Doc Rotten's 666 Revelations: Horror Icons of 1972

In 1972, Peter Cushing appears in a number of horror treats: Tales from the Crypt, Fear in the Night, Asylum and Dracula, AD 1972 with Christopher Lee. Cushing also guest stars with Vincent Price returning as Dr. Anton Phibes in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. In this picture Price goes up against Robert Quarry as Darrus Biederbeck. Quarry also stars as Khorda in Deathmaster. William Marshall creates blaxploitation’s successful twist on the vampire legend in Blacula. Robert Tayman, Anthony “Corlan” Higgins and David Prowse terrorize a small village in Vampire Circus. David Hess represents the worst of humanity as Krug Stillo in Last House on the Left. Cornel Wilde battles the Gargoyles on TV and David Janssen uncovers a mystery in Moon of the Wolf. Joseph Cotton battles Baron Blood for Mario Bava and Paul Naschy returns as Waldemar Daninsky in Fury of the Werewolf. Here are six of these roles that have become Horror Icons of 1972.

WILLIAM MARSHALL as PRINCE MAMUWALDE in BLACULA

With his Shakespearean background, a deep thunderous voice and an ominous presence, William Marshall, as Prince Mamuwalde, delivers one of Seventies’ most memorable vampires, Count Blacula. The actor, the character and the film, Blacula directed by William Crain, far exceeds the limitations of its blaxploitation origins. Marshall treats the material with all the gusto and respect any producer could hope for. Before the ending credits, he sets himself admirably beside Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi and Robert Quarry. Marshall’s  vampire Count is visually threatening, much like a Mr. Hyde to a Dr. Jekyll, his features pronounced with facial hair and makeup. To his credit, Marshall’s Prince Mamuwalde carries himself with confidence and credibility while wearing Victorian attire in the modern settings, bringing much needed nobility to the character. And, as Count Blacula, he is also very capable of bringing the ferocity and power to the vampire with the help of subtle but effective make-up and his booming, commanding voice. William Marshall returns to role in Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973) and plays a priest in the Exorcist-derived Abby (1974).

SAM ELLIOT as PICKETT SMITH in FROGS

Early in his career, Sam Elliot stars in the ecological, animals-run-amok horror flick, Frogs. Lacking his signature mustache and looking incredibly, almost unrecognizably young, Elliot, as Pickett Smith, arrives on a private island and encounters a wealthy family led by the family patriarch Jason Crockett, played by Ray Milland. Soon he finds himself surrounded by mystery, corruption and danger as the local reptile population begins to strike back, killing the inhabitants one by one. Somehow, he must survive the onslaught and rescue his new-found love, Karen Crockett played by Joan Van Ark. A few years earlier, Sam Elliot made his feature film debut in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which also stars his future wife Katherine Ross; however, they would not actually meet until they co-starred together in The Legacy (1979, another of Elliot’s rare horror genre pictures). In the 2000s, after becoming know primarily for Westerns or as Wade Garrett in Road House (1989), Sam Elliot stars in a few super-hero fantasy films, such as Hulk (2002) and Ghost Rider (2007).

DAVID HESS as KRUG STILLO in LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT

Krug Stillo, from the film Last House on the Left, is perhaps one of the most vile antagonists in the Seventies. Played by David Hess, Krug leads a group of escaped convict that brutalize two young friends, Phylis and Mari, in the remote countryside. Hess, with unkempt curly locks and unshaven face, wreaks of evil, lacking all compassion for humankind, even in some cases his own son and companions. Murdering one of the two, Phylis, and leaving the other, Mari, for dead, Stillo and his gang move on to Mari’s home where they begin to size up and terrorize her parents, who must fight for their survival and avenge their daughter’s death. Before filming Last House on the Left, Hess had a career in music writing songs for Elvis Presley, Sal Mineo and the Ames Brothers. David Hess would go on to play roles in House on the Edge of the Park (1980) and Swamp Thing (1982) again with Wes Craven directing.

