SINISTER CINEMA Top 10s, Volume 3

1. It’s time for the third installment of Sinister Cinema's "top 10s." It’s ladies night this time. Here are our listings for the top ten performances by a leading actress in a horror, sci-fi, or fantasy film. Our time periods are 1930-1949 and 1950-1959. We will do a separate top ten for 1970-1979 at another time and frankly, we would like to hear some of your input on that one. As with our previous listings, this is purely subjective on our part, strictly our opinion of what performances were the best. As in our previous listings, it was sometimes hard to determine exactly which were supporting roles and which were not. Jill Banner, who was masterful in SPIDER BABY, probably falls somewhere between a leading and supporting actress. Perhaps the biggest question we faced was whether or not to include Bette Davis for her role in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. Not only would her performance skyrocket to the top of the horror list, but there are many critics who consider it one of the best performances in film history. The big question, though, was do we consider BABY JANE to be a true horror film? There are some historians who do and some who don’t. It is after all nothing in the vein of films like BLACK SUNDAY, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, SPIDER BABY, or ROSEMARY’S BABY. Even the similar HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE has much more of a "horror feel" to it. And though I’m showing my own personal prejudice here, I somehow just couldn’t see anyone at the top of the list except for Barbara Steele, even though Barbara herself presented a problem in that her voiced was dubbed in every one of her major ‘60s horror films (yes…even THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM) except for her dual performance in NIGHTMARE CASTLE where her voice is heard in the role of Jenny. However, it is clear that BABY JANE falls into the category of "psycho horror films," a sub-genre of horror that was made popular by PSYCHO. We faced a similar problem in the ‘30s/’40s with Olga Baclanova’s performance in FREAKS. FREAKS is certainly an odd film, but is it really, truly a horror film? Most critics think so, so her performance was included. One final problem we faced was comparing actresses whose roles were truly "sinister" in nature to those whose roles were "threatened heroines" or "screamers." Fay Wray certainly gave the best screamer performance of all time. Evelyn Ankers was right up there with her. As before, we’d love to hear your feedback on these lists. Please…send us your own or write a separate article. More top ten lists to come in the future.Best,Greg Luce,Sinister Cinema.
   
   10 greatest performances by an actress a horror film 1930-1949
   
   1. Fay Wray in KING KONG
   2. Carol Lombard in SUPERNATURAL
   3. Gloria Holden in DRACULA’S DAUGHTER
   4. Olga Baclanova in FREAKS
   5. Marion Marsh in SVENGALI
   6. Miriam Hopkins in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE
   7. Evelyn Ankers in THE WOLF MAN
   8. Simone Simon in THE CAT PEOPLE
   9. Ann Harding in LOVE FROM A STRANGER
   10. Helen Gahagan in SHE
   
   Honorable mention: Evelyn Ankers in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, Fay Wray in MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, DOCTOR X, and MOST DANGEROUS GAME, Anne Gwynne in WEIRD WOMAN, Andrea King in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS, Susanna Foster in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Nancy Kelly in THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK, Maureen O’Hara in HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Virginia Christine in THE MUMMY’S CURSE, Louis Albritton in SON OF DRACULA, Zita Johann in THE MUMMY, Gale Sondergaard in THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK, Clara Kimball Young in ROGUE’S TAVERN.
   
   10 greatest performances by an actress a horror film 1950-1969
   
   1. Bette Davis in WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE
   2. Barbara Steele in CASTLE OF BLOOD
   3. Barbara Steele in BLACK SUNDAY
   4. Jill Banner in SPIDER BABY
   5. Mia Farrow in ROSEMARY’S BABY
   6. Gianna Maria Canale in I, VAMPIRI
   7. Barbara Steele in NIGHTMARE CASTLE
   8. Yvette Vickers in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN
   9. Carol Ohmart in HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL
   10. Tie: Edith Scob in EYES WITHOUT A FACE and Lilli Palmer in THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED
   
   Honorable mention: Barbara Steele in HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK, THE GHOST, AN ANGEL FOR SATAN, and PIT AND THE PENDULUM, Allison Hayes in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, Colleen Gray in THE LEECH WOMAN, Hazel Court in THE PREMATURE BURIAL, THE RAVEN, and MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, Bette Davis in HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE, Beverly Washburn in SPIDER BABY, Candice Hillagoss in CARNIVAL OF SOULS, Sandra Harrison in BLOOD OF DRACULA, Barbara Shelley in THE CAT GIRL, BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE, THE GORGON, and DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, Yvette Vickers in ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, Susan Cabot in THE WASP WOMAN, Marla English in THE SHE CREATURE, Peggy Webber in THE SCREAMING SKULL, Gina Lollobrigida in HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.

