Showing posts with label pcasuk.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pcasuk.. Show all posts

Wednesday 23 September 2020

NEWS EXTRA FEATURES ON INDICATOR REMASTERED 2K 'I MONSTER' BLU RAY REVEALED PLUS EXCLUSIVE LEE INTERVIEW FOR THEIR FU MANCHI BLU RAY TOO!

#NEWS!Here is the #list of #EXTRAS goodies that we can expect on INDICATOR'S 28th of September Blu Ray release of the Amicus #ChristopherLee and #PeterCushing 1971 feature, #IMONSTER. These impressive details were released in a INDICATOR post today! It looks like this will be a much awaited title getting some EXTRA needed attention and a ANOTHER great release from #Indicator! Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page we are asking if there is anything not included on the list here, that you would have liked to have seen added????. We think it's an impressive list of extras, and INDICATOR certainly gets a vote from us for the variety! It's a bargain purchase price too for a World Wide Premier release, with a rub of only 5,000 units to scoop up! Want YOUR copy? I'd get my order in NOW! ORDER HERE!



ABOVE : A GREAT section of the PCASUK Two Part Feature and Gallery on the Amicus 1971 film, 'I MONSTER' starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. 'Creating A Monster' is a photo by photo study, using RARE STILLS taken in Harry Framton's make up room, during the making of I MONSTER at Shepperton Studios. See #ChristopherLee transform under the magic hands of Frampton!  RIGHT HERE!

MORE EXCITING INDICATOR NEWS IS, we noticed #ChristopherLee was #Trending on #Twitter today! The reason, is impressive too! The #Indicator tweet give some great news on their FU MANCHU box set and that one of the features included in the release is going to be, Christopher Lee's 1994 London Film Festival interview, which is a HUGE plus is a huge plus, as the interview will be presented for the first time ever, and in full - all 87 minutes! It's the extras on many of their releases, just like this one like, truly makes Indicator such a leader in home cinema Remastered blu rays and box set releases. Top Marks for Indicator!


Sunday 26 July 2020

THE ART OF JOYCE : AMAZING PRINTS OF CUSHING'S BARON AND MORE AVAILABLE NOW!


'The SUPERB artwork of Daryl Joyce'... PICK your favourite! I love this mans work and without it, so many blu ray covers and magazine pages would look a TRUE nightmare.. for all the wrong reasons. Here are ALL his covers and artwork connected with #PeterCushing, a few new ones in there..and they are available ... VERY reasonably priced.. for order NOW! The Cushing/Hammer Frankenstein's are FAB.. the' Brides of Dracula' along with the 'Island of Terror' blu ray cover are amazing.. which makes Daryl my cover artist and art of choice, without doubt! - Marcus. All these prints are A4, (210mm x 297 mm) printed on 250 GSM silk paper.




ABOVE JUST A FEW of Daryl's #PeterCushing prints, but there are more to be found at his gallery at his website and his FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!


ALL OF THE PRINTS are A4, (210mm x 297 mm) and printed on 250 GSM silk paper. If you are OVERSEAS, that's no problem. Daryl will post to wherever YOU are 😊 A Bargain and Beautiful AND ON FACEBOOK HERE


PLEASE COME AND JOIN US AT OUR FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE where you can find huge galleries, features, daily posts and ...Super PRIZE COMPETITIONS too. We are almost 34 thousand followers and friends strong, the society is managed as a fan club hobby and has been around since 1956! Whoever you are, wherever you are, as a fan of Peter Cushing's life and work...you will be most welcome! - Marcus

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 . . .

Thursday 16 April 2020

STRIPPING, POETRY AND POE : WITCHFINDER VINCENT PRICE ENTERTAINS!


#WATCHWITHCUSHING! FOLLOWING SOME REQUESTS I have received for suggestions of posts that you would like to see shared here.. This one is for Shelia P, Dale J, Michelle J and Matt K πŸ˜ƒThey have requested this interview with Peter Cushing's good friend and twice screen buddy, #VincentPrice, having seen it on the PCASUK YouTube Channel πŸ˜‰My pleasure. It's a fine and VERY amusing interview, where Vincent certainly entertains πŸ˜„


#WATCHWITHCUSHING! AND SO... our last clip of the day at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page and a suggestion from Stuart H, Audrey K, Rob Sadler, Barbara C, Emma Teile, M Aldrich and Tori F . . if you are ready to sleep, what better way than a sweet lullaby from Vincent Price from the end credit sequence of the 1974 'Madhouse' starring Vincent, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden. Despite the gnashing of teeth it got from the critics and even some fans who today, see it as a waste of the talents of Price and Cushing,  it still stands as one of my personal favs. YOU can hear this clip at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! HERE! This one is for you too, #JimMorrow πŸ˜‰ Sweet dreams, sleep tight, sleep well, stay safe πŸ˜‰ - Marcus 😴😴 πŸ’€πŸ’€






Friday 3 January 2020

PCASUK CUSHING CHRISTMAS COMPETITION WINNER NUMBER FOUR!!


