Shout! Studios and Abramorama are teaming up for the North American release of a documentary feature that focuses on one of the horror genre’s greatest icons – Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster. Abramorama will be giving the film a limited theatrical run starting on September 17th, with Shout! handling its release to digital platforms at an unspecified later date. The trailer for the documentary can be seen in the embed above.
Directed by Thomas Hamilton, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster dives deep into
Karloff’s own origin story — real name: William Henry Pratt — as well as the genre he helped define and the filmmakers he influenced. It features clips of his performances throughout a six-decade career that changed forever when James Whale cast the character actor as The Monster in 1931’s Frankenstein, and includes exclusive interviews with his daughter Sarah Karloff, as well as the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Stefanie Powers, Christopher Plummer, Peter Bogdanovich, John Landis, Lee Grant, Joe Dante, Roger Corman, Norman Jewison, David J. Skal and Gregory W. Mank.
Hamilton wrote the script with Ron MacCloskey, and the duo produced the film. Eric Bond Hutton, Tracy Jenkins, and Abramorama CEO Richard Abramowitz serve as executive producers.
Abramowitz had this to say about the project:
Thomas and Ron have done a first-class job of telling the story of Boris Karloff’s life. I was a ‘monster kid’–my brother and I were obsessed with them, Frankenstein and The Mummy most of all–so I consider it a privilege and high honor to help bring Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster out into the world.”
Shout! Studios’ Mark Balsam added:
The timing seems perfect to release a documentary about the heralded actor Boris Karloff. His legacy continues to grow and in keeping with Shout! Studios’ focus in perpetuating such legacies, we are thrilled to introduce this documentary to an audience that can once again celebrate Mr. Karloff’s iconic status.”
Abramorama is representing the world rights to the film as it searches for distributors in other territories.