Showing posts with label and now the screaming starts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label and now the screaming starts. Show all posts

Thursday 23 April 2020

ST GEORGE'S DAY: OBE THANKS TO SCOONESY SFX AND NOW THE SCREAMNGS STARTS!


TODAY'S #WATCHWITHCUSHING #FACEBOOKWATCHPARTY feature is the 1973 Amicus film, ''AND NOW, THE SCREAMING STARTS!' CLICK the blue link and JOIN and ENJOY the party, which will be LIVE from 10.00pm GMT today! 

IT WAS THE ONLY time when Hammer films, main competitor, Amicus, stepped into the same domain and era . . gothic and ghost story. Producers Subotsky and Rosenberg knew the way to save money that would easily be one of their main money pits, was keep the sets and locations, contemporary. Hammer were very good at recycling their sets and props, wizard set designer Bernard Robinson found a way to present what was an impressive studio lot structure as Caste Dracula one day . . and as a 1910 boat harbour in down town Hong Kong in the next! Amicus based their films in simple close contemporary settings. So close that, the seating was often still warm from the cast and crew who had commissioned and worked on that set. In the green room the coffee in the pot, was also still warm! Amicus were, cheap. Cheap as chips in fact. 


SYNOPSIS!
'This creepy, atmospheric horror film from England's Amicus Productions dispenses with much of the tongue-in-cheek presentation of their popular '70s horror anthologies (such as Asylum and Dr. Terror's House of Horrors) in favor of a more adult-oriented approach. The story begins in the 18th century, as a young stable hand tries to prevent nobleman Fengriffen (Herbert Lom) from raping a young servant girl -- who happens to be the stable hand's wife -- and for this transgression has his hand lopped off. Flash forward to the present, where Fengriffen's ancestor (Ian Ogilvy) and his wife (Stephanie Beacham), now living on the ancestral estate, are haunted by the servant's vengeful spirit, as well as the severed hand itself, which roams the gloomy corridors of the mansion.'


DIRECTOR FREDDIE FRANCIS often went on record stating he didn't know which was more lacking foundations or structure, the sets or the scripts! But, somehow, it more often than not, worked.. and worked very well. 'AND NOW, THE SCREAMINGS STARTS!'' released in 1973, directed by Roy ward Baker and starring Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham and Ian Ogily looks better then than your average Amicus film. all the exteriors were shot on location at . . Hammer's 'Brides of Dracula' and many others. . Oakley Court in Windsor, interiors at Shepperton studios, where for one time, they actually built their OWN set. Much camera time is spent mind you, showing it off!







I VERY MUCH LIKE this film, I love the Amicus 'wandering hand' featured in at least three other of their films, it worked for its keep! I love Peter's hair too, which was also made to earn it's rental turning up in two other Cushing projects, 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell', 'Orson Wells Great Mysteries' . . I have no idea why or how Cushing managed to get Subotsky to pay for it... and again on the subject of wonga, the screen time of the top-billed stars Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom and Patrick Magee does not exceed 28, 11 and five minutes, respectively. Subotsky was a master tailor and certainly cut the cloth, even though sometimes he 'passed on the buttons'  . .


HAPPY ST GEORGE'S DAY! Saint George is the patron saint of England noted and celebrated with legendary stories of his slaying a dragon and saving a distressed maiden.... Peter Cushing loved history, collected books, made model knights, created 'little wars' gaming props, pageantry figures, reproducing the flags and anything connected with connections or reference this era. He adored this whole time period, with chivalry, knights and medieval castles. He loved appearing in films set in these times too and always very much looked the part! Peter made reference to St George when he was awarded with his 'Order Of the British Empire' medal (OBE) back in 1989. Many at the time, thought he deserved more, Christopher Lee made a point of saying, 'It was too little, too late', he too should have been awarded a knighthood!' Maybe? But for Peter Cushing it was one of his most proudest moments. ..


