NEWS: WITH THE RELEASE of the TWILIGHT TIME blu ray of Hammer films,
'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST ' it's great to be able to announce the launch
of ANOTHER Cushing / Hammer films competition, during NOVEMBER 3rd and
4th 2018. We have FIVE copies of the Twilight Time LIMITED EDITION blu
ray to give away as prizes. So keep your eyes peeled for more news on
the competiton and YOU TOO could be a WINNER. MANY MANY thanks to the guys at Twilight Time for support ANOTHER PCASUK Competition, with a very generous sponsorship of prizes!
TODAY WE REMEMBERthe wonderful, VINCENT PRICE who we sadly lost
on this day in 1993. Over at the FACBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE many are sharing their memories and stories plus their favourites from the extensive career that VINCENT PRICE shared with us! HERE are just a few of the films that have been mentioned. CAN YOU NAME THE FILMS THAT ARE FEATURED IN OUR GIFS?? Feel free to join in at the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.
NEWS: From November 3rd, Horror Channel celebrates vintage 1950s home-grown fantasy and horror with a HAMMER CLASSICS SEASON on SATURDAY NIGHTS! This primetime Saturday night season, is rolling out FOUR network premieres, which star Peter Cushing, and kicks off with Val Guest’s atmospheric masterpiece, 'THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN', The other three, are all directed by Terence Fisher: Cushing and Lee's FIRST Hammer film, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957), the hypnotically sensual and ground breaking DRACULA (1958), which launched Cushing and Christopher Lee into global stardom, and THE MUMMY (1959). All FOUR make for splendid Saturday Night shocks...and a wonderful introduction to anyone who wants to sample the amazing work of Hammer, Cushing and Lee. What a TRIO! AND WE AT PCAS will be watching them too. We'll be FLAGGING UP a post to remind you of the BROADCAST and invting you to watch too and join us for a chat on the movie after on our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! PLEASE come and JOIN US!
THE SEASON season kicks off first with : Sat 3 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN' (1957) – *Network Premiere : THEN Sat 10 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' (1957) * Network Premiere, Sat 17 Nov @ 21:00 – 'DRACULA' (1958) *Network Premiere and finally, Sat 24 Nov @ 21:00 – 'THE MUMMY' (1959) *Network Premiere. A GREAT line up! - Marcus
THIS WEEKS CUSHING TUESDAY TOUGHY: IDENTIFY THE ACTOR and INVESTIGATING the similarities, should not be too difficult! THE ANSWER if SOLVED will appear here on FRIDAY. IF it remains UNSOLVED, I will reveal the solution NEXT TUESDAY! GOOD LUCK! The photograph of Peter Cushing is from Hammer films, 'SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST' which stars Richard Greene and Peter Cushing. THURSDAY marks it's RELEASE on BLU RAY from TWILIGHT TIME on a REGION FREE DISC! MORE NEWS on THAT HERE tomorow!
THE ANSWER WE WERE looking for was HAUNTED: HERSTMONCEAUX CASTLE made in 1975. There were clues that WEREWOLF?: Cushing worked with Paul Annette, the DIRECTOR of the documentary, just two years before in Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die' in 1973. Annette directed BOTH. 'The Beast Must Die' was about a WEREWOLF. A HAUNTING? Herstmonceaux Castle claims to be HAUNTED, and is the theme of the documentary. SUSSEX? Castle Herstmonceaux is based in SUSSEX. CASTLE? That's the theme and setting of the documentary. PETER CUSHING? Cushing provided the NARRATION for the entire documentary! The photograph of Peter wearing the bowler hat is taken from 'The Legend of the Werewolf', a Tyburn Film. It has no connection other than it also features a werewolf, like The Beast Must Die. This was a RED HERRING!
REMEMBERING:
Diana Dors born today, October 23rd 1931. '"I’m the kind of girl that
things naturally happen to. When they don’t, I give them a push"....Dors
much loved and real national treasure for many years with a career as a
model, actress, television personality and 'blonde bombshell'...and
also a co star in TWO Peter Cushing films. 'From Beyond The Grave' for
Amicus films and 'Nothing But The Night' also with Christopher Lee.
