Dr. Terror's House of Horrors on Netflix Streaming

Netflix has recently added a bunch of Amicus Anthologies, which were wonderful, colorful, spooky horror anthologies made in the UK in the late 60s and 70s. They are all fantastic, but I just watched Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, and I recommend it. Welcome to the groovy horror age of British cinema, starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Donald Sutherland.

Why do I love these movies? I love them for their earnestness, their viviv color, and their modern settings, which are so dated now (fashions, sets, music, even editing) that they form a special treat all their own.

Next Podcast: DRACULA starring Christopher Lee!

Don't miss our CASTLE DRACULA PODCAST discussion Tuesday Night at 10:30ET/9:30CT of DRACULA AKA HORROR OF DRACULA, starring Christopher Lee.

Read Jason's review of HORROR OF DRACULA.

Arise, Sir Dracula! Queen knights Christopher Lee

From the Associated Press, we have news that the greatest Dracula of the movies has become a knight of the British Empire. Lee changed the way the character would be regarded forever-- before Lee, horror fans had Lugosi only to contend with. Since then, it's been Lee and Lugosi neck and neck, with no challenger unseating them yet.

Great timing for Lee's followers, as the Prince of Darkness' cape is expected to be auctioned at Bonham's tomorrow.





Arise, Sir Dracula! Queen knights Christopher Lee

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER – 2 days ago

LONDON (AP) — The Lord of the Undead is now a knight of the British Empire.

Christopher Lee, whose sonorous voice and burning black eyes made him a memorable arch-villain in films from "Dracula" to "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," was given one of Britain's highest honors Saturday by Queen Elizabeth II.

Golfer Nick Faldo, captain of Europe's 2008 Ryder Cup team, was also promoted to "sir." He can add the title to his six major championship wins.

Among the others receiving royal honors: Tony-award winning actor Alan Cumming, for his work in films such as "X2: X-Men United" and his gay rights advocacy; celebrity hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, who lent his name to a worldwide brand of shampoos and salons; and U.S. economist David Blanchflower, who accurately predicted Britain's recession during his tenure on the interest rate-setting committee at the Bank of England.

Celebrity chef Delia Smith, whose recipe books adorn kitchens around the world, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, for her help in teaching the country how to cook.

Poetry also got a boost, with Andrew Motion and Christopher Ricks both awarded knighthoods. Motion was Britain's Poet Laureate for a decade until he was replaced by Carol Ann Duffy earlier this year. Ricks steps down from his post of Oxford Professor of Poetry later this year.

Lee, 87, who made his name in Britain's low-budget Hammer Studios horror films, is one of cinema's consummate bad-guys, appearing as everything from Bond villain Scaramanga in "The Man With the Golden Gun" to the disreputable Russian mystic in "Rasputin, the Mad Monk."

More recent turns include the evil wizard Saruman in "The Lord of the Rings" movies and fallen Jedi Count Dooku in two of George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequels.

Faldo first picked up a golf club at age 14 and has gone on to win more than 40 tournaments. His six major victories include a triumph at the U.S. Masters in 1996 and the Nissan Open in 1997. The 51-year-old has since made a series of entrepreneurial moves — into fairground design and television commentary, among others.

Cumming was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE; Blanchflower and Sassoon were both made CBE.

Lee, Faldo, and the rest are among 984 people honored in Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Honors list.

In descending order, the main honors are knighthoods, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE, and Member of the Order of the British Empire, or MBE.

Knights are addressed as "sir" or "dame," while recipients of CBEs, OBEs and MBEs have no title but can put the letters after their names.

The honors are bestowed twice a year by the monarch, but recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public.

Although sportsmen, politicians, and artists regularly top the list, more than two-thirds of the honors go to people out of the limelight, especially civil servants and those with long service to their communities.

This year's recipients include a former elementary school janitor from Aberdeenshire in Scotland and an information desk assistant at Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Dracula's Cape at Auction

WOW.

Christopher Lee's Dracula Cape is to be auctioned off Tuesday at Bonham's in London.

So, what cape are we talking about? We're talking about this one-- seen here in a 1958 trailer for DRACULA.




