Showing posts with label the creeping flesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the creeping flesh. Show all posts

Sunday 12 July 2020

FACE TO FACE 'WHEN BATES TRIED ON THE BARON'S BOOTS'


#PETERCUSHINGGEMS!  Here is a amazing pose photograph, posted at the  Facebook PCASUL Fan Page of both Peter Cushing and actor Ralph Bates...taken during a visit by Peter on set, for promo opportunities... 'A Younger Actor Takes Over The Role'! They posed for several, on the set of #Hammerfilms 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) but this SIGNED photograph is I think, the best I have seen of the bunch. For sometime during the release and years after, by some 'off target individuals', it was thought that Cushing wasn't really in favour of Bates 'taking over' the role... In our next post, we have some amazing evidence of quite the contrary, which I will be posting tomorrow!😉 Many thanks to Mr G for his assistance with excellent photograph 😊



#ChristopherLee Saturday! Here is a pic you don't get to see that often at all! In this movie, he once again played the opposite to Peter Cushing's characters good nature.... Over at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page I asked everyone, if they can name the movie .. and if you can, the plot.... do you think it was all real or just all happening in the mind of PC's character?? 😊 There's been quite a reaction and lost of theories! Why not join us and tell us your take on quite a puzzler! - Meanwhile, please take care everyone, and look after yourselves and loved ones 😊- Marcus


ABOVE: Peter Cushing and director Freddie Francis, on set during the making of Tigon films, 'The Creeping Flesh' (1973)

Sunday 11 February 2018

THE CUSHING DOUBLE BILLS NUMBER 2 : THE SKULL AND THE CREEPING FLESH : CALLUM MCKELVIE ON SUNDAY


BEGINNING LAST WEEK, I started a series examining three pairs of films that I felt would make ideal ‘Cushing Double-Bills’, concentrating primarily on thematic links.  Last time, I looked at Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and its first sequel The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958). We continue this week with a pair of films slightly less obvious than our previous selection, 1965’s The Skull and 1972’s The Creeping Flesh. Ostensibly two unrelated films (excluding the fact that both feature Cushing and Christopher Lee and are directed by Freddie Francis) our discussion this week concerns the dark thematic subtext that links both.


MADE IN 1965, The Skull is often cited as one of Cushing’s very best whilst The Creeping Flesh (despite getting a great deal of attention from fans and this page in particular) is still sadly something of an undiscovered gem. The Skull is one of Amicus’s non-portmanteau features and is based on the short story The Skull of the Marquis De Sade by Robert Bloch. A masterpiece of atmosphere, The Skull has a powerful dreamlike quality that manages to be supremely unsettling. The Creeping Flesh, on the other hand, is one of Tony Tenser’s Tigon productions and is far more visceral in its execution, with some genuinely disturbing scenes..


SO WHAT THEN IS IT, that causes me to group these two films in particular? Well to begin with both demonstrate British horror studios attempting to do something different with the Hammer mould and are incredibly experimental in nature. The Skull, as well as being a modern day piece it’s far less explicit in exactly what its threat is than Hammer tend to be, preferring  a slower, subtler build-up. Visually The Skull is particularly arresting, be it the haunting shots from the Skull’s perspective or the Kafka-esque dream sequence. Similarly the film embraces a darkness to an extent that Hammer rarely did, from the depressing ending to the character of Maitland himself.



ABOVE AND BELOW: THE KAFKA-ESQUE POV SHOTS APPEAR IN 
BOTH 'THE SKULL' AND 'THE CREEPING FLESH'


MAITLAND, whilst not unlikeable, is hardly a charmer and as an audience we are invited to look upon his morbid hobby with a critical eye. We care about him and wish him no ills but the obsessiveness that permeates his character causes us to question his gruesome pastime. 'The Creeping Flesh' on the other hand is from, arguably, the most radical British horror studio in business from the mid 60’s to mid-70’s. 



ABOVE: THE OBSESSIVE MAITLAND OF 'THE SKULL' (1965)



IT MUST BE REMEMBERED that whilst Tigon were behind the gothic pot-boiler The Blood Beast Terror (1967), they were also the studio famed for producing Michael Reeves his magnum opus, Witchfinder General (1968) and his earlier The Sorcerers (1967). Away from Reeves, Tigons output is rich with a ‘radical’ and ‘alternative’ sentiment and whilst not always successful never cease to be interesting. Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968), Neither the Sea nor the Sand (1972), The Flesh and Blood Show (1972), The Beast in the Cellar (1970) and of course Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971) are among the most innovative and experimental British horror films in this period.




ABOVE: BORIS KARLOFF AND IAN OGILVY IN TIGON FILMS 'THE SORCERERS' (1967)



ABOVE: THE EQUALLY OBSESSIVE EMMANUEL HILDER FROM THE CREEPING FLESH (1972)

THUS The Creeping Flesh similarly contains elements that go against the traditional mould. Namely, like The Skull, there are few likeable characters and our main this time, Emmanuel Hildern is equally as obsessive as Maitland. This time it is science and particularly the desire to make a great discovery, rather than collecting that absorbs him. The same can be said of his sadistic brother James (Lee), who covets his brother’s success. The film questions the nature of evil and in particular uses the Victorian scientist to do this. The usual hero of Hammer is here reverted to selfish obsessors whose desire for success and discovery makes them far more horrific, than the devil-creature that appears at the climax.


ABOVE: THE SADISTIC BROTHER JAMES, PLAYED BY CHRISTOPHER LEE IN 'THE CREEPING FLESH' (1972)



AS PERHAPS I’m already beginning to demonstrate, 'The Skull' and 'The Creeping Flesh', are without doubt two of the most sub textually rich and intelligent films that Cushing has been involved with. In both, it’s possible to feel that perhaps more than his other Gothic productions Freddie Francis is able to identify themes and motifs throughout the stories that interest him visually. Building on themes of obsession, madness is a prominent factor in both and indeed can be one of the central elements of fear that emanates from the films. In 'The Skull' we are invited to question whether Maitland is actually going insane and the nature of his haunting is a highly personal one, attacking his mind over his physical body (at least until the films climax). 


ABOVE: MAITLAND HIGHLY PERSONAL MADNESS

ONCE AGAIN in The Creeping Flesh we are invited to wonder whether our main character is indeed mad, though far more explicitly. Here the framing structure of the film has Cushing narrating his story, before at the end revealing that he is an inmate in the asylum ran by Lee. A final shot leaves us to wonder whether his story is true or not. However the theme of madness permeates the story far deeper than this, with Cushing living in fear of hereditary madness that leads him to inject his daughter with the serum grown from the remains of the skeleton.




IN SHORT, I think of all the double bills I’ll be discussing, this is easily the most personal. Whilst I love the films of Hammer these two simply blew me away with relentlessly dark tales that made comments on obsession, madness and the nature of evil. Whilst calling them Cushing’s two ‘Artsy’ horrors may sound somewhat insulting, I think it perhaps sums them up best. These films are Freddie Francis’s masterpieces and demonstrate a sub textual and visual storytelling intelligence far above and beyond any of his other horror work. Whilst Dracula has Risen from the Grave is certainly beautiful to look at and contains interesting commentary on religion, it’s not as rich or as subtle as these two films. 


IT'S A REAL SHAME that whilst The Skull has r been given a superb Blu-ray treatment, The Creeping Flesh is neglected to a mill-creek triple feature. One lives in hope that boutique label along the lines of Arrow will recognise the merit in the film and surprise us with a brand new HD transfer and a wealth of features. If you’re looking for two of Cushing’s darker, less comfortable films then these make the perfect double bill.


THE BEST OF A DOUBLE? CASTING AND FILMS, CUSHING AND LEE IN 'THE SKULL' (1965) AND 'THE CREEPING FLESH' (1972)




OH AND THEY BOTH feature skulls. Just saying. Join me NEXT SUNDAY, for another classic DOUBLE BILL!


REMEMBER! IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA 

Sunday 14 January 2018

THE SIR ROBERT STEPHENS APPRECIATION SOCIETY



CONSIDERING THERE ARE SO MANY film, actor fan pages and groups, across facebook and the web, I only belong to a handful, mainly because, just posting a fuzzy photograph or asking you name your top five films, every other day. . .doesn't quite cut it for me personally. I want to see some thought put in and some interesting and engaging material. . . .please...! Rare photographs / memorabilia shared and a true insight to the subject matter of said page / group. I want to feel when I have taken time to visit there, that I have learned something or and had fun.








