FACES of HORROR

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Horrorphile - February 2009

FACES of HORROR

February 2nd 2009 01:50

An American Werewolf in London nightmare

I decided to put together a gallery of some of the most recognisable and most affecting faces from horror movies. With the exception of Max Schreck as Graf Orlock in F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), all the figures presented are from the modern horror era. I was tempted to put Boris Karlof in amongst them, but to be honest, as seminal as his bolted-neck, square head is, he’s strangely endearing in a mutant teddy-bear kind of way.

I’ve listed them in chronological order, so there’s no this face is more horrifying than that. It’s simply a list of thirteen faces that have come to define the genre. One can argue that several of these mugs have become over-exposed, and so their shock effect has been softened. And one can argue that several of these are not about the actual face, but what exactly is behind the mask …? The mask becomes the face which enhances the mystery which intensifies the dread.

Only Anthony Hopkins gets away with no mask and no special make-up effects. Well, actually there is the muzzle he gets to wear, and that adds a certain repulsion. The real horror of his face is the glint of homicidal madness swirling in the dark abyss of his eye. There’s H. R. Giger’s alien, whose eyes we can’t even see, but whose slathering snout is capable of giving us nightmares for weeks. However special mention must go to the alien face-hugger which transforms Kane’s face into something skin-crawlingly terrifying.

So whose face do you find the most chilling? Which of these would you least like to see appearing at your bedroom window one dark and stormy night?

GRAF ORLOCK

REGAN MACNEIL/PAZUZU

LEATHERFACE

ALIEN

AMERICAN WEREWOLF

BLAIR-THING

JASON VOORHEES

FREDDY KRUEGER

PREDATOR

CHATTERER CENOBITE

HANNIBAL LECTER

COUNT DRACULA

Yes, I just noticed as I was uploading the pics that rather fittingly my list is book-ended by the famous vampire of them all; that Transylvanian aristocrat.

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: lists

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Comments

14 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

February 2nd 2009 03:11

These look like the ballot for my local election.

Good stuff

Comment by Bryn

February 2nd 2009 03:21

Horrorphile

Damo ... so who'd ya vote for?

Comment by Damo

February 2nd 2009 06:12

For the Federal election.
It looks like I voted for Hannibal Lector.
And he won.

He replaced Jason.

Comment by VivianDark

February 2nd 2009 06:42

Cool!!!

Comment by Bryn

February 2nd 2009 06:49

Horrorphile

Damo, could've been worse. Pinhead could've been elected.

Comment by Jason King

February 2nd 2009 08:32

Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness

CHATTERER CENOBITE is super creapy.
Cool list.

Comment by Damo

February 2nd 2009 09:34

Pinhead?
Alias Bob Brown?

Comment by Johnny Come Lately

February 2nd 2009 09:46

Jack's Back

That first photo looks like my old flatmate in the mornings lol

Comment by Movie Mall

February 2nd 2009 13:04

Movie Catcher
The Invisible Sky

Regan's gotta be the scariest, especially when she saying shit like 'your mother's in here with us'.
All those Cenobites were pretty damn creepy, including the fat piggy one.
I've always loved the unique look of the Predator. His helmet mask thing is pretty cool too.
How good was that make-up job in An American Werewolf in London ... No CGI. Fantastic.
Good list mate.

Comment by Bryn

February 3rd 2009 00:58

Horrorphile

Jason, yeah, and the sound that goes with it too! Which reminds me, I must do a review of Hellbound some time soon, much better than Hellraiser.

MM, I love pre-CGI effects. And Rick Baker's work on American Werewolf is astonishing stuff. Stan Winston's work on Predator is great also, apparently he had to do it in a hurry too.

Comment by Jason King

February 3rd 2009 06:22

Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness

The first movie I ever took my mum to was Hellraiser - she has never forgiven me

Will try and hunt down a copy of Hellbound - thanks

Comment by Bryn

February 3rd 2009 07:14

Horrorphile

You took your mother to see Hellraiser?! What kind of sick, twisted individual are you?! LOL

Hellbound is darker still, and features the now infamous line "... and to think I hesitated" Enjoy!

Comment by Jason King

February 3rd 2009 07:22

Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness

Haha - I was probably 13 or something like that - it was the one I wanted to see and I said I would shout her to a movie with my pocket money. She could not believe movies like that existed. It still cracks me up. LOL

Comment by Bryn

February 3rd 2009 08:09

Horrorphile

She could not believe movies like that existed.

.... HAHA! That's gold.
Have you read much Clive Barker?

[ Previous - Spoorloos (The Vanishing) ]

[ Next - Tales of Ordinary Madness ]

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