RARE FILM CLIP OF PETER CUSHING'S FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER ON SET PLUS THE 'EVIL' EXTRA US TV FOOTAGE!

RARE FOOTAGE! Following the popularity of the rare behind the scenes The Gorgon clips I shared with you a short while ago, here's another one! We are going back to October-November 1963 and the golden age of Hammer films, when the company, based at the tiny studios, along with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were making some of the best of the Hammer British Gothic bunch ...and above, here is a rare glimpse inside the legendary Bray Studios, in the Make up room of Roy Ashton . .

If you ever wondered, just how Cushing's Baron Frankenstein 'Creature' make up was applied... below is your answer.

BELOW IS actor Kiwi Kingston, with Roy Ashton, showing his solution to the problem of 'How to save the producers time and money, when it comes to applying make up when making a monster, who is ready for the camera and walk on set, in ten minutes!!' The studio hated the fact that prep, applying and daily making up a monster, took time...and time costs money. This solution, for the producers it worked . . but for Roy and the fans of Hammer horror, it was a compromise that sadly effected the credibility of the film...it's a complete over-head mask... and the audience knew it too. 

THE GIF CLIP ABOVE IS QUITE RARE, not often seen and proves even for a film like 'The Evil of Frankenstein' ...with a superb performance of the Baron by Peter Cushing, tight directing of Freddie Francis, very entertaining support cast of Sandor Elès , Katy Wild, Peter Woodthorpe, Duncan Lamont and Kiwi Kingston..and amazing sets, also used in Hammer films 'The Gorgon' from Bernard Robinson and Don Mingaye...even Universal Studios on-board... if you ain't got a great Monster...it's like a firework, that promises to shock...but fails when it doesn't that have THAT bang!

HAMMER TOOK A CHANGE in direction, with the making of 'The Evil of Frankenstein'. When the camera clogs first turned on Hammer's concept of a Frankenstein movie, they were very aware of having to start their concept from scratch. On hearing of Hammer's plans, Universal films wasted no time in despatching a warning to the producers, that if anyway Hammer's 'monster' resembled the famous Jack Pearce Boris Karloff creation in any way, they would be despatching a writ, with teeth, that would for sure make a real meal of their plans and production. Universal was also clear that their script and concept was also their property, and that Hammer should tread carefully. So make up artist Phil Leakey got to work creating a 'monster appearance' on Christopher Lee, that in no way could possibly be connected with the Pearce monster. So, was the case in the Hammer sequel, 'The Revenge of Frankenstein' too.

AFTER TWO MOVIES of managing quite well in creating the 'look' of a new monster appearance, with stories too that resembled little if anything in common with the Universal Frankenstein films, fate somehow took hold of the steering wheel and tiller, and Universal relaxed their hold on the 'monster look' and story concepts, and invited Hammer films into their party. Hammer films, Anthony Hinds wrote a script that rebooted the series, no connection to either 'Curse' or 'Revenge'  . .  and a 'monster', after weeks of designing and drawing, that gave more than a wobbly nod, to the Universal creation. The bolts, the flat top and big boots, were all in! 



AFTER THE SUCCESS of 'The Curse of Frankenstein' and 'The Revenge of Frankenstein', Universal wanted IN, along with Peter Cushing as part of the deal. 'Evil' would contain many of the Universal 'Frankenstein Tropes', and after it's cinema release would also be spread across the US television screens too. The problem was that 'The Evil of Frankenstein' came up short of duration of only 84 minutes and some scenes were deemed a little too intense for family viewing . .  so a whole new back-story was shot at Universal studios, where new and quite unrelated characters were slipped into the film. None of the film's established cast were included in the footage.. and Frankenstein's monster is seen by his boots only . . .

BREAKING NEWS: INDICATOR RELEASE TITLES OF NEW HAMMER AND AMICUS VOLUME ONE BLU RAY TITLES IN REGION FREE RELEASE : PACKED WITH NEW EXTRAS!

BREAKING NEWS: PRE-ORDER NOW: THIS ITEM WILL BE RELEASED ON 16 OCTOBER 2017, BUT YOU CAN PRE-ORDER IT NOW TO BE GUARANTEED A COPY. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR PAYMENT WILL BE TAKEN IMMEDIATELY, AND THE ITEM WILL SHIP JUST BEFORE THE RELEASE DATE.

MANIAC (Michael Carreras, 1963) THE GORGON (Terence Fisher, 1964)
THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB (Michael Carreras, 1964) FANATIC (Silvio Narizzano, 1965) Release date: 16 October 2017 Limited Blu-ray Edition (UK Blu-ray premieres)

FOUR CLASSICS from #HammerFilms, each presented on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK. Whether it's a mad man brandishing a welding torch, a mythical monster who's looks can kill, an ancient royal with diabolical powers, or a mad woman wielding a pair of scissors, this set has something to unease everybody. Containing a wealth of new and exclusive extra features – including title-specific documentaries, cast and crew interviews, expert appreciations, introductions and more – this stunning Blu-ray-only Limited Edition box set is published in a horribly limited, numbered edition of 4,000 units.

INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• HD restorations of all four films
• Original Mono audio
• All-new documentaries exploring aspects of each film
• The Gorgon audio commentary with Daughters of Darkness’ Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger
• The Gorgon introduction by actor and filmmaker Matthew Holness
• New interviews with actors Barbara Shelley and Mike McStay
• New interviews with cameramen Michael Reed and Douglas Milsome
• Playwright Matthew Lombardo on Tallulah Bankhead and Fanatic
• Hammer’s Women – an exclusive series of filmed appreciations of Nadia Gray, Barbara Shelley, Jeanne Roland and Tallulah Bankhead
• Original trailers and promotional films
• Promotional and on-set photography, poster art and archive materials
• Four box set exclusive booklets with new essays, contemporary reviews, historic articles, and full film credits
• UK premieres on Blu-ray
• Limited edition box set of 4,000 copies
...AND MORE!

#PHILTD054
BBFC cert: 15
REGION FREE
EAN: 5037899071274

PLACE YOU ORDER  HERE!

AND THERE'S MORE . . . 

Also ANNOUNCED TORTURE GARDEN (Freddie Francis, 1967) Release date: 24 October 2017 Limited Blu-ray Edition (UK Blu-ray premiere)

From Hammer-rival Amicus Productions comes this horror anthology penned by Robert Bloch (author of Psycho) and directed by the great British cinematographer Freddie Francis. Genre legend Peter Cushing stars alongside Jack Palance and Burgess Meredith in an omnibus of chilling and gruesome stories, inspired by E.C. Comics' Tales from the Crypt comic-book series of the 1950s.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• Ramsey Campbell on Robert Bloch (2017, tbc mins)
• Interview with Fiona Subotsky (2017, tbc mins)
• Interview with actor Barbara Ewing (2017, tbc mins) TBC
• Hannah Gordon on husband DoP Norman Warwick (2017, tbc mins) TBC

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 GIFS AND FOLLOWERS COMMENTS FROM FACEBOOK

#‎monstermonday‬ DON HENDERSON AS THE GHOUL, from the 1975 film of the same name, is today's 'monster'... made in the good ol tradition of the thing in the attic, and a style from another time, that didn't sit too easy with audiences back in 75, but now...if you can find it, it rewards you with excellent direction and performances, Cushing and Veronica Carlson having the stand out scenes.

SOMETHING THAT I personally can't understand is, why 'the ghoul', in his reveal, was a bit of a disappointment for some.... how about you? . . .
OUR FEATURE AND GALLERIES ON THE GHOUL ARE HERE and  HERE

ON POSTING THIS FEATURE at our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE  below are some of the comments shared from our friends and followers . . .

S. GREEN commented:" I haven't seen the film but it is on you tube so i will. I think the reason people are often disappointed is the fault of the poster, it often promises things that the film just cannot match'.

WE REPLIED: I have never thought of it that way, Stewart! I always thought that viewers because of the build up, in the film itself, felt cheated. If I would have any criticism of the reveal scene, it would be, it was over lit...and probably would have been better set in a dark attic..where he lived! Same problem with 'Blood Beast Terror' and 'The Gorgon' just too much light, you can see too much! Think of the film 'Alien' for most of the film, you only see parts of the creature...here in the Ghoul, there are suggested shots, feet, hand, but far too much eventually... see what you think!

NICK DIGILIO: LOVE that movie!

F.PASSMORE : "I found this film on a public domain collection, ( a pleasant surprise), and enjoyed it. I understand that perhaps some wanted the ghoul to be more of an undead monster or something, but it was just the woman's mentally-deficient son, so his appearance was not as scary. But the idea of feeding him the flesh of guests was pretty scary on its own".

D.YOUNG:"Love The Ghoul! One of the films responsible for getting me interested in horror in general and Cushing in particular. I remember being scared silly by it though I was perhaps a little young to watch it."

A. KEIL: "The very first time I watched it I thought the Ghoul was a little disappointing only because he uttered the word "Father" at the end and it made me laugh. Since then I watch it on a regular basis.It is a very good film and made a change to find Veronica Carlson playing someone against character with her spoilt demanding ways in the film. I also found Peter Cushing's character rather sad, part real part acting.I always catch it on Youtube".

D.WHITEHEAD: "It's a very dark and bleak film. I do wonder how Peter Cushing coped with such a morbid production so soon after the death of his wife. It's also worth noting the similarities between this and Texas Chain Saw Massacre - very similar plots, albeit realised in very different ways. I've always seen this film as a breaking point between the quainter fantasy-tinged British horror of the 50s and 60s, typified by Hammer, and the darker, crueller American horror movies of the 1970s (such as TCM)". 

B.SABRE: "I liked this film. I needs a proper dvd or bluray release.Its seems to be in the public domain. Known as Night of the Ghoul in the Horror Rises From the Grave collection on dvd.It's seems to be it's only release in the world that I can find!"

WE REPLIED: "Hi Bob, I am not sure about The Ghoul being public domain, or how Brentwood Home Video, managed to get a licence to distribute the film... but the transfer from a VHS copy of all the films in this package makes me suspect that they didn't!"

D.YOUNG: "Love The Ghoul! One of the films responsible for getting me interested in horror in general and Cushing in particular. I remember being scared silly by it though I was perhaps a little young to watch it?" 

J.CLARK: "Peter Cushing gives, in my view, his greatest performance. A nice touch to have his dear wife in a photograph in the film! I have this on VHS PAL Video when it was realeased with the likes of 'Persecution', 'Legend of the Werewolf', 'Island of Terror, 'Masks of Death' et el under The Taste of Fear banner from Lumiere".

COME JOIN US at the OFFICIAL FACEBOOK FAN PAGE OF PCAS 

HOLD ON TIGHT! IT'S ALL CHANGE WITH HAMMER FILMS THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN

CAST:
Peter Cushing : Baron Frankenstein, Peter Woodthorpe : Zoltan, Sandor Eles : Hans, Kiwi Kingston : The Monster, Katy Wild : Rena.

PRODUCTION:

Director : Freddie Francis, Screenplay : John Elder [Anthony Hinds], Producer : Anthony Hinds, Photography : John Wilcox, Music :  Don Banks, Special Effects :  Les Bowie, Makeup : Roy Ashton, Art Direction : Don Mingaye. Production Company - Hammer films.

SYNOPSIS:

Forced to leave town because of their experiments, Frankenstein and Hans return to Frankenstein’s hometown Karlstad and set up laboratory in the abandoned Frankenstein chateau. Frankenstein then finds his original creation frozen inside a glacier and restores it to life. However, it will not respond to his commands. Frankenstein comes up with the idea of obtaining the services of Zoltan, a disreputable carnival hypnotist, to hypnotise the monster into obeying him. Zoltan is successful but has less than scientific interests at heart. With the monster responding only to his commands, Zoltan uses it to rob and take revenge upon the town authorities.

COMMENTARY:

General opinion holds The Evil of Frankenstein, the third of Hammer’s Frankenstein films, to be one of the duds of the series. One is at a loss to understand why. To the contrary, I hold The Evil of Frankenstein to be one of the best of the series. With the preceding two entries, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Hammer had kept the same essential creative team – director Terence Fisher, screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and star Peter Cushing – in place. For The Evil of Frankenstein, Hammer producer Anthony Hinds replaced Sangster on script, while Freddie Francis inherited the director’s chair. Freddie Francis was an up and coming director who had worked as an award-winning cinematographer in the previous decade, had made his genre debut with Vengeance/The Brain (1962), followed with a couple of Hammer’s psycho-thrillers, Paranoiac (1962) and Nightmare (1963), and then attained some success with the first of Hammer rival Amicus’s anthology films Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1964) just prior to this. Francis, whose output to the Anglo-horror cycle has been underrated, would go on to become its next most prolific director to Fisher. (See below for Freddie Francis’s other films).

