HALLOWEEN COMPETITION NUMBER ONE NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED ON SATURDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2018

BOO! HERE IT IS! 🙂 The FIRST of our THREE PCAS Halloween Competitions 2018 🙂 PLEASE ONLY send your answers using the MESSAGE / CONTACT BUTTON at the top of this page, as usual. Sadly, any entries posted in the thread below, will be deleted and not counted as entries. If you can't wait to win, to own your own copy of this outstanding remaster of a great Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee Hammer DRACULA film... the blu ray is OUT NOW! 

YOU can ORDER and PURCHASE your copy of the Warner Brothers Archive Collection REMASTEREd Blu Ray HERE!

THE GIFS IN THIS FEATURE WERE NOT MADE

 USING THE REMASTERED BLU RAY

WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER Warner Brothers Competiton TOMORROW, where you can bag yourself copies of the remastered blu ray of the Dracula AD 1972 SEQUEL, 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula'! All correct answers will be as always, dropped into a pot and FIVE lucky winners will be announced HERE on Thursday November 15th! As ever, this competition is OPEN to everyone, no matter where you are! So GOOD LUCK! Have fun and get your entry in NOW 😉

JOHN CARPENTER ON HAMMER CURSE AND REMEMBERING SIR JOHN MILLS AS DR JOHN WATSON

#TBT #THROWBACKTHURSDAY! Here's a clip we edited for Callum McKelvie's first Weekend Double feature, on Hammer films, The Curse of Frankenstein and Revenge of Frankenstein, with 'Halloween' director, John Carpenter sharing his thoughts on one of his all time favorite Hammer films... 🙂 It's great when established directors give credit to work that influenced them . . .Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese have all stepped up and doffed their caps...

TODAY WE MARK THE BIRTH of one, Lewis Ernest Watts Mills... or as we knew and loved him... Sir John Mills. He was without doubt, one of our most popular and beloved English actors and born today February 22nd 1908. In a career that stretched over eight decades, Mills appeared in over 120 films, debuting in 1932 in 'Midshipmaid Gob' right up until 2009 in 'The Snow Prince'. Many of his roles like Pip in 'Great Expectations' in 1946, Shorty Blake 'In Which We Serve' in 42, Captain Scott in 'Scott of the Antarctic' in 48 and the alcohol troubled Captain Anson in 'Ice Cold in Alex' in 58 would make him an internationally renowned star.

MILL APPEARED IN TWO FILMS with Peter Cushing, the first in 1976 entitled 'Trial by Combat' aka 'A Dirty Knight's Work' as Sir Edward Gifford. It was no more than a guest appearance, slotted in when another project on Cushing's slate fell through. The second though, was a much grander enterprise with Tyburn films and marked Cushing's return to the character of Sherlock Holmes...and Mills as Watson! They made a terrific team as a much older duo, so impressive was the chemistry that another Cushing /Mills / Sherlock film from Tyburn was planned entitled 'The Abbot's Cry', but was scuppered owing to Cushing's fragile health.

LIKE CUSHING, Mills was in his private life a sensitive romantic, in January 2001 at the age of 92, he and wife Mary, age 89, renewed their marriage vows at St. Mary's Church, next to their home, Hills House, in Denham, England. When they had wed 60 years earlier, he was denied a church service because he was serving in the Army during World War II. Happy Birthday, Sir John!

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

CRACKING THE TOP FIVE NON HORROR MOVIES OF PETER CUSHING FOR OUR BEST OF LIST!

THESE DAYS IT CAN quite often appear to ‘Joe Public’ that the name Peter Cushing is tied to three things; Star Wars, some quirky Doctor Who off shoots and a number of Gothic Horror pictures from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Of course as fans we know this not to be true, though even then it appears that most of the aficionados of his work tend to admire his horror performances most. That’s unsurprising and personally I’m as guilty of this as anybody else, particularly as I am a horror fan first and foremost. That said, I thought I’d break away from the spooky and the space age this week and instead compile a handy list of the ‘best of the rest’ as it were. Some of the performances listed here are some of the finest throughout Cushing’s entire career and I’ve compiled this as a hand starting point for anyone thinking to check out his work, away from crypts and castles. As with my other lists this is unashamedly personal and is in no order. BY THE WAY, some of the films I have chosen for my list, can also be watched in their ENTIRETY on the PLAY LISTS at our  Peter Cushing Appreciation Society YOU TUBE Channel!

Cash on Demand (1961)

A tense two-hander between Cushing and another Hammer regular, Andre Morell, the film is a clever re-working of the Scrooge story within a ‘thriller’ context. Set in a bank, Cushing plays the tough and austere Manager who undergoes rigorous psychological torment by Morell’s Colonel Gore-Hepburn. 

HEPBURN ARRIVES AT THE BANK and announces to Cushing that he intends to rob him and has his wife and child hostage. Should he not comply, Hepburn will be forced to send the signal that will lead to their termination. Cushing’s portrayal of a man undergoing unbelievable stress and torment manages to be one of the most horrifying things the actor has ever produced. 

CONTRASTING THIS is Morell’s performance as the sadistic but undeniably charming Hepburn who manages to remain calm, whilst breaking PC down piece by piece. Set mostly within the one room the film can be incredibly uncomfortable at times, with Morell’s calmness bouncing well off of Cushing’s hysteria.

