#GIMMETHEGIFWEDNESDAY: TERRIFYING PUSSIES DE SADE AND 3D!

#GIMMEGIFWEDNESDAY: Wilbur Gray, must have been an exhausting role for Peter Cushing to play. Reacting full of fright to fang furry felines, every few takes, must take it out of you! 'The Uncanny' had all the trappings of what we would expect from a Milton Subostky portmanteau film, the concept and model he and Max Rosenberg had successfully produced during the 19760's and 70's under the banner of their, Amicus films company. With funding and film production drying up in the UK during this time, Milton had to base the film in Canada... though with a largely British cast, you'd never know it. Amicus films always had that 'Meanwhile, somewhere..' look about them, pretty much like the US comic's strips that provided the plots and titles for the film.

THE UNCANNY was released by the UK distributor Rank and was given an X certificate . ..  some of the mutilations and pussy-left-overs, were quite graphic and unsettling. Mangled-bloodied-clawed and chewed leftovers of classical actress Joan Greenwood, anyone?? And that cast, like many of Subotsky's  productions, is unexpected, top drawer and inspired!

WHAT IS THE 1948 'ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN' CONNECTION TO THIS FILM??

FEATURE AND GALLERY : THE UNCANNY

NEVER HAS one persons head had so much screen time! Peter Cushing in the Amicus film THE SKULL 

In real life the Marquis de Sade's body was exhumed from its grave in the grounds of the lunatic asylum at Charenton, where he died in 1814, and his skull was removed for phrenological analysis. It was subsequently lost, and its fate remains unknown...

 

#GIMMETHEGIFWEDNESDAY: For Maria Wilson , Seattle. I am sure it would have looked very effective in 3D...but Amicus films I, MONSTER sure does look at a little weird at times... shots that were intended to be in the '3D process' now have that 'coming at you...sort of' flat feel about them. A good example of this, is this shot that Maria has requested here, of Christopher Lee, and his bunsen burner. A kind of... 'Can I LIGHT that cigar, for you?....!'

 

PETER CUSHING and CHRISTOPHER LEE'S performances in 'I MONSTER' are covered in THIS FEATURE at this website!

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#MONSTERMONDAY: VAMPIRE GIRLS AND BOARD GAMES

#MONSTERMONDAY:ANOTHER WEEK, another Monday, another #MONSTERMONDAY! We've noticed that FEMALE vampires appear to be very popular with visitors to this website. So, this week, we have plumbed for the beautiful CAROL MARSH and her portrayal of LUCY HOLMWOOD in Hammer films, 'DRACULA ' (1958) such a subtle, wicked performance. Over at the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE, we are asking . . .  is she a MONSTER or is she a VICTIM??..Or BOTH?

#MONSTERMONDAY: With a wink to todays last, 'Cushing Factoid' and Cushing's love of board games, I wonder what he would have made of this?? The 'Forbidden Terrortory' interactive board game from Britannia Games (2006) seems a lot of fun. Looking around the net, this product seems to have been repackaged and picked up by several other companies over the years. The MONSTER figures look interesting, as does the Peter Cushing Van Helsing one! Every comment I have read from the 'harder core' Hammer fan, has been a bit sniffy about the game..But, I have one down on my Christmas Wish List! Looks fun. ..Anyone already own one???

FORBIDDEN TERRORTORY : Players try and rescue a Victim whilst trying to destroy Dracula before he gets uber strong. Players need to collect protection to avoid the ghouls dotted around the Count's lair. Players get five days to complete this task. But beware one bite from a vampire makes you a vampire too!

GAME BITS:
3 Decks of cards all showing clips of the famous Hammer Films
12 Hand painted replica figurines of the classic Hammer Monsters
1 Game Board
3 Special Dice
1 DVD Over an hour of Sound and Movie clips that interacts with the game.

#MONSTERMONDAY: Before we roll out this week's MONSTER or VICTIM dilemma...Vampires from the films of Peter Cushing here are a few and one extra from Kiss Of The Vampire ... who gets YOUR vote as the one with the most 'YIKES' appeal??

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TRUE OR FALSE ON THAT THUMB : THE ANSWER!

OUR LAST CUSHING FACTOID: It sounded like the most improbable of all of our FACTOIDS so far, but yup you can spot that little pinky nail, if you look for it in all of Cushing's films. And as one or two of you have said already, you don't know how you missed it, but you'll certainly be looking for it!

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY: VAMPIRE GIRLS THUMBNAILS AND MOTHERS OF DEATH

 

 

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY: Peter Cushing during his time with Hammer films, was known to be quite tough on the 'detail' of the scripts. It had to be right. Here is an example, of a Hammer Dracula film that didn't feature Cushing or Van Helsing . . . and maybe, a twist too far??? What do you think?

