Ghouls on Film

The Late Great Creature

by Brock Brower, 1971

I received this book in 2019, a gift from my friend Brent, and started in on it right away, expecting a fun little horror story. Upon finding a much denser story, I decided set it aside for a time, promising myself I’d get back to it soon.

Six years is not soon, but I’m glad I went back and read it. “Creature” may not be a monster story but there’s a monster in it. Or is there?

We begin with a reporter, thinking back on a recent article he wrote about an aging actor noted for his work in the horror genre. This section is that longest in the book, and it helps if the reader brings not only a familiarity with horror movies, but film production, the Hollywood scene, the history of the World Wars, and a deep vocabulary.

The reporter is appropriately bland, so as to not take away from the main focus of the book: Simon Moro, an actor whose career is comparable to Boris Karloff or Vincent Price, but whose real life is deeper and darker than anyone could guess. During his career, Moro surrounded himself with underage girls, made propaganda movies for the Third Reich, had sex with a skeleton, and carried human body parts around in his purse. Small wonder his director goes to labyrinthine efforts to get rid of him.

Is Moro evil or just crazy? We find out, maybe, at the end, when he takes over telling his own story—and things really pick up then. This part is maybe the craziest but definitely the most human. Not a bad accomplishment for a monster.

5 stars.