1984 (1954)

Ok so an obvious one and one that some may consider science-fiction, though I would wholeheartedly disagree. Similar to the above, this performance showcases the softer side of Cushing and again features Morell as his tormenter, giving the two an odd similarity. 

HOWEVER WHEREAS Cash on Demand still has elements of a moral superiority in its message, inherent in any Scrooge adaptation, the message of Orwell’s novel is far darker and depressing. Again Cushing astounds as a man put through unspeakable psychological tortures but this time the result proves far more terrifying than before. Lacking a proper DVD release, it’s a real shame that such a classic of British TV has yet to be given even this simple treatment. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (1984)

Ok, ok this is certainly an odd one I would never deny that. Cushing’s role as ‘the great detective’ is one that spans a number of portrayals but most notably Hammer’s Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and the BBC series in 1968. 



UNFORTUNATELY THIS MEANS that Masks of Death is more often than not, overlooked. Admittedly it suffers from a somewhat plodding script and perhaps fails to get any attention at all, due to its unavailability on DVD or Blu-Ray. What really makes this odd little TV-movie however, is Cushing’s portrayal of a much older Holmes builds on his earlier performances but manages to provide something…softer, gentler. John Mills plays his Watson this time and the two work wonders together, making one wish for a mini-series or something of the sort. The plot attempts to root itself firmly in history, though the details are a little shaky…to say the least but it’s an interesting little film and a fun example of Cushing’s Holmes work.

The Violent Playground (1958)
Another somewhat bleak film, Peter Cushing provides a memorable turn as a Priest attempting to heal the social ill’s surrounding a Liverpool street gang led by David McCallum. 

THE HIGHLIGHTS are doubtless the sequences in which Cushing attempts to reason with McCallum who appears to have some sort of a bond with the Priest. This builds to a superb climax in which McCallum takes a number of school children hostage with a machine gun and Cushing attempts to talk him down. Brutal, gritty and uncomfortable the least said about this one before watching the better.

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) 
Considering that (bar the one entry) this list has so far been made up mostly of quite depressing drama fare, it seemed right to end it on a good old fashioned swashbuckler. In Sword of Sherwood Forest, Cushing takes on the role of the Sherriff of Nottingham and clearly has a whale of a time. 

WHILST I WOULD HATE to describe any of Cushing’s performances as ‘Pantomime’ that’s the word that comes to mind here, but not through insult, through the sheer amount of fun he is clearly having. The biggest disappointment is admittedly Cushing’s death scene, which whilst firmly cementing his as the secondary villain is particularly lacklustre and seems an unfair dispatch for the character. Sharing the screen with such celebrated actors as Richard Greene, Oliver Reed, Nigel Green and Niall MacGinnis the film may not be wholly successful but is the perfect Saturday afternoon entertainment.  

 

WELL I HOPE you enjoyed my list.Of course the great shame with much of PC's early non-horror work is that a great deal of it was for the BBC, who either wren't in the habit of recording or later decided it would be fun to burn the few recordings they had. Although pieces like this won't make the list for obvious reasons, I sure would have loved to have seen his Pride and Prejudice. It may be an odd choice from these lost days but I'd give my left arm to see the 1953 adaptation of Number Three. As for my list here, I am sure there are a couple you may disagree with! Over at the facebook fan page, many are sharing THEIR TOP FIVES. It's lively! Maybe you'd like to join the thread? That's it for this week, more next week, I hope you join me!  Callum McKelvie

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 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN : IT'S TRICK OR TREAT WITH A DOUBLE BILL OF CUSHING LEGENDS!

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! AND SO, HERE WE are again! Seems like only a year since the last one!!! HA! I am a SUCKER for Halloween, and this year, it's my first time celebrating it in the US. It's different. Let's just say, the front of the house looks like a Hammer House of Horror playground for Wednesday Addams, and I have spent most of this morning, filling little trick or treat orange ghosty bags, with sweets (candy) Monster stickers and rubber spiders! They tell me to expect . . .  upwards of 50 visitors to the front door, wearing various monster, ghosts and ghoulies. Nothing new there then! I'm prepared! How about you? PLEASE share any pics here of your GET ups, GET Together's and GET downs ...decent please...the vicar and Aunty Mary is watching tonight 😉 

After the fuss DIES down, I'll be kicking back with some phantom punch, and watching our #PCAS HALLOWEEN DOUBLE BILL of Peter Cushing movies, which you too can watch here at #PCAS #Facebook, the #PCAS #Youtube Channel and the #PCAS website... See BELOW . .. Laters. Stay SAFE and HAVE FUN! -Marcus

DRAGGED FROM THE PCASUK YOUTUBE CHANNEL screaming and howling, here's a tasty little 1975 offering from TYBURN FILMS starring Peter Cushing, David Rintoul, Ron Moody and Lynn Dalby, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF . . . sure to chill your blood and have you screaming for more . . . .

AND IF IT'S MORE YOU WANT . . . a lethal dose of a VAMPIRE LEGEND from the FAR EAST, this just might be just enough, to send you off to bed, knowing all is well, while Cushing's Van Helsing will forever be around, to fight DRACULA and his Skipping and Hoping Vampire zombies, well that and the KUNG FU Clan. . ENJOY and a HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Til NEXT YEAR....

 

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  . . 

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  . .