While researching details for my own kits over the better part of a decade has led to extensive notes. This list is a product of interviews, contemporary descriptions, access to colour stills, and seeing the costumes in person. In some cases, where an eyewitness account is not available, colours are derived by approximation with matching documented shades. While brown eyes are obvious in stills, blue and grey look alike. This guide exists as a reference for history buffs, and should not interfere with your having fun with a kit or how you want to portray a character. Several kit manufacturers have enclosed detailed colour suggestions with their kits, such as Artomic Creations and Monstrology Models. I have omitted repeating information from these kit's instruction sheets. The following eye and hair chart lists Horror actors and their "model kit" roles:

BLUE Eyes-
Isabel Adjani (Mina in Nosferatu) Dark Blue eyes, Black hair
Lionel Atwill (Inspector Kroegh) Brown hair
John Barrymore (Mr. Hyde, Svengali) Medium brown hair
Carroll Borland (Luna) Brown hair
John Carradine (Dracula) Brown hair-grey as Dracula
Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man, Man Made Monster) Brown hair
Dwight Frye (Renfield, Fritz...) Dark Blond
Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu)
Bela Lugosi-piercing blue Dark brown hair
Maila "Vampira" Nurmi (TV Host) Blond hair, Black wig
Max Schreck-Brown-grey Nosferatu tufts
Ernest Thesiger-greyish eyes (Dr. Praetorious) Grey hair
Conrad Veidt (Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Man who Laughs) Dark brown hair
Paul Wegener (the Golem) Brown hair
Zacherley-the Cool Ghoul (TV Host) Almost black hair in 'Ol Transylvania, now grey

BROWN Eyes-
Lon Chaney, Sr. (Hunchback, Phantom, Vampire...) Brown hair
Colin Clive (Dr. Frankenstein) Dark brown hair
Gloria Holden (Dracula's Daughter) Dark brown Hair
Henry Hull (Werewolf of London) Brown Hair
Boris Karloff - dark brown eyes (Frankenstein, "Black Cat"...) Brown hair
Charles Laughton (Dr. Moreau, Hunchback) Light brown hair
Fredric March (Mr. Hyde) Brown hair
Claude Rains (Phantom of the Opera) Mousy brown top, grey sides
Basil Rathbone (Wolf Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes) Dark brown hair
Glenn Strange (Frankenstein Monster, Petro) Brown hair
George Zucco (The High Priest of Karnak) Grey hair
Tom Tyler (Captain Marvel, Mummy--See "Mummy" notes) Brown Hair

GREEN Eyes-
Elsa Lanchester (The Bride Of Frankenstein) Red hair; and it is this natural colour that was pulled over a wire frame in her most famous appearance. The silver shocks are not perfectly balanced at her temples. The left side starts closer to her ear. Try it-you'll love the look as opposed to that black hair universal "decided" to use in licensing directives!
Barbara Steele (Black Sunday) Black Hair

HAZEL
(variable tones, blue-green-grey)- Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes)Brown hair
Mary Philbin (Phantom of the Opera) Brown hair
Some film characters and the costumes they wear:

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari: Veidt's Cesare (pronounced by All Good Germans as "SehZahrr") wears a pasty white greasepaint. Open to interpretation since his character may be theatrical as the Somnambulist, or he may be truly pale. For a greasepaint effect, thick white drybrusing after coating the face will help give a good effect. Leave some untouched flesh areas in the ears and neck. A lighter dusting of make-up on the hands works well. "Chalk" in his geometric eye make-up. Thin black lips may not look as good as deep dark red lips do. The piercing Blue eyes should not be overly bloodshot. On his black body stocking, chalk in the triangular patterns in pale pastel green, blue or even pink. There may be more than just that "V" on his chest if you look at a good print of the film.
Jane wears a pale gown. Blue, lavender, green, or pink can all work well depending on your preferences. A natural pale flesh, understated red lips and subtle eyeshadow help the contrast between the stark Cesare and victim.

Nosferatu: Count Orlock has a very pale flesh. Bluish and purple, veiny tints work well, as does chalky white. He wears a nobleman's frock, probably maroon, green, blue or brown, with darker cuffs and collar. My preference is for a German Army Field Grey with bottle green trim, similar to a huntsman's coat of the last century. Pants would be dark blue, brown or black. His hat is probably black, though it could also match the cuffs of his coat. Worn velvet is likely as the material.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Red hair, as described in the novel is evidenced by Chaney's pursuit of accuracy. His complexion is ruddy. Laughton's hair was red as well, but the complexion is more sallow. Based on photos, LC wore brownish or rust coloured tights with a green frock. Lobby cards portray CL in an olive outfit, with no change in colour on tights. For both actors, pale blue, grey, and amber shirts are plausible under the frock. Shoes-brown, or even a rusty maroon.

The Phantom of the Opera: Brown hair and a sallow complexion are described in the Gaston Lereaux novel. In keeping with the spirit of costumed "opera," green burgundy and purple hued evening clothes are viable. All would look black on film. In the masked ball colour sequence of the Chaney film, his gown appears as red and washed out pink. The "puffs" contrast the flowing robes. His staff is dark wood with a gold snake. For the 1943 all colour film, Rains wears a scarlet lined cape over his black evening clothes and vest. A pale blue mask hides his face. His hair is a mousy brown on top, and where it is cut short on the sides and back, it is grey.

