Rest in Peace – Richard Johnson

June 6, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Richard Johnson, The Haunting, Zombie | 2 Comments

The horror genre has lost an iconic figure today. Sure, this man might not have been as prolific as actors like Peter Cushing or Vincent Price, but the horror few roles that he did appear in, he made quite an impact. At least for me, he did. We are saddened to announce the passing of actor Richard Johnson, at the age of 87. Starting his career as a stage actor, touring with John Gielgud’s repertory once he got out of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, he made quite a name for himself on the stage.

But of course, for us horror fans, he will always be remembered for two characters that he played, both being doctors, but each investigating a very different malady. In 1963, Robert Wise adapted Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House for the film version simple entitled The Haunting. Richard Johnson starred as Dr. Markway, a budding parapsychologist who is tryinig to investigate the dreaded Hill House, where the living don’t seem to be welcomed there. Appearing along side other theater greats like Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, and Russ Tamblyn, this 50+ year old film is still one of the most effective and scariest haunted house films ever made. Of course the 2nd film is appearing as Dr. Menard, who is frantically trying to discover the cause of the zombie outbreak on the small island of Matul, in Lucio Fulci’s Zombie. Even with the outrageousness of the film, Johnson still gave a serious and compelling performance.

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Rest in Peace – Betsy Palmer

May 31, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Betsy Palmer, Friday the 13th | 1 Comment

This weekend, we lost one of the nicest people from our horror family. Known as the mother of Jason Voorhees, actress Betsy Palmer passed away on Friday from natural causes at a hospice care center in Connecticut. While she was obviously known because of her role in Friday the 13th, she had a huge career way before that film ever was an idea. She worked alongside the greats, like Henry Fonda, Tyrone Power, Maureen O’Hara, Anthony Perkins, and even Joan Crawford.

For a while, she was a regular on the convention circuit and I had the pleasure of meeting her several times over the years. In fact, one show here in Chicago, here table was right by mine so we got to chat quite a bit over the weekend. Plus, during one of the evenings, I had the honor of driving her, along with some of the other Friday cast to the Music Box Theatre for a Q&A and screening of the film. Driving into the city in the Chicago traffic on a Saturday night is always a challenge, but to have Betsy Palmer sitting in the passenger seat, telling stories, often with the language of a drunken sailor,and keep my eyes on the road, was definitely harder to do. She was one of the most down to earth and kindest person I’ve met in 25+ years of going to conventions. She always showed her fans respect.

While I was waiting by her table at one show to just say hello to her, a fan of hers asked her if she has any regrets of being remembered from this low budget slasher movie. She mentioned that she had been friends with Boris Karloff many years ago, and he never minded being still known for playing the creature in Frankenstein and “if it was good enough for him, then it’s good enough for me!” That was the kind of person she was. She loved her fans as much as they loved her. Her charm and sharp wit will definitely be missed at the shows.

Rest in Peace, Besty. We all love you. You will be remembered and never forgotten.

Rest in Peace: Tom Towles

April 6, 2015 by Jon Kitley in Rest in Peace and tagged Tom Towles | Leave a comment

There are very few movies these days that actually scare me. In fact, it has been that way for a long time. Sure, it could because I’ve seen so many, but also because in my head, I know it is just a movie. But when I watched Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) the first time, that scared me. And one of the reasons was due to the performance of Micahael Rooker in the title role, and Tom Towles as his sadistic sidekick Otis. His performance was so real and downright frightening. Later Towles would appear in several other horror films, such as Tom Savini’s remake of Night of the Living Dead, taking on the role of the stubborn minded Harry Cooper, making this character his own. He also appeared in all of Rob Zombie’s film, really making himself a staple in the genre. He also would make the rounds of the conventions, getting the chance to meet his fans. I have to say that Towles was one of those figures that could chill your bones just with a stare. But when he smiled and said hello to you, all of that boogeyman persona just melted away. I was lucky enough to meet him a couple times over the years and it was an honor to meet him.

But unfortunately, the reason for this post is the news of his passing last Thursday, April 2nd. It seems that he suffered a stroke a few days before and had been in the hospital since then. The horror genre has lost a memorable figure this month and he will be missed. Rest in Peace, Mr. Towles.