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So how well do you know
your Horror History? One of our goals here at the Krypt is to help educate
horror fans out there. And one way we are hoping to do that is by
bringing attention to certain people that you might not have heard of before.
If you have, that's great. You're already on your way. But if you
haven't, just take a few minutes to read about these people that had a lasting
effect on the horror genre.
Each week, we will be adding a new name to this list below.
So we hope that you will be back each week for the next installment. If there might be someone that you think should be noted as having an
important part, please send us an email by clicking
HERE.
We'll pass the name onto our Kryptic Research Department for a detailed
investigation. And if we decide to use your suggestion, we'll give you
credit.
And
now, let's begin....
 Sergio Salvati
Born June 16th, 1938
This is another name that you might not recognize, but if
you're a fan of Italian horror films, especially that of Lucio Fulci, then you
know Salvati's work. He was a cinematographer that worked on Fulci on most
of his famous films. Such as THE PSYCHIC (1977), ZOMBIE (1979), CITY OF
THE LIVING DEAD (1980), THE BLACK CAT (1981), THE BEYOND (1981), and HOUSE BY
THE CEMETERY (1981). There's no doubt that his work had something to do
with the look of these Fulci's films. They stand out as his most memorable
ones. I'm sure the gore might have something to do with it, but it also
has to do with how it was shot.
He would also go on to work with Charles Band on films like
CRAWLSPACE (1986)
 Charles
B. Griffith
Born Sept. 23rd, 1930 - Died Sept. 28th, 2007
If you are a fan of the work of Roger Corman, then you are most likely a
fan of Griffith's work. He's mainly known for his writing, but has done a few
other things in the film industry. He was the guy that Corman would turn to
when he needed a script knocked out fast. And Griffith would always deliver.
Some of the movies that he wrote were IT CONQUERED THE WORLD (1956), ATTACK OF
THE CRAB MONSTERS, THE UNDEAD, NOT OF THIS EARTH (all 1957), BUCKET OF BLOOD &
BEAST FROM THE HAUNTED CAVE (bot 1959), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960) and many
more.
We had the chance to meet Mr. Griffith and interview him at a Cinema
Wasteland show, back in April of 2007, a few months before he passed away. If
you want to check out our interview, just click
HERE.
 Anthony
Hinds
Born in 1922
Anthony Hinds was one of the men behind Hammer Films.
His father William Hinds, along with Enrique Carreras, started Exclusive Films
Limited, which was a film distribution company. Later, when they decided
to start producing their own films, they created Hammer Film Productions.
When this started Anthony Hinds was in charge of film production. It was
Hinds idea to buy the rights for the TV serial THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT and
make it into a feature film. This huge success was one of first steps to
make Hammer a name to be reckoned with.
Over the years, Hinds would produce most of the more well
known titles form Hammer, such as CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957), HORROR OF
DRACULA (1958), BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960), CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961), and many
more. He also wrote many films for them as well, under the name John
Elder.
He left Hammer in the late '60s and many have said was one of
the reasons for the downfall of the studio in the early '70s.
Tod Slaughter
Born March 19th, 1885 - Died Feb. 19th, 1956
Slaughter was a late bloomer when it came to movies. He
was a stage actor who had been working for years before finally getting the film
bug. But even before that, one of the characters that he played
frequently, was that of the crazed murdering barber, Sweeney Todd. Before
his life was over, it was rumored that he had played the character 4000 times.
But the film version where he plays the title character, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON
BARBER OF FLEET STREET (1936), he really shines. Some say that he may be
over acting a bit, but coming from the stage, that is what they were use to.
But to me, I think it fits perfectly here in this film.
Slaughter would go on to play in quite a few other dark
melodramas, but also continued to do stage work at the same time. He
actually died shortly after a performance of Maria Marten, or The Murder in
the Red Barn. A performer truly to the end.
 Bert I.
Gordon
Born Sept. 24, 1922
Bert I. Gordon got his nickname Mr. BIG from a combination of
his initials, as well as due to the type of films that he was making that
generally had some sort of oversized creature. It started in 1955 with
KING DINOSAUR, where he used real animals, like an alligator and iguana posing
as prehistoric creatures, battling each other to the death. He then moved
onto giant grasshoppers attacking Chicago area in BEGINNING OF THE END (1957).
From there he made other films specializing in using real creatures and super
imposing them over footage with the actors, making them seem of gigantic
proportions. He continued these types of films through the '50s,'60s and
even into the '70s with films like THE FOOD OF THE GODS (1976) and EMPIRE OF THE
ANTS (1977), occasionally making non-BIG movies with some degree of success.
For fans of horror & sci-fi, he is always remembered for his
oversize creatures and imagination!
Vic Diaz
Born in 1932
If you have watched any movies from the Philippines,
especially in the exploitation genre, then you've most likely seen Vic Diaz's
face somewhere. He has been a staple of the Philippine film industry since
the late '50s and had continued to work quite a bit through the '90s.
Whether he was just a bit player or given a bigger role, he was always
recognizable and memorable.
He made 12 movies alone with director Eddie Romero, titles
like BEAST OF THE YELLOW NIGHT (1971), BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA
(1973), with Pam Prier, BEYOND ATLANTIS and SAVAGE SISTERS (1974), both with Sid
Haig and John Ashley. Not to mention other cult titles like BLOOD THIRST
(1971), THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972) which was directed by Jack Hill, SUPERBEAST
(1972), DAUGHTER OF SATAN (1972), co-starring Tom Selleck, VAMPIRE HOOKERS
(1978), and many other titles.
So the next time you're watching a movie from the
Philippines, keep your eye out for our pudgy little friend, Mr. Diaz. I'm
pretty sure he will be in there somewhere.
 Les Baxter
Born March 14th, 1922 - Died January. 15th, 1996
Baxter was a composer that started in the film business in
the early '50s cranking out score and score in record time. In 1957 alone,
he is credited for 15 different movies. In his career, he has score more
than 120 films. He worked in many different genres, but for us horror
fans, we remember him from the films he did for AIP, especially the Roger Corman
/ Edgar Allan Poe films.
Baxter started his musical career at a very young age,
learning the piano at the age of 5. In his early 20's, he joined Mel
Torme's band, worked on radio shows including Bob Hope's show, and even had a
hit record in the 50's.
But it is for his film scores that I learned of his name.
Since these movies will always live on for fans like us, so will his music.
Baxter always gave us something different and unique but always highlight the
film even more.
Larry Buchanan
Born Jan. 31st, 1923 – Died Dec. 2nd, 2004
Many people thing that Roger Corman is king of the low
budget filmmaking, but they have never heard of Larry Buchanan. He was
based in Texas and was making films at a fraction of the cost Corman was
getting. And while his films may not have been "good" films, they usually
turned a profit. One of his first films, The Naked Witch (1961) was
made for only $8,000 and made $80,000 the first month it was release. Not
a bad investment.
He was hired to make remakes of four AIP movies for TV.
Again, with a considerable lower budget and only one "star", he cranked them out
in no time flat. A good number of his films are available on DVD, and one
of them usually finds it's way in my annual Turkey-Day marathon. As we
said, they might not be good films, but they are entertaining.
Here are some of Buchanan's titles to seek out. The
Eye Creatures (1965), Zontar: The Thing from Venus (1966), Curse
of the Swamp Creature (1966), Mars Needs Women (1967), Creature of
Destruction (1967), plus many more.
 John Agar
Born Jan. 21st, 1921 - Died April 7th, 2002
Though he started his film acting career doing westerns,
it's the films he did in the ‘50s that made John Agar so memorable to horror
fans. Agar was a staple when it came to battling giant monsters, aliens,
and mad scientists. He always gave it his all, even when the script wasn’t the
greatest, or even the monster that he was fighting against. He always gave a
fun and entertaining performance, even when working with uber-low-budget king
Larry Buchanan on a couple of films. He would even make appearances in more
modern day films in titles like Clive Barker’s Nightbreed and the Tope
Hooper directed episode of John Carpenter’s anthology Body Bags.
