Kreating Karloff

Conor Timmis pays tribute to two legendary Boris Karloff performances, the Frankenstein Monster and the Mummy. Under the expert makeup of Norman Bryn, Conor brings these characters to startling reality.

Special mention goes to his colleague Liesl Ehardt, who portrays Helen Grosvenor in the reflecting pool sequence from the Mummy. It is in this scene that Conor brings the essence of his Karloff portrayal to life through his voice, diction, and mannerisms. Liesl's beautiful dark eyes are evocative of Zita Johann from the original film. (In a curious fate of casting, Ms Ehardt is actually a distant cousin of the original actress, although according to the commentary this was only later discovered.) These two fine actors recreate a lasting tribute to their predecessors.

Conor continues his portrayal of another Karloff role, the Frankenstein Monster, in several scenes: *The now famous entrance of the Monster *The first discovery of a ray of sunshine *The confused plea of the forlorn Creature

Interspersed throughout the film Conor, along with members of the cast and crew, explain how an idea progressed into a reality. The audience is drawn into their enthusiasm for the subject, their meticulous research, and the caring way they pieced it all together to create the finished product. A wonderful tribute to Boris Karloff, by a fine actor and a dedicated staff. As Boris would say "Full marks".

Now let's see if a full bio-pic can be done on the legendary Karloff !

Ostensibly a promotional film to interest producers in a genuine feature biography of Karloff, but feeling more like an extended electronic press kit, KREATING KARLOFF (with its baffling spelling) is essentially a little movie about someone who wants to make a movie, an oddly circular concept. Timmis strikes me as enthusiastic, determined and talented, and probably better served in roles like one referenced in one of the interviews, as the naive young guy in COME BLOW YOUR HORN; his good looks and youthful face really are not suitable for the gaunt, mid-40s Karloff, despite the yeoman monster faces by Bryn, a veteran of Saturday Night Live and assorted soap operas. Scenes from FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY and TARGETS within the show will probably prevent KREATING KARLOFF from being available commercially because of the exorbitant cost of clearing the clip rights, so catch it at festivals or conventions if possible. It seems spiritually akin to American Movie and Trekkies, though without the self-awareness of either of those two documentaries. One man's obsession is another man's bargain-bin DVD. Everyone involved clearly gave everything they had.