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.

Damien Thomas – Rest in Peace

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One of my all-time favorite Hammer Films is Twins of Evil (1971), and one of those reasons was the highly memorable villain Count Karnstein, played wonderfully by Damien Thomas. He seemed to just revel is playing this character and just makes the film so much more enjoyable. Sadly, we have heard the news that he has recently passed away.

He didn’t appear too much in the horror genre over the years, but was always a treat to see no matter what he was in. He is one of the many reasons that Hammer Films still are remembered and cherished today.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. Gone, but never forgotten.

Clive Revill – Rest in Peace

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Actor Clive Revill has passed away earlier this month, at the age of 94. While he has appeared in a few horror films in his long career, such as The Headless Ghost (1959), Bunny Lake is Missing (1965), and even C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989), he did appear in a film that think is one of the greatest haunted house movies ever made. While it doesn’t top Robert Wise’s The Haunting (1963), John Hough’s 1973 film The Legend of Hell House, based on the novel from Richard Matheson, comes damn close. Revill played the condescending Dr. Barrett, so sure of himself that he doesn’t even entertain any notion or idea that disagrees with his theories. Working alongside Roddy McDowall and Pamela Franklin, they create such tension between their characters, even though they all have the same goal. But it is their performances that make the film so special. And Revill was very much a part of that.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time. But I know that, like the ghosts wandering around the Belasco House, he will live on in his wonderful performances that he left us. In Hell House, as well as the countless others in his 200 appearances. Rest in Peace.

Jay Warren – Rest in Peace

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If any of you have gone to see a silent movie with a live organ accompaniment in Chicago in the last couple of decades, chances are it was Jay Warren playing the organ. I can’t tell you how many screenings that I have been to, which always amazed me. Most of the time, I would completely forget that someone was down there playing the music, just thinking it was in the actual soundtrack. That’s how good Warren was. But unfortunately, it was in the news that Warren had passed away last Sunday at the age of 74.

Warren’s real name was Dennis Wolkowicz but used the stage name because it was easier for people to say than his real name! He was the founder of the Silent Film Society of Chicago and first performed at what used to be the Gateway Theater, located on Lawrence, which he managed for almost two decades. He’s played all over the Midwest, and especially in the Chicagoland theaters, from the Portage to the Music Box. His talent will be greatly missed.

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Tony Isbert – Rest in Peace

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I missed this when it was announced by a few people online but wanted to make sure I mention it here, because while he might not be a famous name amongst some of fans, he appeared in a ton of great films, so it needs to be mentioned and remembered. Tony Isbert was a Spanish actor who appeared in close to 100 films, shorts, and TV appearances in his career that spanned almost 50 years. He passed away on Feb. 19th, at the age of 75.

His first appearance, though uncredited, was in an episode of Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’ TV anthology series, Historias para no dormir in 1966. But he would also go on to appear in Riccardo Freda’s Tragic Ceremony (1972), the Spanish giallo No One Heard the Scream (1973), León Klimovsky’s The Dracula Saga (1973), John Gilling’s Cross of the Devil (1975), and even worked with Paul Naschy in Secuestro (1976) and Inquisition (1977). Later in he would appear in José Ramón Larraz’s Rest in Pieces (1987) and Juan Piquer Simón’s The Rift (1990). So, while you might not recognize the name, I’m sure you know at least some of these films.

As I always say, because of the films that he did appear in, many of which have been released on wonderful Blu-rays, we will always be able to remember this fine talented man and the work that he put out. Never to be forgotten. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Peter Jason – Rest in Peace

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Peter Jason is one of those actors that you might not know the name, but you know the face. Director John Carpenter, who worked with Jason in 7 of his films, such as Prince of Darkness (1987) and In the Mouth of Madness (1994), called him “one of the great character actors in cinema.” With well over 250 screen and TV credits, Jason appeared in just about everything and every kind of genres. His first role was in Howard Hawks’ last film, Rio Lobo (1970). One of my favorites of his work, even though the overall picture isn’t that great, is the 1982 film Treat or Treats, where he plays someone who’s a bit crazy.

