Though a friendship is a sacred bond that deserves to be cherished, it’s a well-known fact that nothing will tickle a person more than scaring the pants off a good friend.

During an interview with the Star Weekly, Boris Karloff revealed a rather frightful prank he pulled on a close friend during a makeup test for the 1931 film, Frankenstein.

“The nearest I ever came to frightening a friend of mine was at the studio,” Karloff said. “It happened while I was making my make-up test for the first Frankenstein picture, in 1931, in which I was to play for the very first time the Monster. We weren’t ready to shoot until about 9:30 at night.”

Unexpectedly, Karloff ran into a friend and fellow actor, Russell Gleason. “As I swung ‘round the corner of Stage 12 in the darkness, I came face to face with Russell Gleason, the young son of Jimmy Gleason, who knew me very well personally.”

Of course, Gleason didn’t know that the man in front of him was his friend, Boris Karloff. In the dark of night, Gleason was the very first person to be frightened by Frankenstein’s monster, and his reaction certainly did not disappoint.

“When he caught sight of me, he got as white as a sheet, choked, and cried out, ‘Oh, my God!’ and then fled for his life,” said Karloff. “I knew better, of course, than to run after him.”

Though Gleason might have gained a few grey hairs from the experience, it was certainly a ringing endorsement for the horror film that Karloff was able to terrify a man with one simple look!