 

#CUSHINGGEEKOFTHEDAY : Here is TODAY'S CUSHING FACTOID! Hmmm. Sounds like something from Cushing's film, 'The Creeping Flesh'! AND it turns out that the story behind Peter Cushing's Mother's 'death faking' is TRUE! Well Done Marcis! You are our Cushing Geek of the Day! And, if MORE proof were needed about Peter Cushing's Mother...HERE BELOW is the good man, telling us all about it, in his own words. This clip is taken from the UK television programme 'THE HUMAN FACTOR' in an episode entitled, ''For The Love Of Helen'  . . . 

CUSHING GEEK OF THE DAY FACTOID : TRUE OR FALSE??

HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING our DAILY CUSHING FACTOIDS over on our Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page???  Every day we post a Peter Cushing 'FACT', it's down to you to tell us, if you think the FACT is TRUE or FALSE! We select ONE CORRECT answer from the comments on the thread, and that person becomes our 'CUSHING GEEK OF THE DAY! Here above is TODAY'S Factoid. What do you think?

TOMORROW IS THE FIRST OF OUR NEW THEME DAY FOR SATURDAY'S

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY : HAMMER FILMS AND PETER CUSHING PLUS OTHER HAMMER FILMS STUFFS!!!

FIGURES WE LIKE VERY MUCH : FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING PART TWO

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: OK so, I am posting this on a #THURSDAY in our #THROWBACK spot, because this features serves as a SECOND look at models and figures of Peter Cushing. Some are self assemble kits, some are bespoke commissioned pieces and some are tableau's, depicting something in connection with Cushing. So, the strap says, 'That we Like Very Much'. You might ask yourself, well what's the criteria here? Is it points for likeness of Cushing The accuracy of the face, the costumes, the setting? Well, not necessarily. If it LOOKS like Cushing, that helps, but over the years I have seen some great 'HEADS', but the costume looks like a cross-between a sleeping bag and a fat suit! So, we are looking for, a good job. Attention to detail, and I don't mean that the figure has the right number of eyes, that are BOTH looking in ONE direction! If the figure is depicting Cushing as Tarkin from #STARWARS, then the correct colour of the uniform, the style and cut of the cloth, if it's a solid resin figure, that the figure have a 'life' about it, not a 'solid lump of dead resin look'. Paint jobs are well done . . .  basically, something I would be happy to give pride-of place on my study shelf, and part with my hard earned lolly for too. Some of these figures cost . . . !

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA TABLEAU

THIS CHARMING three figure piece above from #thebridesofdracula, has some handsome figures of Peter Cushing, David Peel and Andre Melly. I love the bits and pieces in miniature, the flagon, the bucket. Even Van Helsing's holy water flask on the ground, is very nicely done.

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN TABLEAU

 

 

 

This a pretty neat tableau featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee from THAT shot in their frits Hammer films together, 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) This I believe is a two figure set, but the lab, the flasks, jars and bottles with suspect contents, were all made later by the person who owns the figures and also did the paint jobs! This #Curseoffrankenstein also made part of a #TOOCOOLTUESDAY post we made earlier this year, along with the Christopher Lee #SCRAOFDRACULA figure below. . .

THIS PETER CUSHING bust by Paul Fay, looks very noble and has caught a great likeness too!

PETER CUSHING'S Arthur Grimsdyke, zombified is always popular with model makers, there are quite afew few kits out there, but this one is one of the best. I love the curled lip half smile... 

 

THAT VAN HELSING FIGURE again, but in isolation, still looks just as good!

MORE CUSHING VAN HELSING, this time from Hammer films 1958 Dracula  Horror Of Dracula. I like the stance and the base is very nice, though the likeness of Cushing is a little, just a touch, off.

HERE IS ONE THAT really hits the button! Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein from 'Frankenstein Created Woman'. This could be a full size figure, as in life -size. It was shown at the Monsterpalooza in 2010, but I have not seen this image until now. Superb!

ANOTHER MODEL OF GRIMSDYKE, and a very good one. I guess you can't under estimate the importance the paint job, on any model. It can often help to enhance, the figure, the textures of the resin, plastic or plaster. This Grimsdyke figure certainly has had the benefit of a very skilled application of paint.

HOWEVER FOR EVERY GREAT FIGURE, there are always some that just miss the mark . . . 

THE IS ONE ABOVE of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing from Hammer films, THE MUMMY, REALLY could have been super special, it's so close! The positioning of the figures is great, the clothing and textures look real, and it it is presented on a VERY nice base... Lee looks passable, but Cushing John Banning, needed just a little more work. It's a pity, because you don't get to see many figures from the Hammer Cushing class film . . .

AND FINALLY, in that category of 'almost but not quite', we present a Dr Terror, A Tarkin, A Baron Frankenstein from Hammer's '.....Destroyed; and '...Created Woman' a Christopher Lee from '....Curse Of' and A Dr Stein from '...Revenge' that are all good tries, but no cigar!

All photographs belong to the respected owners and makers of the models.