HAPPY 54TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAMMER FILMS 'THE GORGON' : JOSHUA KENNEDY AND HOUSE OF THE GORGON!

TODAY HERE and at our FACEBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE we are marking the anniversary of the release of #hammerfilms THE GORGON starring Peter Cushing and Christopher lee, with Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, and directed by Terence Fisher 🙂 At the Facebook Fan Page, the text went like this...'We've covered this film many times here and at the website, it's still one of the most atmospheric and beautifually photographed films that Hammer made. It's got an amazing cast and an amazing musical score by James Bernard. Patrick Troughton, Michael Goodliffe are great too. And according to some fans, It's probably also.... hang on I'll wait for Joshua Kennedy to make his annual annoucement on the thread below.... ANY time now . . ' 😉 AND at THAT POINT, he did! HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'THE GORGON' !

HOW WE MARKED the GORGON anniversary a few years ago. Josh's comment was there on the post as usual, but this year, so was JOSH!

FOR THOSE OF YOU who don't know JOSH and the remarkable films he has made over the years, he has just probably leaped a further few giant steps in the opinions of his fans and friends. Josh is a life long fan of Hammer films, 'THE GORGON' having first seen it when he was just NINE years old. For the past ten years, I have made a tradition of posting a celebration banner, marking the release of THE GORGON, and every year, without fail, Josh has posted the same comment, in the thread below onour Facebook PCAS Fan Page or here at the website, 'THE BEST FILM EVER MADE'  

DRACULA AD 2105 and the promotional poster for HOUSE OF THE GORGON designed by artist Graham Humphrey

AT FIRST, when it appeared, I thought it was just a highly supportive comment, from a Cushing / Hammer film fan, who  was probably on a high, having just seen the film. BUT, no THE GORGON is Josh's favourite Cushing Hammer film. So much so, he has just made his OWN Gorgon movie, as a tribute to the film, that was made back in 1964. Josh has made some impressive tribute films to various Hammer and fantasy genre movies over the years. My favourite being DRACULA AD 2105. A superb full length feature, which also contains many tributes and key scenes, to the whole Hammer film Dracula series. You can catch our feature and review on the film HERE! 

THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON SYNOPSIS:

Filmed in the vein of the classic Hammer and Universal films of yesteryear: The year is 1896, and the lovely Isobel Banning travels with her mother, Anna, to the village of Carlstadt to marry her university sweetheart, Dr. Julian Pritchard. Along their journey they meet the mysterious Father Llewellyn, the local priest, who refuses to explain why the villagers appear to be in a state of mortal fear… as if the town is hiding a terrible secret. Frightened and confused, Isobel and Anna readily accept an invitation from Dr. Pritchard to stay with him and his aunt, the Baroness Bartov, in their large chateau overlooking the town… unaware of the ancient horror that lies within.

HAVING SEEN THE CROWD-FUNDING trailer for 'HOUSE OF THE GORGON' and the prospect of it's jaw dropping cast, who have joined together to support Joshua and his film, makes the release of this film all the more VERY special. The cast includes, Veronica Carlson (Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, The Ghoul) Caroline Munro (At The Earth's Core, Dracula AD 1972) and Christopher Neame (Dracula AD 1972) and Martine Beswick (Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde). I am sure it is going be just as impressive, as Josh's other films, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Alpha Omega Man, Theseus and the Minotaur and many others. Scheduled for a 2019 release, I can't wait!

OUR FEATURE on the dancer and actress who played THE GORGON in the 1964 film: JUST click HERE!

EXTENDED TIME ON HOUSE OF THE GORGON: CAROLINE MUNRO AND MARTINE BESWICKE IN UPDATE NEWS!

MORE NEWS FROM  the GOOEY FILMS CAMP on the progress of FUNDING JOSH KENNEDY'S HOUSE OF THE GORGON, the film that will BRING and REUNITE FOUR HAMMER FILM ACTORS on screen for the first time since their days at Hammer!

THE GREAT NEWS IS  the INDIGOGO FUNDING WINDOW IS TO BE EXTENDED PAST it's original closing date, to FEBRUARY 7th 2018! So, STILL TIME to make YOUR contribution to the BUDGET POT! SO DON'T DELAY. DO IT TODAY! 

IF YOU MISSED OUR POST ALL ABOUT how YOU can become a part of this this amazing unique  opportunity THE LINK IS : HERE! 

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     

STABBINGS CORPSES AND BAD BEDS : THIS WEEKS GIF GIF GIF WEDNESDAY!

#CUSHINGGIFWEDNESDAY: MICHAEL RIPPER as we all know, was one of the Hammer repertory players of Hammer films. He played lots of small supporting roles, but occasionally he got a larger slice and a larger role in a film. Amicus films, 'TORTURE GARDEN' features Ripper in a supporting role, that is quite a surprising 🙂 Do you have a favorite MICHAEL RIPPER role??

#THEGORGON is a Peter Cushing Hammer film, that has suffered from a quite horrible symptom since the first day of its release back in August 1964. I am not referring to the death gaze of Prudence Hyman's Magaera's baleful spell. The 'SNAKES". And as Hammer film fans, we all know it. The film IS a 'Hammer film Classic' made during that ten year golden era, of those Bray studio Magical Gothic Nightmares, that made Hammer more than just a step above, most that had gone before. THE GORGON has the perfect ROMANCE TRIANGLE, it has TRAGEDY,  CONFLICT, superb direction, art direction and cast, but ever Hammer Horror HAS to have a figure that truly frightens. That with the help of Cushing, Lee, Shelley and Co however fantastical, is believable. Pru looked and performed amazingly. Those serpents however and that 'head' on the deck, did not then and doesn't now. The story of the struggle that the props and effects department had with the 'twitching head set', is well documented, so we'll pass here. 

 OUR FEATURE AND GALLERY on Hammer films

 'THE GORGON' (1964) CLICK HERE!

IN OVER FORTY YEARS, cries have remained largely the same, 'Shot with too much light!' 'You see her, too early' 'Why didn't they surround her in mist, dry ice, fog . . .anything!?' It's true. In 90% of Magaera's shots, she IS seen. Clearly. I still do love the film, I love the sets, the costumes, it looks beautiful. There were enough of the sets and props left around from the 1958 'Horror of DRACULA' 'Curse of FRANKENSTEIN' and 'Revenge of FRANKENSTEIN' that the film can clearly been seen to be more than a cousin, of those other Hammer classics.  Such a pity. Maybe the tweaks and 're-imagining' of the SPIDER and the horse-bound ANGEL OF DEATH, should be tried on MAGAERA too? Not that Studio Canal or anyone else will ever be in a hurry to try that out again. Like some great Greek Shakespearean tragedy, 'Some quarters, they doth protested too much, methinks' . . . .


JOSHUA KENNEDY HAS PLANS to produce an amazing NEW FILM called, 'THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON' which will star Hammer film actors, Veronica Carlson, Caroline Munro, Martine Beswicke and Christopher Neame! FIND OUT MORE and how YOU can help to make this film a reality in our PCAS FEATURE CLICK HERE!

#CUSHINGGIFWEDNESDAY! The film, 'ISLAND OF TERROR' (1966) has always been very popular here. The love for those Silocates is always evident whenever, we post an image of them. Considering the budget for this film, it looks as though someone had the foresight to understand, a monster film, has to have convincing monster and pose a threat that looks real. Someone, maybe director Fisher thought to make sure a sizeable slice went to making the special effects.

THAT SHRIVELED CORPSE that Cushing's Dr Stanley finds, was quite a moment for me when I first saw this film when I was around ten. In ANY Cushing film, can you think of any effect 'special or otherwise' that made an impression on you when you first saw it???

AMICUS FILMS 'MADHOUSE' (1974) is a film that revels in the many cliques and well trod dramas and dilemmas of the celebrated  thrillers and horror films of the 30's, 40's and 50's. Vincent Price plays Horror film star PAUL TOOMBES, driven crazy when off screen life unravels and starts to imitate the scripts of his DOCTOR DEATH movies. Like his 'PHIBES' films and 'THEATRE OF BLOOD' (1973) lots of ingenious scenarios of 'horrible deaths' follow and Peter Cushing's HERBERT FLAY tries his best to help his desperate friend, but despite his best efforts, DOCTOR DEATH came after TOOMBES time after time. Just like in the above GIF ;)

PART SIX of 'The Amicus Films of Peter Cushing' covers MADHOUSE and includes a gallery of RARE images. You can find it HERE!

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     

NOW IS THE TIME! SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

THIS POST WILL BE UPDATED OVER THE NEXT NINE DAYS! COME BACK FOR UPDATES AND PROGRESS!

THE CONVERSATION? IT WENT LIKE THIS. 'To pull something like that off, you'd have to have lots of added value' 'How do mean?' 'Well, working in that genre the audience expects to see names.' 'Names?' 'Yes, that's why something like this would never happen!. You have to have a cast that features prominent names that are associated with THE studio.' 'Oh, I see. Well, he's got them!' There was a three second pause. One 'What?' One for 'Did you just say just say, what I think you said?' and the last for, 'You DID!' 'And the concept?' "Yes?' 'Well, that's going to be amazing. What an amazing opportunity!'

 

THIS CONVERSATION happened over the phone, as I write, was four days ago.  I am talking to a close friend. Someone who I have known since we were teens. I went on to work in television and lecturing, he became an award winning script-writer, working in an international multi award winning show, with a cast made up of directors and actors with very respected names, the majority some of the most experienced and trusted actors in the business. He's a little jaded now. There isn't much that makes his eyes sparkle, make him sit up and listen. This conversation went on for another hour.  I was enjoying hearing him get just as excited as I am about this . . . .

'LET ME WRITE THIS DOWN. And, this is the guy we spoke about previously. 'The Dracula AD 2015?' guy?" 'Yeah!'   ''Remind me. His name?' 'Joshua Kennedy' 'And, the title?' 'House of The Gorgon!'. I could hear his smile down the phone. 'Of course. It had to be! Ha'

 
SO WE HAVE FOLLOWED JOSH KENNEDY'S journey over the past few weeks, as he launched his INDIEGO CAMPAIGN PAGE  the updates on THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON YOUTUBE CHANNEL and the HOUSE OF THE GORGON FACEBOOK FAN PAGE. It's a gamble. It seems there have been a few HAMMER film projects launched over the past few years. One in particular asked for a sizeable budget, for a concept that was nothing new, but seemed to get fans of the Hammer flicks excited. Sadly, fingers got burned. ...Cue 'I told you so'.... If it looks too good to be true, based on past experiences of some the people who were involved with that project, then you can bet it certainly is!

THE RISKS

'We are all professionals. Aside from the decades of experience our actors have in show business, writer-director Joshua Kennedy has written, produced, and directed fourteen feature films entirely on his own... in less than seven years... with little to no budget for any of them! The possibilities to make movie magic with this cast are endless with your help.' The HOUSE OF THE GORGON Indiegogo Campaign Site 

OTHER WAYS TO HELP!
Times are hard, it's that time of year, and if you are not able to contribute to this project... no problem!You CAN help by sharing this campaign with your family, friends, neighbors, pets, Hammer fans, Classic Universal fans, vampires living in your basement....The more we can spread the word, the better. How many chances will we ever have to see these FOUR TITANS TOGETHER in a Gothic Horror film? Let's make this happen! THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON Indiegogo Campaign Site 

AS JOSH SAYS in his promo trailer, 'This might be the last opportunity to see FOUR Hammer film actors appear together in a film!'. That fact alone, has to be worth some serious consideration, of an Hammer film fan?  I remember my youngest daughter asking me one time, many moons ago, 'Dad. how do you eat an elephant?' To which I replied, 'I have no idea, Lucy' 'ONE MOUTHFUL AT A TIME! She screamed laughing! She has a point. It's a sizeable budget, but even a dollar, ten dollars, twenty five dollars, as a contribution, all goes ion the pot. And eventually, he would get that budget. Problem is of course is, TIME. As I wrote there are just NINE DAYS until the closing of the INDIEGO CAMPAIGN PAGE. So, if you feel THIS IS something you would like to get behind, NOW is the time to send that lolly! No matter how small, it ALL adds to the total. THE HOUSE OF THE GORGON has a FLEXIBLE GOAL on Indigo. Basically, that means, the campaign will receive ALL the money it has raised even of it doesn't reach it's goal! So, you are backing a production, where the contributions really do count! I would LOVE to see this happen. Wouldn't you?

LOOK FOR THIS INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN PAGE AND CLICK HERE!

THE STORY 

The year is 1896 and the lovely Isobel Banning travels with her mother Anna to the village of Carlstadt to marry her university sweetheart Dr. Julian Pritchard.

Along their journey they meet the mysterious Father Llewellyn, the local priest, who refuses to explain why the villagers appear to be in a state of mortal fear... as if the town is hiding a terrible secret.

Frightened and confused, Isobel and Anna readily accept an invitation from Dr. Pritchard to stay with him and his aunt, the Baroness Bartov, in their large chateau overlooking the town... unaware of the ancient horror that lies within.

THE CAST

CAROLINE MUNRO AS BARONESS BARTOV
Embedded in the minds of fans worldwide for her work in AT THE EARTH’S CORE and THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, Caroline Munro's stunning looks also made her an easy victim for Christopher Lee's Dracula in DRACULA AD 1972, and a vicious thwart to Roger Moore's James Bond in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Her numerous fans throughout the globe have unanimously dubbed her "The First Lady of Fantasy."

MARTINE BESWICKE AS EURYALE
Martine currently holds the rare distinction of being one of the few "Bond Women" to participate in two James Bond films: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL; both opposite Sean Connery. She is also famous for her work in Hammer films fighting Raquel Welch in ONE MILLION YEARS B.C., lording over a kingdom of cavewomen in PREHISTORIC WOMEN and, of course, as the vicious villainess in DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE.

VERONICA CARLSON AS ANNA BANNING
Veronica is probably best known throughout the world for her career-defining performances in two of the greatest Gothic Hammer Films of all time acting opposite Christopher Lee's Dracula in DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE and Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein in FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED. Her other film roles include THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE GHOUL.

CHRISTOPHER NEAME AS FATHER LLEWELLYN
Known primarily for his role as Johnny Alucard in Hammer's DRACULA AD 1972, Christopher Neame has had an incredibly lengthy film and stage career, including the titular role in Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET, guest roles on DOCTOR WHO, STAR TREK, THE A-TEAM, and Timothy Dalton's James Bond film LICENSE TO KILL. Christopher also played Chuck Norris’ antagonist, the Devil himself, in the film HELLBOUND.

GEORGINA DUGDALE AS ISOBEL BANNING
Having completed her Bachelors in “Costume for Performance” at the London College of Fashion, Georgina has also chosen to pursue acting through her membership in the National Youth theatre, the RADA Youth Group, and the Tricycle Youth Theatre. In addition, Georgina has also performed in a number of films including BECOMING, FOX TRAP, DRESS REHEARSAL, directed by Sam and George Clemens, and THE MILKY WAY, winner of “The Best No-Budget Feature” at the London Independent Film Festival.

JOSHUA KENNEDY AS DR. PRITCHARD
Joshua Kennedy is the 23 year-old writer, producer, and director of fourteen feature films. A graduate of Pace University in New York City, he has been nominated for four Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for, among other things, his tributes to Gothic horror: DRACULA A.D. 2015 and THE NIGHT OF MEDUSA. His latest film, THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR, premiered at the Monster Bash Convention this past summer and is now available on DVD from oldies.com.

PAST JOSHUA KENNEDY AND GOOEY FILM PRODUCTIONS:

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    

GLOWS AND FLUTTERS: DRACULA AD 2015 REVIEWED GIFS AND GALLERY

SEVERAL YEARS AGO in another life, wearing a different hat, I was often called upon to be a guest on a panel, judging competition entries for national and international films and documentaries. Many of the films and programmes were produced by amateur film makers and enthusiasts. Some were made by students from universities and film schools . . . The entries were of varying standards and levels of competence, but all had been produced with enthusiasm and passion. For over twenty five years I had worked in television, managed my own production company and had the pleasure of nurturing and helping young people and adults, in theatrical performance (performing arts) and the visual arts. It was a unique job, and a very rewarding time. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than to meet someone who had spent, months and months shooting and editing, shaping and creating, that flickering image, their story on that big screen! It's true, as I have said, many fell short of a standard to win a prize, or to maybe show promise of the first steps of what could be a promising career. But occasionally a warm glow would start in the pit of my tummy, a flutter, followed by a smile of recognition, when a zinger came along that DID tick all those boxes. Joshua Kennedy's 'Dracula AD 2015' IS one of those zingers...

Charles Caleb Colton (1780–1832)  an English cleric and writer of some note once wrote, "Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery". Colton was at times  brilliant in the pulpit, and could have been a successful and charismatic force in the church. Unfortunately he was more than a little eccentric, even though he had at one time considerable wealth, he gambled it away and was in debt until the end of his life...and that end came, when he required surgery. An operation he dreaded so deeply, that he eventually killed himself rather than undergo the procedure! But, if what Colton wrote, is true, Hammer films should be bursting with pride! 'Dracula AD 2015' is a love letter, a beautiful filmatic quilt, not patches, but scenes, sounds and emotive sequences sown together, to warm the bones, hearts and souls, of anyone who still blows the dust off their VHS broadcast recording, of a Hammer films 'double -bill' courtesy of BBC2 in 1981!

I knew writing this review would be tough, because so much of Kennedy's homage to Hammer's Dracula films, is emotionally charged. It's hot wired into the memory bank of any Hammer-aficionado who loves those films. However, that is not to say, this production can only be enjoyed by a cliche, romantic fan boys or Hammer die-hards. No, there is much here, even for someone who has never heard of Dracula, Peter Cushing, or 'that bloke in the cloak, Christopher Lee. And what there is, I'll happily share with you . . .but without giving  too much away . . .

DRACULA AD 2015 is probably the Dracula film that Hammer films would be making now, if they were still around as the old gang, I guess. A film with drama, imagination, suspense and the age old 'everything works out in the end' plot, all produced by the cozy family of people who cared about the films and the quality of what they produced. It's one thing that is evident in Kennedy's film too. This a group of young people, who love what they do and do it well. They know Joshua and each other well, and actors always take risks and give great performances when they are with a director and team they can trust.

Which brings me, to those actors. Josh has 'cast' the film very well, using some of the same templates that Hammer used too. I am not sure if it was sheer luck or divine intervention that  provided Josh with actors that nearly all, project some either physical or spooky degree of nuance, of the actors and characters who appeared in the original  Dracula Hammer films! And it's not just Hammer's plots and iconic set pieces that get the nod, there's much enjoyment to be had for any horror film buff here, picking out the scenes and characters from a dozen or more references, among them Chaney Jnr, Bela Lugosi, Dwight Frye and quite a few more. Se if you can spot them!

In every Dracula film, it's the guy who plays the Count, that bolts the whole structure together. When Hammer made their Dracula series, Lee was the draw. Powerful, sexy and feral. When he wasn't in a few of the productions, it was like a cart without it's horses. The vehicle was sound, but had no way of getting anywhere! Not so with Dracula AD 2015. Dracula is played with a delicate touch by Xander Pretorious, and he is well supported by a multi textured cast. Another thing that Kennedy got right, actresses that sound, act and look believable. . .  something that Hammer often got really wrong and casting that still makes some uncomfortable and cringe-worthy viewing. 

Bessie Nellis is someone to watch, in the film and in the future. With a role like Ingrid Stensgaard..there it is again, the temptation to play big and busy is where many a female vamp has 'stuck a stake in the cred department', before they've even started. Nellis understands the gift of stillness in front a camera. Focus and concentration is all. It takes guts and maturity to use that rule as your guide, but the reward is a performance, that all eyes are drawn to, when you are on screen. Her seduction scene with the Count, crackles with electricity. Her haunting and truly 'other-wordly' scene with Madelyn Wiley, was sheer animal magic. Wiley gets some great scenes too and plays Diana Farmer's exit, with a performance that Barbara Shelley, would certainly be proud of.

Someone has to play the 'girl in peril' and Kit Kennedy thank goodness takes the role and makes it more than a scream fest. Like everyone here, Kit has a relaxed and natural presence before the camera. She makes Jennifer Fordyce real, in the moment, fresh and believable. I felt the same about Hannah Rose Ammon performance, as I did about Caroline Munro's in Dracula AD 1972... gone too soon! I would have loved to have seen more! Everyone loves the 'slightly pushy, but dizzy character, who comes unstuck' in a horror film and Ammon, never gives away, what is around the corner and her fate. Next, the suspicious sounding, Thorley Ripper! I am sure Universal fans are going to love what Jeremy Kreuzer does with this. It must be hard to play 'crazy' without tipping into 'crazily over the top', Kreuzer hits it just right, spot on. Crazy as a fox!



Director Terence Fisher believed, every audience had to have breathing time. After a shock, give them time to recover, before you lull them into the next shocker. And with stories like this, someone must play, well.... normal! It may feel like a thankless task, but no build up, results in no tension or climax. Here Cody Avord and Jake Williams, provide the stability of, the reliable boy friend and his buddy, but they certainly get a lot to do, some classic staking scenes re-enacted and a face off with a vampire too. Actors Philip Miller and Michael Kitchen in Dracula AD 1972, provided the same service. Except Miller's 'Bob' death scene never made the edit, despite being shot and Kitchen...remind me again? Finally, Claire Daniels, plays 'nightmare seduction with a certain trademark style', the stamp of a Freddie Francis seduction scene, from Dracula Has Risen From The Grave', complete with the sepia filters, and manages to give Veronica Carlson a run for her money too!

It would be unfair to give away key moments of the plot here, as some come as genuine surprises. It's not a straight follow the numbers, remake of Dracula AD 1972, Joshua Kennedy has been cute to key in some of the best elements of what made Hammer and Universal fantasy flicks great. The staking, the resurrection, the passion, the bite, the glamour and the sex. It's all here, and delivered with such confidence. Kennedy makes a great vampire hunter, in the Peter Cushing mold. He has the energy, authority and credibility of an actor and director many years older. His stamp can be seen throughout all his films. That wicked sense of humor and fun, that has brought the likes of actresses Martine Beswick and Caroline Munro, to come on board several of his productions. Munro actually has a voice-cameo in Dracula AD 2015 . .  playing the Mother of Hannah Rose Ammon, who plays Munro's daughter, Caroline Monlaur. See what he did there! 

I have watched Dracula AD 2015 several times, in order to get the full picture, and on one such screening, watched with a group of Hammer fans. Many a lead up to a scene was met with, 'They aren't going to do that scene are they?'...which was followed by, 'That was great!' 'Well done' and ' pulled it off. . ..wow!'. Also quite a few scenes were given a cheer or chap of appreciation. Dracula, cloak flapping striding through New York and running for his life across a subway platform, made quite a few very happy. As did the opening prologue to the film and THAT title sequence. Back in 1972, I am sure Drac Buffs almost choked on their popcorn and coke, when the film zipped into a dutch tilt  to the sky, and revealed a passenger plane and a hip and trendy London skyline with Chelsea hot pants and Trafalgar Square to boot!

In Dracula AD 2015, that theme tune, still has a punch, as Kennedy acknowledges the power and emotional connection to the music, in particular Mike Vickers soundtrack from the opening to Dracula AD 1972 and James Bernard's classic Dracula theme and incidental arrangements from the Hammer Dracula series. It's a technique that is used throughout the film and because of it's connection to the original films, works amazingly well, setting the atmosphere and tone of the entire film.

Last, but not least... when watching the film, take note of the lighting. Beautiful blues and throbbing rosey reds, if I didn't know better, I would think I was watching an Eastman colour print! Lighting camera operators were unsung heroes, back in the day of Hammer films. Kennedy has the lighting and shades, nailed too. He multi tasks, it's his script, editing, direction and camera work. And, it all works very well indeed.

If I was Kennedy, I would be entering every film festival and competition from here, across the Atlantic and back. This film needs to be seen and enjoyed, but also it needs the opportunity to win the praise it deserves...well done to everyone involved you made my viewing full of many warm glows and flutters! 

Marcus Brooks: Peter Cushing Appreciation Society : petercushingpcas@gmail.com 

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