Of few of his highlights (and lowlights, depending on your
feelings) would be Revenge of the Creature (1955), Tarantula
(1955), and The Brain From Planet Arous (1957), as well as Larry
Buchanan's Zontar: The Thing From Venus and Curse of the Swamp Creature
(both 1966).
 Jack
Taylor
Born Oct. 21, 1936
Fans of Spanish cinema, especially the works of Jess Franco,
might recognize this name. If not, then you should recognize his face.
Taylor’s glassy blue eyes and the usual handle-bar mustache was an easy way to
spot him. He worked with Franco on at 10 films, such as Succubus
(1968), Eugenie (1970), Count Dracula (1970), Female Vampire
(1973), among many others. He also worked with other directors
specializing in the horror genre like Leon Klimovsky’s Orgy of the Vampires
(1973), Amando de Ossorio’s Night of the Sorcerers (1973) & The Ghost
Galleon (1974), and even with Paul Naschy in Dr. Jekyll vs the Wolfman
(1972) and The Mummy’s Revenge (1974). And let’s not forget his
performance in the 1982 Juan Piquer Simón film Pieces. He had even worked
with Johnny Depp in Roman Polanski’s The Night Gate (1999).
He had started his career in Mexico in the early ‘60s before
moving to Spain, where he continues to work to this day. He was always
memorable with his performances, and very easy to spot. So the next time
you're watching a Spanish film, don't be surprised when old glassy-blue eyes
shows up!
 Roy
Ashton
Born April 16th, 1909 - Died Jan. 10th, 1995
You can not be even the slightest fan of Hammer Films and not
have seen the work of Roy Ashton. He started as an assistant makeup artist
back in the 30's, before starting to work with Hammer Studios, where he created
some of their most memorable monsters. But Ashton wasn't just a makeup
man, and almost had a career as a musician and opera singer. But the hours
of devotion needed to learn the makeup craft pulled him away from his true love
of music. He was the assistant makeup man to Phil Leaky for Hammer, who
was the man behind the Quatermass films and Curse of Frankenstein. But
after Leaky and Hammer had a falling out, Ashton became their head make up man.
He created the look for their films like Curse of the Werewolf, The Reptile,
Plague of the Zombies, as well as doing Peter Cushing's zombie makeup for
Amicus' Tales from the Crypt.
For more information on Ashton, there is an excellent book on
him called Greasepaint and Gore, which is filled with great stories and plenty
of artwork and photos of his work.
Michael Gough
Born Nov. 23rd, 1913
Gough is an actor you might remember or recognize his face,
or even his voice, but can't place him. Or you might even know him as
Alfred from the Batman movies that Tim Burton started in 1989. But
not only has he has been in tons of great horror movies, he's been in some
not-so-great movies that are still entertaining.
Gough started his acting career in 1946, but it wasn't until
he was in Hammer Films Dracula, as Arthur Holmwood when we would start to
remember that face. He was great as a supporting actor in films like
Phantom of the Opera, Dr. Terror's House of Horror, The Skull,
and even playing a corpse in The Legend of Hell House. Even in the
more recent films like Wes Craven's Serpent and the Rainbow and Tim
Burton's Sleepy Hollow, he was making an impression. But he wasn't
just a supporting actor either. He was the lead performer in films like
Konga, The Corpse, The Black Zoo, Horrors of the Black
Museum, and our personal favorite, Horror Hospital.
So now the next time you see this face that looks
familiar, now you'll know who he is. And maybe those titles will give you
some films to add to your "To-Watch list".
James Bernard
Born: Sept. 20th, 1925 Died: July 12th, 2001
There is not a fan of British horror films out there that has
not heard of Bernard's work. Most notably for giving Hammer Films their
sound, with such famous scores for Curse of Frankenstein, The Hound of
the Baskervilles, Plague of the Zombies, and the Quatermass
films, Bernard also worked on countless other horror films. But probably
his most well known score was the one he did for Hammer's Horror of Dracula.
For soundtrack fans, a lot of his work has been put onto CD
for us, and fans to come, to have the opportunity to enjoy this great talent for
years to come.
