Category Archives: Peter Cushing

Edgar Rice Burroughs & John Carter

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I grew up reading Edgar Rice Burroughs. I ate up the adventures of Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, The Land that Time Forgot, and At the Earth’s Core series before moving on to weightier stuff (namely Frank Herbert’s Dune).

Well Disney’s John Carter opens today. I had actually thought to do a week’s worth of posts on the myriad of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ films. There are 68 films and TV series credited to him since 1917 (57 of them are Tarzan movies and TV series). Sadly there are only two ERB movies available on instant Netflix and bizarrely neither of them is a Tarzan feature.

I’m disappointed that Disney dropped the “of Mars” from the John Carter title. I’m not sure whether this is because Mars seems quaint now or because “Mars Needs Moms” bombed so badly at the box office.

At the Earth’s Core (1976) – Rated PG

“When absentminded Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) and his young American protégé, macho David Innes (Doug McClure), develop the Iron Mole, a contraption that cuts straight through solid rock, they have no idea what they’re letting themselves in for in this campy sci-fi fantasy. The two bore their way from Victorian England to the center of the Earth, where they encounter a lost world of prehistoric beasts and their human slaves.”

“You cannot mesmerize me! I’m British!”

Sadly this was to be Amicus Studios last film. I really loved their horror anthology films. At the Earth’s Core is good cheesy fun. The special effects budget is non-existent but they still do a nice job with the sets and the vehicle. The rubber-suited monsters are not at all convincing. It’s a shame they didn’t hire Ray Harryhausen like Hammer did for “One Million Years B.C.”.

Peter Cushing is a delight but unfortunately plays a somewhat dotty scientist not terribly dissimilar from his portrayal in the two Doctor Who movies. Cushing is much more enjoyable when he plays arrogant scientists. Doug McClure is fine as our leading man. He was the Thomas Jane of his generation – neither a great actor nor a big star but a solid reliable leading man with some recognition. He is parodied often in The Simpsons under the name ‘Troy McClure’. Caroline Munro is very easy on the eyes but does not have much else to do here.

Princess of Mars (2009) – Not rated

“After a devastating enemy ambush leaves soldier John Carter (Antonio Sabato Jr.) fighting for his life, he awakens to discover that the experimental treatment designed to save him has inexplicably transported him to Mars. On the red planet, Carter finds himself endowed with extraordinary powers — and in the middle of a feud between warring alien races. Traci Lords also stars in this sci-fi adventure based on the novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs.”

I previously discussed this film at length here. The gist of it was that this was the first movie from Asylum that I had even considered remotely watchable. That is not to say that it is good by any means but simply tolerable. The source material for this is the same as John Carter.

Peter Cushing – Horror Movie Month

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Peter Cushing is my favorite horror actor. He is the only actor I have seen who properly captures the arrogance of Baron Frankenstein (which is good since he portrays Frankenstein six times for Hammer).

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)

Ominous prophet Dr. Schreck (Peter Cushing) informs five train passengers — including art critic Franklyn Marsh (Christopher Lee) and physician Bob Carroll (Donald Sutherland) — about the grisly details of their imminent deaths in this anthology of eerie vignettes. Schreck tells Marsh that he will be maimed; that Carroll’s new bride has a supernatural secret life; and that architect Jim Dawson (Neil McCallum) will be attacked by a werewolf.

Of all of Cushing’s films, this is the one I’d most recommend watching. Not because it’s the best but because it has never had a U.S. DVD or Blu-Ray release. While this appears to be sourced from a videotape transfer, the quality isn’t too bad and once it leaves Netflix you won’t be able to catch it anywhere.

Having said this, Dr. Terror is pretty standard fare for a portmanteau film. Cushing and Christopher Lee are wonderful and a very young Donald Sutherland is fun to watch. The movie is enjoyable but nothing special.

 

Frankenstein Must be Destroyed (1969)

After a drunk wanders into and disrupts his secret lab, Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) decides he must find a new place to set up shop. Conveniently, he finds an innocent young girl (Veronica Carlson) who happens to have a boyfriend (Simon Ward) employed by the local hospital. Seeing his opportunity, Dr. Frankenstein kidnaps the couple and forces them to take part in a dangerous brain-swapping experiment.