Footnote: The whole process of the awards and honours takes years . . it often starts with an OBE and travels up, if you have been very active in charity work and / or good deeds. Lee was right, it was too late, but Peter's humbleness could sometimes be his undoing, he often challenged such ideas as 'too much fuss'. You have to be 'officially suggested' for such honours, and it always surprises me, who in fact kick started Peter's OBE application. Not a close friend, a well connected individual, business person or perosn in 'the know'.... it was Ian Scoones, special effects guy for Hammer films, worked on Dr Who, Blake's Seven and many many others films and tv shows uncredited . . living in French at the time. Back in the late 50's /1960's Peter had helped get him a job at Bray studios, he was a young lad and learnt his skills at trade with Les Bowie, who managed the SFX company who delivered most of the FX's for Hammer and other British companies. Ian stuck at it and pushed for the application and without him, Peter would not have been awarded anything . .



TO MANY IAN SCOONES is a name that would be associated with film and television special effects, working with the LES BOWIE Special Effects team and at the BBC. TV shows like the Hammer House of Horror show, Dr Who. Films like 1984, Thunderbirds working for Hammer films Bray studios, many films in which Peter Cushing appeared like, Frankenstein Created Woman, She, Night Creatures. Ian graduated from the Medway College of Art in 1960 and finding himself without employment, made some inquiries to Peter Cushing, who he had been a fan of, since he was a child. Cushing, in turn after meeting Ian, was instrumental in helping him gain employment with Les Bowie . . and the rest as they say, is history.


IT WAS SOMETHING THAT IAN NEVER FORGOT, that had Peter not helped him on his way, he may never have got a foot in the door, let alone employment, in such a competitive area. It was Ian's idea to sponsor the application, for Peter to be award an OBE, an 'Order of the British Empire' Medal, awarded by the Queen and government of the day, for services to the entertainment industry . . . Here for the first time on this page, is the actual letter that Ian received from the Prime Minister's office, telling him, that Peter Cushing was to be award the OBE . . . quite an achievement! Peter Cushing was extremely surprised and very humbled to receive the news of his award and Ian Scoones made all that possible! From 1994, Ian lived in retirement, first in Spain, then in Bulgaria, where he died on January 20th 2010, aged of 69.


TRIVIA: St George is also mentioned in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula ' In the first chapter, the ill-fated Jonathan Harker is on his way to Count Dracula’s home, and has arrived in Romania on a very auspicious day. “Do you know what day it is?” asks the landlady at Bistritz. “It is the eve of St George’s Day. Tonight, when the clock strikes midnight, all evil things in the world will have full sway.” Needless to say, things didn't really get much better for Jonathan, from there onwards! 😄  Happy St George's Day! Please Stay Safe Everyone! - Marcus



 PLEASE COME JOIN US at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY!

Friday 27 October 2017

COMPETITION THE AMICUS COLLECTION : MUNRO AND ANDRESS RARE PICS!


#COMPETITION! ARE YOU READY TO PLAY . . .AND WIN?


STARTING NEXT WEEK! #CUSHINGFEMMEFATALESFRIDAY! We had planned to kick start this NEW THEMED DAY, today. Alas some annoying technical problems, got the better of us. So, NEXT WEEK it is then!



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 24 September 2017

WATCH 'AND NOW, THE SCREAMING STARTS!' #GETTHECUSHIONSUNDAY!


#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHINGSUNDAY! INDEED! One of a handful of Cushing frighteners, that passed my dear ol Mum's 'GetTheCushion' test!  . .  she always hid her eyes behind a cushion on sofa, if the tenstion became, TOO MUCH! Yeees, that's where this themed concept comes from ;)


'In 1795, in England, the young woman Catherine moves to the house of her fiancé Charles Fengriffen in the country to get married with him. When she arrives, she feels interest in the portraits of the Fengriffen family, particularly in the one of Charle's grandfather Henry Fengriffen, which seems to have a sort of evil entity possessing it. While admiring Henry's face, a severed hand attacks Catherine through the picture on the wall. Later, she gets married with Charles, beginning her journey of mystery, eerie apparitions, secrets and deaths, and having her days filled with fear and the nights with horrors in a cursed family.'


