09/12/2017
It's Alive!
Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Posters
From the Kirk Hammett Collection
Peabody Essex Mueseum, Salem, MA
Through November 26, 2017
Can the horrible be beautiful?
Certainly, for Kirk Hammett, the horrible has an allure. Hammett, lead guitarist for Metallica, has a horror and sci-fi memorabilia and merchandising collection numbering in the thousands. Some 125-plus items are on view at the PEM.
Scary movies with monsters and aliens have found willing viewers for going on 100 years. And while offshoots, like the toy robots exhibited here, have a simple, intrinsic appeal, it is 20th-century movie posters that comprise the bulk of the show and the highlights.
These posters, in many cases, really are beautiful.
In a museum context they obviously act not as promotional material for the movies but as works of art—and they do not disappoint. Hammett himself, in remarks at a press event at the PEM, emphasized the romantic aspects seen in the poster for The Mummy (1932), for example, and the illustrative, narrative emphasis used to give a prospective viewer an idea of what they might see in the film. (Let no one doubt Hammett knows his stuff.)
The typically anonymous artists who created these striking horror poster designs had trained in the art of lithography, using expert technique to elicit a strong emotional response from theater patrons. Compared to typical printing of the same period (first half of the 20th Century) in sheet music, comic books and strips, or magazines, these movie posters burst with color and detail. They rival even current printed media, through larger dimensions, strong design, and extraordinary color, creating a visual heft not found in the "cooler" design sense (and cheaper production methods) of today.
They also contrast with modern art of their era—reflected by posters for The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), a work of German Experssionism, and Metropolis (1927), influenced by the rise in mechanization and automation, which stand apart here.
Beyond the posters are examples of original magazine artwork by Basil Gogos and Frank Frazetta, familiar to anyone who grew up with the 1960's and 70's output of Warren Publications, especially Famous Monsters of Filmland. (Though there are a few other original artworks, each related to a specific poster in the exhibit.) This is a reminder of the renewed interest in 1920-50's horror and sci-fi when old films were repackaged and sold to television, creating new fans (like Kirk Hammett).
These amazing posters are perhaps more likely to get a favorable response from today's audience than the films they advertise. The images still work today.
This you can now see for yourself. But, if a North Shore resident, make your visit before October. This will be one of the hottest tickets in town during Halloween.
Originally published at Creative Salem
