Peer Into the Horror That Is Kirk Hammett’s Movie Poster Collection – Atlas Obscura

Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett was six years old when he first saw Frankenstein, in the late 1960s. When it was released in 1931, the film was so successful that it spawned multiple sequels, including The Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankensteinand earned it a place as one of The New York Times 10 best films of the year. It also made an impression on young Hammett. It started his lifetime obsession with horror movies.

For three decades Hammett has fueled this interestand his own creativitywith a collection of classic horror posters and memorabilia. My collection takes me to a place where I need to be, he says. Among the monsters, where Im most comfortable and most creative.

Classic film posters are big business, particularly those related to horror. In 2012, it was reported that six of the 10 most expensive film posters sold at auction feature Boris KarloffFrankenstein himself. Many of these set auction records: An original 1932 poster for The Mummy sold for $453,000 in 1997, at the time the most ever paid for a American movie poster. (That honor has since gone to a poster for Frtiz Langs 1927 sci-fi epic Metropolis, which sold for $690,000 in 2005).

The Mummy was released in December 1932, just over a year after Frankenstein. Karloffs face once again adorned the posters, despite the fact he was barely recognizable under all that make-up. Karloffs his ravaged head takes up nearly a third of the poster, designed by Universal Studios art director Karoly Grosz, and now famously adorns one of Hammetts custom guitars.

For the Metallica guitarist, part of the reason he collects horror memorabilia is to share itin his 2012 book Too Much Horror Business and his Fear FestEvil conventions, for example. Now, a selection of his prized posters and other memorabilia are on display at the Peabody-Essex Museum in (appropriately?) Salem, Massachusetts. Atlas Obscura has a selection of his posters, which are on view from August 12 through November 26, 2017.

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Peer Into the Horror That Is Kirk Hammett's Movie Poster Collection - Atlas Obscura