Doc Rotten's Halls of Horror: Michael Ripper, an introduction

Michael Ripper, an introduction

This Halloween season, I’ve been sitting down each weekend with my nine year old daughter to watch the Hammer horror festival on Turner Classic Movies. Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, Curse of Frankenstein, Plague of the Zombies, they’re all here. As we began our third week of flicks to enjoy, my daughter made an enlightening observation; she began to recognize a recurring actor in many of the films we were enjoying. Was it Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing? No, she already knew who they were. The gentleman in question is the fabulous character actor employed in many of Hammer’s movies, Michael Ripper.

As Old Soak in Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

If you don’t recognize the name but have seen many a classic horror flick you probably recognize his face or distinctive voice – he’s the barkeep, the coach driver or perhaps the constable. Michael Ripper made over two dozen films for Hammer, most of which were produced by Anthony Hinds. He wasn’t limited to Hammer Film productions, he also had roles in other horror films of the Sixties and Seventies such as The Deadly Bees (1967), Torture Garden (1967), The Creeping Flesh (1973) and Legend of the Werewolf (1975). When you’re catching your next Hammer horror flick this season (or the next), keep an eye out for Michael Ripper and be delightfully surprised at the variety of roles he portrayed and how much he adds to the picture itself. The actor, born in Portsmouth England in 1913, passed away on June 28, 2000. Here are a few roles to watch out for.

Night Creatures

Night Creatures (1962) as Jeremiah Mipps (coffinmaker)
Michael Ripper appears as Jeremiah Mipps, the coffinmaker, in Peter Graham Scott’s Night Creatures. Calm, cool and collected, Mr. Mipps is the right-hand man to Reverend Dr. (Peter Cushing) Blyss. When cornered by Captain (Patrick Allen) Collier of the Royal Crown (who is investigating suspicions of smuggling), he shares the legend of the marsh phantoms and suggests they were responsible for the sudden death of the Captain’s informant. In an amusing scene, Mipps startles Mr. Rash (Martin Benson) when he pops up from his resting place, one of his own coffins. Loyal to the end, Mr. Mipps rescues Rev. Blyss from Collier’s band of sailors and is rewarded by having Blyss return the favor when the pirate Mulatto attacks by pushing Mipps out of the way and taking the deadly strike in his stead. In a significant role, alongside a large cast, Michael Ripper is afforded some of the more poignant and touching scenes and shows more range than the others except for maybe the lead, Peter Cushing.

The Reptile

The Reptile (1966) as Tom Bailey (Innkeeper)
When Dr. Harry Spalding (Ray Barret) and his wife Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) arrive in Clagmoor Heath, they are greeted warmly by only one of the locals, the innkeeper, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper). Bailey also becomes their closest ally as well as they begin to suspect Dr. Franklyn in the murders that have been plaguing the small village. Spaulding and Bailey work together to uncover the secrets of Anna Franklyn and Tom saves the couple on two occasions: after Harry is bitten by the snake creature and when Valerie is held captive within the Franklyn mansion. In one of the first of a number of films directed by John Gilling and featuring Michael Ripper (they also made The Pirates of Blood River together in 1963), Ripper is given a more substantial role and brings a much needed friendly face and ally to the proceedings.

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Doc Rotten’s Halls of Horror: Seventies Frankenstein Monster

One of the most recognizable movie monsters in horror cinema is the Frankenstein Monster. Beginning with Frankenstein (1910) and, more famously, Frankenstein (1931) from Universal, Mary Shelley’s man-made monster has taken many forms. In 1957, Hammer Films jettisoned the creature into the Technicolor age with Curse of Frankenstein. Throughout the Sixties, Hammer Films would produce a variety of Monsters created by the same Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and Japan unleashes their own version with Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965). As horror in the Seventies struggles to find its way, the Frankenstein Monster makes its way to the screen in no less than thirteen different forms from Hammer’s Horror of Frankenstein in 1970 to Mel Brook’s Young Frankenstein in 1974.

Horror of Frankenstein (1970) played by David Prowse.
In the UK, Hammer decides to reboot their Frankenstein franchise in 1970, replacing Peter Cushing’s Baron with Ralph Bates and Christopher Lee’s creature with David Prowse in Horror of Frankenstein. While Lee’s makeup was original and frightening in 1957, Prowse’s makeup is sparse, reminiscent of the monster in Jesse James meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966). Director Jimmy Sangster relies too heavily on Prowse’s physical presence to elicit fear. While the production values are strong, the script is weak and the monster forgettable.

Assignment Terror (1970) played by Fernando Murolo.
In Spain, Paul Naschy’s Waldermar Daninsky returns in Assignment Terror, a monster mash writen by Naschy and directed by Tulio Demicheli. Michael Rennie, as Dr. Odo Warnoff, is at the center of the fright fest featuring Dracula, the Monster, the Wolfman and the Mummy. Playing like a sci-fi laden spin on the old Universal creature features from the Forties, Assignment Terror’s monster appears very similar to the creature originated by Boris Karloff and makeup man Jack Pierce; however, he has the bushiest eye-brows this side of Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (1979). At least Naschy’s werewolf realizes what a snooze he is and trounces him during the finale.

Santo y Blue Demon contra los Monstruos (1970) played by Manuel Leal.
In Mexico, the world famous wrestlers, Santo and the Blue Demon, are around to save the day and, in 1970, they do battle with a variety of movie monsters in Santo y Blue Demon contra los Monstruos. Again the monster mash features Dracula, the Monster, the Wolfman and the Mummy; this time played for laughs and light-hearted fun. The monster resembles the classic Universal look once again except this time he has a splendid, comical goatee. Never too threatening, this silly entry is easily bashed by Santo and the Blue Demon.

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