You couldn’t have been a horror fan that grew up in the late ’60s and early ’70s and not know the music of Bob Cobert. With the amount of work that writer/director/producer Dan Curtis was kicking out during that time, Cobert was right there through almost all of it, creating some incredible and memorable scores. Sadly, we heard the news that Mr. Cobert passed away back on Feb. 19th from pneumonia. He was 95.
My personal favorite has always been the theme he did for The Night Stalker (1972), but there are also so many other great ones, such as Dark Shadows, both the series and the two films. He pretty much worked on almost all of Curtis’ productions, which earned him a Grammy nomination for his composition Quentin’s Theme from Dark Shadows series and a Emmy nomination for his work on Curtis’ epic miniseries War and Remembrance (1988-89).
For a composer to create a theme that is remembered as much a the movie or series itself is a high compliment for any musician. Cobert seemed to do it over and over again. He may have left his planet, but he has left us hours and hours of fantastic music that we can listen to over and over, bringing those images back in our brains again and again.
Our thoughts go out to his friends and family in this difficult time. Rest in Peace, Maestro.
The genre has lost another icon with the passing of Brazilian actor, writer, director, producer, José Mojica Marins, better known to fans as Zé do Caixão, aka Coffin Joe. He was another filmmaker breaking ground, making movies that were not the most welcomed in his own home, but he continued on, making the kind that he wanted to make. While he started making films as early as 1950, it wasn’t until 1964 with the release of À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma (At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul) that he found the role that would stay with him until he died, that of the devious Coffin Joe. Thankfully, a good number of his films have been made available though various companies, especially Something Weird Video.
She may have been an evil of a character in the movies, but in real life, she was an ordained, non-denominational minister in Las Vegas, where, along with her husband, Howard Maurer, would get couples traveling from all over the world to be married by the one and only Ilsa! Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of the Ilsa movies, which are not my particular cup of tea. But I’ve had the occasions to meet her a couple of times at the different Cinema Wasteland shows and she is another one of these actors that creates one of the most terrible of characters, but is total opposite of what they are like in real life. The photo to the right here was taken at her last Wasteland appearance, after she stopped by our table and chatted with me for more than a few minutes. When the conversation was done, she insisted that we take picture together. Such a sweet soul, kind and generous with her time with her fans, that it was so cool to have a chat with her. And she really did seem to love meeting her fans.
Javier Aguirre is not a familiar names with most fans here in the US, mainly because he worked in Spain. But there are a couple of films that he directed that star Paul Naschy that you might be familiar with, Count Dracula’s Great Love and Hunchback of the Morgue, both in 1973. Aguirre has passed away at the age of 84 after a long illness. He was married to actress Esperanza Roy, who Spanish horror fans will remember from the second entry in the Blind Dead films, El ataque de los muertos sin ojos aka Return of the Evil Dead and Una vela para el diablo aka It Happened at Nightmare Inn, also both from 1973.
Growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s, it was pretty easy to know who Michael J. Pollard was. We might not of known his name, but we definitely remembered that face. Whether it was from his appearance in the original Star Trek series or Lost in Space (both in 1966), or his role in the famous Bonnie and Clyde (1967). But he had a face and voice that was always memorable. Later in the ’80s and ’90s, you’d see him in everything from comedies, action films, dramas, and everything in between. In the horror genre, there’s American Gothic (1987), Sleepaway Camp III (1989), or as the rat catcher in Split Second (1992). Of course, of later day fans, he was one of the best parts in the opening of Rob Zombie’s debut, House of 1000 Corpses (2003).
Carol Lynley is another one of those actors that didn’t make a ton of appearances in the horror genre, but when she did, she was always memorable. I think my first memory of her was playing Darren McGavin’s girlfriend in The Night Stalker movie. She made other horror titles like Beware! The Blob (1972), the remake of The Cat and the Canary (1978), and even showing up in Howling VI: The Freaks (1991). Years later, I would discover her in the much sought after The Shuttered Room (1967) as well as Bunny Lake is Missing (1965). She passed away on Sept. 3rd from a heart attack. 
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