When Karloff played the Frankenstein monster in the 1930s, makeup maestro Jack Pierce emphasized his cadaverous appearance.
To this end, Karloff would remove a dental bridge on the right side of his mouth and suck in his cheek.
This created a sunken indentation in his face that added to his gaunt look.
With his third Monster appearance in "Son of Frankenstein", Karloff was looking a bit more well-fed.
The indentation is almost gone, replaced by a faint black dot, or "beauty mark."
Subsequent actors in the Monster role also had considerably fuller faces, with no cheek indentation.
The black dot returns, faintly, when Lon Chaney stars in "Ghost of Frankenstein."
It's more pronounced on Bela Lugosi in "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man."
And on Glenn Strange in "House of Frankenstein."
But in "House of Dracula" and "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein"...
...the Monster's mysterious "beauty mark" finally seems to be fading away for good.
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