THE TEN THINGS I NOW LOVE ABOUT . . . THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR! CALLUM MCKELVIE FESSES UP!

THIS HALLOWEEN I’ve decided to give what many would consider a real ‘horror’ a second chance. Few films are as openly lambasted within the Cushing-Canon as The Blood Beast Terror, Peter himself even went as far as to label it his worst….ever. Only the fledgling Tigon productions second Horror film, after the remarkable The Sorcerers from 1967 the debut of director Michael Reeves, The Blood Beast Terror seems something like a step backwards. Whereas The Sorcerers concerned contemporary social and youth movements, Blood Beast is a period piece, featuring a dogged Victorian policeman hunting down a fearsome monster created by a mad-scientist.

It’s pretty trope-filled stuff. Not only that, but The Blood Beast Terror is directed by veteran director Vernon Sewell, who at this stage was reaching the twilight of his career. When viewed in this light and compared to the other films Tigon was putting out (Witchfinder General, Blood On Satan's Claw even lesser films such as The Beast in the Cellar show slightly more inventiveness) it’s easy to see why Blood Beast Terror gets the wrap it gets. Also….it’s pretty bad in places. However with that said, I for one DON’T think its Cushing’s worse and so compiled here is a little list of ten things I like about The Blood Beast Terror.

1: It’s pure Victorian pulp . . .
So if The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula / Horror of Dracula are adaptations of classics of Gothic literature, then Blood Beast is the closest thing the 60’s brit-horror boom got to bringing a cheap, lurid penny dreadful, that’s been lost to time to the screen. Ok so its trope filled. Ok so the character stereotypes are out-dated and over used, but who doesn’t love a mad scientist, sinister butler and femme-fatale monster? The film utilises a number of gothic horror tropes but revels in them, whilst certainly not new or exciting, it’s a fun little escape into that lurid Gothic world . .

2: It knows what it’s doing and has fun with it . . .
Building on point one, the film apparently has fun with these tropes. In one memorable sequence there is an amateur dramatic performance of a horror play, spoofing some Frankenstein films. Now I’m not saying the film is in anyway being Meta in a particularly clever way, but it seems somewhat self-referential, a slight wink and joke to an audience that are watching a film based on the more lurid aspects of penny-dreadfuls and the Grande Guignol

3: Robert Flemying . . .
So it’s pretty well documented now that the part of Doctor Mallinger was to be played by legendary horror actor, Basil Rathbone. Needless to say the idea of Rathbone matching wits with Cushing is certainly an appealing one but sadly shortly before shooting began, Rathbone was taken ill and died suddenly. Needing a replacement fast, Tony Tenser, the legend behind Tigon films remembered the actor Robert Flemying who had appeared in a film he had distributed, 1962’s The Horrible Dr Hitchcock. Now it’s easy to get caught up in what could have been, which is unfair as it takes away from what is actually a powerful performance. Flemying and Cushing play off each other very well, particularly towards the latter half of the film when each has a suggestion that the other knows more than he is letting on. . .

4: Wanda Ventham . . .
The Moth-Lady herself, Wanda Ventham (known for making three prominent appearances in several episodes of Doctor Who throughout the years) is given plenty of screen-time and looks striking. Her performance is a powerful one and her scenes with Flemying have a genuine level of tension and menace . . .

5: The Title . . .
Need I say more?

 

6: The Supporting Cast . . .
The Veteran actor, perhaps best known to fans of Doctor Who as two of its most memorable villains, Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion and Mavic Chen in The Daleks Masterplan is particularly creepy as Granger. Glynn Edwards Sergeant Allan has some particularly humorous moments of dry wit with Cushing leading too…

7: That last-line . . .

Edwards: ‘They’ll never believe this at the yard

Cushing: ‘They’ll never believe it anywhere’

8: The Moth . . .
Whilst certainly not going to win any awards for best monster make-up of the decade…there is something undoubtedly charming about the giant furry Moth costume. The final flying sequences are….pretty damn awful, but the Moth’s appearance is distinctive enough to be entertaining in its own right . . .

9: Roy Hudd . . .

I’ve mentioned a lot of the cast in this, but as of yet have made no mention of the best actor (aside from…well you know who) in the film. Roy Hudd as the Morgue attendant makes this whole thing worthwhile. Hudd stated that he and Cushing worked together, rejigging the sequence to make it funnier and the result is the highlight of the film equalling any of Miles Madison’s scenes in the earlier Hammer pictures  . . .

