Sinclair McKay - A Thing Of Unspeakable Horror

[dem bones]

Sinclair McKay - A Thing Of Unspeakable Horror: The History Of Hammer Films (Aurum, 2007)

Cover photograph : Kobal Collection/ Cover: www.headdesign.co.uk

Testimonials

`This 50th-anniversary celebration will have fang fans revelling in its chatty, perceptive prose. A jolly look at a "horridly British" institution' - Metro
'A witty romp through the very British phenomenon that was Hammer horror films ... fangtastic trivia' - Daily Mirror
`Brisk, cheerful and enthusiastic' - Independent on Sunday

Not been able to tear my eyes away from the gorgeous shot of Veronica Carlson posing in a-certain-N.London-cemetery for long enough to make much headway with this yet but certain passages catch the eye. Mr. McKay certainly has very strong opinions on what is good and what isn't - "The three words On The Buses are by themselves sufficient to make many of a certain age group get up abruptly and leave the room" - and spends pages moaning about The Horror Of Frankenstein. Somehow The Mummy's Shroud doesn't get a look in. However, before we all start getting too depressed, he writes appreciatively of Plague Of The Zombies, The Reptile and Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde and penultimate chapter The Grisly Denouement is a capable, even moving, take on Michael Carreras's valiant struggle to keep the old tub afloat against insurmountable odds. Best of all, from the dips in i've had, C. Lee seemingly spent the entire 'sixties and 'seventies moaning his tits off about bloody Dracula. The many quotes from McKay's interviews with Kate O'Mara (including her reminiscences of Horror Of Frankenstein's pervey curtsey moment) suggest her as an insightful and too often overlooked commentator on the popular Brit Film of the pre-punk years. Hopefully some of our Hammer heads will tell us what they made of A Thing Of Unspeakable Horror?

[noose]

Here's what Jimmy Sangster said in an interview I did with him at the 50th Hammer Horror bash at Bray.

He starts off by telling me the reference book that I am carrying around with me ‘A Thing of Unspeakable Horror’ by Sinclair McKay is on the whole a good book, but it has one or two glaring errors in it.

Jimmy: Well he’s made a couple of screaming howlers .

Johnny: What were those?

Jimmy: Well, he said ‘the late Tony Hinds’ – I only had lunch with Tony last week! He was late, but only five minutes late, he wasn’t dead late. He also talks about ‘X: The Unknown’ starring Dean Stockwell but it wasn’t Dean Stockwell.(It was Dean Jagger)

I started writing these mistakes down; he also says that Tony Keys’ nickname was ‘A Bunch of Keys’ and it wasn’t. There were three Keys brothers Anthony Nelson Keys, Basil Keys (an assistant director) and John Paddy Carstairs (writer, artist and director) were the three sons of Nelson Keys; a 1930’s movie and music hall director, so those three boys were known as ‘The Bunch of Keys.’

So, there were many mistakes and the late Tony Hinds. (laughs)

[andydecker]

Jul 22, 2010 13:51:23 GMT dem bones said:

Not been able to tear my eyes away from the gorgeous shot of Veronica Carlson posing in a-certain-N.London-cemetery for long enough to make much headway with this yet

They had a knack for those, didn´t they?

Those Hammer histories are an interesting read. After reading the two volume Wayner Kinsey I bought the autobiographies of Kate O´Mara, Ingrid Pitt and Jimmy Sangster because I wanted to know more about those actresses and especially Sangster.

[dem bones]

i'm getting through it at breakneck pace. In tone, i'm finding it's vaguely reminiscent of ....

Andy Boot - Fragments Of Fear: An Illustrated History Of British Horror Films (Creation, 1996)

.... except Fragments ... is more expansive and .... I just enjoyed it more.

For all that A Thing Of Unspeakable Horror is a page-turner, Mr McKay does have this annoying habit of telling the reader what to think, whereas all i can remember pulphack moaning about was hunchback exploitation. Crucially, there's nothing in ....Unspeakable ... can live with Fragments' chapter on Tod Slaughter.

[killercrab]

Need FRAGMENTS myself but I'll give UNSPEAKABLE a pass. Denis Meikle's A HISTORY OF HORRORS is probably my favourite Hammer book even though he rubbishes alot of my favourites!

KC