Seriously. Enough already. Can we go a least a month without losing another one of our horror family? Actor Joe Pilato has passed away at the age of 70.
Pilato may have appeared in quite a few films over the years, and he will still probably be best known for his psychotic Capt. Rhodes in George Romero’s Day of the Dead (1985). When you can create a character that not only shines above the incredible special effects in the movie, but makes a character one of those that you love to hate, knowing the payoff of his demise will be epic (which is was), you know you’ve done something right. And it wasn’t just his roles that made him so memorable, but the way he interacted with fans at the conventions. I can’t tell you how many shows I was at where he was a guest, and at some point during the weekend, you would hear him scream “I’M RUNNING THIS MONKEY FARM!”
At least fans will be able to remember him for generations to come while watching this classic film over and over. We salute you, Capt. Rhodes. And our thoughts go out to Joe Pilato’s friends and family during this sad time.
Two weeks in a row now, the world has lost another talented person from the movie industry. And it’s really starting to suck.
At my very first horror convention, back in April of 1988, John Carl Buechler was there. He had brought two of his creations with him, Jason from Friday the 13th Part 7 (1988)and the beast from Cellar Dweller (1986), which you could see from across the room because it was so tall. I still have the black and white still of that creature on it that Buechler graciously signed for me. He was so friendly and approachable. He had worked on so many movies that I devoured in the ’80s, from Ghoulies (1984), Re-Animator (1985), Crawlspace (1986), From Beyond (1986), Dolls (1987), Bride of Re-Animator (1989), to even the more recent Hatchet (2006). I still think the look he created for Jason in the entry, that he even directed, is still the best looking ever created on film.
There has to be something about a person that only appeared in a few genre pictures in her career that spanned almost 70 years, but it was her first genre pic, made 65 years ago, is what she is remembered the most from. Sure, it could be because it was the last great classic monster film from Universal, but Julie Adams appearance in it had something to do with it as well. There was more than the Gill-Man watching Adams in The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), that is for sure. 
Wow. This one stings. Whether you grew up watching the early black and white classics from Roger Corman or the Joe Dante flicks from the ’80s and ’90s, you knew who Dick Miller was. Even if he was in the smallest of parts, when he appeared on screen, it was usually followed by “Hey! It’s Dick Miller!”
If you are a fan of Italian cinema, whether it be westerns, giallo, or horror, then you’ve most likely heard the work of Stelvio Cipriani, who passed away on Monday, October 1st, at the age of 81. With a career that spanned over 50 years, composing scores for over 200 films, he has help make those movies even better with his music.
One of my favorites from Hammer Studios is one of their 1966 “Cornish Horrors”, Plague of the Zombies, made back to back with The Reptile. From the incredible look of the zombies, to the bad-ass villain played by John Carson, to the straight-laced hero played by André Morell, it always delivers the goods, each and every time I watch it. Another one of the reasons is the rest of the stellar cast, including Jacqueline Peace, who plays the doomed Alice. Pearce’s performance gives the viewer such a feeling of dread because we all know what is going to happen to her and we can’t stop it. And then in The Reptile, she gives another performance to draw the audience in with her pathos.
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