Mr. Hyde: Barrymore. This is a kit worthy of many takes. The lighting used in 1920 made natural colours look odd on film. Actors wore green, lavender and yellow-based makeup to look natural on film. Therefore, what you presume to be red lips may in fact have been yellow! As this character appears on film, these colours are suggested: Dark brown hair. Complexion is a sort of mocha brown, but retains ruddiness. Cloak-brown over a black base, and a foxy fur collar. Blue for the suit adds some colour while still being a "dark suit." The 1932 Fredric March Hyde is a misshapen Neanderthal, and a healthy flesh over a tanned base flesh works very well. Hyde's hair is brown, and he retains Jekyll's black evening clothes. The cape, with black tie-cord, is lined white, and his silver handled cane holds a milk glass orb.

The Penalty: Blizzard, portrayed by Lon Chaney, is a fairly straight-forward Lon Chaney portrait. Chaney is a little dark complected by the looks of the film--a healthy outdoorsman colour. The costume is on display at the California Museum of Natural History, and is almost the colour of a WWII era USMC officer's uniform. Use a greyish forest green colour with wool gabardine texture. The leather cups worn by the "amputee" Chaney are russet brown leather. The natural wood crutches have dark brown arm rests. The cap is black. As it is held crumpled in the hand of this rare model kit, it is easy to overlook as a rag. There was a second suit worn as well, in blue. In the Kino DVD extras you can see the actual grey-green costume in review!

Island of Lost Souls: Dr. Moreau has greasy black hair and a sweaty porcine face. His tie is red with fine golden spiral shapes (not paisley). He wears all white, but some lobby card art tints the shirt light blue.
The Panther Woman, with her raven hair, has a relatively pale Polynesian complexion. Her sarong, like her halter-top, is red with blue flowers. A more challenging painting task would be the geometric deco patterned version worn mid-film. This appears to be red, yellow, and blue. Use green or blue shadow around Kathleen Burke's brown eyes. Her claw-nails are red.

The Werewolf of London: Hull's werewolf has brown fur and darker flesh. Dark claws. Hull wears a heather tweed coat and dark (red, green, blue, brown...) muffler. His "college professor" look carries to his pants and brown oxfords. Hat is dark tweed. For the robed, "lab transformation" kit, a dark robe-purple, red, black, or hunter green-is worn. Pyjama legs are tannish, yellow, light blue, or some pale shade.

Man Made Monster: Chaney's "glow-in-the-dark" man is unhealthy looking in the daylight, and can have a glow paint mixed in to pull off the look. His rubber outfit is a sort of rusty red-primer colour. There are still many items made of this colour rubber, like gaskets and heavy-duty hoses.

Vampira: Maila Nurmi's own creation, a Vamp based on the Charles Addams cartoon mother (later called Morticia), fetish elements and some Hollywood leading ladies, wears all black, although some publicity shots in colour show a red belt. She should be pale and have a hint of lavender eyeshadow at the inner corners of her eyes. Her nails are red (cut from tupperware and glued on with model cement!). Consider a set of scratches on her left shoulder/breast, made by her own hand. Finding images of this can be tricky, but I have seen this in some in old magazines when she was a Horror Hostess before 1955. (Her couch is burgundy with a light painted wood frame) For the stockings, consider a mix of brown and black, as deep black can be too stark on a resin model kit. For the Plan 9 Vampira, her old torn dress may show some wear.





DRACULA (and Vampire) ACTORS:

London After Midnight: Lon Chaney, Sr.'s toothy "Man in the Beaver Hat" looks great with blue-green undertones on his pale flesh. He wears reddish brown hair under his dark hat. The cloak is perhaps dark blue/grey, and the suit is dark brown.

BELA "DRACULA" LUGOSI: Flesh; his pale face was achieved using green undertones. Max Factor made makeup especially for Lugosi. Green flesh is a tell-tale sign something is wrong with the Count-I prefer a natural pale, maybe offset by a greyish base coat, which is more believable. Lugosi wore dark lip rouge-a deep burgundy. His black evening clothes are offset with an off-white vest and tie, and a white handkerchief. The ribbon on his gold medallion is debated as blue or red (Forest Ackerman recalls either one. The medallion was stolen from him.) The black neck cord seen in most of the stills leads to a monocle. It is silken with a copper clasp. The monocle itself is a dark tortoise-shell with brass eyelet for the cord. He wore a ring that is likely gold or silver with a black onyx.
Here's where it gets interesting-the cape lining; Purple, worn on stage in the play 1927; Grey, as worn in the 1931 film.

In 1948 for "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" he wore a shiny black satin with Golden-yellow lining. At this time he wore the now famous "Uncle Forry" ring, used previously by Chaney, Jr. and Carradine in Son of Dracula and House of Dracula.
Geraldine Dvorak portrays Dracula's blond bride, in the 1931 film. This blue-eyed actress also worked as Greta Garbo's double. She wears an off white gown in the film. A lobby card shows her gown as green, but this is just a hand-tinted effect.