But no matter what he was in, he was always on spot and always entertaining, whether he was trying to be funny, or sometimes scary. Jason passed away yesterday at the age of 80 years old. But he has left us hundreds and hundreds of hours of entertainment that we can watch and remember this incredibly talented man. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

Anthony Dileo Jr. – Rest in Peace

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Another lost for fans of George Romero’s Dead films. Anthony Dileo, who played Miguel Salazar in Day of the Dead (1985), the stress-ridden private who isn’t handling the zombie invasion too well, has passed away. I had the honor of meeting him at a couple of cons over the years and he was always so excited to meet fans of the film. While it is great to have been a fan for so long, it is also getting harder to hear of all the passings of the great talent from films that I grew up watching over the years. The only glimmer of positivity in that is that they will constantly be remembered, each and every time one of their films are played.

Dileo had a small role in Romero’s 1981 film Knightriders and would have small roles in a couple of other Romero projects, such as Monkey Shines (1988), Two Evil Eyes (1990), and even as an uncredited zombie in Tom Savini’s Night of the Living Dead (1990).

Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this very difficult time. Gone, but never forgotten.

Horst Janson – Rest in Peace

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This might not be a name you’ll recognize right away, but if you’re a Hammer fan, then you know him better as Captain Kronos, from the 1974 film Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. It was announced today that Horst had passed away at the age of 89. While he’s really only known in the horror genre due to his one entry with Hammer, he definitely made a big enough impact for us horror fans. It’s just a damn shame that series didn’t take off because that would have been amazing to see Horst continue that character in several more films. But that doesn’t mean Horst didn’t work much, with 168 appearances in film and television in a career that spanned over six decades, even appearing several times on the German version of Sesame Street!

But even with that one entry in our genre, we know that Horst will live on as one of our favorite vampire hunters, and each time we bust out that title to watch again, we will remember Horst and the fine work he did in it. Gone, but he will live on! Our thoughts go out to his friends and family during this difficult time.

David Lynch & Jeannot Szwarc – Rest in Peace

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Sorry for the lack of updates this last week, but I didn’t get Covid again, just very busy. But with these two bits of news today, I knew I had to post something.

Probably making more of the headlines is the passing of director David Lynch. While I’ve never been a huge fan of his work, he is a filmmaker that I have a lot of respect for. It’s not often when a director can make the kind of impact throughout his entire career, as Lynch did. I remember seeing Eraserhead (1977) for the first time and couldn’t remember the last time a film hit me like that one did. Definitely didn’t walk away with a bunch of warm and fuzzy feelings, that is for sure. But what a punch! I do remember seeing The Elephant Man (1980) and though tragic, I really enjoyed it. Then in the ’80s, renting Blue Velvet (1986) and watching it with my future wife and her mom . . . very interesting! But it is a sad day for cult fans because there aren’t too many people like Lynch. His voice will be missed.

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2024 Year Review: Never to Forget

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2024 was a particularly rough year for me on a personal level with the losses we suffered. We have listed the celebrities that we have lost over the last 12 months, that had some connection to the horror genre, like we always do. Thankfully their work always makes it easier to keep them alive for future generations. But there were a couple of people in my personal life that left us that really left a hole in my dark and twisted heart. I posted about them when they first passed, so there is no need to go into any major detail now. But I just wanted to say that for those that aren’t left immortalized in film, it is up to us, their friends and families, to keep their memories alive. I know every time I go to a convention, Halloween Party, or even just a movie night, I’ll remember the excitement of my cousin Brett Baish going to shows with me, and all the support and great conversations with my dear friend Kristin Wicks. They left us way too soon.

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Olivia Hussey – Rest in Peace

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There are icons in the horror genre sometimes for the amount of work they do. But then there are others that make such an impact in one film, that they are forever connected to that. Actress Olivia Hussey is just that, starring in the 1974 film Black Christmas, the truly first slasher film. But it was announced yesterday that she had passed away yesterday, at the age of 73.

She was first catapulted into stardom with her appearance in Romeo and Juliet (1968), but it was in Bob Clark’s holiday horror film where most fans will know her from. She did have a few appearances in the genre, such as in It (1990), playing Mamma Bates in Mick Garris’ Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990), and even with Clint Howard in Ice Cream Man (1995).

Our thoughts go out to her friends and family during this most difficult time. But she will live on in the incredible performances that she left us with. Rest in Peace.