David J. Skal: The Monster Kid Who Gave Classic Monsters New Life

2024/11/02 16:49:32 +00:00 | Justina Bonilla

In honor of the Day of the Dead, I want to pay tribute to horror historian, author, researcher, and documentary filmmaker David J. Skal, who suddenly passed on New Year's Day of this year*. Considering how important Day of the Dead is to me culturally as a Mexican American and how influential David’s work was on so many people, including myself, I wanted to honor him, his work, and his impact on this day.

Early Life:

Born in 1952 in Ohio, David grew up as a Monster Kid of the 1950s and 1960s American monster boom. Like other Monster Kids of the era, David nurtured his love for horror through watching classic horror films on TV, reading the iconic Famous Monsters of Filmland, and the Aurora model kits.

As a student at Ohio State University, he was an assistant editor and film critic for its student newspaper. Later, in 1974, he graduated from Ohio State University with a B.A. degree in journalism. After graduating, he found himself in the world of theater, first interning at the National Endowment for the Arts and eventually going on to work with the Hartford Stage Company, the American Conservatory Theatre, and the Theater Communications Group.

Early Fiction and Hollywood Gothic:

David found early success in the publishing world in the 1980s through his sci-fi fiction novels Scavengers, When We Were Good, and Antibodies. Although these books received good reviews, they were not doing well for him financially. His agent recommended trying non-fiction. This inspired him to propose a book about the behind-the-scenes story of Dracula, considering how the creation of a film can be just as fascinating as the film itself.

David gave his agent a one-page summary about his Dracula inspiration and went on vacation. When he got back, he had twenty offers for the book that would become Hollywood Gothic: The Tangled Web of Dracula from Novel to Stage to Screen.

Spanish-Language Dracula:

During Hollywood's transition from silent to sound films, several studios wanted to maintain the foreign non-English market, which was fifty percent of the silent film market, by making simultaneously foreign language copies of their English language films, most notably Spanish language Dracula. When this method of filmmaking ended, David mentioned the film’s initial fate in Hollywood Gothic that, “…the film was considered to have no commercial future and was simply forgotten.” Eventually, Universal did not register the copyright for this film, and it slipped into obscurity. After the 1970s rediscovery of the film’s negatives, they were sent to the Library of Congress. However, the third reel was damaged, making the negative incomplete for restoration.

In an interview I had with David in 2021 for the 90^th anniversary Spanish language Dracula for LatinHorror.com, he mentioned how delighted he was to learn about this film’s existence. After seeing what the Library of Congress had, he said, “I’ve got to find that damn third reel.” His research led him to find a complete show print at The Cinemateca de Cuba in Havanna, Cuba. After his discovery, a chain reaction started that would eventually lead Universal to restore and re-release the film. At its 1992 Directors Guild theatre screening, Lupita Tovar, the film’s leading lady, lovingly shared about Daivd’s effort that, “This man gave me back my life.”

Other Books:

After the success of Hollywood Gothic, it ignited his long and respected career as a film historian and pop culture author. He wrote several books, including The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror, Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, Hollywood’s Master of the Macabre, Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stocker, The Man Who Wrote Dracula, and Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond.

David was also a co-editor of Dracula, the Second Norton Critical Edition. The Second Norton Critical Edition is used in classrooms to teach Dracula. This version continues to open new eyes to both Dracula and David’s work.

Universal Monsters Documentaries:

The film Gods and Monsters was the first feature film David worked on the behind-the-scenes special feature documentary The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale. He’s credited on IMDB as the documentary’s writer, co-writer, and co-director. Universal purchased the documentary. From there, he spent the next few years producing, writing, and directing special feature documentaries and other extras for the classic Universal Monster films.

These special feature documentaries are still featured in the Universal Monster DVDs, Blu-rays, and box sets. The documentaries created a time capsule that preserved the history and most importantly, the memories of the original actors and other original talents attached to these iconic films. For many of them, it was the first time they told their stories about these films. These documentaries built a beautiful bridge between us and these talents who are long gone, creating a deeper connection and appreciation of these trailblazing films.