So the next time you're watching a Hammer movie, pay a little
more attention to the music you're hearing. Most likely, it came from the
mind and talent of James Bernard.
 Alan
Ormsby
Born 1944
Here's another name that you might not familiar with the
name, but you know is work. Alan Ormsby first started his film career with
a low budget film called Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, which has
become a cult classic. Ormsby wrote the film, acted in it, and also was in
charge of the makeup effects. Which, if you've seen the movie, and realize
the budget they had, the effects are outstanding.
But then he also went on to write some other incredible films
like Deathdream and Deranged, both of which he also contributed the makeup
effects and the latter he co-directed. He also did the makeup work on the
Nazi zombie movie Shock Waves, which was the last film he did makeup for.
He spent most of his time writing, like for Paul Schrader's remake of Cat
People.
So while the number of genre films he's been involved with
are limited, especially as of late. But the films that he did work on,
with such low budgets, the talent there help keep them alive many years later.
 Eddie
Romero
Born July 7th, 1924
Are you familiar with Blood Island? Films like Beast of
Blood or Mad Doctor of Blood Island? Then you've seen the work of Filipino
director Eddie Romero. Romero started as a journalist at the age of 12,
where his writings brought him to the attention of filmmaker Gerardo de Leon.
Shortly there after, he was writing screenplays. He directed his first
film in 1947. But it wasn't until he started making horror films that his
cult status became cemented. Making several pictures with John
Ashley, Romero's films were always creative and wildly entertaining. Other
such great titles that he directed are The Twilight People and Beast of the
Yellow Night. A good chunk of his horror films are available on DVD, so
you have no excuse not to check out his work.
Sheila Keith
Born: June 9th, 1920 Died: Oct. 14th, 2004
If you are a fan of the films of Pete Walker, then you
probably know who Sheila Keith is. Since you couldn't see a film of his
that she starred in and not remember her. Keith was this wonderful older
lady who seemed to excel in playing twisted and demented characters. In
Walker's Frightmare, she plays a cannibalistic matriarch, with such zest
and conviction, she is one of the scariest women you'd ever want to come across.
She also was in Walker's House of Whipcord, The Confessional (aka
House of Mortal Sin), The Comeback, and House of Long Shadows.
Keith's performance is so strong and powerful, it's amazing
to me that she did not get tons of other movie roles. I'm sure it might
have something to do with the fact that Walker's films were not thought too
highly of. Damn shame really.
Abel Salazar
Born: Sept. 24th, 1917 Died: Oct. 21st, 1995
Salazar was the Mexican equivalent to say someone like Peter
Cushing or Vincent Price. He starred in several Mexican horror films in
the late 50's and early 60's. Titles such as The Curse of the Crying
Woman, The Vampire and it's sequel The Vampire's Coffin.
And of course, one of the most famous of the Mexican horror films, The
Brainiac, where Salazar starred as the title creature.
But besides starring in these films, Salazar also produced
them. He seen the kind of money that these films can bring in and did just
that.
Sure, some may consider these films a little silly,
especially The Brainiac, but most of them are filled with creepy
atmosphere that is well worth the look.
Michael Ripper
Born:
Jan. 27th, 1913 Died: June 28th, 2000
You couldn't watch too many Hammer Films and not start to
recognize this face. Michael Ripper has been in more Hammer films than any
other actor, with more than 25 under his belt. Never really a leading
role, but he was always there as a bartender, the constable, or even the local
drunk, but he was always memorable. Watching a Hammer film could even get
to be like playing "Where's Waldo?", except it was "Where's Michael?"
But this isn't to say that Ripper wasn't a talent actor.
Or even just playing in Hammer films. But no matter who he was working
for, even with the smallest of roles, he was always giving a great performance.
For some of the films where he has more of a substantial role, check out
Hammer's Night Creatures and The Mummy's Shroud.