Cushing takes center stage here and this iteration of Frankenstein is his most ruthless. Gone are the almost paternal qualities he had in Frankenstein Created Woman and with one notable exception, his icy performance here is marvelous. The exception is that for some odd reason, there is an implied rape subplot shoehorned into the movie. Judging from character reactions after the incident, it appears as though this was added after normal filming.

The Vampire Lovers (1970) – Rated R

Fanged femme fatale Mircalla Karnstein (Ingrid Pitt) slakes her bloodlust for mortals of girlish figures in this Hammer horror story that has the 19th-century noblewoman stalking the Austrian countryside, bewitching young daughters at every turn. Appearing first as Marcilla, then as Carmilla, the insatiable siren steals women’s hearts and leaves ruin in her wake, but in grieving General von Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing), she may have met her match.

The Vampire Lovers is definitely an acquired taste. Here Hammer films reaches the 1970s and says goodbye to cleavage and hello to nudity! This is where they also play with the “exotic” concept of lesbianism. Peter Cushing is in fine form but is not in much of the film. Ingrid Pitt is the star here and is quite engaging as Mircalla/Marcilla/Carmilla as is Madeline Smith as Emma. The movie is quaint and often comes across as soft porn with the sex scenes removed.

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) – Rated PG

Devil-worshipping hippies revive Dracula (Christopher Lee) in this groovy 1970s Hammer Studios horror flick set in London. Thinking Dracula’s one cool cat, Johnny (Christopher Neame) and his psychedelic gang resurrect the count. The powerful creature of the night awakens with a mission: to destroy his archnemesis Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). It’s good vs. evil as Van Helsing faces Dracula in a thrilling final showdown.

Hammer realized after five period Draculas and countless period horror films that audiences wanted modern scares. The idea of bringing Dracula to a modern setting is not a bad one and the opening scene set in 1872 is pretty exciting. Having Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing reprise their roles as Dracula and Van Helsing was a no-brainer so why is this movie not a classic?

The script is hilarious and appears to be written by someone middle-aged who fears what the younger generation is up to. The counterculture is depicted in a mind-boggling fashion and a band is featured in an extended sequence that serves no purpose in the film. Christopher Lee is barely in the film but at least has some dialogue this time out. The fashions are marvelous – too bad the film isn’t.

Price without Poe – Horror Movie Month

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The prolific and fun Vincent Price did not always star in Poe adaptations. I’ve previously discussed his performance in the delightful Theater of Blood as well as The Fly and House on Haunted Hill (all still on instant Netflix and recommended).

Madhouse (1974) – Rated PG

Down on his luck and trying to keep a grip on his precarious mental health, has-been horror-film icon Paul Toombes (Vincent Price) takes a stab at revitalizing his career by starring in a television series based on his famous silver screen persona, Dr. Death. But when people start dying in gruesome ways that resemble Dr. Death’s handiwork, Toombes suspects the evil character has completely taken over his mind. Jim Clark directs this thriller.

Madhouse isn’t bad and makes good use of some Price stock footage from the Poe movies. It is a bit heavy-handed and obvious but guest-stars a gracious Peter Cushing. Robert Quarry is here as well. Quarry was groomed to be a new horror star but his Count Yorga films never really caught on. Madhouse is a mixed bag – fun but not nearly as fun as Dr. Phibes Rises Again, which features much of the same cast.

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) – Rated PG

The eminent Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) awakens from several years of suspended animation and heads to Egypt with his mute assistant (Valli Kemp) and the corpse of his dead wife, determined to track down the stolen papyrus scrolls he needs to bring his spouse back to life. In this sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Phibes is up to his usual tricks, murdering people in strange and heinous ways; meanwhile, a team of inspectors is hot on his heels.

Both Dr. Phibes movies are fun with a capital F. The beautiful art deco set design, clockwork contraptions that would have been considered steampunk if they hadn’t predated the term, Campy, quirky deaths, and a wonderful turn by Vincent Price add up to fun, fun, fun. Peter Cushing has what amounts to a cameo here as do several other 60s stars. Robert Quarry is not as good as Joseph Cotten from the first movie but is adequate.

Witchfinder General (1968)

Set in 17th-century England, this chilling tale follows corrupt official Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price), who claims an ability to discover witches. But he uses his power to gain money and favors from people he’s fingered in return for declaring them innocent. When he arrests and tortures Father Lowes (Rupert Davies), Lowes’s niece’s fiancé (Ian Ogilvy) decides to put an end to Hopkins’s sleazy practices and goes on a quest to seek vengeance.

