Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard, where we set out to remember and celebrate the lives of those who lived to entertain us,
by visiting their final resting places. Some lived to make us laugh, others to
cry or fall in love, while others still, lived to scare us to death! In the quiet
corridors of the Great Mausoleum in Glendale we find Hollywood's first
gothic star, Theda Bara. She was the original Vamp, dark, exotic, and sinfully
alluring. She was one of the most popular actresses of the silent era, seen in
films like Cleopatra and The She-Devil. Tragically most of her films are lost. The man who essentially invented Hollywood's horror genre rests in the
mausoleum at Home of Peace Cemetery. Carl Laemmle was the founder of Universal Pictures. Under his tenure in the 20s and 30s while other studios were making
comedies and musicals, Universal decided to tackle the world of monsters and
introduced audiences to classic creatures such as: Dracula, Frankenstein,
The Mummy, The Wolfman, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more. The earliest
Universal horror films, The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923, and the Phantom of
the Opera in 1925, were both silent films and starred legendary character actor
Lon Chaney, who rests deep in the dark halls of the Great Mausoleum, in an
unmarked crypt. Chaney was known as the man of a thousand faces for his ability
to morph into his characters through makeup that he applied himself. Many
consider him the Godfather of all monster actors. His son Lon Chaney Jr. followed in his
footsteps, playing The Wolfman in the 1940s. When Chaney Jr. died his body was donated to medical research. The leading lady of several of these
Universal monster movies was Mary Philbin, who is entombed in a crypt in
the mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery. She starred alongside Conrad Veidt in The
Man Who Laughs in 1928, but will forever be remembered as Christine in 1925's
Phantom of the Opera opposite Lon Chaney. Her unmasking scene of the Phantom was
reportedly so shocking it caused many in the audience to scream and faint. One of Universal's most iconic monsters
was Dracula, which starred Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi, buried in his Dracula
cape here at Holy Cross Cemetery. Lugosi's portrayal of the Transylvanian
Count as both dangerous and alluring at once, is considered by many as the
definitive Dracula. "I am Dracula." He also starred in the 1932 film White Zombie, considered the first zombie feature film. "I see..." "What is it?" "I see... death." "Madeline! Madeline, what's wrong? Madeline my dear, please!" "Oh... no!" "Madeline!" In a garden out back of the Guildford
Crematorium in Surrey England is the humble marker to one of Hollywood's most
iconic horror actors, Boris Karloff. He was brought to life as Frankenstein's
monster in several Universal films of the 30s. The monster was originally
credited simply with the question mark. "When this dead hand moves, the monster created by a man they called mad is turned loose to strike terror into the
hearts of men. Karloff also played The Mummy, Imhotep. Back in LA, at the Chapel of the Pines
Crematory, we find a Cenotaph to the man who brought the monster to life. Colin
Clive played Dr. Frankenstein in the Universal films of the 1930s. "Look... it's moving. It's alive. It's alive... it's moving! It's alive... It's alive! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!! In the name of God... now I know what it feels like to be God!" One of the pallbearers at Clive's funeral was Peter Lorre, himself
a legendary horror actor, resting here in the Cathedral Mausoleum at Hollywood
Forever. He was known for playing the villainous and sinister foreigner. He
starred alongside another horror icon, Vincent Price, in several adaptations of
the works of Poe, including The Raven, and The Black Cat. "Give back my head!" Before Elvira mistress of the dark
there was Vampira, the original Queen of horror camp, and television's first horror
host. She rests here at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She had her own television show
in the 50s, The Vampira Show, and can also be seen in Ed Wood's Plan 9 from
Outer Space. "Sounds like Clay's in trouble." Sometimes we love a little campiness in
our horror films. Take the 1958 film The Blob. It starred Aneta Corsaut, buried
here at Valhalla Memorial Park, and also featured Steve McQueen in his first lead
role. "Now wait a minute Steve, tell us what happened." "Well I'm trying to tell you. Now
this thing, it killed the Doc." "Well what was it?" "Out with it kid!" "Well it's kind of like a...
like a mass that just keeps getting bigger and bigger." "Every one of you watching this screen, look out! Because soon, very soon, the most
horrifying monster menace ever conceived will be oozing into this
theater." Horror isn't always meant to just make us
scream... sometimes it can make us laugh. Hollywood's original spooky family, The
Addams Family, debuted on television in 1964. The matriarch of this family is
Morticia Addams, first played by Carolyn Jones, who rests here at Melrose Abbey in
Anaheim. "Did I just hear a peal of thunder?" "You did, Tish, you did." "Oh, that's the most heavenly sound.
