Got a Hunch? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Notre-Dame Cathedral

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", released in 1831, was one of Victor Hugo's famous French works (though he was much more celebrated for "Les Misérables"). In it, the tragic hunchback Quasimodo falls in love with the beautiful gypsy dancer Esmeralda but he finds himself in competition with his own master, Monseigneur Claude Frollo, for her affections.

The original book is horribly tragic while the Disney cartoon version, released in 1996 (with Tom Hulce as Quasimodo), kind of sidesteps the latter half of the original story in favor of a more upbeat ending for kids.

Answer: Richard III

Shakespeare wrote "Richard III" in 1592, chronicling the man who was King of England for only two years. He was, allegedly, a clever man and stronger in mind than body, and while today's historians believe he may have had scoliosis, it's Shakespeare's image of the man (and the character) that has shaped peoples' interpretations of the former King. That said, it was important to portray Richard as a villain as, in history, it was his death that ended the House of York and ushered in the House of Tudor's reign.

The "Richard III" tragedy is one of Shakespeare's longest works even though it was one of the shortest real-life reigns he put into a play.

Answer: Alexander Pope

Pope, one of the more famous poets of the early Enlightenment Era, released "Rape of the Lock" to great fanfare in 1714 and was quite well-received for his works beside the one. That said, Pope suffered through a number of setbacks with personal health and wellness in his life, especially after a bout with spinal tuberculosis resulted in his requiring care through much of the remainder of his life (he lived another four decades after). Pope ended up spending many of his days as a recluse due in part to this affliction and his Catholic upbringing.

Answer: Court jester

Based on Victor Hugo's "Le roi s'amuse", Giuseppe Verdi's "Rigoletto" premiered in Teatro La Fenice in 1851. The opera was considered one of the greats from its first performances in which a hunchbacked court jester and a duke fought over a young woman, Rigoletto's daughter, until they were both recipients of a horrible curse.

The role of Rigoletto was written for a baritone performer and, as he is the anti-hero of the show, much emphasis is placed on his physicality throughout. It's unsurprising that the opera was one of Verdi's most celebrated.

Answer: Igor

The character of Igor has been somewhat of a stock character in "Frankenstein"-inspired films over the years and, originally, Frankenstein's assistant was known by the name Fritz (in the first cinematic adaptation). Igor came into his own in the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy "Young Frankenstein" though where he was played by British actor Marty Feldman. Since then, the Igor character has grown a bit more.

In 2008, an animated film called Igor, featuring a young, hunchbacked child, ended up releasing in theatres.

It did, of course, feature mad science.

Answer: Despicable Me

Voiced by Steve Carrell, the top-heavy supervillain Gru adopts three orphans in an attempt to infiltrate a rival's base, but the charm and good nature of his new girls ends up reshaping him into a better person, even if he happens to still have a bit of bad in him.

The movie, "Despicable Me", was a hit at the box office and spawned both its own sequels and the spin-off series "Minions", which pervaded pop culture during the mid-2010s whether anyone liked them or not.

Answer: Riff Raff

Riff Raff was amongst the eccentric servants in the erm...unique Ohio household featured in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and, played by creator and screenwriter Richard O'Brien, he was featured in the bulk of the movie, joining in for the "Time Warp" and doing all manner of hosting during the Annual Transylvanian Convention that Brad and Janet happened to stumble into when their car broke down that stormy November night. O'Brien would go on to host the game show "The Crystal Maze" in the 1990s.

Answer: Vizzini

The Dread Pirate Roberts, later discovered to be Westley, ends up coming across Vizzini, the last of Princess Buttercup's three kidnappers, in a meadow and is challenged to a battle of wits. What follows is a challenge in which Westley poisons his and Vizzini's drinks with iocane, winning the competition because he's built up an immunity to the poison used; he poisoned both and let Vizzini simply die no matter which he picked. Vizzini was portrayed by actor Wallace Shawn.

Answer: Wormtail

Part of a group of friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin, it was Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) who betrayed his friends and sided with Lord Voldemort when the time came. He reappears frequently during the series, initially in the form of Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet rat, in an attempt to stay covert while learning more about Harry Potter for his master.

After twelve years in that form, Pettigrew inevitably returned to his normal self, though with many features not unlike a rat's-- including the hunchback.

He's portrayed by Timothy Spall in the film series.

Answer: SCTV

In a parody of late night cult horror movies, "SCTV" featured a series of sketches devoted to the movies of Dr. Tongue (as introduced by Joe Flaherty's Count Floyd) including 'Evil House of Pancakes', '3D House of Beef', and '3D House of Stewardesses', and most of those were acted by Dr. Tongue (played by John Candy) and Bruno (played by Eugene Levy as Woody Tobias Jr.).

The movies were predictably horrible and often featured Dr. Tongue and Bruno emulating the 3D experience by taking items and thrusting them towards the camera several times.