Category Archives: Rest in Peace

To highlight those that we have lost, that have made an impact to this genre we love so much. They may be gone, but will never be forgotten.

Alex Rocco – Rest in Peace

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alexrocco-ripI had planned on mentioning this when I first heard but missed out. But wanted to make sure I got it up here at some point. Ten days ago, on July 18th, we lost a great character actor with the passing of Alex Rocco. The man played in a million things, in both movies and television, and was always a treat to see. In the horror genre, you could spot him in films like Blood Mania (1970), Stanley (1972), The Entity (1982), or even Return to Horror High (1987).

Sure, most people know him from the role of Moe Green in The Godfather, taking one in the eye, but I have to say one of my favorites of his roles was that of a the caring and devoted father in The Lady in White (1988). This is one of my favorite ghost story flicks and is pretty much a perfect film and Rocco is great here, as is everyone else. So I know that for me, he will be remembered with each viewing of this film.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Irwin Keyes – Rest in Peace

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irwinkeyes-ripI meant to post this earlier but was sidetracked a little with that thing called life. But I wanted to make sure that I mention the passing of character actor Irwin Keyes. Yes, most of us horror fans know him from his character of Revelli in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses, but just looking has his resume you’ll realize the amount of work this man has done. He had small parts in a ton of films, such as in the original Friday the 13th. A constimate character actor, Keyes was one of those people that could only have a bit part in a film, maybe a scene or two, but was always memorable. Because of his look, he tended to play vilians or henchman, but like a lot of actors playing the monsters, it was completely opposite of what Keyes was like in real life. According to talent manager Travis Engle, “He was the nicest guy who played some of the meanest characters. In show business, it is very rare to meet someone as kind and gentle as Irwin was.”

Keyes passed away last Wednesday from complications of acromegaly. He was 63 years old. Our thoughts out to his friends and family.

James Horner – Rest in Peace

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jameshorner-ripFilm fans have lost a great composer this week. James Horner died in a single-engine plane that crash while he was flying, yesterday morning. He was only 61 years old. I’ve been a fan of Horner’s work long before I knew who he was. He started out working on low budget and films that are now considered cult films, but are ones that I still hold dear to my heart. Films like Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Wolfen (1981), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), and especially Aliens (1986), which he received his first of many Oscar nominations for best score. He would be nominated a total of nine times, winning twice.

His music always helped infuse a real feeling into the film. While the film Braveheart isn’t a film I would normally talk about on this site, Horner’s score is just incredible. I can’t listen to the ending of that without having my heart slowly ripped from my chest. It immediately brings back the images and feeling from the film and it is as if I’m watching it all over again, just by hearing his beautiful score. This shows the power that Horner and his music could create. He was quoted as saying this about his music: “I’m different from some other composers because I don’t look at this as just a job. I see music as art.”

Thankfully we will be able to remember this incredible talent and the passion that he gave millions of film and film music fans around the world. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family.

Rest in Peace – Christopher Lee

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christopherlee-ripThe news of the passing of Christopher Lee today is truly an end of an era. He really was the last of the great icons of horror, following the likes of Lugosi, Karloff, Chaney Jr., Cushing, Price, and Carradine. Lee worked very hard to stay away from being pigeon-holed just as a horror actor, and did an amazing job of it too, appearing in close to 300 films and television appearances in a career that spanned almost seven decades. From playing Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, as Count Dooku in the Star Wars films, or the wizard Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, not to mention countless other amazing performances he gave us, he was always a joy to watch. With such a screen presence, he brought his characters to life and always made them memorable.

When he played Dracula for Hammer, he was no longer some foreign aristocrat, but a dominating and powerful presence, one that he gave off in all of his roles. He was the one that made the mummy scary again, when he played the tormented Kharis in Hammer’s 1959 remake. So many roles in so many movies, he gave us horror fans hours upon hours of entertainment. He has now joined the rest of those icons of horror in another place. And like those before him, he will never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace, Sir Christopher.

Rest in Peace – Richard Johnson

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richardjohnson-ripThe 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

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betsypalmer-rip2This 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

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TomTowles-ripThere 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.