#WATCHWITHCUSHING! SURPRISE! It has been often said that, typecasting hung around
Christopher Lee for quite some time, maybe until later in his career
when, he believed there was a little more flexibility. Personally, I
always thought the majority of his roles, were often quite different,
the genre may have been somewhere in a shared ball park, but I wouldn't
say his role as the evil Edward Blake in 'I Monster' was the same as
say, Francisco Scaramanga in 'The Man with the Golden Gun' or even the
role of 'The Monster' in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' was in any close to
Kharis in 'The Mummy' . . In this interview, he makes his point in
discussing how he always tried to surprise his audience.. which I think,
he in most cases certainly did. Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE HERE I have asked everyone if there is a role they can remember,
where Christopher Lee played this card very well.. and surprised you?? And there are some surprising answers 😏😊
A ROLE THAT ALWAYS seemed quite different to me was Christopher Lee's role in his own production of the film, 'NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT' with Peter Cushing. His playing of Colonel Bingham almost seems like an extension of his character in the 1970, 'SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN'? you can still catch one of these films in our PCASUK #WATCHPARTY post at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! RIGHT HERE!
BEGINNING LAST WEEK, I started a series examining
three pairs of films that I felt would make ideal ‘Cushing Double-Bills’, concentrating
primarily on thematic links. Last time, I
looked at Hammer's The Curse of
Frankenstein (1957) and its first sequel The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). We continue this week with a
pair of films slightly less obvious than our previous selection, 1965’s The Skull and 1972’s The Creeping Flesh. Ostensibly two
unrelated films (excluding the fact that both feature Cushing and Christopher
Lee and are directed by Freddie Francis) our discussion this week concerns the
dark thematic subtext that links both.
MADE IN 1965, The
Skull is often cited as one of Cushing’s very best whilst The Creeping Flesh (despite getting a
great deal of attention from fans and this page in particular) is still sadly
something of an undiscovered gem. The
Skull is one of Amicus’s non-portmanteau features and is based on the short
story The Skull of the Marquis De Sade by
Robert Bloch. A masterpiece of atmosphere, The
Skull has a powerful dreamlike quality that manages to be supremely
unsettling. The Creeping Flesh, on
the other hand, is one of Tony Tenser’s Tigon productions and is far more
visceral in its execution, with some genuinely disturbing scenes..
SO WHAT THEN IS IT, that causes me to group these two
films in particular? Well to begin with both demonstrate British horror studios
attempting to do something different with the Hammer mould and are incredibly
experimental in nature. The Skull, as
well as being a modern day piece it’s far less explicit in exactly what its
threat is than Hammer tend to be, preferring
a slower, subtler build-up. Visually The
Skull is particularly arresting, be it the haunting shots from the Skull’s
perspective or the Kafka-esque dream sequence. Similarly the film embraces a
darkness to an extent that Hammer rarely did, from the depressing ending to the
character of Maitland himself.
ABOVE AND BELOW:THE KAFKA-ESQUE POV SHOTS APPEAR IN
BOTH 'THE SKULL' AND 'THE CREEPING FLESH'
MAITLAND, whilst not unlikeable, is hardly a
charmer and as an audience we are invited to look upon his morbid hobby with a
critical eye. We care about him and wish him no ills but the obsessiveness that
permeates his character causes us to question his gruesome pastime. 'The Creeping Flesh' on the other hand is
from, arguably, the most radical British horror studio in business from the mid
60’s to mid-70’s.
ABOVE: THE OBSESSIVE MAITLAND OF 'THE SKULL' (1965)
IT MUST BE REMEMBERED that whilst Tigon were behind the
gothic pot-boiler The Blood Beast Terror (1967),
they were also the studio famed for producing Michael Reeves his magnum opus, Witchfinder General (1968) and his
earlier The Sorcerers (1967). Away
from Reeves, Tigons output is rich with a ‘radical’ and ‘alternative’ sentiment
and whilst not always successful never cease to be interesting. Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), Neither the Sea nor the Sand (1972), The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), The Beast in the Cellar (1970) and of
course Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)
are among the most innovative and experimental British horror films in this
period.
ABOVE:BORIS KARLOFF AND IAN OGILVY IN TIGON FILMS 'THE SORCERERS' (1967)
ABOVE: THE EQUALLY OBSESSIVE EMMANUEL HILDER FROM THE CREEPING FLESH (1972)
THUS The Creeping Flesh similarly
contains elements that go against the traditional mould. Namely, like The Skull, there are few likeable
characters and our main this time, Emmanuel Hildern is equally as obsessive as
Maitland. This time it is science and particularly the desire to make a great
discovery, rather than collecting that absorbs him. The same can be said of his
sadistic brother James (Lee), who covets his brother’s success. The film
questions the nature of evil and in particular uses the Victorian scientist to
do this. The usual hero of Hammer is here reverted to selfish obsessors whose
desire for success and discovery makes them far more horrific, than the
devil-creature that appears at the climax.