Appearances and Lectures:

Throughout the years, David has had countless appearances varying from The 100 Scariest Movie Moments to Eli Roth’s History of Horror, and Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster. He’s also featured in the special features on the audio commentaries on the Criterion Tod Browning’s Sideshow Shockers. Not to mention the large number of interviews and presentations he did at screenings, signings, and book festivals. There was also a slew of interviews he did with so many niche and independent horror outlets. David once shared with me about his constant devoted promotion of monsters, “Anything that keeps monsters alive, I’m happy to be a part of.”

As a lecturer, David lectured throughout North America and Europe at cultural organizations, colleges, and universities. He was even a visiting professor at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Victoria.

Impact on Others:

“David was pure class. One of the last great old-school strange cinema scholars. His words, his work will continue to influence and inspire. And aside from his legacy as a decent, kind, human being, he will be very much missed.”

- Chris Alexander (Filmmaker; author; former Fangoria editor-in-chief, co-founder/editor of Delirium magazine)

"David truly changed the face of horror appreciation forever and ensured we'll have generations of monster kids to come. The Monster Show was the first book of his I read while I was in college, and it was a revelatory piece of writing that elevated genre scholarship forever. Getting to read his definitive studies of Universal's two Draculas and Tod Browning, among so many other contributions for the screen and written page, was always a privilege. Thank you, David, for making the monsters beautiful, and you will be missed so much."

- Nathanial Thompson (Founder of MondoDigital.com; author; producer)

“I met David Skal when I was executive producing Gods and Monsters. Both of us are such huge fans of James Whale, we bonded immediately and decided to collaborate on a behind-the-scenes “making of” documentary on Gods and Monsters that would also include background on Whale himself. We interviewed Whale colleagues on camera, including director Curtis Harrington and actress Gloria Stuart (of Titanic fame) who had starred in Whale’s The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House. The result was called The World of Gods and Monsters: A Journey with James Whale; it was included as an extra on the DVD release of Gods and Monsters. After that, we remained friends and frequently communicated. Just last August, I got David to weigh in with quotes on several bits of cinema history for my book The Epic Saga Behind “Frankenstein: The True Story”.

His vast knowledge of classic horror, Bram Stoker, and Dracula was unparalleled. His investigative reporting on queer influences in the horror genre was always fascinating and inspiring. And his books on these subjects were indispensable. I can’t wrap my head around the tragic reality that his table will be empty. But he will live on in our libraries and hearts.”

— Sam Irvin (Co-executive producer of Gods and Monsters; author of I Was a Teenage Monster Hunter!)

Impact on me:

I grew up obsessed with the classic Universal Monsters. When I first came across David’s special features, it opened a whole new world. I loved watching them and learning whatever I could about the monsters who were my cinematic icons. It wasn’t until I was older and researching the Latino image in horror that I discovered David’s role in bringing back to life Spanish language Dracula.

I first interviewed David for the 90^th anniversary of Spanish language Dracula. I was so nervous and afraid to embarrass myself in front of someone whose work was so important to me. But from the very beginning of our interview, David was so understanding, kind, and helpful. He was happy to share his knowledge of Spanish language Dracula and advice about journalism. It was such a lovely interview.

It breaks my heart knowing that David won’t write any more books. That he won’t be giving any more lectures or interviews. Or that I won’t be able to talk to him and ask any more questions. But I take comfort in seeing the legacy he left behind for so many of the people who loved, adored, and admired him, as well as the new generation of horror fans who will discover his work and gain a deeper appreciation for classic horror.

David, thank you for creating such deep, profound, and beautiful gifts through your work. Thank you for bringing Spanish-language Dracula back to life. Thank you for just being so wonderful. But most importantly, “La Sange es la Vida!”

[Robert Postawko & David J. Skal]

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*On New Year's Day, David and his long-time partner Robert Postawko were driving in Glendale, California, when a driver suddenly crossed into their lane and stuck their vehicle head-on. David passed away at the scene, while Robert survived the crash. The other driver was arrested for reckless driving and suspected DUI. Robert succumbed to his injuries later on February 6^th, 2024.

Sources:

My interviews with David:

Books: Hollywood Gothic

Articles: