HANDS AND ARMS UP FOR DRACULA RITES PLUS ANTHONY HINDS REMEMBERED TODAY

WHEN THE JOB first came in, for artist Tom Chantrell for the Hammer film, 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' he was probably, as in the case with most of Hammer's... 'design a cinema poster to show the money men first' tried and tested plans.... given the most basic outline plot details of the film. He knew, as well as Dracula, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and girls... a black magic type of ritual was also on the cards;) So, he started designing, as he had done with so many of the Hammer Dracula's cinema posters before, using his camera, and snapped a few shots of himself, in dramatic poses. These would act as visual references, for the pose he had in mind for Dracula on the poster. As there was a rooster / cockerel sacrifice mentioned in the opening moments of the film plot notes, THIS gave him an idea! What better, than an amazing central illustration of Dracula, with a blood dripping dagger...and slain cockerel?! Bird in one hand and dagger in the other, both held up high in a nightmare offering?

ALL WENT WELL, until the quite impressive finished art work was presented to Hammer films! Sadly, even as amazing as it looked, it was deemed visually, a little too harsh, and it's hints of voodoo and demonic going on's, may caused problems with censorship, especially when the poster was pinned to the billboards and foyers of the local Odeon, next to a poster of 'The Artistocats' or 'Digby The Biggest Dog In The World'...! So, Tom was told to take the dagger and the cockerel off.

AND THAT is why, we have an empty hands, arms held high, vision of the Prince of Darkness, in the UK cinema quad poster! It's interesting to see that Warner have opted for the Japanese cut and paste style cinema poster, when the film was released and distributed on DVD. Chantrell was an amazing artist, and designed many of the posters and trade art for some Peter Cushing's best films . .. including one called, Star Wars. . . .

ABOVE: ACTRESS CHIN YANG AND MIA MARTIN during the BLACK MAGIC RITUAL of THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (1973)

(Still photograph copyright : Tom Chantrell) You can purchase some of Tom's fabulous work and read about his life and career HERE and HERE! 

OUR NEWS ON THE DAY THE RELEASE OF DRACULA AD AND THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA WAS ANNOUNCED BY WARNER BROTHERS CLICK HERE!  

TODAY, the nineteenth of September we remember the late ANTHONY HINDS, today he would have been his 97th birthday. For many Hammer film fans, Hinds represents the 'GOLDEN YEARS' of the studios output and production. Producer and script writer, he was responsible for some of Peter Cushing's most revered work in the fantasy genre. When asked about Peter and his workinng relationship, with one of Hammer films leading actors, Hinds shared, even though Cushing could be quite exacting, 'A fuss pot'.. every detail that he paid such close attention too, always paid off. The process of film making and shooting in studio or on location, is an expensive business, but Peter would not be happy for the camera to start rolling, until everything was just right. Hinds, has a good point, it is that focus, no matter how frustrating, that helped both he and Cushing present such wonderful films and tv drama's that are still popular today . . 

 MORE ON ANTHONY HINDS CAREER IN OUR PCASUK FEATURE HERE!

IN HAMMER'S EARLY YEARS, it was Hinds idea to hire country houses and to based the production and shooting in the rooms and grounds of the locations, which saved the the studio huge production costs. His script writing skills, have been picked over by many, but few could doubt his skill in managing tight budgets, and building impressive productions, with very limited resources and finance...and for this, he was indeed, the 'Master Builder and Architect of Hammer films'...and for that, we are very grateful.....

THIS SUNDAY CALLUM MCKELVIE returns with the FIRST of a THREE PART series, on the roles that created the career of PETER CUSHING. PART ONE is HERE THIS SUNDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER!

JOIN US ON THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE HERE! 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: GIFS OF TRAINS, CREEPY SHOP KEEPERS, TEMPTRESSES AND A DREAM

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: NO MATTER HOW much you may hate or dislike the character of Johnny Alucard in Hammer films, 'Dracula AD 1972' you have to admire the playing of the role by actor, Christopher Neame. Upstart, swanky, dis-likeable and rude, you most certainly could not tag, Mr Neame. Born in London, in 1947, Neame was educated at the independent, "King's School" in Canterbury, Kent, UK. He started his film career at the beginning of 1970s, with two outings with Hammer films,  Lust for a Vampire (1971), and after some TV work, he was cast in Dracula AD (1972), where he played Christopher Lee's personal assistant, one... Johnny Alucard. From that moment, he fell into a little type-cast, being usually cast as a villain. He continued to work on television in the 1970's making an impression with the viewing public in the BBC TV series "Colditz" (1972-1974), "Edward The King" (1975) and "Secret Army" (1977)

