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The Real-World Inspiration for Monsters Like Dracula, Frankenstein

Elizabeth Lee

   LOS ANGELES - Dracula, Frankenstein and other monsters may have
   literary origins, but Hollywood has turned them into iconic characters
   that have scared and thrilled audiences for decades.

   In the new exhibit, "Natural History of Horror," the Natural History
   Museum of Los Angeles County explains the link between art and reality,
   and shows how filmmakers looked to science and archeology as
   inspiration for hair-raising movie monsters.
   "It's really been a journey since those films were created to see how
   these different monsters have been interpreted and reinterpreted over
   the years," said Jeff Pirtle, director of archives and collections, at
   NBC Universal.
   "When you look at, for instance, Dracula, all you have to do is see a
   man in a cape and a tuxedo underneath -- it's an iconic image," said
   Beth Werling, collections manager in the museum's history department.
   "You know, it's the suave, sophisticated Dracula during the day, and a
   vampire at night. You look at Frankenstein and the green makeup and the
   flat head and the bolts coming out of the neck, you know what you're
   looking at."
   Visitors can see original monster movie posters and props donated by
   Universal, including the ball and chain that shackled Frankenstein's
   reanimated corpse in the 1931 movie.
   There is also a reproduction of the costume from the 1954 film
   "Creature from the Black Lagoon," with movable gills.
   Beyond the props, the exhibit highlights the real-life inspirations for
   the Hollywood horrors.

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