It makes life worth living. You remember our honeymoon, Gomez?" "Who could forget our
first night in Death Valley?" "There was a stillness in the air... the moon was full,
that lovely soft fluttering of bat wings, in that divine cave." At Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, we
find the grave of another Adams character, the beloved Uncle Fester, first
played by Jackie Coogan in the 60s TV series. "Uncle Fester, looks, charm and personality aren't everything. There such a thing is learning an accomplishment." "Accomplishment!? Who else do you know that's 110 volts? Watch! I could even make it blink!" The first child of Gomez and Morticia
Addams is a roly-poly boy named Pugsley. He was played by Ken Weatherwax. Ken died
in 2014, but a public memorial for him was held on Halloween Day 2017, and his
cremated remains were entombed in a niche here at Valhalla Memorial Park. "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there
came a tapping... Pugsley darling you're not listening. The Raven was always one of
your favorites. You said it made you feel so nice and
cozy." "I like it alright. I've just got other things on my mind." The eldest member of the Addams Family is grandma Addams, a witch and the
mother of Gomez. She was first played on screen by a Blossom Rock, buried here at
Forest Lawn Glendale. "You only got 10 points." "I kicked him in the ear, didn't I?" "Ear? Watch the master." You're standing right in my way1" "It's the only safe place!" "Step aside. Now watch this one, right in the old gizzard." "That was close. Go ahead Fester, you get another shot." The undisputed master of suspense in the
mid 20th century was Alfred Hitchcock, and some would say Psycho is his
greatest work. At Westwood Memorial Park we find the final resting place of Janet
Leigh, who played the unfortunate Marion Crane, who ran afoul of Norman Bates and
his mother at the Bates Motel. Just a few feet from Janet is the grave
of Ray Bradbury, known mostly as the author of Fahrenheit 451 and several
sci-fi works, he also penned a beloved Halloween story, The Halloween Tree, which
traces the history of Samhain, and Halloween. Another of the legendary
horror films from the 60s is Rosemary's Baby. Also here at Westwood is the grave
of John Cassavetes, who played Guy Woodhouse. "This was published in 1933.
There were covens in Europe, that's what they're called the, uh, the congregations.
Covens in Europe, in America and in Australia, and they have one right here.
That whole bunch... the parties with the singing and the flute, and the chanting,
those are sabbats, or whatever they're called." "Honey, don't get excited." "Read what they do, Guy. They
use blood in their rituals. And the blood that has the most power is baby's blood.
And they don't just use the blood they use the flesh too." "Rosemary, for God's sake!" One of the greatest horror of parodies is Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein. And there was no more perfect man to play Dr. Frankenstein's assistant, Igor,
than British funnyman, Marty Feldman - buried here at Forest Lawn Hollywood. "I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me... yakatata ha!" "Igor!" With the recent success of the film IT, there's no doubt that Stephen King is one of the
all-time great horror writers. In 1980 Stanley Kubrick directed an adaptation
of his novel, The Shining, a film considered a horror masterpiece.
It featured actor Scatman Crothers, who also rests at Forest Lawn Hollywood. "You know, Doc, when something happens it can leave a trace of itself behind. Say like if someone burns toast. Well, maybe things that happen leave other kind of traces
behind. Not things that anyone can notice but things that people who shine can see. Another legendary horror film from the 80s not only terrified audiences, but brought
along with it rumors of a curse, after two of its young starlets met tragically
early deaths. Heather O'Rourke played Carol Anne in the Poltergeist films. She
died at the age of 12, and is entombed here at Westwood Memorial Park. "They're here!" Buried nearby is Heather's Poltergeist
co-star, Dominique Dunne, who played Dana in the first film.
She died at just 22, murdered by an ex-boyfriend. "What... what's happening? WHAT'S HAPPENING!? -"WHAT IS IT!?"
-"Dana, get in the car!"