10: Peter Cushing . . .
Ok so a bit predictable maybe, but was he ever not going to be on this list? The Blood Beast may not have the meatiest of roles for him in the character of Inspector Quennell, but it does give a good example of Cushing giving his all…in a production which some would argue doesn’t deserve it. Whilst there’s plenty to enjoy in this film, the real joy is Cushing nailing it against all the odds . . .

 

THE CUSHING DALEK MOVIES PART ONE HERE 

 PART TWO HERE!

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  . .  

#MONSTERMONDAY! SLIMY SPIV AND BOUNDER! BROCKLEY: DOCTOR WHO DALEK INVASION WITH EXPLOSIVE GIFS!

#MONSTERMONDAY! BROCKLEY! Ok not a 'monster' by our usual standards, but certainly a bounder, spiv and opportunist! Phillip Madoc's playing of what is written as quite a small role, would have been no big deal in perhaps any other actors hands. But Madoc makes him a real slime ball and a character that many do actually remember from Daleks Invasion of Earth 2150 AD. He double crossed Cushing's Doctor and friends, to lead them right into the hands... er.. claws, sink-plunger (??) of the dreaded Daleks. 

AS USUAL, AT OUR PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE WE ASKED YOU TO VOTE ON, IF BROCKLEY SHOULD BE THROWN IN OUR  #MONSTERMONADY DUNGEON. BELOW ARE SOME OF YOUR COMMENTS:

E.HOW: 'A great example of how genuinely creepy and unsettling British sci-fi can be. The (accurate) depiction of human nature, and the recognition that even in the face of the most implacable and inhuman of enemies, some will still always choose to collaborate to save their own skin, or feather their own nest'.

S.HARBY: 'Madoc's vocal delivery of every line is a delight. Just adds so much to the role. And there is that wonderful slow burn moment when he realises that it is never wise to make a deal with the Daleks...'

M.GOULD: 'His part was brief, but he was quite sinister. I felt no sorrow when The Daleks exterminated him!

CHRISTOPHER STEPHESON: 'Exterminate for sure! He was all self, self, self and driven by greed! The doctor sussed him out right from the start..'I was expecting it'

MIND YOU, BROCKLEY DID GET his come come-uppance, in one of the most impressive ..if not the only, HUGE explosion involving a garden shed! See, you don't have to have huge castles, cities, planets or space stations..a garden shed, can be surprisingly effective, when loaded with 600 pounds of dynamite! 😉 So... does BROCKLEY go into our #MONSTERMONDAY dungeon? PASS OR EXTERMINATE? YOU decide 😉 - Marcus

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 

#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY!: THE AMICUS VAULT OF HORRORS!

#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY! EXCLUSIVE! Starting TOMORROW Donald Fearney's definitive documentary 'THE AMICUS VAULT OF HORRORS' HERE!. From the early beginnings, City of the Dead, through all the classic portmanteau Amicus Horrors, Dr Terror's House of Horrors, Tales From the Crypt, Asylum, From Beyond the Grave, The Skull and Many Many more... Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price Donald Pleasence, Ingrid Pitt...Interviews, on set behind the scenes, rare images... and it ALL STARTS HERE TOMORROW! Exclusive to PCAS. Please JOIN US!

 

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

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: MORE REQUESTED SILENT GIFS: WITH TALK OF FRIED EGGS STAKES AND STOLEN CASH!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! FOR ANYONE READING this from the UK, why does this #GIF remind me of so many Dad's lighting fireworks on 'BONFIRE NIGHT'?! Peter Cushing here as Dr Brian Stanley, in that great little classic 'ISLAND OF TERROR' (1966). I think there are two things, apart from the terrific casting, that make this film, a cut above the other mini budget sci fi films that the UK turned out in the 60's. ONE, Terence Fisher's tight direction with Thelma Connell's editing..she did some excellent work with films like, A Dandy in Aspic in 1968, The Virgin Soldiers in 69 and Only Two Can Play with Peter Sellers in 1962. She also edited Peter's 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' in 1965!....and TWO the deadly tentacled Silicates! 'Night of the Big Heat' the other sci fi film made after 'Island' with Fisher directing, also starred Peter Cushing, once again trapped on an island, but the cause of the disruption and the deadly heat, was a bit of a let down. When revealed, the creature resembled a fried egg, with a light  bulb inside!