At article at the Evening Standard has this nice tidbit:
The highest estimate is for the Dracula cape. It was only identified by Lee two years ago after becoming lost in the cavernous Angels warehouse, which has eight miles of clothing rails, in Hendon.

Soon after Dracula was made in 1958 the garment was accidentally mixed up with other capes and hired out, without fanfare, to producers looking to dress extras in medieval or nativity scenes.

Lot details from the auction page:

Lot No: 251†W
Christopher Lee as Dracula from Dracula (aka Horror of Dracula),
1958
A black opera style cape, of wool, being full length, with collar, with silk effect rope tie to neck, together with a letter signed by Christopher Lee, on Angels headed note paper, dated 15 May 2007, stating "To Whom It May Concern, This is to certify that the black cape presented with this letter is an original from the Hammer film Dracula - 1958. Christopher Lee", and a still image of Lee wearing the cape as Dracula


Estimate: £20,000 - 30,000

Place Bid or Track Lot

View all items in the Sale

Contact the Specialist to discuss this lot or sale
Email: Stephanie Connell
Tel: +44 (0)8700 273 620

Contact the Specialist to discuss selling in a future sale
Email: Stephanie Connell
Tel: +44 (0)8700 273 620

To subscribe to or order a Printed Catalogue quote ref: 16808
Tel: +44 (0) 1666 502 200


Footnote:
Christopher Lee is regarding by many as the definitive Dracula. This cape featured in the 1958 film, which was Lee's first appearance as the character and is a classic of the Hammer horror genre.

The cape was missing for over 30 years and discovered within the Angels collection in 2007.

Video Friday: Christopher Lee as Dracula

Below is a thoroughly cool video retrospective of Christopher Lee as Dracula-- I have a special fondness for Lee's portrayal because aside from the long white hair, our "Sword of Dracula" Dracula was inspired by Lee's Dracula-- tall, cruel, a predator more than a lover. Lee is magnificent in the classic sense of the word. The first pitch described him as an ultimate Christopher Lee.

Here's what amazes me about Lee's Dracula-- just imagine the fact that in 1958, the only Dracula you would have really known would be Lugosi (with a few exceptions, but if you closed your eyes and thought "Dracula," you wouldn't think John Carradine.)

Lee's Dracula came around in 1958 and suddenly Lugosi had a real rival. Not a single performance has taken that stage in the public mind since, to join Lugosi and Lee. Oldman did a fine job, but his performance has now fallen to the same plane as Langella's 1979 turn.

Who will be the next iconic count? Is there room for one?

The Dracula Scrapbook

Today's blog is on a book I turned up recently, the Dracula Scrapbook, edited by Peter Haining.

The book is out of print-- apparently it was re-printed in the 80s and 90s, but the version I have is the 1976 original. It has an introduction by Christopher Lee, and Lee is writing at a time when he's vowing he'll never play Dracula again (he didn't) unless someone gets it really just absolutely right this time. He mentions doing Jess Franco's version, Count Dracula, in Spain, as a movie that dragged him from retirement of the cape by having Dracula age backwards, "but there were many other elements which were not used," which is a kind way of saying Franco's movie is kind of a mess. (Mind you I enjoy watching El Conde Dracula, but it's full of strange choices and budgetary shortcuts.)

Haining's Dracula Scrapbook absolutely should be updated and re-released, because there's so much here.

This isn't an anthology or a traditional nonfiction study-- instead, Haining collects Victorian news clippings, feature articles, interviews, reviews, excerpts of fiction (such as Varney the Vampire) and more to create a sort of potpourri for the Dracula fan. Pick the book up anywhere and you'll find something fun to read-- this is the first book where I discovered the Malaysian Pananggalan and other non-familiar vampires.

I recommend seeking it out-- I found my copy on eBay for about $10, and as I scan ebay I see several available.

Note the '76 dust jacket-- clearly this painting is intended to be Vincent Price as Dracula, which is a novel idea, but other than a TV appearance in a pro-literacy special, I'm sure that never happened. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!)

This one's a real treasure (well, not as much as the Lost 1939 Treatment I blogged about last week, but a treasure nonetheless.)