David, you’re one of the foremost authorities on the culture of horror. You’ve written, in my opinion, what is the definitive book on the horror genre, THE MONSTER SHOW. Also, you’ve written, produced, and directed a dozen original DVD documentaries. Many people know of you, or at least will recognize your voice from some of your insightful DVD commentaries, like the one on FREAKS and FRANKENSTEIN. And now your book, HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, covering the history of DRACULA in his many forms, has just been released in a revised edition.

RAY BRADBURY calls HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC “indispensable,” while NEWSWEEK praised it for being “The ultimate book on Dracula.” For a man who has spent so much time digging up the Count, I have to ask, do you recall the first time you fell under the spell of the character of Dracula, and in what form was it, the STOKER book, the classic Universal film, the Hammer movies with CHRISTOPHER LEE, or a stage production?

David J. Skal, author of GOTHIC HOLLYWOOD and THE MONSTER SHOW, www.monstershow.net:

It's all the fault of the flagrant, blatant display of monster magazines at Jay's drugstore on Turney Road in Garfield Heights, Ohio in 1962, when I was ten years old. Although FAMOUS MONSTERS ultimately captivated me to the greatest extent, I believe it was a copy of MAD MONSTERS that gave me my first glimpse of BELA LUGOSI in a tuxedo, making strange rigid gestures in somebody's bedroom.

Josh Jabcuga:

Tell me about the construction of the book. How long did HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC take to write from start to finish? It was obviously, ahem, painstakingly researched. Did the research that went into the book overshadow the actual writing period?

David J. Skal:

Research is always my biggest time commitment. I spent a year researching the original edition, and six months writing. I ended up spending an additional six months doing the revised edition.

Josh Jabcuga:

You’ve traveled around the globe researching your book, from Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire, to its cemetery, which readers will recognize from being locations in STOKER’S novel, to the house in Chelsea where STOKER completed his novel. You’ve also met some remarkable people, like CARLA LAEMMLE, who spoke the first lines ever in a horror film, as well as some players with ties to the original stage productions. What are some of your fondest memories about working on this book?

David J. Skal:

CARLA (who just turned 95) has become a dear personal friend, although we rarely even talk about DRACULA anymore. It's hard to distinguish between the visceral thrills of interviewing the original London Dracula RAYMOND HUNTLEY, the actor/historian IVAN BUTLER, or meeting the amazing LUPITA TOVAR, who starred in the Spanish film. I just wish more people were doing these kinds of interviews much earlier.

Josh Jabcuga:

I always thought NOSFERATU, the German film with MAX SCHRECK, was the first on-screen depiction of STOKER’S vampire. You wrote about a now-lost Hungarian film, THE DEATH OF DRACULA, that predates this film, although the plot apparently has little to do with STOKER’S. Is there any hope for this Holy Grail among Dracula collectors of one day turning up?

David J. Skal:

The film itself is likely forever lost, but there is at least a novelization of the movie preserved at the Hungarian state library.

Josh Jabcuga:

The Spanish version of DRACULA, with CARLOS VILLARIAS, is widely considered to be the superior version when naturally compared to the BROWNING UNIVERSAL affair. This brings us to one of the unsung heroes of cinema, at least in the history of Universal Studios, and that’s PAUL KOHNER. KOHNER was named head of foreign productions by CARL LAEMMLE, SR. (Universal Studios head honcho), who also considered KOHNER to be part of his family.

KOHNER’S first big project would be the Spanish-language adaptation of THE CAT CREEPS, in which he was given “the heady opportunity to second-guess artistic decisions of the English-language unit, which he did with great gusto.” According to your book, LAEMMLE was so taken with the more atmospheric Spanish version that he ordered the English material to be reshot!

Knowing this, I’m a little surprised that BROWNING’S nearly stationary camera direction (which, as you point out in HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, may not have been his work entirely), wasn’t itself reshot. Was this because it would have been unfeasible in regard to scheduling, unrealistic financially, or because this was JUNIOR LAEMMLE’S baby?

David J. Skal:

Really wish there was more documentation on this. KOHNER died shortly before I began my research, and LUPITA TOVAR was not sufficiently fluent in English when she made the film to be able to provide insights. But there was definitely tension between KOHNER and JUNIOR LAEMMLE.