PETER CUSHING as ARTHUR GRIMSDYKE in TALES FROM THE CRYPT

In Tales from the Crypt, Peter Cushing gets a chance to play the living dead, as Arthur Grimsdyke who rises from the grave to get revenge on the neighbors who wrong him. This role illustrates Peter Cushing’s extraordinary talents, from the visual mannerisms he gives Grimsdye to emotions he effortless breathes into him. Cushing’s Grimsdyke is endearing, innocent, sad, and lost; he loves interacting with the neighborhood children and he deeply misses his deceased wife. He becomes the target of a family of wealthy neighbors who want him out of the neighborhood and possession of his property; they keep Grimsdyke from the children he adores, they take his dogs that bring him comfort and send him spiteful Valentine's Day cards. When he receives the demeaning greeting cards, it is difficult not to feel Grimsdyke’s heart break, from the crackle in his voice, to the wimper in his lips and the sadness in his eyes. It is arguably the strongest single performance in all of Amicus’ anthology films and one of Peter Cushing’s most touching. Then he gets to portray a zombie, a first for his career, rising from his grave is haunting splendor with visuals that are as memorable as the performance already praised.

ANTHONY “CORLAN” HIGGINS as EMIL in VAMPIRE CIRCUS

Cast as Emil in Hammer’s Vampire Circus, Anthony Corlan, later known as Anthony Higgins, was poised to give a break-out performance. But it did not happen, perhaps due to an overcrowded cast and an over-ambitious script or perhaps due to timing. At this time, Hammer films’ output and quality begins to decline and public tastes begin to move toward more sensational, modern and visceral horrors such as Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), Carrie (1976) and Dawn of the Dead (1978). Like many of the horror-stars-to-be at that time, becoming a horror icon is not in the cards. He does, however, have a successful career on stage, TV and screen in UK, becoming one of the few actors to play both Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarity. In Vampire Circus, he is given very few lines but strikes a handsome and memorable vampire. Higgin’s Emil foreshadows the vampires of present day cinema, young, handsome, quiet and deceptively dangerous. In this very film, Count Mitterhaus represents the Victorian upper class vampire given birth by Bram Stoker, while Emil represents the lower class vampire that can easily hide among humanity.

ROBERT QUARRY as KHORDA in DEATHMASTER

Robert Quarry rose to fame playing Count Yorga in Count Yorga, Vampire and Return of Count Yorga. In 1972, he plays another unique vampire character, Khorda, in Deathmaster for director Ray Danton, costarring Bobby Picket who recorded the Halloween hit, Monster Mash. For Deathmaster, Quarry dons long hair and sports groovy attire to become a Guru for a hippie commune. It’s a very interesting and entertaining twist on the vampire myth and a very progressive placement of the legend into modern culture, much more so than previous attempts to update vampires such as Count Yorga, Vampire, Blacula and Dracula AD, 1972. Unlike Dracula and even Yorga, Khorda cannot be accused of wearing outdated Victorian clothes; this vampire attempts to blend in to his surroundings, wearing modern clothes, becoming the leader of the commune he has targeted and feeds upon. Robert Quarry continues to fill horror roles throughout the Seventies, including Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1973), Madhouse (1974) and Sugar Hill (1974).

Doc Rotten's 666 Revelations: Horror Icons of 1971

The early Seventies, the second wave of horror legends are in full swing: Cushing, Lee and Price. In 1971, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee star in The House That Dripped Blood and I, Monster for Amicus and Cushing also appears in Twins of Evil for Hammer films. Vincent Price creates his most famous role for his 100th picture, The Abominable Dr. Phibes. Newer stars return to the screen as well; Paul Naschy returns as Waldermar Daninsky in Werewolf Shadow and Robert Quarry reprises his vampire role in Return of Count Yorga. Bruce Davidson and Ernest Borgnine face rats in Willard, the legendary Charlton Heston faces vampire mutants in The Omega Man and Malcolm McDowell becomes Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange. Andrew Keir (Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb), Nigel Green (Countess Dracula), Ralph Bates (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde), Eric Porter (Hands of the Ripper) and Mike Raven (Twins of Evil) star in the numerous Hammer horror films this year alone. On TV, Darren McGavin creates a legend, Karl Kolchak, the Night Stalker, and Dennis Weaver faces a killer tractor-trailer in Stephen Spielberg’s Duel. Here are six of these talented actors who are the Horror Icons of 1971.