THE DRAWING OF OUR FOUR LUCKY PCAS Christmas Cushing Competition Winners, is happening throughout today, at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY! SO HERE COMES NUMBER FOUR!

CONGRATULATIONS FRANTIC FRANKY.. and a Happy New Year!  πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ŠπŸ˜€

THE ANSWER we were looking for was . .  D) Berkley Square! Thank you to everyone who took part in the competition

FOUR PCASUK CHRISTMAS COMPETITIONS are now closed, and proved to be our VERY popular indeed! We shall be sure to do it all again in Christmas 2020! ONE competition, for our New Year remains open until Jan 12th 2020! CERTAINLY worth a try πŸ˜‰  JUST CLICK HERE!

Saturday 28 December 2019

WIN HAMMER FILMS BOX SET! THE FIRST OF THE PCAS XMAS COMPETITIONS NOW LIVE!


HERE WE GO! The first of many PCAS Competitions this week, is NOW POSTED at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE HERE πŸ˜ƒThis competition like ALL our competitions is open to anyone, everyone, wherever you are πŸ˜‰ Have fun. Good Luck and many thanks to Indicator for their support with this and our competitions this week!This competition ENDS and CLOSES on Wednesday 1st January 2020 MIDNIGHT GMT. WINNING ENTRY REVEALED Thursday 2nd January 2020 


YOU CAN ORDER YOUR COPY OF INDICATOR'S 'HAMMER VOLUME FOUR : FACES OF FEAR from POWERHOUSE : HERE! 




PS: THE BLACK envelope, with the PH 'Powerhouse' distributor initials on it in black and red here.. is a large size repro cinema poster of 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' which comes with the box set A NICE addition to your prize and any Hammer / Cushing collection.. it will also be on offer with the next box set in one of other competitions this week - Marcus



Saturday 30 December 2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERNARD CRIBBINS!


IT'S A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to BERNARD CRIBBINS TODAY! Born in 1928, Cribbins started his acting career at the tender age of 14! An actor since the age of 14 and was a major star on the London stage by his mid-20s. It would be another ten years before he became a national star with  success in film comedies, with likes of Peter Sellers and a string of hit records, the most popular probably being, 'A Hole In The Ground' and 'Right Said Fred'. He appeared in several of the "Carry On" series, and also achieved a great degree of success doing voice-overs for cartoons and TV commercials. One of his biggest successes being the 1970's children's animated puppet series, 'The Wombles'.


CRIBBINS was interviewed for the role of DOCTOR WHO in 1974, as the BBC prepared for Jon Pertwee, leaving the role. 'I didn't actually audition. But when Jon Pertwee was leaving, the producer Barry Letts - who died quite recently - interviewed a lot of actors, one of whom was me. I went along and sat down and he said 'now then what can you do?' I said 'I'm a very good swimmer, I was a paratrooper, I could fight' - and he said 'Oh no, no fighting no, the Doctor is never seen fighting at all!' So Tom Baker became the next Doctor, and one of the first things I remember him doing was knocking somebody out.'




BERNARD CRIBBINS also appeared in many tv drama programes as a guest star throughout the 1960's and 70's including the popular 'The Avengers' in TWO episodes. 'The Girl From Auntie' and the weird, 'Look, Stop Me If You've Heard This One, But There Are These Two Fella's'! Of all his movie roles, Cribbins has a fondness for 'The Railway Children' directed by Lionel Jeffries in 1970, where he played Albert Perks. Cribbins has a longstanding association with the science-fiction series Doctor Who (1963). Not only did he play a companion in the second Peter Cushing film, 'Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.' (1966), which was 40 years before his regular role as a companion, Wilfred Mott, in the Russell T. Davies version of Doctor Who (2005).



CRIBBINS also appeared with Peter Cushing in the Hammer films, 'SHE' in (1965). Peter also appeared as a guest on his  BBC light Entertainment show, 'CRIBBINS' in the 60's!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERNARD! 


REMEMBER! 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

Wednesday 3 August 2016

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: THE FAMILY CUSHING ON A HOLIDAY IN BOGNOR!


