Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

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Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

2021,

1h 30m,

Documentary

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Watchlist

91%

23 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Drawing from dozens of interviews including Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Roger Corman, Ron Perlman, Sara Karloff, Peter Bogdanovich, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant, Sir Christopher Frayling, and Kevin Brownlow, 'Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster' takes us to the heart of the man, with a gripping, intimate portrait of Karloff and the genre he helped define.

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Critics Consensus

With swift pacing and an engagingly straightforward style, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster offers an impressively rich and entertaining overview of the actor's career.

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John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Jan 28, 2022

In Thomas Hamilton's not-quite-adoring but hugely affectionate biographical documentary, Karloff emerges as a very decent man, whose job was to terrify millions. And whose often-startling filmography is worth a revisit.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Jan 26, 2022

3/5

Altogether this is one huge knowledge bomb, and given the depth of research and rich store of archive material, it's a shame that the original parts of the documentary are so shonky...

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Rex Reed

Observer

Sep 17, 2021

4/4

This movie honors both requirements of any documentary you can call memorable. It educates and entertains at the same time.

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Sarah Vincent

Cambridge Day

Aug 16, 2023

2.5/4

this documentary is a paean to Karloff’s artistry and understated advocacy for actors’ rights with fellow horror icon Bela Lugosi.

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Jessica Scott

We Who Walk Here

Dec 17, 2022

Taking such a rote approach to such a remarkable man feels like a wasted opportunity, especially given the incredible access that the filmmakers had.

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Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

Sep 14, 2022

As you might suspect, watching Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster will inspire a very strong urge to watch as many Karloff films as possible...

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Thomas Hamilton

Director

Sara Karloff

Self

Guillermo del Toro

Self

Ron Perlman

Self

Stefanie Powers

Self

Christopher Plummer

Self

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Synopsis

Drawing from dozens of interviews including Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Roger Corman, Ron Perlman, Sara Karloff, Peter Bogdanovich, Christopher Plummer, Stefanie Powers, Lee Grant, Sir Christopher Frayling, and Kevin Brownlow, 'Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster' takes us to the heart of the man, with a gripping, intimate portrait of Karloff and the genre he helped define.

Director: Thomas Hamilton
Producer: Thomas Hamilton, Ron MacCloskey
Screenwriter: Ron MacCloskey, Thomas Hamilton
Distributor: Abramorama
Production Co: Voltage Pictures, Repo Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 26, 2021
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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