Josh Jabcuga:

Let’s talk for a moment about the iconic BELA LUGOSI. The public is well aware of his chemical dependency and battle with addition in his later years; I believe it was morphine, right?

David J. Skal:

I believe it was Demerol, but you should check the biographies.

Josh Jabcuga:

This stemmed from pain pills? Are you aware of any reason for his introduction to pain pills? I’m wondering if its origins were based out of medical necessity or just recreation.

David J. Skal:

My understanding is that he suffered from sciatica, which may have stemmed from World War I injuries. In any case, he wasn't just some recreational drug user. His problems arose from real medical problems.

Josh Jabcuga:

Many people are familiar with the supposed curse of the cast from the POLTERGEIST movie, and more recently, the curse of the actors who played SUPERMAN. But the UNIVERSAL DRACULA film, with LUGOSI and TOD BROWNING, certainly seems to take the cake, or as you write in HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, “DRACULA has attracted a number of self-destructive personalities in its career, and has had a distinctive effect on the careers of others.”

Actress HELEN CHANDLER, who played the object of DRACULA’S lust, in the LUGOSI version, is a terribly tragic case in point, from additions to alcohol and sleeping pills, to being committed to a sanitarium in 1940, to later being severely burned as a result of drinking and smoking in bed. That’s just the tip of her story, too.

CHANDLER is just one of the many sad real-life characters documented in HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC that had me strangely, if not morbidly fascinated.

David J. Skal:

DRACULA indeed includes many stories of addiction, but then, how many of us know or love people with serious dependency problems, who have no particular interest in vampires?

Josh Jabcuga:

I have to make a confession: My favorite interpretation of DRACULA is GARY OLDMAN’S version. I say that with a little hesitation because I’m apparently in the vast minority, according to snippets of the scathing reviews reprinted in HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC, were OLDMAN was compared to more of a drag queen than a demon. I’m also under the impression that maybe you weren’t too fond of too much of FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S production of BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA. For your money, what’s the best DRACULA performance, and what is pound for pound the best DRACULA film?

David J. Skal:

OLDMAN is a terrific actor, who, in my opinion, was badly miscast but nonetheless did a valiant job with what he was given. The best DRACULA film has yet to be produced, but the BBC version with LOUIS JOURDAN is certainly the most faithful to STOKER’S.

Josh Jabcuga:

DRACULA is a story that has been told almost as much as another other story known to humankind. David, pick one current actor who you’d love to see as Dracula in the inevitable next go-around. Who do you think if given the opportunity, would make a bloody brilliant Count?

David J. Skal:

JEREMY IRONS.

Josh Jabcuga:

Since I started writing my column at this website, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of cool people. Is it true that you once tried on one of BELA LUGOSI’S capes? If so, I have to say, you have officially vaulted yourself to the top of my “Cool People” list. What was it like to wear the cape?

David J. Skal:

I produced the documentary included on the Universal "Legacy" DVD of DRACULA, which included a camera set-up of the original cape. And of course I slipped it on. I'm short and bespectacled and it looked ridiculous. I understand that LUGOSI JR. has licensed a line of teddy bear Draculas with snippets of the original cape incorporated.

Josh Jabcuga:

You worked on a biography about TOD BROWNING, which I’m dying to read, but unfortunately, is no longer in print. I’ve heard the book is exceptional, and it commands some pretty hefty prices on the collectible book market. When can we expect this book back in print? I figured now would have been the perfect tie-in with the release of FREAKS on DVD.

David J. Skal:

Check Amazon; there are still bargains to be had. The book has been optioned as both a feature film and a documentary, and I'm confident that a revised paperback edition will be available within the next year or so.

Josh Jabcuga:

So what projects are you currently working on? What’s the next book fans can look forward to? Oh, and one other thing, when are you going to do a book devoted to FRANKENSTEIN?

David J. Skal:

My next book is CITIZEN CLONE: THE MORPHING OF AMERICA, all about our national preoccupation with self-transformation and replication. And yes, I'm also considering HOLLYWOOD GOTHIC II: THE FEAR AND FASCINATION OF FRANKENSTEIN. But it will all depend on publisher interest.

When not venturing off into the scary world of freelance writing, Josh Jabcuga can be found penning Squib Central, published every Thursday, exclusively for www.moviepoopshoot.com.

Press kits, promos, items for consideration to be reviewed in Squib Central should be sent to:
Josh Jabcuga
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