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: HERE IS A VERY RARE PIC of the Cushing Family on hoilday, in BOGNOR, of all places! From the left: GEORGE Cushing, Peter Father, then NELLIE Peter's Mother. Next  ARTHUR Peter's Uncle, and Nellie's sister in law, WYN . An unnamed chap on the far right. At the front Peter's brother, DAVID on the left and a young smiling PETER on the right! The reverse side of this pic comes from a time when, a jobbing photographer would take your photograph at a sea-side resort, and process it on photographic paper that was also a postcard....so when you picked up your pic, you could write on the reverse side and post it off to your relatives and friends! 


LINK straight to our PCASUK Facebook Page by CLICKING HERE 
THEN CLICK 'LIKE' THERE!

Saturday 25 January 2014

WIN U.S. COLLECTORS EDITION BLU RAY 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN'


The US Blu Ray of Frankenstein Created Woman will get it's release this Monday, 28th January 2014...but you can win a copy TODAY in our competition, which opens TODAY at 6pm GMT / 12 C.T. with winners names announced TOMORROW.Competition ONLY at our Peter Cushing Facebook Fan Page

Monday 3 June 2013

BOOK SIGNINGS: PETER CUSHING ON THE BOOK TOURS.


Tired out! Peter Cushing plays it up for the press, during a signing session for his second book, 'Past Forgetting'


Another book signing photograph. 
Peter saying thank you, in his own inimitable way....

Monday 20 May 2013

PETER CUSHING CENTENARY SUNDAY: DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS MOVIES SCREENINGS: CAMBRIDGE ARTS PICTUREHOUSE


Another Peter Cushing / Doctor Who Event happening in Cambridge, UK on Centenary Sunday:

This bank holiday Doctor Who fans can take advantage of the Arts Picturehouse’s Vintage Arts programme which will be screening digitally remastered versions of the two 1960s Doctor Who films. Robin Bunce, a Philosophy lecturer at Cambridge University, will introduce the films and discuss the philosophy of Daleks afterwards, while the best dressed customer could win a year’s membership to the cinema. Better get out your stripy scarf.

First up, on Sunday, catch Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Directed by Gordon Flemyng and starring Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, Ray Brooks, Roberta Tovey and Jill Curzon, the film was first released in 1966.

Filmed in futuristic Technicolor, Cushing plays the eccentric Time Lord tackling a time in which the Daleks occupy London. The Doctor, his granddaughter Susan and niece Louise, join an underground resistance to fight the Daleks and reclaim the city – expect mishaps, challenges and tests of courage galore, as well as some space-age-y gizmos.

On Monday it’s the turn of Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965), also directed by Gordon Flemyng and again starring Peter Cushing, as well as Jennie Linden and Roy Castle. We’re not quite sure why this is being shown second, Dalek’s Invasion Earth being the sequel, but hey, go with it.

After the boyfriend of one of the Doctor’s granddaughters chucks a lever in the Tardis by accident, they find themselves shooting through time to Skaro, a place where the Daleks are determined to exterminate the planet’s peaceful inhabitants, the Thals. Taken hostage by the Daleks (how did he let that happen?), the Doctor and his crew are used as bait to lure the Thals into a trap: will the Thals accept extinction or fight for their lives?

There are rumours a life-size Dalek will be gracing the foyer of the Picturehouse too, there’s only one way to find out if it’s true…

:: The Daleks and Doctor Who, Arts Picturehouse, Sunday, May 26 – Monday, May 27 at 1pm. Tickets £9.50 from 08719 025 720 / www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Arts_Picturehouse_Cambridge/

PETER CUSHING CENTENARY COUNTDOWN: SEVEN VAMPIRES AND SEVEN DAYS TO GO


FEATURE: AMICUS / AIP 'SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN' WITH COLOUR GALLERY


Peter Saxon’s book The Disoriented Man was published in 1966, and were it not for the fact that it inspired the first-ever (and highly contentious) pairing of Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, it may well have disappeared into obscurity long ago. As a piece of pulp fiction, it offers up some energetic plotting, but by the time it made its way on to the screen, little enough of the original material was left in place. Amicus co-head Milton Subotsky saw great potential in the book however, and after snatching up the rights, he proceeded to adapt it to screenplay form himself. The picture wasn’t intended to be a vehicle for the genre’s biggest super stars, but when Amicus struck a deal with American International Pictures to secure added financing, the project took on a life of its own…


The story deals with an apparent government conspiracy involving a string of grisly murders and even stranger abductions. Intrepid Detective Superintendant Bellaver (Alfred Marks) is on the case, with the assistance of brash pathologist David Sorel (Christopher Matthews). Sorel discovers a link between the strange goings-on and the experiments of the mysterious Dr. Browning (Vincent Price), but the intervention of shadowy government official Freemont (Christopher Lee) throws the investigation into jeopardy…


An ardent fan of science fiction, fantasy and genteel horror, Milton Subotsky was a staunch believer in the “less is more” school of genre film making. He was a derivative screenwriter, and directors who found themselves in charge of filming his scripts frequently found themselves struggling to overcome their deficiencies. Subotsky was also fond of taking over his productions in the editing room, thus creating further friction with his filmmakers. More than once, he would claim to have “salvaged” one of Freddie Francis’ pictures in the editing room, an allegation that made the pragmatic cinematographer-turned-director get a little hot under the collar.