Mark of the Vampire: Lugosi's "fake" vampire differs little from his Dracula in costume. For Mark of the Vampire, the production stills show a satiny lined cape, greyish in look, but in the film itself a dark lined (probably the purple Stage Play cape)is used. His son recalls a salmon-satin lined cape, which appears to be the one used in the publicity stills. His ruffled shirt could be an off white or very light blue. Black tie.
Luna, his "bat-girl" companion, wears a gown with an unusual hue. It is a pale purple, grey, blue mix-often interpreted as off white. Carroll Borland's character had nearly black hair. (Personal Interview, 1993)
^*^ At some point Lugosi may have used a red lined cape, but if he truly did use one it was likely worn in late 1930's to 1950's stock tours of the play, and not one he owned. For the 1943 film Return of the Vampire, Lugosi's cape appears to be lined in grey . It may also have been his Mark of the Vampire cape.

Lon Chaney, Jr.: Son of Dracula. Alucard has pale flesh with greying brown moustache and temples. His evening clothes follow the colour scheme Lugosi wore. The now famous Dracula ring debuted in this film. Cape lining is intended to be red.

John Carradine: House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula. Pale flesh with grey hair and moustache. His evening clothes are in the same scheme as Lugosi's, but more "lived in," if you'll excuse the expression. Cape is lined red, which photographed as black, and the ring is the one LC Jr. wore in Son of...


The FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER:
Karloff: all three films. His blue green flesh, closer to green, is suggested by the make-up. Sallow, undead flesh is a very common interpretation of what his "real" flesh would look like. Black hair. Matched pants and jacket in brown or faded black in the 1931 film, with a darker shirt in contrast. Burgundy or blue could work well as a means of injecting colour to the piece. In Bride of..., though it is technically the same suit, the jacket is a touch darker and shows grey lining where it is tattered. The boots, which are a commercial asphalt spreader knee high boot, are brown/black. In "Son of Frankenstein" the jacket is made of sheepskin and stiff hide, with leather strips tying down the open seams on the arms. The woolly, reddish "vest" has a few spots where the wool is out in clumps-notably on the mid-back and over the left breast. Sulphur dust and scuffs would be appropriate for Karloff's last venture as The Monster.

The Monster was intended to be green in all films, as frame tinting was considered, but left all actors green! Colour home movies exist on Son of... For the remaining films, the basic scheme was followed, with minor variations in clothing colour; LC wore a very dark shirt in contrast to Karloff. Lugosi's monster is similar to LC, and Strange had a darker suit.
The Bride of Frankenstein: Elsa. This strange beauty is a mix of two sciences--those of Frankenstein and Praetorious. Unlike the grave-borrowed flesh of the Monster, The Bride has perhaps more natural pale flesh. And remember most importantly that her hair is NOT black! The actress speaks of her own red auburn hair being teased over a wire frame.
Frankenstein supporting actors: Fritz, Frye's hunchbacked dwarf, wears dark clothes-likely blue, brown and black, darker than the Monster's suit. Dirty flesh is in character. The lab coats worn in the films by Colin Clive and Ernest Thesiger are not white, and either pale grey or blue grey are appropriate. Do not try to duplicate modern "hospital scrub" colours, as they are too bright.


THE WOLF MAN:
Lon Chaney (he dropped the Jr.) had variations in his makeup for each film. A russet brown with darker canine markings was evident in the early films. His flesh, where it is seen on his face and palms, is darker, arabesque. In the Abbott and Costello film, his fur takes on a lighter, redder, appearance. Shirts can be maroon, loden green, dark grey, blue, or brown. Pants were a peppered charcoal tweed, olive, brown; or tan, as worn in A&CMF. Blue is an option as well. It is not too likely that shirt and pants are the exact same colour, but could be in the same hues.

THE MUMMY:
Base eyes on the actor's own colour. Karloff's Im-Ho-Tep wears a red fez and khaki/mustard coloured gowns. The bandaged Karloff was also painted a blue/green like the Frankenstein Monster . In The Mummy's Hand, Tom Tyler's eyes were solid black--both the iris and whites were hand tinted in the editing room. Chaney's "pot bellied" Mummy incarnations had mud caked on his head.

The High Priest of Karnak:George Zucco's simple dark suit is navy blue or black. He wears a red fez and dark tie. For an Egyptian Priest, Zucco is not too tan, but a natural fesh tone works best.

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This list is far from complete, and revisions are made as more information comes to light. While I claim that much of this is accurate, unfortunately, there is a lot of "lost" information. Where I suggest a few options for costume colour I've taken a "scientific guess" rather than omit information, and have taken artistic and historical approaches to accomplishing plausible colour schemes with others. I hope this information is useful in your modeling endeavours.

I am a full-time Dad to an amazing son, born June 1st 2005, and time has seen less and less done with Movie Monsters. That chapter of of my life is tucked into the cellar and attic while I sort out what I can do with my sculpting and designs. At some point I hope to bring back a line of model kits and accessories. Check for links on my main page.

Headless Hearseman
Long Island, NY

Revised 1-9-08