Witchfinder General is a bit odd. It tries to say some important things about a particular era in English history while flirting with exploitation. This is actually Vincent Price’s best performance but I need to warn you that the film is not fun – it actually comes across as quite ugly, especially for the era. The other actors aren’t bad but this is another Price showpiece.

Last Man on Earth (1964)

A plague has wiped out most of mankind, and those who survived have become bloodthirsty vampires. The only “normal” human left on earth, Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) — who was spared by a twist of fate — spends his days methodically hunting down the undead mutants and his nights barricaded against their attacks. But when he meets the beautiful but contaminated Ruth, he discovers a secret that will unravel what’s left of his existence.

If this plot description sounds familiar, it is because it is based on Richard Matheson’s I am Legend and was later filmed as The Omega Man (also on instant) and I am Legend and I am Omega. Will Smith is great in I am Legend but the CGI is pretty goofy, Charlton Heston is good in The Omega Man but the movie is bizarrely groovy, and I am Omega is just plain bad.

Last Man on Earth is an Italian production and is very atmospheric. It is in black and white and Price gives a somewhat restrained performance as the titular character.

Peter Cushing

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Peter Cushing is my favorite actor. Hammer’s premier horror actor (even more so than Christopher Lee in England) for decades, he is little known now. He had 128 movie and TV roles and was a TV star before his first big Hammer role as Dr. Frankenstein in The Curse of Frankenstein. He played the role five more times for Hammer (Revenge of Frankenstein, Evil of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Created Woman, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell). Currently four of his movies are available on instant play.

The Flesh and the Fiends

1. The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) – “As full-time grave-robbers, William Burke (George Rose) and William Hare (Donald Pleasence) work tirelessly to supply eccentric university professor Dr. Robert Knox (Peter Cushing) with cadavers for his anatomy classes. But when supply starts running desperately short of demand, they’ll have to get creative to fill the doctor’s orders. Based on actual events, this creepy story details how two small-time crooks became murderers”.

Cushing’s performance is fine as the arrogant Dr. Knox (though perhaps a little too similar to his Frankenstein portrayal) but Donald Pleasence steals the show as the graverobber Hare.

The Blood Beast Terror

2. Blood Beast Terror (1967) – “Obsessed etymologist Dr. Mallinger (Robert Flemyng) creates a giant, blood-sucking mutant moth with the uncanny ability to transform itself into a beautiful but lonely woman (Wanda Ventham). When the evil doctor decides to create a mate for his moth lady, there are now two murderous moths stalking the small town in which he lives. The only one who can stop the bad bugs in this stylish thriller is the brilliant Inspector Quennell (Peter Cushing).”

Peter Cushing himself felt this was the worst movie that he ever did though I think Land of the Minotaur was worse.

Nothing but the Night

3. Nothing but the Night (1973) – “When elderly orphanage caretakers lose their lives through odd suicides and accidents, inspector Charles Bingham (Christopher Lee) and forensics expert Sir Mark Ashley (Peter Cushing) investigate the situation and unravel a diabolical conspiracy involving sadistic cult members. Based on a novel by John Blackburn, this movie masterfully weaves together elements of crime, thriller and horror genres”

Christopher Lee and  Peter Cushing’s performances are the highlight of this somewhat silly story. This film was the first and only film made by Christopher Lee’s production company. This is a must watch for old horror movie buffs as this film is not currently available on DVD in the US.
I, Monster

4. I, Monster (1973) – “Dr. Charles Marlowe (Christopher Lee) is on the verge of a medical breakthrough: He’s devised a drug capable of releasing people’s deepest inhibitions. But when the good doctor uses the drug on himself, he releases something else — a horrifying alter ego named Mr. Blake. With each transformation, Blake becomes more powerful and hideous. Dr. Marlowe is caught in a deadly struggle with himself in this thriller co-starring Peter Cushing“

Hilariously this is simply Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. All the secondary names (such as Cushing’s Utterson) are taken from Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel but they changed the name of the protagonist/antagonist for some reason. Perhaps Amicus felt Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was too old or too often filmed to be profitable. Hammer’s earlier The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (also with Christopher Lee) did not fare well at the box office.