SINISTER CINEMA TOP 10s, Vol. 2

Here is Sinister Cinema's second set of "top 10s." This time we're covering the top supporting actors’ performances in horror films from the ‘30s and ‘40s. As with our previous listings, this is purely subjective on our part, strictly our opinion of what performances were the best. In compiling these two lists, the main problem encountered was determining exactly which were supporting roles and which were not. For instance, Boris Karloff's role in "Tower of London" is clearly a supporting role, yet he and Basil Rathbone are given top billing. Contrastly, one could reasonably argue that Bela Lugosi's performance in "Son of Frankenstein" was a supporting role, yet we listed it in the top performances by a lead actor for the '30s. Lugosi certainly didn't receive top billing, yet his performance I felt was large enough and certainly powerful enough to be considered a lead. The same can be said about Lionel Atwill's performance in the same film, which was also listed as a leading performance. Frankly, there were a lot of performances on both sets of top ten lists that could have gone either way. The 1930s were filled with a lot of fine supporting performances and it was indeed difficult trying to rank them. Some might be surprised to find my listing of both Humphrey Bogart and John Litel from "The Return of Dr. X." Although the film doesn't have that good of a reputation, I have always thought that both of these actors were outstanding in what I consider to be a very underrated B horror gem. A couple of other surprises might by Irving Pichel in "Dracula's Daughter" and Georges Renavent in "East of Borneo." Both of these performances never really get their just due. Elsewhere, there were three actors who pretty much dominated the proceedings: Dwight Frye, Ernest Thesiger, and Edward Van Sloan. The 1940s seemed to be a little more difficult, simply because there just weren't as many solid performances to pick from. Victor Francen, though, was a real standout in "The Beast With Five Fingers." As before, we’d love to hear your feedback on these lists. Please…send us your own top ten lists or write a separate article. More top ten lists to come in the near future.

Best,
Greg Luce,
Sinister Cinema.

Ten Greatest Performances by a Supporting Actor in a Horror Film from the 1930s

1. Dwight Frye in DRACULA
2. Ernest Thesiger in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
3. Edward Van Sloan in DRACULA
4. Warner Oland in WEREWOLF OF LONDON
5. Humphrey Bogart in RETURN OF DR. X
6. Dwight Frye in FRANKENSTEIN
7. Georges Renavent in EAST OF BORNEO
8. Irving Pichel in DRACULA’S DAUGHTER
9. Boris Karloff in TOWER OF LONDON
10. Wilfred Walter in DARK EYES OF LONDON

Honorable mention: Edmund Gwen in THE WALKING DEAD, Vincent Price in TOWER OF LONDON, Ernest Thesiger in THE GHOUL, THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, and THE OLD DARK HOUSE, Bela Lugosi in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, John Litel in RETURN OF DR. X, Samuel S. Hinds in THE RAVEN, Edward Van Sloan in FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY, Cedric Hardewicke in THE GHOUL and HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Dwight Frye in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Noble Johnson in KING KONG.

Ten Greatest Performances by a Supporting Actor in a Horror Film from the 1940s

1. Victor Francen in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS
2. J. Carrol Naish in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN
3. Wallace Ford in THE MUMMY’S HAND
4. Charles Middleton in STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP
5. Nils Aster in NIGHT MONSTER
6. John Carradine in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN
7. Matt Willis in RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE
8. Ralph Morgan in THE MONSTER MAKER
9. Donald Crisp in THE UNINVITED
10. John Carradine in THE MUMMY’S GHOST

Honorable mention: Bela Lugosi in THE WOLFMAN, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN and THE BODY SNATCHER, Billy House in BEDLAM, J. Edward Bromberg in SON OF DRACULA, Wilfred Lawson in THE NIGHT HAS EYES, Lionel Atwill in THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX, Dwight Frye in DEAD MEN WALK, Ludwig Stossel in BLUEBEARD.

