I am continuing along with Halloween-inspired themes for the next few weeks. Up next, are a couple of portraits of the stars from Mel Brooks’ classic spin on the horror genre, “Young Frankenstein“. Gene Wilder was an amazing comedian who could play straight as well and the ensemble cast for this film was unparalelled. 

I remember seeing this film at the Shrewsbury Theater on Route 35 in Red Bank, NJ as a kid and immediately falling in love with Mel’s spin on horror with this film. Gene Wilder’s portrayal as the good Doctor who finally follows in his family’s business of monster-making was a masterwork by this beloved actor. 

Peter Boyle was also geniusly cast as the monster for the film. His presence on screen was a great foil to the other actors and seeing him in top hat and tails still brings laughs. 

These portraits were created using Adobe Illustrator, Corel Painter, and Adobe Photoshop.

Halloween is my favorite time of year, and as soon as they start selling candy corn in Target, I am ready for the holiday. To get in the mood, I am revisiting one of the iconic monsters for the season – Count Dracula.

Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of the count defined this character for the cinema and countless generations of fans of the story. His portrayal was certainly melo-dramatic, most likely a left over from the needs of the silent era of films, but it struck a nerve with the public and his work was iconic in the formation of the horror film genre.

These illustrations were created using Adobe Illustrator, Corel Painter, and Adobe Photoshop and combines painting and the intaglio-technique to add some texture to the portrait.