ABOVE: How UK PHOTOPLAY magazine covered and review NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT back in 1973 during it's theatrical release
HAMMER FILMS 'THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA', narrowly missed being landed with the crass
title of ' Dracula is Dead...and Well and Living in London' when
shootinmg began in November 1972. When the film was distributed in 1979
by Dynamite Films in a heavily edited version, the curse of having bad
title came back to haunt it, when it was released as 'Count Dracula and
His Vampire Bride' The Legend of the Seven Golden
Vampires, was also released and stamped in the US by Dynamite Films in
1979 in a heavily edited version as 'The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula', and
was alternately known on the US trailer as The 7 Brothers and their One
Sister Meet Dracula. Subtle? Hardly... Christopher Lee was never
comforatble with the dragging of his rep and the Count into 1970's
London, and 'jumping on a Number 21 red double decker bus, to Battersea'
Thankfully, it never got to that point and did quite well. But these
titles almost pushed it past that point...
INTERESTINGLY,
Dynamite Films was owned by Max Rosenberg, the one time, one half of
the Amicus films partnership, with Milton Subotsky. Throughout the 60's
and 70's, Amicus were sometimes seen as Hammer's competition, though
they never pulled the box office receipts that the Hammer House of
Horror pulled. Although Tales from the Crypt did VERY well. How ironic,
that Rosenberg would one day be distributing his own 'hack edit' job of
Hammer's two final vampire films!
NEWS: TWILIGHT TIME has announced the release date of OCTOBER 25TH 2018
for their limited edition of only 3,000 copies of Hammer Films’ 'Sword of
Sherwood Forest' (1960) Probably the best of the Hammer Robin Hood
series, this ofcourse is a big-screen adaptation of the popular
television series, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955-59); and stars the
same dashing actor, Richard (Tales from the Crypt 1972) Greene, as the
aristo man of the people. The film is directed by Terence Fisher,
a Hammer favorite to many Hammer fans, who also helmed many of the
series episodes too. TWILIGHT TIME has a very sound reputation for releasing high quality blu rays and dvd's, managed by harden fans and enthusiasts of cinema, these guys KNOW what lovers of film want and expect. With several other Cushing releases they have worked hard to maintain that reputation, from the technical quality of the disc right through to interesting and original concept art work on their covers and case designs. Sword of Sherwood Forest, is another that ticks all those boxes.
AS IN SO MANY ADAPTIONS of the classic tale, we
have the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, played by a superb Peter
Cushing, the lovely Maid Marian (a plush Sarah Branch), and a handful of
terrific actors: Niall (Curse of the Demon) MacGinnis, Richard (The
Gorgon) Pasco, Jack (Jason and the Argonauts) Gwillim, Nigel (The Skull)
Green, and even – in a tiny role – Oliver (Night Creatures) Reed.
Visuals :1080p High Definition / 2.35:1 / Color, Audio: English 1.0
DTS-HD MA, duration 80 mins. Region FREE. Special Features: Isolated
Music & Effects Track / Original Theatrical Trailer. COMPETITION:
LOOK OUT for your chance to bag a FREE copy of this Limited Edition in
our PCASUK Competition shortly. MEANWHILE, place your ORDER HERE!
REMEMBERING:
Born today, Simon Ward. If you take a look at the raft of obituaries
for Simon Ward who sadly passed away in 2012, it's a common fault that
they state that his career was kick started when he was 'plucked from
obscurity' and appeared in Richard Richard Attenborough’s 'Young
Winston' in 1972. Maybe that is how the press and publicity agents
remember it....but for Ward, it was not so . .
BRAIN SURGERY! CUSHING AND SIMON WARD MAKING 'THE POINT' IN HAMMER FILMS 'FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED' (1969)
SIMON WARD AS ARTHUR HOLMWOOD IN THE DAN CURTIS PRODUCTION OF 'DRACULA' STARRING JACK PALANCE IN 1974
WARD ACKNOWLEDGED Hammer films 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' made in 1969
as the film 'that started it all' and the generous help and assistance
from his co star Peter Cushing, that made anything afterwards
possible... In a interview with pcasuk in 1979, Ward acknowledges his
debt to Cushing, who he said, '..had time and patience with me. I knew
nothing of the technique needed for working with a camera or about the
studio floor. Peter was extremely kind, taking time to explain the
simple but very important rules of pace and nuance, so the editor can
get in there. This and try to not fall over the cables. He did so much
for me. Quite extraordinary. I mean, no one has the time to do that,
everyone is busy. But he did it for me, many times through out the film.
And it's something I've always remembered, and not come across since...
a very kind, gentle, gracious man. He really did save my skin'. SIMON WARD sadly left us in 2012
SIMON WARD WITH CUSHING, GIVING USUAL 'ALL' TO THE FIGHT SCENE IN 'FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED' (1969)
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!
