Christopher Lee 1922-2015

Yeah, he was Dracula, Count Dooko, Saruman, Fu Manchu, Scaramanga, and a host of other villains...

But there were things about this amazing man you probably didn't know!
Bet you didn't remember he hosted Saturday Night Live (March 25, 1978)?
"Dr Jeckyl and MisterRogers" is a must-see!

Or that the British version of This is Your Life paid him homage with a slew of big name guests (including Charltton Heston, Oliver Reed, and Patrick MacNee) in April 1974?

Or that the guys behind Rocky Horror Picture Show tailored a pair of songs for him in the superhero parody Return of Captain Invincible!

Or that one of his two favorite roles was Lord Summerisle in The Wicker Man?

An astounding, talented man, he'll be missed.

Ray Harryhausen Comic Books!

Many of Ray Harryhausen's films have been adapted into comic books.
Among them...

Valley of Gwangi
(1969)

One Million Years BC
(1966)

and

Jason and the Argonauts
(1963)

Surprisingly, there was never an adaptation of the most comic book-like of all his films, Earth vs the Flying Saucers. during the film's initial release.

The Return of Hammer Films: The Woman in Black

From the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, Hammer Films was synonymous with quality horror movies.

The British poster for Woman in Black. Retro-Kool, eh?

With a stock company of British thespians led by Christopher Lee and the late Peter Cushing, Hammer Films presented what I call "elegant horror", with quality writing (primarily by Jimmy Sangster), great acting, wonderfully-bloody (but never gory) special effects, superb cinematography, and incredibly effective (and surprisingly-economical) production design.
After a period of dormancy and a couple of false starts, the studio returns to scare the s#!t out of you with a new, kool, retro-style shocker, The Woman in Black.

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric.
But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret.
Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost… and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance.

BTW, we're presenting the British comic adaptations of the classic Hammer Studios films at our "brother" blog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™!
If you're a fan of classic horror, sci-fi, or adventure, they're a must-see!

Welcome back, Hammer.

We missed you!

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Bond Girls on TCM Tonite!

Two of the best Bond Girls headline flix on TCM...

Ursula Andress 

(Honey Ryder in Dr No) 

in

She

(Who Must Be Obeyed)

and

Martine Beswick

(Zora in From Russia with Love 

& 

Paula Caplan in Thunderball)

 in

Prehistoric Women

(aka Slave Girls)

Starting at 8pm (ET) tonight!

Uncut with NO commercials!

Hi-rez of these posters can be found at the ultra-kool website

Wrong Side of the Heart!

YouTube Wednesday: John Carpenter's Creepy Cinema Influences

Director John Carpenter is the Guest Programmer on Turner Classic Movies tonight...

...presenting movies that influenced him as a filmmaker, including...

The Thing from Another World (1951)

IT! the Terror from Beyond Space!

and Curse of Frankenstein!

Watch them all, uncut and uninterrupted, on TCM tonight!

Check out the

Atomic Kommie Comics™

movie/tv/comics collectible store

YouTube Wednesday: MOON ZERO TWO

Before Cowboys & Aliens, there WERE "Space Westerns"...

Click on art to enlarge

...although this one is more "Space" than "Western"!

1969's Moon Zero Two was a weird combo of 40s-50s pulp sci-fi with its "Western transposed to outer space" motif, 2001: a Space Odyssey / UFO-influenced production design and fx, and some cool 60s psychedelic elements set in the "far future" of 2021.

We're going into more detail about the flick at our "brother" blog Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™, presenting the rarely-seen comic adaptation (by Paul Neary) from House of Hammer, some background info, and links to related sites.

But, as long as you're here, why not watch the complete Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of MZ2?

Enjoy!
Check out

Classic Comix and Movie Collectibles Store 
and these HTF Moon Zero Two items on Amazon...

Dead Set...Reality TV Meets Zombies!

Britain is in trouble (or, at least, more than usual).
The dead are returning to life and attacking the living.
The people they kill get up and kill – and it’s spreading like wildfire.
Curiously, there are a few people left in Britain who aren’t worried about any of this – that’s because they’re the remaining contestants on the reality series Big Brother.
Cocooned in the safety of the Big Brother House set, they’re blissfully unaware of the horrific events unfolding outside. Until an eviction night when all hell breaks loose...
Currently running on IFC, the five-part miniseries originally aired in England in 2008 to rave reviews.

Besides the usual kool classics on TCM (including previously unaired uncut Hammer Horrors , Val Lewton and Roger Corman flix, and a Vincent Price tribute), it's the best scary stuff on tv this Halloween weekend. (The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" won't air until November 6th!)
Watch it!

I Sell the Dead

Take the classy-yet-creepy Hammer / Amicus horror anthology films of the 1960s-70s!
Add some EC Comics-style graphics!
Mix with a cast filled with experienced genre performers who are obviously enjoying the project!
What do you have?
I Sell the Dead!
I came across it yesterday afternoon on cable, and let me tell you, I haven't had an unexpectedly-good time like this in years.
I was expecting SyFy Saturday Night-level crap, good for a laugh and little else.
Instead, I was treated to a well-written, well-produced, well-acted horror flick, the likes of which I haven't seen in (literally) decades!
The last horror anthology worth a second viewing was 1982's CreepShow!
But, this pic, featuring Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings / FlashForward / LOST), Ron Perlman (Beauty & the Beast / Teen Titans, etc), and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm), along with lesser-known, but no less talented, thespians, is an absolute blast!
While it's a "period piece", it's not historically or geographically-accurate. (But then, neither were Hercules and Xena, and nobody I know complained...)
What's it about?
About 85 minutes. ;-)
It's also about grave-robbing, zombies/ghouls, vampires, extraterrestrials, insane inbred families, sea monsters, corrupt businessmen, and hot homicidal women.
It's also extremely funny. Not the laugh-at-how-bad-it-is funny of Plan 9 from Outer Space, but witty puns, quips and tasteless jokes!
And, there's even a comic book version of it!
Watch it! Rent it! Buy it!
You won't regret it!