Monster In Our Midst

Alecia Foster

Actor Matt Thompson sat patiently as makeup artist Kevin Haney

carefully applied the foam rubber pieces to his face. In about four

hours, the actor would be completely transformed from an average Joe into

Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Haney, an Academy Award winner, modeled his

creation after famous makeup artist Jack Pierce's monster in the 1931

film "Frankenstein," starring Boris Karloff. Pierce was well known for

creating all of early Hollywood's biggest monsters -- from the Wolf Man

to The Mummy, said Scott Essman, author of "Jack Pierce: The Man Behind

the Monsters." The re-creation was part of The Alex Theatre's screening

of the classic movie Friday night. The film was preceded by a live show.

Thompson spent the early evening wandering the crowd of arriving

moviegoers.