We meant to post this earlier this week but time just got away from us. But we hope to make up for it now. While Frank Finlay might have been known for his stage work, as well as plenty of TV work for the BBC, he did appear in enough horror titles that is worth noting.
He first got my attention for his portrayal of Van Helsing in the BBC’s 1977 adaptation of Count Dracula, starring Louis Jourdan as his rival. But even before that, he had appeared in such titles like The Deadly Bees (1966), Twisted Nerve (1968), and Neither the Sea Nor the Sand (1972). But it was his role in Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce that most American fans would recognize him from. While it has it’s issues, it is a much better film that Finlay’s last horror film, in Juan Piquer Simón’s Cthulhu Mansion (1992)!
Another new year, and now another passing of a great icon in the Horror & Sci-Fi genre world. Like many other fans this morning, I woke up reading the news that Angus Scrimm had passed away. Not sure how to even start with this eulogy, since anybody that had ever met Scrimm at one of the many conventions that he appeared at over the years, knew that he was as far opposite as the sinister character he was known for. While he might not have appeared in hundreds of movies, the ones that he did, he always made an impact, even in the smallest of roles. But of course, we all knew him as the evil Tall Man from the Phantasm series, where he really shined. But then seeing this man at a show, such a kind-hearted old gentleman, so happy, excited, and even thrilled, to meet fans of his work, treating each and every one of them with respect and kindness…it always left a strong impact for me to see this, each and every time.
Oscar winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond has passed away at the age of 85. While most of Hollywood know him from his work on films such as Deliverence (1972), The Deer Hunter (1978), The Rose (1979), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Blow Out (1981), we here at the Krypt remember him for his earlier work, on some of the low budget films that we cherish as much as those classic pieces of cinema. Okay…maybe not as much, but we still enjoy them!
The horror genre has lost another legend, even though most fans probably don’t know who Germán Robles ever was. But in fact, he was one the very first movie vampire to ever bare his fangs on screen! That’s right, folks, right before Hammer’s Horror of Dracula was released, a black and white film from Mexico called El Vampiro came out, which featured Robles as the dreaded Count Duval.
