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Post by dem bones on Aug 22, 2020 13:17:07 GMT
Peter Haining - The Vampire Terror & Other True Mysteries (Armada, 1981) Illustrated by Eric Kincaid
Introduction
The Vampire Terror The Wolf-Boy The Horror from Space The Mystery of the Green Mist The Boy who Talked to Animals The Hidden Folk of Iceland The Skeleton's Revenge The Girl who Lived Twice The Monster in the Tunnel The Zombie of Glad Wish WoodBlurb: Strange - but terrifyingly true! Ten of the world's weirdest mysteries ....
The blood-sucking fiends that massacred a ship's crew ... the decaying skull that refused to die .... the hideous space monster that invaded earth .... the man who wrestled with a zombie ....
And more bizarre stories which have baffled the human race!Reminiscent of the Adrian Chambers and Richard Garrett Piccolo books of the 'seventies ( Haunted Houses, Great Sea Mysteries, etc). This being Peter Haining, the five book series would not pass without controversy ... The Vampire Terror: "The awful stench of death was everywhere. As he looked, three other things immediately caught his eye. The look of terror on the man's face. Two tiny puncture marks on his throat. And the yellow, parchment like colour of his skin - almost as if he had been drained of every drop of his blood!"Straits of Malacca, July 1948. Were the fifteen man crew of Dutch tramp steamer, the Ourang Medan bled to death by a plague of vampire moths? We'll never know, because, no sooner had Captain James Connors examined their corpses and returned to his own ship, Craven Castle, than the Ourang Medanexploded. Account also includes concise round up of the best Malaysian vampires. File under: #Illuminati involvement? The Wolf-Boy: River Gomati, Northern India, 1893. British missionary John Harrison discovers that a feared "crawling ghost" of the Bava Banki is, in fact, a feral child raised by wolves. In short, a real life Mowgli. File under: Case solved. The Skeleton's Revenge: Packing House Island, Mersea, May 1925. Holidaymaker Tony Pegrum, "a quiet, introspective man in his middle twenties," discovers a human skeleton poking out from the oozing mudflats. He reports it to the local constable. Evidently the bones have no wish to be disturbed as, when PC Williams takes hold of the skull, the skeletal jaw bites down hard on his finger. A loafer named Swail is maimed in similar fashion. What can it all mean? It all ends in chuckles when the apparent "Haunting" is rationalized. Tile under: Day of the Nipper. The Monster in the Tunnel: February, 1856. An explosion during excavation of a railway tunnel at Chaumont releases a million year old Pterodactyl. Imagine the crushing disappointment of the witnesses when, after a few flaps of it's monstrous wings, the Mesozoic Age relic dropped dead from natural causes - or so they tell us. It all sounds a bit too convenient for my liking. File under: Grassy knoll? The Zombie of Glad Wish Wood: Outskirts of Burwash village ,Sussex,, September, 1956. When there is no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the South Downs. Arthur Warnford, a short, stocky man in his 'fifties, is strolling in the woods when he is set upon by a broken-necked zombie with rotting skull, sparking an investigation by ghost hunter R. Thurston Hopkins. So who was this walking dead wretch? Hopkins proposed David Leany, a local hanged in 1825 for a murder that probably wasn't, as the likeliest candidate. "I beg of you to believe me when I say I am innocent of this crime - and to prove it I shall return to haunt those people who have hounded me to death."
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Post by helrunar on Aug 22, 2020 14:08:44 GMT
That bat looks more like an owl. Also, seems to be a sloppy feeder.
Reminiscent to me of the bat puppet in the infamous Scars of Dracula which I have personally found somewhat more entertaining than is commonly stated by Hammer cultists.
H.
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Post by Swampirella on Aug 22, 2020 14:30:36 GMT
That bat looks more like an owl. Also, seems to be a sloppy feeder. Reminiscent to me of the bat puppet in the infamous Scars of Dracula which I have personally found somewhat more entertaining than is commonly stated by Hammer cultists. H. That's a Hammer movie I hadn't heard of; good or bad, thanks for mentioning it!