VINCENT PRICE as DR. ANTON PHIBES in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES

After spending most of the Sixties playing various roles in adaptations of the works Edgar Allen Poe (House of Usher in 1960, Pit and the Pendulum in 1961 and The Tomb of Ligeia in 1964 among others) and becoming a horror icon to rival Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Vincent Price teams up with director Robert Fuest to create the imaginative, charming and villainous Dr. Anton Phibes. Visually, the horror beneath the mask would appear much like Prof. Henry Jerrod in one of Price’s earliest horror films, The House of Wax (1953); however, here, his face is even more skull-like, lacking lips, a nose and ears. Ironically, the character of Phibes would not utilize Vincent Price’s most recognizable trait: his voice. Much like Boris Karloff, Vincent Price can frighten the weak of heart with just narration (The Raven) or an evil laugh (Thriller); but, in the Phibes movies, he is forces to speak through a voice-box device that muffles and disguises his true voice. Still, a testament to his charismatic presence, Price makes Phibes an entertaining and memorable character as he masterminds elaborate traps to capture, torture and dispatch the doctors he holds responsible for the death of his wife. Vincent Price returns as Dr. Anton Phibes in Dr. Phibes Rises Again in 1972, facing off against Robert Quarry.

DARREN MCGAVIN as CARL KOLCHAK in THE NIGHT STALKER

Known more for comedic roles, No Deposit, No Return (1974), Hot Lead, Cold Feet (1978) and A Christmas Story (1981), Darren McGavin teams up with producer Dan Curtis and writer Richard Matheson to create one of televisions premiere monster hunters and horror iconic characters, Carl Kolchak, the Night Stalker. Kolchak, an abrasive newspaper reporter, believes a recent string of murders in Las Vegas were committed by a European vampire. Darren McGavin returns as Kolchak in The Night Strangler in 1973 followed by the television series Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975). The series would influence television horror for decades, X-Files and Supernatural both incorporate key elements in their serial plot structures.

CHARLTON HESTON as ROBERT NEVILLE in THE OMEGA MAN

From 1968 with Planet of the Apes throughout the Seventies, Charlton Heston starred in a number of genre-related sci-fi, disaster flicks: Soylent Green (1973), Earthquake (1974), Airport 1975 (1974) and The Awakening (1980). In 1971, he brought Richard Matheson’s Robert Neville to the screen for The Omega Man, a version of I Am Legend. In the post-apocalyptic world, Heston’s Neville faces the threat of mutated vampire-like survivors; he’s a man on the edge of sanity trying desperately to find a cure to the horror all around him. His larger-than-life persona goes a long way in giving Neville the presence needed to convey the solitude and magnitude of the situation. Much like Planet of the Apes, he carries much of the picture by himself, facing the surrounding threats alone until finally teaming up with others in similar despair.

MALCOLM MCDOWELL as ALEX DELARGE in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

Directed by Stanley Kubrick in A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell would rise to stardom and horrify audiences as the ultra-violent UK youth, Alex DeLarge. It is a career defining role and screen persona that reaches cinema lexicon still today. Whether it be the chorus of “Singing in the Rain” or the indelible fashion statement, the passion for milk laced with narcotics or the histrionic reactions to the experimental and shocking treatments Alex receives in prison, Alex’s journey is filled with tragic, frightening, and disturbing visuals many in 1971 were unprepared for. Malcolm McDowell reinvents the psychotic protagonist for many generations to come.