Tony Tenser
Born: Aug. 10th, 1920 Died: Dec. 5th, 2007
Tenser was a producer that realized the type of films that
could always make money. Ones that dealt with sex and horror. And he
was right. Tenser produced some good films, some even great. Titles
like Polanski's Repulsion, Michael Reeves' The Sorcerers and
Witchfinder General, and other great titles like Beast in the Cellar,
The Creeping Flesh, and Blood On Satan's Claw.
Sure, all of the films he made weren't classics. But
they usually were entertaining. And that's what it all comes down to.
This great quote from Tenser really sums up his filmmaking beliefs: "I'd
rather be ashamed of a movie that was making money than proud of one that was
losing it. And us horror fans are glad you did just that.
Helga
Liné
Born: July 14th, 1932
If you are familiar with Spanish horror films, then you've
probably at least seen Helga Liné. And while you may not know her name,
her face is hard to forget. Born in Germany, but she worked in the circus
in Portugal, as a dancer and acrobat. She moved to Spain in 1960 and
quickly started her career in films, working on such films as Paul Naschy's
Horror Rises From The Tomb and Mummy's Revenge, Amando de Ossoria's
Loreley's Grasp, Leon Klimovsky's Vampire's Night Orgy and
Dracula Saga, José Ramón Larraz's Black Candles, and Eugenio Martin's
Horror Express.
No matter what film she was in, whether the film is
forgettable or not, it's hard to forget her.
Ovidio G. Assonitis
Born: Jan. 18th, 1943
So why should we know who Ovidio Assonitis is? Did he
make great films? No. Did he make entertaining films?
Definitely. You might have even seen some of his films, possibly under one
of his pseudonyms like Oliver Hellman. He directed films like Beyond
the Door and Tentacles, and produced titles such as Sonny Boy,
The Curse, Piranha 2, Amok Train (aka Beyond the Door 3),
and many more. Sure, these aren't great movies, but you will have a good
time.
His best film just happened to his directorial debut, and was
a so-called rip-off of The Exorcist, called Beyond the Door.
Sure, it's similar to The Exorcist, such as it's about demonic
possession, and it's also pretty scary.
So Assonitis should be known for his constant work in the
genre, both as a producer and writer, and always turning out fun movies.
Nigel Kneale
Born:
April 18th, 1922 Died: Oct. 29th, 2006
While some may consider his work to be more in the science
fiction genre, Kneale's stories always had creepy and scary elements to them,
eve if the story was about aliens or rocket ships. Kneale really came to
the forefront when his character of Professor Quatermass hit the radio airways
back in the mid 50's. While some of this tales would go on to be turned
into movies, with quite a few of them being done by Hammer Films, he was more
known for the TV films that he wrote. Titles such as The Stone Tape or The
Woman in Black, were scary when the first came out, and continue to scary new
audiences today.
William Gaines
Born:
March 1st, 1922 Died: June 3rd, 1992
For horror fans, Gaines is known for the creator of EC
Comics, which published Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Weird Tales, and
a few other titles. He was publishing these comics in the early 1950's.
Each issue contained tales of murder, zombies, vampires, and other strange
things that go bump in the night. But there were messages in these tales.
Bad people always got what was coming to them.
But the parents in those days, with the help and guidance of
Dr. Fredric Wertham, considered these comics to take their children over to the
dark side, causing them to become juvenile delinquents. It even ended
Gaines in front of the Senate Committee hearing on Juvenile Delinquency.
The fight that Gaines gave, even though he eventually lost, is a fight that all
supporters of free speech should be proud of.
Horror fans should know Gaines and be thankful for the
incredible work that he did with his comics, that have inspired fans for the
last 50+ years.
Dean Cundey
Born: March 12th, 1946
If you area fan of horror movies from the 70's and
80's, then you have most likely seen the work of Dean Cundey. Especially
if you are a fan of the early works of John Carpenter. Dean Cundey is now
one of the top rated cinematographers in the business. But before he
became a top name in Hollywood, he was working quite often in the horror genre,
making some classic films look even better than they should have.
Just by looking at his early resume, you will see a lot of
favorite cult titles listed in here. Titles like The Witch Who Came From
The Sea, Creature From Black Lake, Ilsa: Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks, Satan's
Cheerleaders, Without Warning, Jaws of Satan, and the list goes on. But
his work with John Carpenter is really where his talent shined. He worked
with Carpenter on five films, all of them being held as classic films:
Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little
China.
