There are images that stick with you for a lifetime, that remind you of moments that you will treasure till the end of your days. For many horror fans, those images were created by artist Basil Gogos, who recently passed away at the age of 78. While Gogos is gone, there is no doubt that for countless fans, his work and his influence will live on forever.
Perhaps no other artist in modern history has captured the monsters of the horror genre as iconically as Gogos did. His illustrations were simultaneously vibrant and gothic, displaying classic Universal Monsters against splashes of eye-catching colors, making the old new again in a daring, ambitious approach to art.
Many of Gogos' illustrations of Universal Monsters, along with characters from Hammer horror films played by the likes of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price, found a home on the magazine covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland, and it's not hyperbole to say that Gogos' work for that publication instilled a love of horror in a generation of fans who looked to news stands and drug store wire racks for their latest fix of frights.
From his first Famous Monsters of Filmland cover art in 1960, Gogos' passionate depictions of Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, and other cinematic creatures helped keep the love of classic monsters alive through the decades, keeping the cobwebs of time at bay with his paint brush and pencils. From generation to generation, his posters were proudly displayed on the walls of budding artists, serving as a daily reminder of the greatness that could be achieved through hard work, dedication, and above all, passion.
Gogos' illustrations graced the covers of numerous genre magazines over the years, and he would even go on to create cover artwork for music releases by The Misfits and Rob Zombie.
Whether it was displayed in magazines or CD covers, Gogos' artwork not only defined an era in horror for many people, it represented a time in their lives when creatures stalked the TV screen in the late hours of the night and posters of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were plastered on bedroom walls to watch over monster kids as they slept.
The effects Gogos and his work have had on generations of artists is immeasurable, and his stylistic influences will surely live on as a key strand of the horror genre's DNA, because the world of monsters just wouldn't look the same without Gogos' magical brushstrokes.
On Gogos' official Facebook page, his artistic partner, Linda Touby, posted the following heartfelt message:
"It is with a heavy heart filled with unimaginable sorrow that I am announcing the passing of my great love and the ICON of the art world Basil Gogos. At night look up at the dark sky and you will find a new star shining the brightest of them all. That's our Basil Gogos."
We've collected some of Gogos' most iconic artwork (via his official Facebook page) below. If you're looking for a definitive collection of Gogos' work to remember him by, Vanguard released a coffee table book called Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos back in 2005. All images are the copyright of Basil Gogos.
Photo credit: Above photo from Gogos' official Facebook page.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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