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Post by helrunar on Aug 22, 2020 15:02:33 GMT
Hey Swampi, Scars was shot in 1970, and Christopher Lee had the most lines in that one of any of the films (apart, possibly, from Satanic Rites of Dracula which is a smashing good film). Scars had very peculiar production values, almost as if the art director/designer was going for a kind of dark fairy tale look, and Lee had very extreme Max Factor style makeup. The bat puppet spat blood over Dracula's ashes to bring him back to life at the start.
It's very florid and overblown but I find it to be fun... believe me, many fans vehemently disagree.
cheers, Hel
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Post by andydecker on Aug 22, 2020 15:58:26 GMT
(apart, possibly, from Satanic Rites of Dracula which is a smashing good film). It's very florid and overblown but I find it to be fun... believe me, many fans vehemently disagree. cheers, Hel Allow me to vehemently disagree concerning Satanic Rites I hate it. Not so much the story. But from the unbelievable re-casting of Jessica - from Beacham to Lumley? Really? - to the most whiny ending of all Hammer Draculas. Killed by a hedge. (As if the literary deus ex machina ending with God's lighting in Scars was not bad enough.) And don't get me started on the ridiculous wannabe bikers.
If you can ignore all of this, the movie is kind of fun. At least its not the train-wreck of To the devil ... a daughter.
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Post by helrunar on Aug 22, 2020 17:21:33 GMT
Unlike most, I always welcome dissenting opinions. Interesting points. I liked the staging of the death by thorns in Satanic rites--again, it felt evocative of an incident in a fairy tale. My least favorite demise is at the start of Dracula AD 72--the death of Alucard in the same film may be the most ridiculous vampire demise ever shot by Hammer in ANY of their films. But I still enjoy watching that film, once in a while.
The most absurd/baffling Dracula death was at the denouement of Taste the Blood of Dracula--I think I know what they were aiming for but it really did not work for me. Apart from that sequence, I really like that film.
Steve
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Post by Swampirella on Aug 22, 2020 17:30:55 GMT
Hey Swampi, Scars was shot in 1970, and Christopher Lee had the most lines in that one of any of the films (apart, possibly, from Satanic Rites of Dracula which is a smashing good film). Scars had very peculiar production values, almost as if the art director/designer was going for a kind of dark fairy tale look, and Lee had very extreme Max Factor style makeup. The bat puppet spat blood over Dracula's ashes to bring him back to life at the start. It's very florid and overblown but I find it to be fun... believe me, many fans vehemently disagree. cheers, Hel I've found it online so will enjoy it (if that's the word) tonight. Had no idea Dennis Waterman was in any Hammer film which is a plus for me.
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Post by andydecker on Aug 22, 2020 18:26:29 GMT
My least favorite demise is at the start of Dracula AD 72--the death of Alucard in the same film may be the most ridiculous vampire demise ever shot by Hammer in ANY of their films. But I still enjoy watching that film, once in a while. The most absurd/baffling Dracula death was at the denouement of Taste the Blood of Dracula--I think I know what they were aiming for but it really did not work for me. Apart from that sequence, I really like that film. Steve You are right - how could I forget the vampire who got showered to death I like AD 72, have seen it often, even if it is so screeching out of tune with its time it is no wonder Hammer was on its way out. The fake hippies are always good for a laugh, especially the pre Jedi. And Stephanie Beacham looks stunning. Enough to ignore her hippie manifesto speech when she gives grandpa the facts of life. I mean seriously, what where the old guys at Hammer thinking? Yes, the end of Taste the Blood didn't work for me either. It sure looked better on the page. But the movie is one of my favorite Hammers. The plot is fairly original; Dracula is serving more justice then vengeance, and Linda Hayden is also a big plus. I am always astonished how good the artist catched her pout for the movie poster.
