The filming of the first horror films coincides with the creation of the actual cinema. Various actors, having experienced stage debut, will then be offered roles of iconic characters from Gothic fantasy literature. This was the case of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, known worldwide for their interpretations of the monster Frankenstein and Count Dracula.

Therefore, two superstars in both senses of the term, who knew to impose, at the same time, the ‘terror’ gender and illustrate by their subtle play, the terror characters as their authors had imagined them. Two destinies, sometimes united on the screen, though very different in life as in their careers... Two personalities, having wonderfully served a difficult style by their ability to adapt to the demands of their roles that often made them look tyrannical... Two exemplary careers in many ways, whose stories are read like an adventure novel that gives true meaning to the term ‘film pioneers’...

These are the elements that make up this book.

[Translated from French by Caroline Andreea Zgortea]