THE SIR ROBERT STEPHENS APPRECIATION SOCIETY, has only recently been launched, and I am very happy to say, that if what has been shared there already, is anything like we can expect in the future.... Joanna Keani Jones, who creates the posts and admins the group, is doing a fabulous job.


"The Sir Robert Stephens Appreciation Society is a celebration of the life & artistry of this incredibly gifted actor. Sir Robert always gave his best in performance and in the process, created a myriad of incredible character studies in which the viewer could relate to, understand and very often, find sympathy with, regardless of the character's intentions.

Because of Sir Robert's ability to create such emotion-fueled, nuanced portrayals in film, theatre, TV & radio, he garnered many admirers of his work which continues on today, some 20-plus years after his passing. This group has been created to discuss and share information with like-minded enthusiasts of all things Sir Robert." -Joanna Keani Jones  


YOU HAVE TO BE PASSIONATE TO CREATE banners, images and content like Joanna has. Rare theatre programmes, stills, reviews, clippings. It's ALL there and shared in hi res. As I mentioned in our early post, Stephens was a very rare talent indeed. A complicated man, with a complicated life. I can assure you, the content at the 'Sir Robert Stephens Appreciation Society Group', will never be dull, just because Stephens was far from dull, and Joanna shares material that really does show the breath of his career and the diverse roles he played.






I CAN'T PRAISE THIS GROUP enough and I am so happy to see someone doing such a fine job. Don't take my word for it, first watch the excellent promo trailer below and then if you have a facebook account, GO SEE FOR YOURSELF. THEN LIKE and come back and tell us, what you think? .Thank you. - Marcus



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     

Monday 17 April 2017

#MONSTERMONDAY: THE EVIL PROFESSOR AND THE LIVING FOSSIL


#MONSTERMONDAY Dr James Hildern from The Creeping Flesh starring Peter Cushing. And out and out baddie...you think?


#MONSTERMONDAY: An atmospheric shot from The Creeping Flesh (1973) where Professor Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) realizes the fossil is now ALIVE! #thecreepingflesh #petercushing #christopherlee #freddiefrancis


#MONSTERMONDAY: Sir Christopher Lee as the despicable asylum owner Dr James Hildern in The Creeping Flesh (1973) making an interesting discovery... #petercushing #christopherlee #thecreepingflesh


FIND A WHOLE GALLERY OF SMASHING STILLS AND IMAGES AT OUR FEATURE POST: HERE! 


WE  ARE PROUD TO SHARE OUR WHOLE EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE OF CANDID RARE CLIPS AND  FOOTAGE FROM THE ABOVE LAST MEETING BETWEEN PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE AT OUR PCAS YOUTUBE CHANNEL : CLICK HERE!

Wednesday 1 February 2017

NEWS : MILL CREEK RELEASES CREEPING FLESH AND TORTURE GARDEN BLU RAY PACKAGE


For those of us who have been waiting A LONG TIME for a blu ray release of Cushing's 'The Creeping Flesh', it looks like, Mill Creek, have answers our prayers!-Marcus



NEWS: Under the 'ROLL UP, ROLL UP' rollicking title of PSYCHO CIRCUS, MILL CREEK have announced the release of a three film collection blu ray... TWO of the films featured are Cushing related... #TORTUREGARDEN and a much welcomed, first time, long awaited release on blu ray, #THECREEPINGFLESH. The third film in the package 'The Brotherhood of Satan' (1971) is an interesting addition to the collection. No preview copies to view as yet. The release is available now for order and purchase for a very reasonable $14.98  A download stream is also on offer. See LINK below.....

 ORDER : HERE


OUR FEATURE ON 'THE CREEPING FLESH' HERE




OUR FEATURE ON 'TORTURE GARDEN' HERE


COME AND JOIN OVER 28,000 PETER CUSHING FANS AT OUR OFFICIAL PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: HERE
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