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Post by helrunar on Aug 22, 2020 20:35:10 GMT
Andreas, the sensuous excitement for me in Taste Dracula (lol) is Anthony Corlan, who went on to act under the name of Anthony Higgins--as Corlan, he appeared in a few classic horror films of the early 70s, including Vampire Circus.
I don't know if you've ever seen Greenaway's film starring Corlan/Higgins, The Draughtsman's Contract... it has some very bizarre moments. Set on a rural estate circa 1695 I believe. Lots of decadent aristos swanning about and yards of fruity dialogue...it may not be your flagon of ale at all.
cheers, Steve
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Post by andydecker on Aug 23, 2020 9:40:20 GMT
Andreas, the sensuous excitement for me in Taste Dracula (lol) is Anthony Corlan, who went on to act under the name of Anthony Higgins--as Corlan, he appeared in a few classic horror films of the early 70s, including Vampire Circus. I don't know if you've ever seen Greenaway's film starring Corlan/Higgins, The Draughtsman's Contract... it has some very bizarre moments. Set on a rural estate circa 1695 I believe. Lots of decadent aristos swanning about and yards of fruity dialogue...it may not be your flagon of ale at all. cheers, Steve Oh, yes, Emil the vampire and panther. My absolut favorite Hammer movie. I fear my taste tends to the decadent and sleazy. And you will laugh. I adore The Draughtsman's Contract. I haven't seen it for a long time, but it stays in mind. I love the setting, a fascinating time period. I always wondered if the reality was half as good-looking as in this movie. (If you ignore the health, the stench and the appalling everyday life circumstances.) And I never realized that Emil and the painter are the same actor.
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Post by cromagnonman on Aug 23, 2020 11:44:10 GMT
The Hammer Draculas have never exerted the same attraction for me that standalone efforts like The Devil Rides Out, Vampire Circus and -most especially - Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter do. But I do remember being impressed by the bleak dystopian vision of Satanic Rites which was a more accurate reflection of early 70s London than the swinging chicks of Dracula 72 had been. And it boasts a big plus with the performance of William (Shh, you-know-who) Franklyn. But I agree with Andy about the recasting of Jessica. National treasure Jo Lumley has many remarkable attributes but she could never hope to fill a clinging white gown in the same way Steph Beachum could. "Oh my good gawd!" as Sid would say.
I do put myself on the other side of the fence from Andy on the subject of To The Devil - A Daughter however. There's no getting away from the fact that it does have one stonking great drawback: said drawback being Richard Widmark. An absolute monster by all accounts who insisted in being paid in hand in cash at the end of every day to prevent him from jumping on the next Stateside bound plane. Perhaps if Hammer had released his on-set tantrums instead they might have had a bigger hit.
That being said, any film graced by the presence of the mighty Denholm Elliott will never be without merit. In my opinion the most compulsively watchable screen actor Britain has ever produced. Being filmed over the scorching summer of 1975 also gives the movie a nostalgic cachet for those of us of a certain age. And however daft the ending might be I just love the fact that it was filmed at the Dashwood mauseleum on West Wycombe hill. A seriously spooky place as I can testify, sitting as it does like a gothic crown atop the hollowed out hill which was the location of the revels of the Hellfire Club.
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Post by helrunar on Aug 23, 2020 12:33:39 GMT
Richard, I think Captain Kronos is in some ways my favorite Hammer film of the Seventies. It's just so offbeat and has such an unusual look--really a departure from the Hammer "house style" so maybe it's unfair to compare it to other productions of the period as Lust for a Vampire, Twins of Evil (which has become positioned as a major classic in recent years, but I can't bear the thought of watching it again... Damien Thomas was EXTREMELY sexy in it, however) or Frank and the Monster from Hell (which turned out to be better than expected when I finally watched it). I wish Brian Clemens had got his wish and been allowed to make at least one more Kronos film. And I recall it was through Kronos that we first became electronically acquainted.