SINISTER CINEMA TOP 10s, Vol. 1

Here is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, compile top ten lists for horror actors’ performances from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Keep in mind, this is purely subjective on my part, strictly my opinion on what performances were the best. The 1930s seemed to be the easiest to do, perhaps because all the really great horror performances were pretty much from that decade. When I finished my top ten I realized I had to have an honorable mention category, there were just too many great performances left out. I did the same thing for the 1940s. My number one pick for the ‘30s is Lugosi in “The Raven.” As far as I’m concerned this is the greatest performance by an actor in a horror film of all time. Bela’s intensity in the final 15 minutes still gives me goose bumps. I just can’t see how you can get any better than this. Some of you might be surprised that I picked Karloff’s performance in “Bride of Frankenstein” over his performance in “Frankenstein,” but contrary to Karloff’s thoughts about dialogue ruining the monster’s character, I always thought it made his performance better, not worse. How can you get any better than the scene with the monster and the blind hermit? The ‘40s were a little tougher to sort out, there seemed to be a lot of solid performances, but few that really stood out. The top four were rather easy though, although I did almost had to flip a coin between Karloff’s cabman Gray and Lorre’s Hilary Cummins for the number one spot. There might be some Lugosi fanatics (of which I am one) who will be a little surprised, even chagrined at my high ranking of Lon Chaney in “Son of Dracula.” The key thing here is not to try to compare Chaney with Lugosi. Forget Bela when you watch this film and you’ll see that Chaney is outstanding in his interpretation of the bloodthirsty count. Personally, I think this is the best thing he ever did outside of “The Wolfman,” and “Of Mice and Men.” The rest of the ‘40s—including the honorable mentions—is filled with performances that are pretty much of equal quality. We’d love to hear your feedback on these lists. Please…send us your own or write a separate article. I’ll have some other top-ten lists in a few weeks.

Best,
Greg Luce,
Sinister Cinema.

Ten greatest performances by an actor in a horror film from the 1930s

1. Bela Lugosi in THE RAVEN

2. Basil Rathbone in LOVE FROM A STRANGER

3. Bela Lugosi in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

4. Boris Karloff in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

5. Bela Lugosi in DRACULA

6. Boris Karloff in THE BLACK ROOM

7. Lionel Atwill in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

8. Charles Laughton in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS

9. Boris Karloff in FRANKENSTEIN

10. Tie: Frederic March in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, Claude Rains in THE INVISIBLE
MAN

Honorable mention: Colin Clive in FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Peter Lorre in MAD LOVE, Bela Lugosi in WHITE ZOMBIE and CHANDU THE MAGICIAN, Boris Karloff in THE MAN WHO CHANGED HIS MIND, THE BLACK CAT, and THE MUMMY, Lionel Atwill in DOCTOR X, MURDERS IN THE ZOO, and MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, Tod Slaughter in FACE AT THE WINDOW, Leslie Banks in MOST DANGEROUS GAME, John Barrymore in SVENGALI, Warner Oland in DRUMS OF JEOPARDY, Lionel Barrymore in THE DEVIL DOLL, and Charles Laughton in HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.

Ten greatest performances by an actor in a horror film from the 1940s

1. Boris Karloff in THE BODYSNATCHER

2. Peter Lorre in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS

3. Stanley Ridges in BLACK FRIDAY

4. Lon Chaney in THE WOLF MAN

5. Claude Rains in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

6. Lon Chaney in SON OF DRACULA

7. Bela Lugosi in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN

8. George Zucco in THE MUMMY'S HAND

9. Lionel Atwill in MAN MADE MONSTER

10. John Carradine in CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN

Honorable mention: George Zucco in THE MAD GHOUL, Boris Karloff in BEDLAM, ISLE OF THE DEAD, THE DEVIL COMMANDS, and THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES, J. Carrol Naish in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Lon Chaney in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, and STRANGE CONFESSION, Bela Lugosi in RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, Cedric Hardewicke in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, Spencer Tracy in DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, Onslow Stevens in HOUSE OF DRACULA,

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Sincerely,

Greg Luce,

Sinister Cinema