Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, December 9, 2022

Thomas Hamilton's "Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster" (2021) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Voltage Films. The supplemental features on the release include extended version of the documentary; new program with film historian Kevin Brownlow; and new program with co-writer/co-producer Ron MacCloskey. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Can you imagine Italian cinema without the great comedian Toto? French cinema without Michel Simon? Swedish cinema without Max von Sydow? These iconic actors had such a profound impact on the evolution of cinema in their home countries that without them several key trends that produced timeless classics almost certainly would not have materialized.

Thomas Hamilton's documentary Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, which he co-wrote with Ron MacCloskey (Karloff and Me), provides plenty of factual evidence that Boris Karloff's relationship with American cinema was equally consequential. After a detailed summation of Karloff's early years in London and as a performer in Canada and America, the documentary focuses on his work at Universal and how it quickly became a blueprint for success in Hollywood. Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Black Cat, and The Bride of Frankenstein are some of the films that are carefully deconstructed and Karloff's ability to shape their identity scrutinized.

The most interesting information, however, emerges from the examination of Karloff's personality and the very particular way in which it defined his characters. For example, there is an excellent segment in which it is pointed out how Karloff's face did far more to strengthen and legitimize the cinematic monsters he played than the elaborate makeup and special effects talented artists used in Hollywood. In another segment, it is noted that Karloff apparently developed tremendous awareness of the significance of proper usage of mise-en-scene which helped him improve his characterizations as well.

In addition to numerous clips from archival interviews with Karloff, the documentary features clips from archival and more recent interviews with the likes of Joe Dante, Roger Corman, Peter Bogdanovich, Dick Miller, Guillermo dell Toro, John Landis, Leonard Maltin, and Kevin Brownlow. These clips have the most valuable information the documentary has to offer. For example, Dante declares that one of Karloff's greatest strengths was his voice and that the many audiobooks he recorded should be considered some of his best work. Bogdanovich recalls the conception and production of Targets (1968) and carefully explains how the film made Karloff feel appreciated again.

But was there ever a time when Karloff was underappreciated? According to the documentary, the correct answer is no, but in the latter years of his career, Karloff did struggle to escape the shadow of the cinematic monsters he had played. He repeatedly attempted to diversify his acting work but kept coming back to exotic and often quite wild characters even when he began appearing in various TV productions.

As cliché as it may sound, the complete profile of Karloff that emerges from this quite illuminating documentary is simple. Karloff was a very talented, hard-working, and madly in love with cinema man. Was he a lucky man, too? He did have a few lucky breaks, but the longevity of his career in the film industry was defined by the exceptional quality of his acting work.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster is narrated by Paul Ryan. It is presented by Voltage Films Ltd, Tribute Promotions, and Abramorama. It is dedicated to producer Alistair Wyllie.

*In addition to this Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster is available as a standard Blu-ray release. The latter does not have a DVD copy of the film and the collector's booklet that is included with the former.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster Blu-ray, Video Quality 4.5 of 5

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Voltage Films.

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster is a very recent documentary but uses plenty of archival footage with various inherited limitations. Naturally, I am only going to comment on the quality of the original content, which is clips from recent interviews. As you can imagine, they all look quite impressive, though even on some of them trained eyes will spot some minor inherited imperfections. For example, lower-quality video could reveal some blockiness. Image stability on the original content is outstanding. The archival footage does have a few shaky bits, but its overall quality is good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster Blu-ray, Audio Quality 5.0 of 5

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The documentary has an original soundtrack by Laura Forrest-Hay, but it is a dialog/narration-driven feature, so there are no striking dynamic contrasts. What is important to underscore here is that all exchanges and the narration are very easy to follow. I did not encounter any transfer-specific anomalies to report.