So even while he may have gone on to work more in the bigger
budgeted Hollywood films, we owe this man a lot of thanks for the way that some
of these great films turned out.
Lionel Atwill
Born:
Mar. 1st, 1885 Died: Apr. 22nd, 1946
If you are a fan of the old Universal classics, then you've
seen Lionel Atwill. Unfortunately, not too many people know him other than
"that guy from the Universal films". Unfortunate since Atwill was a great
at playing intelligent and authoritative figures. Granted, some of them
were mad as a hatter, but that's besides the point.
Atwill could carry the lead in films, such as the original
Mystery of the Wax Museum and The Vampire Bat, but could also made
the same impact when he was playing second fiddle in films like Man Made
Monster or Son of Frankenstein. He was always memorable with
his distinct voice and glare, always leaving an impression.
In the early 40's, he was sentenced to 5 years probation
after being found guilt of perjury after he refused to testify as to who had
attended a "wild sex-party" held in his home. While he did work a little
after this scandal, his career was pretty much done with. But he should at
least be remembered for the fine work that he did give us.
Bernard Robinson
Born: 1912 Died: Mar. 2nd, 1970
If you are a fan of the work of Hammer Studios, then you know
the work of Bernard Robinson. Robinson started with Hammer on the film
Quatermass 2 as the Art Director, and later became the Production Designer
for most of their films. He was the guy responsible for creating those
amazing sets used in Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Night Creatures,
Plague of the Zombies and many, many other films. And in addition to that,
he was the guy that was re-dressing these same sets, or having them built in a
way where they can be easily re-used on the next film. And all of this
with very little money or time.
So the next time you're watching one of the Hammer films,
take a moment to notice the set, the props, and everything that you seen in the
film besides the actors. That is the work of Bernard Robinson.
We search the internet and our Hammer library to find a photo
of Robinson, but just couldn't find one. But then we realized it would be
better to show his incredible work instead. That still is from Horror of
Dracula. Thanks to David L. Rattigan and his wonderful site
Dictionary of Hammer Horror for the photo
 John
Chambers
Born:
Sept. 12, 1923 Died: Aug. 25th, 2001
All horror fans know the names of Dick Smith, Tom Savini,
Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, and quite a few others that became famous in the 70's
and 80's. But what about John Chambers?
Chambers is probably best known for his creation of the
makeup effects used to turn Roddy McDowell and other actors into ape-creatures
in The Planet of the Apes. He also worked on horror films like Sssssss,
Island of Dr. Moreau (1977), and even Halloween II.
But it wasn't just here that his work is held in high
regards. Chambers helped invent and create new types of makeup and helped
advance the industry with his talent.
And if that wasn't enough to appreciate the man, before he
got into the movies, he worked for the Veteran's Hospital (and many others)
creating prosthetic limbs for wounded soldiers. He also was creating other
artificial parts like noses, ears, and some entire faces, to help those soldiers
who came back scared or deformed by the horrors of combat.
So either from his work in the movies, or for our wounded soldiers, John
Chambers is a name that you should know.
 Georges
Méliès
Born: Dec. 8, 1861 Died: Jan. 21, 1938
We thought that Méliès would be a good person to start with,
since he really was the one responsible for the birth of the fantastic cinema.
While he didn't invent the cinema or movies, he was one of the first to witness
it's display and realized the future of it. Coming from a background of
stage magic, and also by accident, he discovered this new invention can be used
to thrill audiences.
He realized by stopping the camera, he could create magic
tricks with ease. A woman could disappear into thin air, just by stopping
the camera and having her walk off the set, and then start the camera again.
He also experimented with double exposure and other camera tricks. His
most famous film was A Trip to the Moon, made in 1902, which features the
shot of a rocket sticking out of the moon's face. But for horror fans, he
film Le Manoir du diable (aka The House of the Devil) was released
in 1896. And while it was only two minutes long, it is considered by many
to be the very first horror film.
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