PETER CUSHING CENTENNARY

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY PETER CUSHING! 

 

 

Of all the towering talents of horror cinema, there are few ranked higher in my affection and esteem than Peter Cushing.  Perhaps only Boris Karloff and Vincent Price could challenge him.  I cannot even begin to remember where or when I first saw Peter Cushing.  On one of the endless instances I watched horror movies on Dr. Shock or Creature Double Feature probably.  Cushing was, of course, a constant presence in the pages of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine of which I was a frequent reader (when I could find it) and Alan Frank's hardcover MONSTERS AND VAMPIRES also provided me with my first in depth examination of Hammer's Frankenstein and Dracula series.  All I know is that Peter Cushing was a beloved friend well before seeing him in STAR WARS at the age of eleven.  The "Gentle Man of Horror" was a peerless actor who never gave a bad performance.  He never phone it in just because he was appearing in a less-than-stellar production; in fact, he often shined and made a grade-Z film watchable.  He had a boundless sense of humour and was infamous in his use of props during a scene; it seemed like he could pick up anything and make a memorable routine with it.  His contribution to the history of cinema and horror films in particular is rich and full.  And here are some of the reasons (from my vault) why I love and revere him:

• THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
• THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN  (1957)
• HORROR OF DRACULA  (1958)
• THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN  (1958)
• THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES  (1959)
• THE MUMMY  (1959)
• THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS aka THE FIENDISH GHOULS aka MANIA (1960)
• THE BRIDES OF DRACULA  (1960)
• THE RISK  (1960)
• THE HELLFIRE CLUB  (1961)
• CASH ON DEMAND  (1962)
• NIGHT CREATURES aka CAPTAIN CLEGG  (1962)
• THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN  (1964)
• THE GORGON  (1964)
• DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS  (1965)
• SHE  (1965)
• THE SKULL  (1965)
• DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS  (1965)
• ISLAND OF TERROR  (1966)
• DALEKS INVASION EARTH:  2150 A.D.  (1966)
• FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN  (1967)
• THE AVENGERS - "RETURN OF THE CYBERNAUTS"  (1967)
• TORTURE GARDEN  (1967)
• THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR  (1968)
• SHERLOCK HOLMES (TV Series)  (1968)
• FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED  (1969)
• SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN  (1970)
• BLOODSUCKERS  (1970)
• THE VAMPIRE LOVERS  (1970)
• THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD  (1971)
• TWINS OF EVIL  (1971)
• TALES FROM THE CRYPT  (1972)
• DRACULA A.D. 1972  (1972)
• ASYLUM  (1972)
• DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN  (1972)
• HORROR EXPRESS  (1972)
• THE CREEPING FLESH  (1973)
• ...AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS  (1973)
• FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL  (1973)
• THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA  (1973)
• FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE  (1974)
• MADHOUSE  (1974)
• THE BEAST MUST DIE  (1974)
• LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES  (1974)
• THE GHOUL  (1975)
• SPACE:  1999 - "MISSING LINK"  (1976)
• STAR WARS  (1977)
• SHOCK WAVES  (1977)
• HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR - "THE SILENT SCREAM"  (1980)
• HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS  (1983)
• TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED - "THE VORPAL BLADE"  (1983)
• FLESH AND BLOOD:  THE HAMMER HERITAGE OF HORROR  (1994)