In short, Subotsky saw himself as a hands-on, creative producer - a la Val Lewton. In the case of Scream And Scream Again, however, his control was virtually non-existent. Having enlisted AIP to provide financial assistance, he sat by helplessly as they took control of the picture. They brought in Gordon Hessler to direct, based on his work on their previous Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, The Oblong Box (the first film to co-star Price and Lee, with the latter reduced to a cameo appearance). Hessler didn’t like Subotsky’s script one bit and brought in his favored screenwriter, Christopher Wicking, to do a complete rewrite. 

 
Subotsky was furious, but AIP put their faith in the more youthful and innovative approach of their writer and director and backed the decision. When filming commenced, Subotsky started coming on to the set, as was his wont; Hessler found him meddling and obtrusive, though he liked him on a personal level, and eventually asked line producer Louis M. Heyward to intercede. Never one to mince words, Heyward blocked Subotsky from the set - a very strong move indeed, when one considers that he was still credited as the film’s producer. Hessler favored a non-linear approach to the editing and storytelling, which sat in contrast with Subotsky’s more conservative approach - thus, he was also blocked from tinkering with the film in editing, and he surely had kittens when he saw the deliberately obtuse, even confusing film unspooling for the first time. Hessler also brought a matter of fact quality to the blood letting, resulting in a film with a bit more blood (and nudity) than was the norm for Amicus. At the end of the day, the film grossed a ton of money - its takings no doubt improved by the impressive roster of stars. Subotsky, for his part, claimed to be baffled; he didn’t think much of the finished film, though inevitably his feelings were colored by his unpleasant behind the scenes battles with the AIP brass.


As a film, Scream and Scream Again is too often under appreciated for what it ISN’T, as opposed to being embraced for what it IS. In many respects, it can be seen as a forerunner to the X Files TV show, with Sorel and his female assistant (Judy Bloom) functioning as a sort of “flower power” era version of Mulder and Scully. The overall theme of paranoia and distrust also links it into the more overtly political sci-fi films of the past, including Fritz Lang’s Dr. Mabuse thrillers and Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Hessler and Wicking were outspoken admirers of Siegel in fact, and sought to deliver a combination of Body Snatchers-style sci-fi and the two fisted approach of the director’s crime thrillers, such as Madigan and Coogan’s Bluff. 


The end result is a work of brazen style and energy, vacillating between various plot strands, all of which pull together at the end of the picture. Viewers accustomed to a more linear, coherent approach have long described the film as incoherent - a view shared by Vincent Price, for what it’s worth - but more patient, open minded viewers are likely to disagree. While the film is definitely difficult to follow the first time around, it is never boring - and by the end it all pulls together in a satisfactory manner. Typical of the film’s “everything but the kitchen sink” approach, it can be classified as a horror film, a thriller, a sci-fi film, a police procedural, even a political allegory. Whether it is successful in blending these strands is open to debate, but it marks a welcome departure from the more staid product that was typical of Amicus and AIP at that stage in the game; compared to Hessler’s previous picture, the stillborn Oblong Box, it is a real breath of fresh air: stylish, engaging and inventive, where the previous film was staid, tedious and predictable.


Where the film really loses points, for many fans, is in the use of its three stars. As noted previously, the film was not specifically designed as a starring vehicle for Price, Lee and Cushing. Indeed, when Subotsky first optioned the material and wrote the script, Price wouldn’t have been a realistic prospect, given his contractual ties to AIP. It was Sam Arkoff who realized that, working in tandem, they could finally engage the three big “titans of terror” on the same poster - and sooner than find a way of accommodating them all properly, the urge was simply to sign them on and shoehorn them in wherever possible. It could have been a budgetary restriction, but it’s clear that they could have cast all three actors in suitable, meaty roles.


Lee would have seemed a natural for the role of the steely and villainous Konratz, while Cushing would have been quite at home as Bellaver. Price, for his part, was perfect casting for Dr. Browning - and indeed, he would be cast in the part. Instead of making the best of this “dream team,” however, the decision was made to put Cushing in a small cameo appearance, while putting Lee in an important but still-smallish part as the shadowy government agent who may be playing both sides of the equation. 