'AND NOW, THE SCREAMING STARTS' was AMICUS FILMS only production that ventured into the field of 'GOTHIC GHOST STORY'. The Amicus trademark, were films that were set and based in a contemporary setting. Even though a tale like, 'THE DOOR' in 'FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE' (1974) has a toe in the Ghostly World of time past, it confines the setting of the story, to a modern home, with ONE ROOM that appears to be trapped in the 1700's. Maybe it was a question of cost? Films sets for period films, have lots of ZERO'S on the budget sheet, something that would have certainly given producer Milton Subotsky nightmares! With that in mind, don't look too closely at the interior sets of this film, instead admire Cushing calm performance..IGNORE the hairpiece, we've been over it. Beacham is very good, as is Herbert Lom, Magee, and Geoffrey Whitehead. Special mention to a young Ian Ogilvy and director Roy Ward Baker, who both along with Cushing, keep the whole thing, entertaining and moving along nicely....


YOU CAN FIND OUT  MORE ABOUT THIS PRODUCTION, PETER CUSHING'S ROLE AND HIS MANY ROLES WITH OVER THE YEARS IN OUR SERIES ABOVE: LOADS OF RARE PHOTOGRAPHS AND MUCH MORE: CLICK HERE!


MORE ON PETER CUSHING AND THE CAST OF
 


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 11 September 2017

#MONSTERMONDAY: REMEMBERING HERBERT LOM ON HIS BIRTHDAY


#MONSTERMONDAY Today we remember Herbert Lom a Czech-born British film and television actor who moved to the United Kingdom in 1939. In a career lasting more than 60 years, he appeared in character roles, often portraying criminals or villains early in his career and professional men in later years.


 Herbert Lom in Asylum (1972)


 Our FEATURE and REVIEW with GALLERY includes
BOTH Herbert Lom AMICUS performances SEE IT HERE!  :

Some of his best known roles are Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in Pink Panther films & as Dr Roger Corderthe in the ITV TV series The Human Jungle.


 As the monster Henry Fengriffen in 'And Now The
Screaming Starts' (1973)

He co-starred with Peter Cushing in two films for Amicus, Asylum (1972) and And Now The Screaming Starts (1973).


The Dead Zone (1983)


Other notable horror films include The Phantom of The Opera (1962) for Hammer films, Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) , The Dead Zone (1983) also Dark Places (1972) & Count Dracula (1970) both Christopher Lee...


One of best . . . and certainly my personal favorite . . . .  Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther series . .  


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 14 August 2017

#MONSTERMONDAY: SCREAMING ALL THE WAY WITH SIR HENRY FENGRIFFEN


#MONSTERMONDAY: Today's monster is Sir Henry Fengriffen played by Herbert Lom from Amicus's 'And Now The Screaming Starts!' (1973) One of their few non-anthology horror films. 



THE FILM  was based on an obscure novella entitled `Fengriffin,' after the name of the cursed family line around which the story centres, though the film goes for a more 'shocking' sounding title courtesy of Max Rosenberg. The film boasts an impressive cast with Peter Cushing, Ian Olgivy, Stephanie Beacham & Patrick Magee.


PETER CUSHING'S DR POPE, arrives late too. It's not a performance that is going set any screen a flame, but Pope provides a calming influence, other than when he's pushing the buttons that reveals, what is causing all the spooky shenanigans. Sadly for our young couple, all does that not end well. It would have been interesting to have seen any audience response from pre-opening tests, if there were any. The final moments compete with Price's Witchfinder General  and 'Blood On Satan's Claw'. I would have guessed the schlocky title and that down beat ending didn't bring in good returns for the distributor or Amicus, thus bringing the company's short flirtation with period ghost stories, to a sudden end, setting the course firmly back on chartered waters, tried and tested . ..  the portmanteau film.  



ALTHOUGH HERBERT LOM is second-billed in the film, does not appear at all until the last quarter of the film, and only appears in an extended flashback sequence, however with the screen time he does have, he certainly make an impression.

 
How do you rate Herbert Lom's performance in the film?


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    
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