It is not clear why The Evil of Frankenstein is almost universally regarded as such a dog in the Hammer pantheon. Just look at the opening scenes that hit one with the fervid intensity of something out of a Hieronymous Bosch nightmare brought to life – a little girl sees a body being stolen from a hut in the forest in the middle of the night and calls a priest. The body is taken to Frankenstein who removes the heart before the paling body snatcher, dismissing his queasiness with a curt, “He won’t need it anymore,” before the priest bursts in, cursing Frankenstein’s abominable experiments as he smashes the lab equipment. It is a sequence lit with such a feverishly eerie intensity that it attains a nightmare atmosphere of dread chill. Nothing else in the film quite manages to match it.

Certainly, there are a number of images littered throughout that have a lingering memorability – the deaf-mute beggar girl and her strange relationship with the monster; the monster found buried in the side of the glacier; and one especially memorable scene where the monster gets up and begins to agonisingly shuffle around the lab while Frankenstein looks on, coldly clinically taking notes.

The Evil of Frankenstein presents some confusion to the continuity of the Hammer Frankenstein series. For some reason, Freddie Francis conducts a flashback that offers a potted retelling of the essentials of The Curse of Frankenstein anew. However, this makes changes to continuity – Frankenstein now appears to have merely been driven out of town, not executed. Where the events of The Revenge of Frankenstein fit in becomes somewhat confusing – the Hans character is carried over from Revenge, but Frankenstein’s new body and his escape from the gallows is forgotten about. It is a puzzle as to why the film creates the flashback – some of this is to set up plot points for later on – although without much rewriting this could all have been made to carry over from Revenge. What tended to lose many people was the addition of the Zoltan character, which takes the story considerably away from the Frankenstein mythos. Indeed, you could almost see this as Hammer’s attempt to craft their own variant on The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1919).

With The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer did not have the copyright to use the Jack Pierce designs for the Boris Karloff monster makeup from Frankenstein (1931) and so Phil Leakey came up with his own original designs. Apparently Universal has relaxed their copyright restrictions by the time of The Evil of Frankenstein and the makeup on Kiwi Kingston’s monster is closely modelled on the Pierce designs, the only time the Hammer Frankenstein’s came close to resembling the Universal originals. Production designer Don Mingaye and special effects man Les Bowie collaborate to come up with not one but two of the series very best creation sequences, with lightning bolts and generator coils crashing in the best Kenneth Strickfaden tradition. On the whole, The Evil of Frankenstein is a Hammer Frankenstein entry that is well worth re-evaluation.

The other Hammer Frankenstein films are:– The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973).

Freddie Francis’s other genre films are:- Vengeance/The Brain (1962), Paranoiac (1962), Nightmare (1963), Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1964), Hysteria (1965), The Skull (1965), The Psychopath (1966), The Deadly Bees (1967), They Came from Beyond Space (1967), Torture Garden (1967), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1969), Trog (1970), The Vampire Happening (1971), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Tales That Witness Madness (1972), Craze (1973), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Legend of the Werewolf (1974), Son of Dracula (1974), The Ghoul (1975), The Doctor and the Devils (1985) and Dark Tower (1987).

Feature written by:Richard Scheib

Images edited by Marcus Brooks

No way to treat the curtains!

The Evil of Frankenstein

TROY HOWARTH: POTIONS AND VALENTINES: THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING PART FOUR

The House That Dripped Blood marked a highpoint for Cushing’s relationship with Amicus.  The same could not be said of the next (and last) Cushing/Lee/Subotsky outing.  I, Monster (1970) was adapted by Subotsky from the Robert Louis Stevenson novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”.  It’s easy to forget that Stevenson constructed his story as a mystery; now it is so much a part of pop culture that even those who’ve never read it or even seen one of the many film versions will be well aware that Jekyll and Hyde are one and the same person.