ABOVE: THE SADISTIC BROTHER JAMES, PLAYED BY CHRISTOPHER LEE IN 'THE CREEPING FLESH' (1972)
AS PERHAPS I’m already beginning to demonstrate, 'The Skull' and 'The Creeping Flesh', are without doubt two of the most sub textually
rich and intelligent films that Cushing has been involved with. In both, it’s
possible to feel that perhaps more than his other Gothic productions Freddie
Francis is able to identify themes and motifs throughout the stories that
interest him visually. Building on themes of obsession, madness is a prominent
factor in both and indeed can be one of the central elements of fear that
emanates from the films. In 'The Skull' we
are invited to question whether Maitland is actually going insane and the
nature of his haunting is a highly personal one, attacking his mind over his
physical body (at least until the films climax).
ABOVE:MAITLAND HIGHLY PERSONAL MADNESS
ONCE AGAIN in The Creeping Flesh we are invited to
wonder whether our main character is indeed mad, though far more explicitly.
Here the framing structure of the film has Cushing narrating his story, before
at the end revealing that he is an inmate in the asylum ran by Lee. A final
shot leaves us to wonder whether his story is true or not. However the theme of
madness permeates the story far deeper than this, with Cushing living in fear
of hereditary madness that leads him to inject his daughter with the serum
grown from the remains of the skeleton.
IN SHORT, I think of all the double bills I’ll be
discussing, this is easily the most personal. Whilst I love the films of Hammer
these two simply blew me away with relentlessly dark tales that made comments
on obsession, madness and the nature of evil. Whilst calling them Cushing’s two
‘Artsy’ horrors may sound somewhat insulting, I think it perhaps sums them up
best. These films are Freddie Francis’s masterpieces and demonstrate a sub
textual and visual storytelling intelligence far above and beyond any of his
other horror work. Whilst Dracula has
Risen from the Grave is certainly beautiful to look at and contains
interesting commentary on religion, it’s not as rich or as subtle as these two
films.
IT'S A REAL SHAME that whilst The
Skull has r been given a superb Blu-ray treatment, The Creeping Flesh is neglected to a mill-creek triple feature. One
lives in hope that boutique label along the lines of Arrow will recognise the
merit in the film and surprise us with a brand new HD transfer and a wealth of
features. If you’re looking for two of Cushing’s darker, less comfortable films
then these make the perfect double bill.
THE BEST OF A DOUBLE?CASTING AND FILMS, CUSHING AND LEE IN 'THE SKULL' (1965) AND 'THE CREEPING FLESH' (1972)
OH AND THEY BOTH feature skulls. Just saying. Join me NEXT SUNDAY, for another classic DOUBLE BILL!
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
NEWS: THE COMPANY BEHIND so many of Peter Cushing's and Christopher Lee GREATEST SCARES is about to embark on a IMMERSIVE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE to CHILL YOU to your HALLOWEEN BONES! Something 'ANCIENT and EVIL' is coming to HOXTON HALL, set in deepest JACK THE RIPPER country, the EAST END of LONDON! HOXTON HALL is an ATMOSPHERIC listed VICTORIAN music hall theatre and will be the setting of a HALLOWEEN HAPPENING, Hammer says, 'You'll NEVER forget!'
THE HOUSE OF HAMMER HORROR SHOW LIVE is due to run through out OCTOBER 2017, ending it's run with a SPECIAL EXTRA LATE show on Halloween. Hammer Films CEO SIMON OAKES is promising 'A TENSE and INTIMATE ENCOUNTER' adding 'NO TWO PERFORMANCES WILL BE THE SAME! Anything else, he's keeping nailed down as tight as coffin lid!
IT SOUNDS PROMISING!The HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR LIVE runs from OCTOBER 3rd 2017 until HALLOWEEN October 31st 2017 . .. . We can't wait!
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
#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: This week we bring you, some excellent examples of cinema promotion for several Peter Cushing #HAMMERFILMS in Japan from the 1960's and 70's. Personally, I LOVE poster art from any countries, other than the main drag of the USA and UK market. Often the outer territories would be given basic press kits, that the press offices would customise, to suit their culture and audiences tastes. This often meant using rip and tear collages, sometimes including using images and artwork from films, that were not part of the official promotion campaign. This more often than not, resulted in some very exciting and resourceful posters.