To the Devil a Daughter was another one that proved much better than I expected--and oddly, the "silly" ending actually works for me. What doesn't work is Widmark's performance which I found distracting. I don't think I knew that Sir Francis Dashwood's mausoleum was used as a location. The (in)famous Alex Sanders (surname pronounced Saunders which I only learned recently listening to an interview with one of his Initiates) choreographed the ritual sequences or at least made suggestions. Sanders was in the main responsible for one of the more entertaining occult explo features of 1969/70, Legend of the Witches.
cheers, Steve
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Post by cromagnonman on Aug 23, 2020 14:07:41 GMT
Yes, the subject of Kronos has cropped up once or twice before, hasn't it Steve (lol). I think the fact that Clemens brought a lot of his own people from tv to work on it is responsible for its unique look. To me it isn't a horror film at all but a proto-sword & sorcery film. Probably the best example of such ever produced. When I managed to snatch a brief conversation with Clemens at a film fair shortly before he passed away he said he took inspiration for it from the comics of the time. Only now do I bemoan not taking the opportunity to ask him why he never gave a series lead to Gabrielle Drake depite casting her in almost ever series he produced: Avengers, Thriller, New Avengers, Professionals.
Apparantly an effort was made in the mid 70s to resurrect Kronos as a tv series. In it he would have been a time traveller fighting creatures in different periods. Would love to have seen it, perhaps with someone like Clemens stalwart Martin Shaw in the lead: (very good with a sword in Clemens scripted Golden Voyage of Sinbad after all.)
West Wycombe Park is well worth anyone's time in visiting. Because each side of Dashwood's house was built in a different architectural style it has proven a gift for film and tv producers and practically every period drama you can think of has been filmed there from Cranford to The Importance of Being Earnest. The mauseleum is on the hill opposite, overlooking the house and grounds. Next to it is a church whose spire is capped by a hollow golden sphere which Dashwood had constructed to hold the initial revels of the Hellfire Club. As membership grew they transferred to the caverns below.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 24, 2020 13:43:06 GMT
The Horror from Space: "... the eyes of the human beings could not drag themselves away from the hideous features inside the helmet which were obviously the monster's face."
Did a flying saucer crashland in the mountains above Flatwoods, West Virginia, in September 1952?
The Mystery of the Green Mist: Mareham le Fen, Lincolnshire, circa 1860s. Stricken by a wasting illness, Jenny Reeves, the prettiest girl in the village, urges her parents to perform the customary folk ritual to placate the evil goblins and usher in the Spring. It works, but Jenny's fate is now inextricably tangled with that of a cowslip. One day, a local lad tries to impress her by giving her as a flower ...
The Hidden Folk of Iceland: Akureyri, Eyja fjord, 1964. Scandinavian equivalent of the little people obstruct construction work at the herring processing plant until they are good and ready to vacate the property. A local seer arbitrates on behalf of the engineers. The fairy folk are not unreasonable if shown due respect. Drilling is duly halted for three days while they move out.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 25, 2020 17:04:18 GMT
The Girl Who Lived Twice: "His eyes open in surprise, M. Font watched unobserved while the girl's brush deftly sketched out the details of the cannibals seemingly roasting a number of naked white bodies over a huge flaming pit. And as if this was not grisly enough, all the bodies were headless! The art teacher shuddered. He knew Diane Loreaux had an imagination, but he had never suspected it harboured such dark thoughts as these!"
In fact, young Diane's painting depicts the"cannibal orgy" she witnessed sixty-plus years earlier on the South Pacific island when she was Margot Lyons, among a party of French settlers on New Ireland. One for those who wish to relive their past lives.
The Boy Who Talked to Animals: Rome, December 1952. Guistino 'Tino' Loizzoi, six, first demonstrates his ability to understand the language of animals at the circus where a tiger confides in him that it will attempt a dash for freedom at feeding time. Over the next two years, Tino acts on messages received from a pigeon, a horse, a cat (which correctly predicts it will soon be run over), a mongrel dog and various. On Tino's eighth birthday, the gift promptly deserts him just as local media were showing an interest. End.
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