I HAVE A HUNCH that Bill Robert's company, SHAWCRAFT who made many props and models for the film and movie industry, may have been behind the actual building and creation of the Silicates for 'Island of Terror'. SHAWCRAFT also made the Daleks that were featured in both of Cushing 'Doctor Who and the Dalek' films and a similar 'bog-type-monster' that was briefly seen in the Film 'Dr Who and the Daleks'. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know, it's one of those annoying bits of trivia that keeps me awake a night! This #GIF was requested by Brad Haynes UK, who says, 'I wish there had been a sequel to 'Island of Terror'. For me, as a kid, the Silicates were really frightening, I think they should have brought them back to fight another day. Maybe even turn up in a BBC Dr Who episode?' WHAT DO YOU THINK?

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! AN INTERESTING CROSS-OVER here in this #GIF requested by Tilly The Cat Lover of Texas! It's not just vampires that get staked in Hammer films, and if Peter Cushing is in the scene, one would expect, he would be doing the staking! It's Peter Woodthorpe as the evil hypnotist, Zolton, who get the pointy end of this interesting plot device in Hammer films, 'The Evil of Frankenstein' (1964).

PETER WOODTHORPE'S slimy and grimy double dealing, crook angers Kiwi Kingston's brutish 'monster' one time too many, and his hypo-control of Frankenstein's creation, for once fails him, with horrible results. Peter Cushing almost looks annoyed that he missed out on the deed! 'The Evil of Frankenstein' turned many of the 'Hammer-Frankenstein' conventions on their heads, making a less predictable story, that borrowed much from the earlier, Universal Frankenstein films. Cushing's Baron, just for once, seems sad and almost defeated, giving his performance a lovely melancholy air, the sets and laboratory look very impressive, but time and corporate meddling resulted in a sometimes less than convincing monster make up . . . 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: WHOEVER AT HAMMER FILMS thought of casting Peter Cushing and Andre Morell together as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, should have been given a pay raise, because the results on screen were magic. But what resulted in them appearing again in a little dramatic, low budget thriller two years later, they should have been awarded a medal! 'Cash On Demand' produced in 1961 for the princely sum of just £37,000 (2009 estimate) has surely brought a handsome return on that investment. For many years, it turned up as a staple of Sunday afternoon tv matinees in the UK and since the arrival of home cinema and the web, it has probably shaken off it's once proud Hammer fan claim of, 'Hammer films little known masterpiece!'. 'Cash On Demand' is in some ways,  a reworking of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol", and casts Peter Cushing as a cold, austere bank manager, a nagging petty tyrant to his staff, and Andre Morell as a cunning thief who one day turns up at the bank, and sends the prim Cushing into a tail-spin. The plot twists and turns, as Morell piles on the pressure.

MORE ON CASH ON DEMAND IN OUR FEATURE : HERE!

'CASH ON DEMAND' started life as a television play in the THEATRE 70 series, when it was titled, 'The Gold Inside'. Both actors Andre Morell and Richard Vernon reprised their roles for the big screen, director Quentin Lawrence followed too. And the casting? One would like to think that the bods at Hammer were considering the best of players for their drama, but I would think it was probably more down to chance and economics. Had Cushing and Morell's agents asked for a few quid more in their negotiations, we would have been robbed of two fine performances and a very entertaining film.

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY' YOU WOULD think after all the story dissecting, plot analyzing and discussion that yesterday's posting of Vincent Price's Dr Browning as our #MONSTERMONDAY post prompted, I would be closer to understanding exactly what the story of 'SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN'  (1970) was all about?? Sadly no. However, what I do understand and appreciate of the film is, it certainly provides us with some top notch fight sequences, bizarre visuals ...and the slowest car chase in cinematic history! Ah well, you can't have it all. This #GIF requested by Lita Doohlan is a cracker though! Marshall Jone's Konratz gets to grips with Price's Dr Browning in the operating theatre...and even though having just the ONE HAND... don't ask.. with his super strength depleted, he still puts up an encouraging fight! 

 

IT'S ALSO WORTH REMEMBERING HERE,  it's thanks to producer Milton Subotsky's 'accounting skills, that Scream and Scream Again' does give us the opportunity to see the names of Lee, Cushing AND Price in the rolling credits, even if all three didn't get the chance to appear together on screen. One theory that Peter Cushing was cast late in the day, could well be the reason. Had the fact that Cushing was planned to join the cast, I am sure script writer Christopher Wicking would have made the most of the opportunity and wrote them in together maybe?  As it is, here is Marshall and Price wrestling for ever locked in a #GIF cycle. Nice blood drip that....!

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 and posts are made from both countries and
cross several time zones.