|
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....
Tony Tenser
Aug. 10th, 1920 to 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
April 18th, 1922 to 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
March 1st, 1922 - 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
Mar. 1st, 1885 - 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
1912 - 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
Sept. 12, 1923 - 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
Dec. 8, 1861 – 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.
|