In adapting the story, Subotsky was scrupulously faithful in almost every respect; for reasons best-known to him, however, he elected to change the name of the central character(s) to Dr. Marlowe and Mr. Blake.  Star Christopher Lee has often railed against the logic in doing this, to say nothing of imposing the idiotic title of I, Monster on the finished film, but his frustration is not evident in the finished product; it is, in fact, one of his most accomplished performances.  Subotsky initially hoped to lure Peter Duffel back to direct, having been pleased with his work on The House That Dripped Blood, but the young director was not keen on becoming typed as a horror director.  Lee suggested a young filmmaker named Stephen Weeks, who had made a short film called 1917 (1970), which had greatly impressed the actor.

Weeks jumped at the chance, but soon found himself in the unenviable position of directing a film in a 3D process which proved impractical, to say the least.  In essence, the process called for perpetual motion in the frame: the camera had to remain in movement and during those few shots that were static, people had to be moving about in the frame.  It was a headache to view with 3D glasses and it was eventually abandoned when Subotsky realized that it simply wasn’t worth all the fuss.

 

Sadly, this still resulted in a film that proved difficult to cut together; transitioning from one tracking shot to another proved unbelievably difficult for editor Peter Tanner, and some scenes were compromised by garish camera angles designed to play up the 3D effects.  On top of that, for all the tricky camerawork, it was a very static piece: long-winded, talky and dull.  Weeks did the best job he could under the circumstances, but it proved to be a disappointment all around.  On the plus side, Lee gives a dynamic performance: his portrayal of the stiff-necked Marlowe is very much in keeping with his screen image, but his performance as the childlike Blake is a revelation: he starts off as an impish child, happy and mischievous in the extreme, but as the story unfolds he becomes more and more horrific … and pathetic.  Lee’s ability to elicit pathos in such horrific characters is one of the elements that keeps him in line with the likes of Karloff and Lon Chaney, Sr.  It’s just unfortunate that one of his best performances had to be in such a dull film.

Cushing doesn’t fare very well here: his role as Marlowe’s lawyer friend, Utterson, is dull and one-dimensional, and the actor doesn’t seem to be able to invest much life into it.  He doesn’t do badly, by any means, but he disappears into the scenery somewhat, and, sadly, some of his scenes are pretty much wrecked by the incompetent thesping of co-star (and wannabe horror star) Mike Raven.  Raven speaks with his own voice here, which only serves to make one better appreciate Hammer’s decision to have him looped by Valentine Dyall in Lust for a Vampire (1970).  I, Monster failed to attract much attention at the box office, and helped to convince Subotsky and Rosenberg that their fortunes lay in the anthology format.

 

Christopher Lee would bid his farewell to Amicus at this stage, but it doesn’t appear that the parting of ways was at all unpleasant for either side. Cushing, however, would remain loyal to his friend Subotsky and would continue to appear in more films for the company. In the meantime, however, his personal life underwent a major upheaval and life, as he knew it, would never be the same.

Following the death of his beloved wife, Helen,  Cushing lost the will to live. He contemplated suicide, but his strict religious principles prevented him from doing so. Sooner than sit around and brood, he opted to throw himself into his work.  He accepted project after project for the pure purpose of remaining busy at all times. In hindsight, he said “Yes” to quite a few projects to which he should have said “No, thanks,” but this was not the case with his next project for Amicus.

Tales from the Crypt was something of a dream-come-true for Milton Subotsky.  The popular comic book was created by William Gaines and Al Feldstein in 1950 and ran on a bi-monthly basis through 1955.  It became the target of a firestorm of criticism when worried parents began to blame it for the rise in juvenile crimes.  In much the same way as people now try to blame video games and violent films for society’s ills, these blackly humorous comics—always with a moral twist at the end—were seen as a corrupting influence.  Bowing to pressure from civic-minded protestors, the comics came to an end in early 1955, but not before they had made a powerful impression on millions of readers, including Milton Subotsky.

Subotsky was able to negotiate a deal with Feldstein and Haines, and, in 1971, Tales from the Crypt went into production.  Subotsky hand-picked five tales and penned the adaptation himself.  The crew would be comprised of some of the studio’s most reliable craftsmen, including Freddie Francis (director), Norman Warwick (cinematographer), Tony Curtis (art director) and Douglas Gamley (composer). As usual, Amicus rounded-up a top-notch cast. Sir Ralph Richardson was lured into making one of his infrequent genre film appearances as the mysterious cryptkeeper; it was a role that called for his presence on set for only a couple of days, but Subotsky and Rosenberg got a lot of mileage out of playing-up his presence.  Inevitably, they also had their eye on bringing Peter Cushing on board, but they hit a roadblock when he declined the role he had been offered.

 

Cushing didn’t find much interest in the role of business tycoon Ralph Jason, the protagonist of the “Wish You Were Here” segment, but according to director Francis he took an instant liking to the character of the kindly garbage man, Arthur Grimsdyke, who is driven to suicide by his heartless neighbors in “Poetic Justice.”  As written by Subotsky, the character was little more than a bit part, but Cushing felt it could be expanded with a minimum of fuss and asked to be allowed to work with Francis on doing so.  Not one to upset his favorite star, Subotsky agreed; the film would benefit enormously as a result.  Other crucial casting would be filled by the likes of Ian Hendry, Joan Collins, Nigel Patrick, Richard Greene, Roy Dotrice, Barbara Murray and Patrick Magee.  Amicus continued their tradition of snagging top drawer British acting talent and Tales from the Crypt would go on to become a huge money maker … though reportedly, Subotsky and Rosenberg saw little of it owing to their production arrangement with Feldstein, Haines and the distributor, Cinerama.

The film rehashes the usual formula: a group of people on a tour of some ancient catacombs become lost and stumble upon a strange man who begins telling them things about their future.  The first segment, “And All Through the House,” deals with Joanne (Joan Collins), who murders her husband on Christmas Eve before falling prey to an escaped lunatic dressed up like Santa Claus.  The second, “Reflection of Death,” depicts what happens when Carl (Ian Hendry) leaves his wife for another woman. The third, “Poetic Justice,” deals with horrid snob James (Robin Phillips, in a role reportedly earmarked for Ralph Bates), who drives his elderly neighbor Arthur Grimsdyke (Peter Cushing) to suicide.  The fourth, “Wish You Were Here,” shows Ralph (Richard Greene) making an ill-fated wish on an ancient statue and not living to regret the consequences.

And the fifth, “Blind Alleys,” deals with stiff-backed Major Rogers (Nigel Patrick), who takes over as the head of a nursing home for the blind and deals with the wrath of the clients when his severe tactics go too far.  At the end, it’s revealed that these are not visions of the past but glimpses of what has already transpired, and that the characters are all on their way to hell …

Freddie Francis directs with economy and a good sense of pace. The film isn’t quite as stylish as his earlier films for the company, but it stands head and shoulders above his other, generally drab and disinterested work of the period. He and cinematographer Norman Warwick create some memorable images, notably in the Cushing segment when the old man returns from the grave to exact vengeance. The stories are an uneven lot, with the second and fourth barely registering at all, but the other stories more than compensate. When Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill, Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis launched their popular TV show based on the comics in 1989, the first story they elected to film was “And All Through the House.”  It would be a gorier, more over-the-top version, enjoyable in its own way, but the Amicus version tends to linger in the mind longer. “Blind Alleys” and “Wish You Were Here” would also be revisited later on, as well, with the latter appropriately marking the directorial swansong of Freddie Francis.

Tales from the Crypt contains some stellar performances (Nigel Patrick and Patrick Magee are both in great form), but nobody makes a greater impression than Peter Cushing.  His portrayal of Grimsdyke is a thing of beauty.  He is the heart and soul of the film, a reminder of gentle humanity in an otherwise bleak and sardonic universe.  It’s easy to see why Cushing took a shine to the part, which was little more than a plot device in Subotsky’s original conception; with it, he could funnel all of his grief, loneliness and isolation into a form of acting as therapy.  Working with Francis, he created a magnificent portrait of a good man driven to suicide by the callous world in which he lives.   Cushing takes the character to the brink of caricature but never loses his footing, making it one of his most memorable and genuinely heart-wrenching performances.

It would garner him some of the best notices of his career, as well as netting him an award as Best Actor at the second French Convention of Fantasy Film; it was a richly deserved accolade, as the role served to remind one of his ability to inhabit a character role so completely that it was possible to forget for a while that we were watching Peter Cushing at all.

Written by Troy Howarth
with Images and Design by Marcus Brooks
Part Five Coming Soon...