ERIC PORTER as DR. JOHN PRITCHARD in HANDS OF THE RIPPER

In Hammer’s Jack the Ripper horror outing, Hands of the Ripper, Eric Porter plays Dr. John Pritchard. Set 15 years after the infamous Ripper killings, Jack the Ripper’s daughter may be possessed by the killer’s spirit and begins to rack up her own murderous body count. Noted psychiatrist, Dr. John Pritchard believes he can cure the young lass. He soon find he regrets that decision. As with many horror scripts in the early Seventies, Hammer twists the plot to make the female the villain (much like Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde). Eric Porter as the protagonist almost becomes secondary to the plot, but that doesn’t stop the respected Shakespearean actor from adding class to the role and the movie. He would only star in a few genre flicks, both for Hammer films, this and The Lost Continent (1968). He later stars as Professor Moriarty in BBC’s Sherlock Holmes in 1985.


DENNIS WEAVER as DAVID MANN in DUEL

As David Mann in Stephen Spielberg's Duel, Dennis Weaver is the everyman, unsure of his future, struggling to rise to the occasion and lacking the confidence to deal with the challenges ahead of him, large or small. However, when confronted with a mysterious and menacing tractor-trailer on a lonely two-lane highway, he eventually musters the courage and strength to confront the threats before him. In the face of danger and possible death, he becomes the man he wasn’t sure he could be. Duel would be one of the very rare genre roles for Dennis Weaver, who is best known as Sam McCloud on the McCloud television series.

Doc Rotten's 666 Revelations: Horror Icons of 1970

In 1970, the horror icons of the sixties were firmly in place and getting prime roles, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price. Horror studios, however, were hungry to find eager young stars to take their place. Some would be successful (Robert Quarry) and most would make little (but not unimportant) impact on horror history (Ralph Bates). Even TV horror stars (Jonathan Frid) would get an opportunity to shine. Below are six of the horror icon male performances of 1970.

ROBERT QUARRY as COUNT YORGA in COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE

Count Yorga is Robert Quarry's breakout role, the drive-in hit would establish him as a horror icon and AIP would begin to steer him to replace Vincent Price in their string of horror hits. An overnight success after working in the business for over twenty years. Quarry's performance as Yorga would lay the foundation for the modern vampire. No longer trapped in Victorian England, his vampire could walk the walk and talk the talk of 1970's Los Angeles. He was perfect for the role. He would follow the role up with The Return of Count Yorga (1971), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972), Deathmaster (1972), Madhouse (1974) and Sugar Hill (1974). AIP's plans for his rise to stardom would fall apart in the late 70's and Quarry would never get his chance to shine. He would quietly disappear from acting in the early 80's, but would return by 1990. He would star in low budget horror fare such as Evil Spirits (1990), Teenage Exorcist (1991) and Evil Toons (voice 1992), mostly for director Fred Olen Ray.

RALPH BATES as VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN in HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN

Throughout the Sixties Hammer had been capitalizing on the horror icon status of it principal stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. During the Seventies, they would try to forge new stars with younger casts. Ralph Bates found himself as one of those stars-to-be. In 1970, they cast him as Lord Countley in Taste the Blood of Dracula (opposite Christopher Lee) and as Victor Frankenstein in Horror of Frankenstein, an attempt to reboot their successful Frankenstein series. With Horror of Frankenstein, he was obviously positioned to be the replacement for Peter Cushing and was even photographed with the legend on the film's Elstree set with Cushing 'handing over' the title role. The film did not perform as well as Hammer had hoped and Bates star never quite reached icon status. However, he would continue to star in Hammer films such as Lust for a Vampire (1971), Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) and Fear in the Night (1972).