IN THE 1980's he started to make an impression in US films and TV series, Steel Dawn (1987) and D.O.A. (1988) and a nine year run in the television series,  "Dynasty" in 1981, after which he returned to UK, appearing small roles in films like, the James Bond film License to Kill (1989). Returning to the US in 1990, he appeared in Ghostbusters 2 (1989), Edge of Honor (1991), Diplomatic Immunity (1991) and Suburban Commando (1991). He played villains in 'Street Knight' (1993), opposite Jeff Speakman and 'Hellbound' (1994) opposite Chuck Norris.

BUT, WE'LL TAKE  Alucard over any of the above, as indeed does Angie McDonald who requested this gif!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY! LET'S FACE IT, would you buy anything from a man who peeps out from his shop like this? But, all the characters in 'From Beyond The Grave' quite happily, skipped into Temptations Limited, and thought they could also con, Cushing's proprietor into the bargain! How wrong they were! 

OUR #MONSTERMONDAY TRIBUTE 

FROM A FEW MONTHS AGO

WITH BOTH 'Dr Terror's House of Horror' and 'Beyond The Grave' Cushing took the role of character device, that was the narrative bridge between each tale. Small roles, but as ever, he was able to make each role, much more than was written on the page. Stan Partridge requested this GIF,and this particular shot!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: HERE is a very interesting GIF selected by Gavin Porter, from the UK. He has chosen this particular shot, and asked if we knew the relevance of the guard who looks out from the train carriage... We do. But do YOU? If you know the answer, send us an email to the address at the bottom of this post.... 

#SILENTBUTDEADLY!: MORE TRAINS.... and here is the perfect example of why you should never talk to strangers on a train, pulling out of Karlsbadd! A young Derek Fowlds long before, his Mr Fowlds stint with a certain fox-hand puppet called Basil Brush and his excellent playing of Bernard Woolley in the BBC 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister. 

THE VICTIM OF Susan Denberg's Christina Kleeves, in Frankenstein Created Woman in 1967, Fowlds gives an excellent commentary on the BLU RAY release of the film, revealing that Denberg was far from being the raving sex kitten during the making of this film, that the UK tabloids would have you believe. Many trued to date her from the pool of actors and technicians at Bray...but only Fowlds actually dated her. Fowlds didn't quite kiss and tell, but let's just say, they had a good time together!

#SILENTBUTDEADLY: CRUSHING! That is the only way to describe the closing moments of Cushing's 1973 film, 'The Creeping Flesh'. Here Cushing's Emmanuel Hildern is visited by his step-brother, James Hildern played with fine line in villainy by Christopher Lee. It's the beginning of the final psychological spiral downwards of Emmanuel's life...or is it?

THE CREEPING FLESH is a film that stays with you, long after the credits role, as you realize, the plot has left you with more questions than answers. It's got more twists and turns, than a roller-coaster at Coney Island. To quote John Lennon..'Was it just a dream?' I guess we'll never really know, for sure....

 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 reach our 30K following total for Peter Cushing BIRTHDAY on MAY 26th 2017 AND Help Keep The Memory Alive!

#MONSTERMONDAY: CHRISTOPHER MAITLAND IN THE SKULL

#MONSTERMONDAY: Greg Jenkins suggested Peter Cushing's Christopher Maitland from Amicus films, The Skull today...and we thought this was a great suggestion. The Skull is a terrifying story of a collector caught up in having his sights set on the ultimate addition to his collection... THE Skull of the Marquis De Sade.

EVENTUALLY, Maitland wins his prize at an auction, and then it all goes terribly wrong.... very quickly. It's a story of greed, obsession, pride, torment and ultimately destruction. But, I am not quite sure if Cushing's Maitland, is as an innocent victim, as he first appears... what do you think, Victim or Monster?

READ ALL ABOUT  PETER CUSHING ROLE IN THE SKULL AND MANY OF HIS AMICUS FILMS THROUGH OUT HIS CAREER IN SERIES THE AMICUS FILMS OF PETER CUSHING : PART ONE . .

