Facets Tackles Karloff

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 2, 2011 3:05PM

Aside from a tub of stale candy at the Chicagoist offices, Halloween is just a memory now. But we're loathe to give up watching scary movies. Good thing Facets agrees with us.

Starting Nov. 11, Facets Film School presents "Karloff: The Gentleman Monster," six weeks of Boris Karloff's prime screen roles. Film historian and documentarian Bruce Scivally will provide analysis and biographical background on Karloff. Born William Henry Pratt (hey, wouldn't you adopt a screen name too?) he was already 44 when his appearance in Frankenstein made him a star. Much like Vincent Price, in real life he was a soft-spoken man who was always ready with a self-deprecating joke. The charitable foundation set up in his name shortly after his death is still donating money to various causes.

The six films to be screened as part of the class are all genuine classics:

Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)

The Mummy (Karl Freund, 1932)

The Black Cat (Edgar G. Ulmer,1934)

The Body Snatcher (Robert Wise, 1945)

The Raven (Roger Corman, 1963)

Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)

The last one especially, Bogdanovich's first as director, is an unheralded masterpiece of suspense. Karloff plays aging horror film star Byron Orlok. He decides to retire, believing that his brand of gothic horror is embarrassingly out of date; meanwhile Bobby, a clean-cut young man, suddenly goes off the deep end and starts putting his personal arsenal of firearms to deadly use. Targets gave Karloff a great final role that remains as thrilling today as his monster in Frankenstein. This should be quite a class.

"Karloff: The Gentleman Monster" runs Friday, Nov. 11; Thursdays, Nov. 17 & Dec. 1-22 (no class meeting on Nov. 24) from 7-10 pm; price is $125 ($80 for Facets Members). All sessions are at Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave.