Showing posts with label mark gatiss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mark gatiss. Show all posts

Thursday 18 June 2020

BBC DRACULA 2020 ALIVE OR DOA? PLUS TERENCE FISHER REMEMBERED ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING


SPOILERS: Back at the beginning in 2020 when some of us started to invest eye-ball time in a much promoted and anticipated production the BBC was rolling out, little did we know what was just around the corner for many of us, many of our friends and families.... and now, six months later, have I found time to catch up on trivial matter like entertainment. Last night I watched the BBC serial of Dracula, written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, starring Claes Bang as Count Dracula and Dolly Wells as Sister Agatha Van Helsing, plus a ship load of other talented cast members. Back in January I had managed to watch episode one and two, but wrapping the series has been out of my reach since then, so watching from scratch, was he treat last night. It was certainly something different, written and created by two pretty obvious fans of Lee, Cushing and Hammer - Gatiss and Moffat! 



THERE'S LOTS OF NODS and visual paying tributes to Hammer, in-particular, 'Dracula AD 1972' and 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' .. the last of the Cushing/Lee Hammer series of Dracula films. All lovingly presented, sneaked in or peeping around the corner 😏😊The climax of the series also presented elements of the iconic Cushing and Lee 'fight to the death' from the 1958 movie. All very good and full of twists and turns. I couldn't help thinking back to how maybe many of the Hammer fans felt when Dracula AD and Satanic was released! 'What is THIS???' πŸ˜†πŸ˜‰What is it? In my personal opinion, it's all good, exciting and a great turn on a classic and much loved horror-tale, often produced and presented in a modern turn, but of all such modern packages, this was certainly my favourite! Well done, Gatiss and Moffat! Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, I've asked everyone to share their thoughts and opinions on the page post! It will be interesting to find out, what everyone thinks, having a few months to think about it!


REMEMBERING TERENCE FISHER TODAY who passed on this day in 1980. If you enjoy any of the better Hammer films of the 1950's and 60's . . this is the point, you doff your cap πŸ˜‰ There can be few directors who worked for Hammer films, who did so much to develop that Hammer-in-house style. Terence Fisher, WAS Hammer. Along with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and the players who helped under pin the rich vision of fairy-tale come Gothic nightmare style. Even when the 'monsters' were 'shaky' the script, with more holes than a Swiss cheese... the look, pace and world beautifully styled by Fisher, just sat so well. The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957 was the first, it also lit the rocket that would spin Peter Cushing into a new and long lasting career within the fantasy genre and Christopher Lee, on scraping off the make up and anonymity as 'the monster', would soon don a cloak and a feral shocking performance as Dracula, that set him on path, for more Fisher, Cushing Hammer classics to come. The Mummy, The Gorgon, and The Hound of the Baskervilles, still stand, as maybe the best of Terence Fisher and Hammer. 




TERENCE FISHER was one of the most prominent horror directors of the second half of the 20th century. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explicit horror in his films, while mild by modern standards, were unprecedented in his day. Fisher although aware of the terrifying elements of his Hammer films, would only smile when questioned about their shock factor, and answer...'I make wicked fairy tales...!' Fisher also along with Lee and Cushing, had a wicked sense of humor, hints of which can often been seen on the screen. Given their subject matter and lurid approach, Fisher's films, though commercially successful, were largely dismissed by critics during his career. It is only in recent years that Fisher has become recognised as an auteur in his own right . . .

Monday 28 October 2019

FIRST LOOK TRAILER FOR BBC 'DRACULA' PLUS HALLOWEEN 019 AT PCASUK!

FIRST TRAILER released today from the BBC supporting their eagerly anticipated new version of the classic Bram Stoker horror 'Dracula'. This series has been developed by #MarkGatiss and #StevenMoffat, the team behind the BBC series #Sherlock. Much of the filming for this three part series took place at Orava Castle in Slovakia and ... the iconic Bray Studios in England, home to #Hammerfilms and the location of many of #PeterCushing's and #ChristopherLee's classic Dracula and #Frankenstein films in the 50's and 60's.

PRODUCER #MarkGattiss has recently said, : “It’s seriously delightful that our new Dracula is being shot at #BrayStudios – the former home of Hammer Films! This wonderfully atmospheric and legendary studio gave birth to so many famous monsters and stars – most memorably Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. As we watch #Transylvania once again rise on the sound stages of Bray, it’s amazing to be able to say that Count Dracula has finally come home.” The cast includes Claes Bang as #Dracula . . John Heffernan, Dolly Wells, Mark Gatiss...and #DoctorWho, #Space1999 and Bond girl, #CatherineSchell. The series will be shown on the BBC first in the UK and on Netflix outside of the UK. It’s not yet been revealed when it will be screened on #BBC1 – however the festive period looks a fair bet. It's an interesting trailer.. what do you think?


THIS YEAR 019, we are going to mark our Halloween on Thursday Oct 31st, with a celebration of Peter Cushing's portrayal of THE fearless vampire hunter VAN HELSING! Some great pics, some very rare and never seen before archive photographs from the files of Hammer films, set designer Bernard Robinson, from Hammer's Dracula, Brides of Dracula, chat, facts and banners . . and if the support is there... TWO PCAS Competitions! 24 hours of a grand nod to one of Peter Cushing's most popular characters, who appeared in FIVE Hammer classic Horror movies! It will be fun. Come on IN or Miss Out! πŸ˜‰ - Marcus

Saturday 14 October 2017

NEWS: BBC FRIGHTNIGHT AIRS UNFILMED HAMMER DRACULA


Mark Gatiss directs Hammer Horror’s 'Unquenchable Thirst Of Dracula,' an unmade Hammer Horror script set in 1930s India. Lewis MacLeod (Dead Ringers) channels Christopher Lee as Dracula, whilst Michael Sheen narrates. The cast includes Nikesh Patel (Indian Summers, Midnight’s Children), Meera Syal, Kulvinder Ghir, Anna Madeley, Ayesha Dharker and Raj Ghatek and is adapted for radio by Mark Gatiss and Laurence Bowen.


Hammer Films is synonymous with horror, after defining the genre in Britain with classics including Dracula, The Curse Of Frankenstein and The Mummy. This new Radio 4 dramatisation is the first new Hammer Dracula production in 43 years and is part of Radio 4’s ongoing Unmade Movie series.



Mark Gatiss says: “What better way to celebrate Hallowe’en than with a lost Hammer movie? And not just any Hammer movie! Anthony Hind's thrillingly titled The Unquenchable Thirst Of Dracula is a wonderful, rich and atmospheric script and way ahead of its time - set in the 30s, a sort of 'Heat and Dust and Fangs'! It was nearly made in the early 70s on location in India and I was thrilled to assemble a fantastic cast headed by Nikesh Patel, Michael Sheen, Meera Syal and Anna Madeley to bring this forgotten gem to gory life.”


Michael Sheen says: "The prospect of a long lost Dracula script offering itself to me like a succulent pale neck was just too tempting. I devoured it in one sitting and cannot promise I won't strike again.”



IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA

Tuesday 10 October 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: CALLING MOFFAT AND GATISS: CAPALDI DRACULA MASH UP


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! GOODNESS!! What do you think???? #petercapaldi #dracula #petercushing #greatidea #casting #doctorwho


NO STRANGER TO the story or character, Peter Capaldi appeared in a production DRACULA, at the half Moon Theatre (1985-85) in the role of Jonathan Harker, with actor Daniel Day Lewis playing, Dracula . . . 

 




IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA   

Tuesday 25 July 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: SO WHAT IS PETER CAPALDI'S FAVORITE DRACULA FILM?



#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! At the San Diego International Comic-Con 2017, interviewed along side, #StevenMoffat and #MarkGatiss, #PeterCapaldi reveals his all-time favorite DRACULA film . . .with talk of a Gatiss / Moffat DRACULA production in the  next two years, lets hope the guys have been taking notes, from Capaldi's pick of the bunch...!


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: #PeterCushing returns once again to fight the Lord Of The Undead, Count Dracula, #ChristopherLee in this trippy feature from #Hammerfilms. At the time of the film's release, he hip talk and fashion was already out of date by the time the film was released, but over the past ten years the film has at last found a following. We have pushed and pushed this film at #PCAS at every opportunity, since we arrived on the web in 2010... it's great to finally see this film, getting some #LOVE!












IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA   

Tuesday 20 June 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: DRACULA MINI SERIES FANCY DRESS AND TWO GREAT DIGITS!


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: I HAVE NEVER seen photographs of Peter Cushing judging a beauty competition, but he must have judged a few #FANCYDRESS comps in his time. This is a one that took place during the opening of #THREBRIDESOFDRACULA back in 1960. It's strange how the act of offering someone a cigarette just looks so alien these days....!



#TOOCOOLTUESDAY?: So, the guys behind the successful BBC Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock series, are planning a whole series of gothic horrors, including DRACULA... It will be made by the BBC and syndicated to the US and others for sure. If you liked their spin on Sherlock...will you watch this? Good idea?


THE PRESS RELEASE . . 
THE SHERLOCK TEAM are reuniting on a new version of the classic horror story Dracula, RadioTimes can confirm. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are due to begin work on a series of BBC specials based on the classic 1897 novel by Bram Stoker in which the bloodthirsty count moves from Transylvania to England. The Corporation is finalising talks with the pair and is poised to green-light the project which is likely to air in 2019. The new Dracula series has not yet been written and Gatiss and Moffat will begin working on the scripts once they have both completed their own solo projects – details of which have not been confirmed.“It’s early days and the BBC has not seen a script yet but they are close to signing a deal for a series of 90-minute films of Dracula,” said a senior production source.“It’s not yet been decided if it will be historical or modern day or if there will be a US co-producer but the BBC are keen on this and it will happen.



WHAT NEEDS TO BE decided is how many episodes – whether there are three or five or six or whatever but they will definitely be 90-minute films. "Production is at least a year away so it will probably be on screen in 2019 at the earliest.” Gatiss has often spoken of his fondness for the Dracula story – particularly the 1958 film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing – and even played the title role himself in a recent audio drama, but it currently seems unlikely that he will take on the part of the Count in the new version, according to sources. “Casting is a long way off but the feeling is he probably won’t – but you never know,” said a BBC source.


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: NO NEED TO CAPTION  THIS ONE THEN? 



If you LIKE what you find posted here . . Please visit us at our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and help Keep The Memory Alive!

 The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA.

Friday 10 January 2014

AN ADVENTURE IN TIME AND SPACE: SPOT THE PETER CUSHING PHOTO


Peter Cushing's fleeting appearance in the BBC Doctor Who drama 'An Adventure In Time And Space' written by Mark Gatiss. Broadcast in the UK on 21st November 2013...


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