AT THE TOP, we have a hand-bill for Hammer films 1969, 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed'. Look carefully at the images, and maybe you can spot at least three examples of the artists adding some extra effects to the official press kit photographs. One image addition, from another completely unconnected Hammer film! 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' was released in Japan with another Warner Brothers - Seven-Arts release, 'Valley of the Gwangi', making an interesting night at the cinema! 'Destroyed', the last Frankenstein Hammer film theatrically released in Japan, and audiences would have to wait until both 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) and 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell' were released on domestic video cassettes, to see how the Hammer / Frankenstein / Cushing saga ended.
MUCH OF THE ASIAN CINEMA artwork often came about because of the lack of materials, sent on by the distributors. Press kits more often than not were, incomplete and certainly in English language. Necessity being the mother of invention, cinema circuits in Japan set about making their own promotional material, using whatever was at hand, or could be added with a brush and paint. A little added blood here, an exposed breast there, with an extra long fang for good measure, resulted in many examples unregulated artwork doing the rounds, but that, as a kick back, added an extra dimension to the story of the film being exhibited...and give us more reason to ponder, today . . .
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.
#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY! OUR SECOND COMPETITION THIS WEEK! We have FOUR COPIES of #THEEVILOFFRANKENSTEIN on bluray to giveaway! To be in with a chance of winning, watch the very short video clip and send your answers by email to petercushingappreciationsociety@gmail.com. GOOD LUCK!
Hammer film and Peter Cushing fans are in for a treat… Horror Channel is to screen an Easter Hammer-thon with back-to-back Hammer classics. Some of Hammer’s most popular films, including THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN starring Peter Cushing. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT with Christopher Lee and THE BRIDES OF DRACULA with Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, will be broadcast across the weekend from 3pm till 10pm on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th March.
Plus, Horror Channel will be presenting Hammer Thursdays from Thursday 7th April for six weeks. This will be a Hammer movie at 9pm followed by a double-bill of Hammer House Of Horror at 10.50pm. First movie up is COUNTESS DRACULA.
3.00pm –
In Oliver Reed’s first film role, he excels as Leon Corledo, a young man
raised in the home of Don Alfredo Corledo (Clifford Evans), his kind
and loving adopted father. When he leaves to find work, Leon discovers
that he has increasingly violent urges. Although these tendencies are
calmed by Leon's love for the beautiful Christina (Catherine Feller), he
ultimately cannot contain his curse and transforms into a werewolf,
terrorising the Spanish countryside.
4.50pm – THE BRIDES OF DRACULA
Director Terence Fisher followed the excellent Horror of Dracula with
this richly-coloured sequel. Though imprisoned in the family estate by
his mother, Baron Meinster (David Peel) is released from his silver
chains by an unsuspecting French teacher (Yvonne Monlaur), through which
he gains access to a number of young women at a girls' school.
Fortunately, master vampire killer Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is on
the case.
6.35pm -THE PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES
A spooky, atmospheric outing from Hammer Films, who diverged into the world of zombies, two years before Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead.
The plot, centres on a mad Cornish squire, who solves a labour crisis
in his tin mines by turning local villagers into voodoo-controlled
zombies. Dr. Thompson (Brook Williams) and his daughter Alice
(Jacqueline Pearce) soon discover the unpleasant nocturnal habits of the
shambling undead slaves…
The second in the Hammer Frankenstein series and considered Terence Fisher’s best. He may be calling himself "Dr. Stein," but general practitioner (Peter
Cushing) in the village of Carlsbruck is none other than our old friend,
Victor Frankenstein. No one seems unduly concerned when the patients in
a charity clinic begin losing their arms and legs during Dr. Stein's
emergency operations -- no one except his young rival, Dr. Kleve (Francis
Mathews).
4.50pm - THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN Directed by Freddy Francis, this is the third in the Hammer Frankenstein
series, Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) returns destitute to his home
village to recommence his experimental research into the reanimation of
dead tissue, and stumbles upon his old monster suspended in ice. Though
he revives the creature, Frankenstein must seek the help of hypnotist
Zoltan (Peter Woodthorpe) to repair its mind. Zoltan then assumes
control of the monster, using him to wreak havoc.
6.35pm -THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
The Devil Rides Out is a satanic shocker in which Christopher Lee stars
alongside Charles Gray as two men who discover their recently deceased
friend's son is involved in the occult, and must battle the evil forces
of darkness to save him. Made in 1968, it brings the classic Dennis
Wheatley novel vividly to life with a strong cast led impeccably by Lee.
