Being a huge fan of Hammer films, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to meet quite a few stars, directors, and others that worked for the famous studio. But there are still countless more than I haven’t. And with each year, we lose another face that brought us thrills, chills, and smiles to our faces. The Collinson twins from Twins of Evil (1971) were two that I had always hoped I would have the chance to meet. Madeleine Collinson had passed away in 2014, and now we’ve learned that her sister Mary has passed away today, at age of 69.

While some critics would say that Hammer was losing hold of their crown on their horror throne in the early ’70s but I would argue that some of those titles are the best in their filmography. And Twins is one of them. One, or should I say two, of those reasons are the titular twins, Mary and Madeleine Collinson. I don’t care if they were dubbed and might not have been considered the greatest actresses, I think they helped make that movie shine as much as it does. Sure, the exposed flesh didn’t hurt, but I think they did a pretty decent job in conveying the two sides of good and evil within the two sisters, Frieda & Maria.

Born in Malta, the twins moved to the UK in 1969, quickly gaining attention for their looks. Within a year, they were featured in Playboy magazine, in Oct. 1970, being the first identical twins in a pictorial for the magazine.

I know their memory will be kept alive by the countless Hammer fans and devotees around the world for generations to come. Rest in Peace, Mary. Our thoughts go out to her friends and family during this difficult time.