WANT MORE? There are FOUR THEMED posts most days, seven days a week at our official PCAS Facebook Fan Page: Why Not Join US?? Just CLICK HERE AND CLICK LIKE THERE!

RATE THE CLIP: #GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING : NIGHTMARE IN THE WAX WORKS

#GRABTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING... OK here is the first of our SUNDAY posts under our new theme looking at some of the most frightening and effect Peter Cushing Fright Scenes.... This week it's a clip Don't forget to click HD) from that iconic NIGHTMARE scene from Amicus's The House That Dripped Blood (1971)...we'll be taking a closer look at the scene and direction in our next post coming up...DOES THIS scene rate in your FAV CUSHING terror scenes??? #grabthecushingitscushing

THE 1971 AMICUS FILM, 'THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD' came at a difficult time for Peter Cushing... it couldn't have came at a worse time! The production started shooting from June 29th at a studio knew very well, Shepperton. At this time, Cushing's wife Helen was experiencing a deterioration in her health, because of this Cushing had tried to get the suits at Amicus, to release him from the contract and schedule from 'House'. While Hammer films had been sympathetic, and released him from his contract and appearance in their latest installment  of their Karnstein trilogy , 'Lust For A Vampire' . Cushing Had appeared in the  first part, 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS'  and the last, 'TWINS OF EVIL' But, sadly Amicus dig in their heels, with Cushing having no choice but to for-fill his contractual obligations. 'House' followed, what was the resurrection of of a format that had severed Amicus very well in their 1965 film, 'Dr Terrors House of Horrors'. What took them so long to revist the portmanteau set up, with only ONE multiple story film after 'Dr Terrors' - Torture Garden (1967), with almost everything in that gap of eight years being a box office dud, one can only guess.

CUSHING SEGMENT IN 'HOUSE', centered around a WAX WORKS, in a story with the same name. Cushing played a retired stockbrooker named Phillip Grayson who along with Neville Rogers, played Joss Ackland.. becomes obsessed with the wax figure of biblical nightmare, SALOME! Yes, she who demanded the head of one, John The Baptist, on a plate . . . so you can see where this is going!

THE ACTUAL NIGHTMARE sequence in Cushing's tale, for me the the high point of the film. If you forgive the corny mishmash of music accompanying the scene, full of clanging death bells and Swanee whistles, and some quite tatty wax figures... it is really quiet effective. I know the museum is supposed to look like it had hit on hard times, but the last time I saw figures as bad as that, was as a child, in the wax museum at Weston-Super-Mare! The scene builds up the tension and in real time,  from Cushing's exit OUT of the front door, of his newly acquired property, the titular, House That Dripped Blood, and into the interior of the waxworks he has recently visited. The camera, sets about through a series of dutch tilts, slow motion and back tracking, purposely in front of Cushing, to take in all his looks of bewilderment and horror.....
 

AND WE KNOW FOLLOW CUSHING, past the figures, and to an curtained exhibit at the rear of the wax works. What makes this scene so chilling is Cushing's character's longing to reach the point of attraction...and its that fact that provides the 'grab the cushion moment'! We REALLY don't want him to get there, and reveal what is BEHIND those curtains. It's a NIGHTMARE, and is the stuff of OUR nightmares too, all accuratarely replicated in a scene that gets the the pay off it style. Yes, it's pretty tame by today's standards, but I can remember hiding behind that cushion, and being truly spooked. Spooked enough to not go into a wax works, until well into my adult years!

THERE IS ANOTHER REASON WHY this clip has earned this title of 'A NIGHTMARE IN THE WORKS'  . . .  as I have shared, even before Cushing commenced work on this film, the signs were not good, and the clouds of sadness not only loomed in Cushing's life away from the spotlight, but it also hung heavy over the story he was appearing in. As David Miller recalls in his book, 'A LIFE IN FILM: Peter Cushing', 'The most affecting part of The House That Dripped Blood' are the shots of Cushing, standing on a riverbank, lost in the grief for his lost love. It is difficult not to think that he was in some way anticipating the unendurable - Helen's death.'

For Peter Cushing, it would be a true and lasting nightmare . . . 



OUR FULL FEATURE AND GALLERY ON 'The House That Dripped Blood' in PART THREE of our AMICUS SERIES can be found at our website : RIGHT HERE
 

 

COME AND JOIN OUR PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK 

FAN PAGE! WITH ALMOST 26,000 FOLLOWERS, IT'S A BUSY AND FRIENDLY

PLACE. UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES A DAY! JUST CLICK : HERE

EXCLUSIVE TO PCASUK : THE PROFESSOR COMPETITION: CUSHING VAN HELSING HOLMES IN ONE!