While this is regrettable, in a way, one is hard pressed to criticize the performances as they stand. Alfred Marks, best known in the UK as a comic, gives a terrific, scene stealing account of himself as the harried and sardonic Bellaver. “Copper” roles in British horror are frequently of the plodding variety - see Cushing as Inspector Quennell in The Blood Beast Terror for another noteworthy exception - but Marks invests the role with much shading, nuance and credibility. He comes off as a perfectly efficient and intelligent professional, albeit one who has been rendered a tad callous by the nature of his profession. Marks delighted Hessler by improvising many scenes - just look at the marvelous scene wherein Hessler’s camera follows him through the squad room as he fires off one great ad lib after another, as when he picks up a sandwich, sniffs it and says “Smells like cheese, looks like ham” (takes a bite) “Not far off - it’s chicken!”. Marks’ dynamic performance breathes life into scenes that are typically the bane of many horror films and thrillers of the era: the police procedural bits.


As the ice cold villain, Konratz, Marshall Jones is truly imposing. Jones made plenty of appearances on British TV in the 60s and 70s, nabbing guest bits on City Beneath the Sea and Division 4, but his film work is spotty - he did, however, play three roles for Hessler: as Konratz in this film, a sympathetic priest in The Cry of the Banshee, and an actor with a shady past in Murders in the Rue Morgue. This is certainly his best role, not to mention his most substantial one, and he clearly relishes the chance to dominate so many scenes. The part requires him to play it completely devoid of pity and emotion, and Jones never disappoints.


As for the three stars, Price gets the showiest part, and he plays it with a bit more sincerity than usual at this stage in the game - though he does mug it up a bit during the fight scene with Jones towards the end. Price had risen to prominence on the stage, and his background in the theatre put him out of fashion in the 1950s, with the rise of “Actors Studio” almuni such as Montogomery Clift and Marlon Brando. Price found himself typed as a heavy in horror films due to such popular hits as Andre De Toth’s House of Wax and William Castle’s The House on Haunted Hill, and he embraced his image with tongue in cheek glee. By the late 60s, however, Price was growing discontent with the quality of the films he was being offered. Scream and Scream Again would prove to be a highlight during this period, but apart from continuing his friendship with Lee (they bonded over laughs during the making of The Oblong Box) and making a new friend in Cushing, he didn’t appear to recognize the film’s merits when the topic was raised in interviews.


Lee’s part is smaller, though of equal import in the narrative, and he does a very good job with what he has to work with. The role affords him a chance to play it “straight,” without any hint of anything supernatural, and if it doesn’t give him any real challenges, he still approaches it seriously and without condescension. Cushing fares the worst of the three, in so far as screen time is concerned. He plays a senior officer, part of the vaguely Nazi-esque military organization that employs Jones, and he’s basically required to chew out Jones before being offed in his first scene. True to form, Cushing performs with fire and intensity, but it’s a minor appearance and doesn’t give him a chance to really shine. The remainder of the cast performs quite capably, as well, especially the late Michael Gothard. Gothard, later to appear in Ken Russell’s notorious The Devils, as the crooked exorcist Father Barre, plays a so-called “vampire” who drinks blood from the slashed wrists of various female victims.


The film moves like a house on fire, and it also looks terrific thanks to the contribution of the gifted cinematographer John Coquillon. Coquillon had previously shot Michael Reeves’ brilliant Witchfinder General (featuring arguably Vincent Price’s finest genre work) and would soon become Sam Peckinpah’s cinematographer of choice on such pictures as Straw Dogs and Cross of Iron. Like Hessler and Wicking, he was a young, energetic and innovative talent - and the enthusiasm that these men brought to the picture gave it a life and energy that was far removed from so many other, more disposable British “B” pictures of the period. Special note also has to be made of the electrifying jazz score, provided by David Whittaker.


Whittaker would go on to score Vampire Circus and Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde for Hammer, and his work here is crucial to the film’s impact. Sadly, for many years, his music was erased on home video due to rights issues - it was only in the mid-90s, when the film was released by Orion as part of a series of Vincent Price movies on VHS, that the score was quietly reinstated; prior to that, the film lumbered under the limp and uninspired electronic doodling of Kendall Schmidt, who performed similar duties on the early VHS and laser disc editions of Witchfinder General and Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires.


It may not be the “star vehicle” some had in mind, but Scream and Scream Again remains one of the most thrilling British genre films of its era. It’s a feather in the cap for both AIP and Amicus, even if Milton Subotsky remained immune to its charms.


    
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