SALEM — Kirk Hammett vividly recalls the first horror film he saw. It was “The Day of the Triffids,” the super-spooky 1963 British sci-fi film in which a meteor shower blinds everyone on Earth and Triffids, man-eating plants that hitched an interstellar ride, are hell-bent on eradicating the human race.
“I saw it on TV after school,” said Hammett, best known as the lead guitarist for metal heroes Metallica. “I felt like I was seeing something I was not supposed to be watching. It just stunned me. I was 5 years old or something, and for me to sit in one spot and be still just didn’t happen. But something about it made me gravitate toward the television.”
That kickstarted Hammett’s passion for all things horror. Hammett, whose memorable guitar solos helped propel Metallica into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has amassed some 3,000 items in the 30-plus years he’s collected sci-fi posters and memorabilia.
Hammett’s collection of rare horror and sci-fi art is the meat of “It’s Alive: Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection” at the Peabody Essex Museum. It runs through Nov. 26, meaning it will be in town during the city’s Haunted Happenings and Halloween celebrations.
Hammett, accompanied by his wife, Lani, visited the museum last Friday, leading a few journalists through the exhibit of some 135 works, a spookily fun mix of brilliantly designed posters, guitars, film props, costumes and more. This is the first major exhibition of Hammett’s collection, and it explores the interplay of creativity, emotion and popular culture.
“We are so grateful to have this here right now, to be able to share this with everyone,” said Hammett, standing proudly near the only surviving copy of the French double-panel “Frankenstein” poster from James Whale’s masterwork. Created by Roland Coudon, its graphic design is unforgettable.
“I love the atmosphere of it. Black, gray, white and tan … you can’t get more gloomy than that color scheme,” said Hammett. “Frankenstein is seen not as a zombie, but more as a machine put together with spare parts. In 1931, when the movie was released, there was lots of innovation and, since ‘Metropolis’ a few years earlier, people were predicting how the future would evolve.”
He’s equally excited to show off a vibrant three-sheet poster of 1932’s “The Mummy,” which starred Boris Karloff and continues to scare the bejesus out of cinephiles to this day. It was found in an abandoned theater in Sweden, and is the only copy known to exist.
“This movie is all about burning desire. There’s a romantic aspect to this movie and the poster, with its image of a burning flame (suggesting) the mummy’s burning desire,” said an animated Hammett.
The Universal horror films from 1931-35, including “Dracula” and “The Invisible Man,” are the centerpiece of the poster exhibit, but there are glorious artworks for other classic films such as “War of the Worlds,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and “Creature From the Black Lagoon” right up to campy flicks like “I Married a Monster From Outer Space” and modern faves like “Psycho,” “Alien” and “Star Wars.”
On display are several of Hammett’s custom-made one-of-a-kind electric guitars, emblazoned with such iconic artwork as Karloff’s “Mummy,” “Nosferatu” and “The Bride of Frankenstein.” He said horror movies and his collection inspire him to create music; there’s a guitar in nearly every room of his San Francisco Bay house for use if inspiration suddenly erupts.
“I often think, am I collecting this stuff or is this stuff collecting me?” said Hammett, who grew up a shy kid who was obsessed with monsters, ghouls, movies, comic books and, eventually, music and guitars.
“His personal creativity is inextricably linked with these works and he is deeply passionate about sharing them with the world,” said Dan Finamore, the exhibition’s curator. “Kirk is looking for greater recognition for the artists who created this artwork. No one really paid much attention into collecting it until about two decades ago. Kirk was way ahead of the curve.”
“People in Salem will likely recognize much of these works before they’d recognize a Winslow Homer or a Fitz Hugh Lane painting. It has deep emotional appeal … and it shows what people were afraid of at the time,” said Finamore, who curates the museum’s renowned maritime art collection.
There’s a towering six-sheet lobby card for 1933’s “King Kong,” showing Fay Wray being manhandled by the big ape. A small space is set up as a 1950s living room, with B&W TV console (showing “Duck and Cover,” the 1952 Civil Defense film designed to help children survive a nuclear explosion), comfy couch and appropriately-kitschy decorating elements.
As you exit the exhibit, stop to listen to hear “Maiden and the Monster,” original music Kirk and Lani Hammett created to accompany “It’s Alive.”
Lynda Hartigan, the museum’s deputy director, said this exhibit “pushes the boundaries” of what PEM devotees experience. “Fear is one of the strongest emotions we can feel,” she said. “These works show what scared people at that specific period of history.”
Finamore said he’s often told “This is not the kind of exhibit you usually see at PEM.” “To that I say, ‘Good!’”
“It’s Alive: Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection,” at the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, through Nov. 26. For details: PEM.org
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