WITH MANY THANKS  to Andrea Corbetta, we EXCLUSIVELY present our THE PROFESSOR COMPETITION! Here is your chance to win a copy of this beautifully illustrated Hammeresque-Peter Cushing-styled-Nightmare!! It's Van Helsing cross-over with Sherlock Holmes Mash up! Answer the question correctly, and you could be one of our THREE lucky winners, who bag themselves their very own copy! 

We will be posting details of where you can purchase copies soon. Look out for UPDATES at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE and here! 

We featured an extensive piece on THE PROFESSOR earlier this year, you can read an ITALIAN REVIEW ON THE PROFESSOR #0 HERE .  Now THE PROFESSOR is about to be launched at THE TURIN HORROR FESTIVAL, on Wednesday, 12 October 19:30 hours, THE PROFESSOR #0! MORE details about the LAUNCH BELOW. Check out the superb TRAILER and some TELEVISION INTERVIEWS with the ANDREA CORBETTA below! ENJOY the competition, and get your entries in NOW!  Good Luck! - Marcus.

 

 

 

 

JOIN IS AT OUR VERY OWN FACEBOOK FAN PAGE WITH ALMOST 26,000 FOLLOWERS! JUST CLICK: HERE

MONSTERMONDAY THE SKULL AND FREDDIE FRANCIS SCRIPT

This weeks #MONSTERMONDAY features not so much a body or person, but a head! The SKULL, of the Marquis de Sade to be exact! Amicus films, THE SKULL produced in 1965 starred another teaming of Peter with Christopher Lee, who were supported by the superb casting of Patrick Wymark, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee and Jill Bennett. In recent times, the cranked up suspense and lush photography has enjoyed a remastering on blu ray, unfortunately the 'clean-up' of the print reveals not only the finer framed details, but also the 'strings' that suspend the floating skull of the title! Having said that, the Skull's suspense and menace, still delivers unnerving chills some 50 years on...and makes it more than worthy of being our nominated Monster this Monday.... The Skull.thumbs UP or DOWN?

Peter Cushing and Jill Bennett in Le Crane Malefique - The skull from Amicus films directed by Freddie Francis. This FRENCH lobby card carries the proof of a replacement paper sticker, that has been placed over the original title in French. The heirs of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade pressed charges to prevent any use of his name on the advertising material. The changes on posters and lobby-cards were made at the very last minute by gluing a paper sticker with the new title "Le Crâne Maléfique" (meaning "The Evil Skull") on top of the former, "Les forfaits du Marquis de Sade" (meaning "the Infamies of Marquis de Sade"). Only on that condition the film could finally be released in the French territory.

For many years, the director of Amicus films, THE SKULL starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, insisted that the impressive 'dream sequence' that takes place in the film with Peter Cushing, was entirely improvised on the day of shooting, on the studio floor. Here we present , from our collection, two pages from director's Freddie Francis personal script of The Skull. Page 21 describes 'Scene 12A Int Library Night' and gives detail of a MONTAGE SEQUENCE 'almost Dreamlike'... to the right of the page, in Francis own handwriting is an annotation note which says, 'OLD FASHION DREAM TRICK', which throws some doubt on Francis story. Throughout interviews in later times, Francis expressed his irritation with producer Milton Subotsky, and his habit of presenting Francis with incomplete scripts. This FINAL DRAFT shows clearly that a dream sequence was indeed included in the final vision of the script and that before shooting commence, Francis had also identified the style and technique that would be needed.

The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society is based in the UK but truly is an international group of fans, friends and admirers of the work of actor Peter Cushing. Established in 1956, PCAS is celebrating its 60 year this year. From its humble beginings as a newsletter and journal managed by Ms Gladys Fletcher until 1979, when it became a journal and audio tape service. The development of the audio tape show, was a forerunner of the todays PODCASTS, which was recorded in the style of a radio show, including interviews, competitions, sketches and features. The PCAS Sound Mag, later branched out into a spin off club and it's own following called The Black Box Club. Now both PCAS and the BLACKBOXCLUB enjoy a very popular presence on the internet and across many media platforms and social network sites. The PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE  AND our WEBSITE are UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES DAILY.