DAVID PROWSE as THE MONSTER in HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN

As much as Ralph Bates was designed to replace Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein in Horror of Frankenstein, David Prowse was set to step into the shoes of Christopher Lee as the monster. Cast primarily on his muscular build and physical presence, he certainly looks the part. The special effects artists and designers for Horror of Frankenstein would not create an indelible creature design as Christopher Lee received for The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and would find himself struggling to leave a mark on the role. Threatening only in size and strength, Prowse's monster lacks the repulsion and terror necessary to frighten audiences. David Prowse would continue to make films for Hammer studios in movies like Vampire Circus and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, neither of which would give him any lines of dialog. In 1977, he would rise to international fame portraying the greatest villain in film history, Darth Vader in Star Wars, even if the character was not voiced by Prowse himself (instead voiced by James Earl Jones).

JONATHAN FRID as BARNABAS COLLINS in HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS

Jonathan Frid would rise to fame portraying Barnabas Collins on the gothic cult television soap opera Dark Shadows beginning in the mid-sixties. In 1970, he would bring the role to the screen with House of Dark Shadows directed by the show's creator, Dan Curtis. The feature's story focuses on Barnabas' story alone and his persuit of a cure with the help of Doctor Juila Hoffman. A cure is found, but it only works for a short while. In one scene, Barnabas is aged to 175 and Frid wears the same makeup created by Dick Smith and worn by Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man earlier that same year. By 1971, times would change and the TV series would get canceled. When a sequel to House of Dark Shadows is filmed, Barnabas is nowhere to be found, replaced by Quentin Collins (David Shelby). Following House of Dark Shadows, Jonathan Frid would act primarily in theater but would get the opportunity to star opposite Shelly Winters in the TV movie of the week The Devil's Daughter (1973) directed by Jeannot (Bug and Jaws 2) Szwarc and to star in Oliver Stone's first feature film, Seizure (1974).

CHRISTOPHER LEE as COUNT DRACULA in TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA

1970 was a busy year for Christopher Lee, who would star in no less than 10 motion pictures, most of which would be horror films. Remarkably, the man many still consider the Count Dracula would star as the vampire king in three different releases: Taste the Blood of Dracula and Scars of Dracula for Hammer studios and Count Dracula for Jesus Franco. Frustrated with Hammer's take on Dracula he stars in Franco's attempt at a "faithful" interpretation of the Bram Stoker classic. In Scars of Dracula, Dracula was presented in a more heinous light, more cruel and sadistic that previous Hammer films. Taste the Blood of Dracula would be the last "classic" Hammer Dracula portrayal to the screen. After Scars of Dracula, Hammer would bring the vampire to the present to compete with Count Yorga and other modern vampires with Dracula A.D. 1972. Hammer quickly follows it up with The Satanic Rites of Dracula, with the Count still set firmly in the present and still facing his enemy Van Helsing (or at least Van Helsing's decedents). Lee would refuse to play Dracula after that and for Hammer's final Dracula picture, the Count would be played by John Forbes-Robertson in The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. But, in 1970, Christopher Lee WAS Count Dracula; he owned the role, so much so that even today he is still closely associated to the role and anyone who plays the Count is compared to Lee.

PETER CUSHING as GENERAL VON SPEILSDORF in VAMPIRE LOVERS

Beginning in 1970, Hammer would transition the focus of their scripts more toward the titillating features of their horror films, making stars of their female leads (such as Igrid Pitt and Caroline Munroe). This would not keep their primary horror icon out of work however; someone had to chase the monsters down, stake them and behead them. And no one could do it better than Peter Cushing. Vampire Lovers is the first of the Karnstein Trilogy and would focus more on the female vampires than previous hammer blood sucking classics. As General von Spielsdorf, Peter Cushing uncovers Carmilla's plans and confronts her, stakes her and then cuts off her head in glorious Hammer gory fashion. He would return in Twins of Evil (1971), the third in the trilogy, in a similar role as Gustav Weil. Mostly known as Professor Van Helsing or Baron Frankenstein (and as Grand Moff Tarken to many), Peter Cushing would only continue to cement his role as one of the greatest horror stars with roles such as General von Speilsdorf.