so many ways...  Few of the monsters from the golden age of horror cinema were originals.  Most of the Universal Monsters were adaptations, Bela Lugosi's Dracula was a novel - and the film is actually an adaptation of the stage play that was adapted from the afore mentioned book, as well as the inimitable Frankenstein which was a novel by Mary Shelley.  The Wolfman and The Mummy however, were both originals and have found a welcome place in the dark corners of our imaginations and a loving place in our hearts.