Michel Parry - From the Archives of Evil

[bthom1]

I am looking for a cover scan of FROM THE ARCHIVES OF EVIL.
It was published by Warner Books in January 1976. It is the U.S. edition of Christopher Lee's "X" Certificate No. 1 published by Star and WH Allen in 1975 and 1976. Any help would be approciated. Thanks

[dem]

Not the greatest scan ever but it's the best I can do as I'm afraid I don't have a copy !

[bthom1]

Thank you very much.
The scan is great!

[dem]

Your welcome. Might as well put the UK version here too.

Michel Parry (ed) - Christopher Lee's 'X' Certificate (Star, 1975)

Introduction - Christopher Lee

Fritz Leiber - The Spider
Henry Kuttner - I, The Vampire
Robert Bloch - Talent
Basil Copper - Amber Print
Clark Ashton Smith - The Gorgon
Peter Flemming - The Kill
Richard Matheson - Blood Son
Robert E. Howard - The Black Stone
W. C. Morrow - The Monster Maker
Bram Stoker - The Judges House

Stories pertaining to the perils of the film industry (see also Peter Haining's The Hollywood Nightmare) and Lee's experiences of same, even if the stories are selected by Parry. The majority need no introduction, although Leiber's delightful The Spider doesn't seem to be as well known as it deserves to be. You'll probably have most of these stories a number of times over, but that doesn't make the likes of Matheson's brilliant vampire story, Flemming's werewolf yarn or Morrow's variation on the Frankenstein theme bad stories and fans of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari will surely appreciate Basil Copper's unseen footage.

Lee's introduction contains the perenial grouching about playing Dracula, and why he won't be doing so again ...

[David A. Riley]

Lee's introduction contains the perenial grouching about playing Dracula, and why he won't be doing so again ...

This did get very annoying.

At least Karloff always retained an affectionate gratitude for the break playing the Frankenstein monster gave him. It's a pity Lee couldn't feel the same. After all, without Dracula his career could have been quite different - and not for the better.

David

[dem]

What gets me is that for all his griping about how awful it is being constantly thought of as that tall bloke who played a vampire once, he doesn't seem to have turned down too many dracu-dustjacket opportunities that came his way.

[David A. Riley]

Or turned down opportunities to do commentaries for some of the Dracula dvds (well, one at least, the Anchor Bay one of Dracula Prince of Darkness). And, not only did he do all those Hammer versions, he also did at least one foreign adaptation.

David

[justin]

Couldn't resist sneaking in a few words from Mr Haining on this very subject.

"I have a problem with people who get all scratchy about what they did previously. I remember having a discussion with Christopher Lee because he used to get very uptight about always being referred to as Dracula. “You know I’ve done far more things than that.” I would say, “I know that Christopher, but that’s what you’re going to be famous for.” I remember having exactly the same conversation with Tom Baker, years after Dr Who, when he was working on Medics (a TV drama series) and I did a behind-the-scenes book. I asked him, “Does it bother you that people always think of you as the doctor?” “Oh no dear boy, it changed my life, I was going nowhere before that. If that’s how I’m remembered, fantastic, wonderful.” Then I told him how Christopher Lee felt and he roared with laughter."

When I sent the transcript of the interview to Peter for his approval, he amendedTom Baker's original, rather forthright reaction to the more restrained"roared with laughter" above. Out of respect for Mr Haining this is how it must remain, but suffice to say Baker did not approve....

[albie]

Let's not forget this greatly painted cover...

[dem]

... which Mayflower also recycled for the Peter Haining edited Christopher Lee's New Chamber Of Horrors in 1976.

Ha! There's a name from the past. Welcome back, albie!

[albie]

Yes! It is I. The lost prince of Albion, of long ago. Defender of magic, protector of virgins...and eater of sausages*.

I again lurch forth from glittery alcoves, parting the moulden flaps of some accursed...curtain thing.

AGAIN I crawl from my crumbling dimension to speak of many cloak-ed things. Such as veins, stinky eyes, eggs laid in flesh and...I forget the last one.

Something to do with hairy bones, I think.




*Don't listen to the rumours.

[albie]

Mmm, that image of Lee is a larger version of mine. Seems mine is merely an ersazt imposter!!!!

I demand to have that grave dug up!

[mrsmop]

???regarding Christopher Lee being annoyed at being most remembered for his Dracula films .Did Peter Cushing ever express annoyance about playing van helsing or Baron Frankenstien or just generally always being typecast as a horror actor?I really hope not as one of the funniest scenes in a horror film that i've seen,was Peter Cushing with a magnifying glass held up to his eye,this eye was seen as enormas but when he took the magnifying glass away his eye was still the same size.

[carolinec]

No, Peter Cushing was much like Boris Karloff - really grateful for the roles he got and he seemed to enjoy every one of them, no matter how bad the film! A really nice chap, by all accounts, from what I've read about him.

I, too, remember that scene with the eyeglass, but I can't remember what film it was from ...

[Johnlprobert]

That scene's from TOP SECRET!, Jim Abrahams & the Zucker brothers' follow-up to AIRPLANE starrin Val Kilmer and Lucy Gutteridge (Denholm Elliott's secretary from the Rude Awakening episode of Hammer House of Horror)