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Friday, June 12

Christopher Lee, HORROR Star?

I had a facebook friend clue me in to following video. 
Listen to the first few sentences from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz ..




Now I don't know what criteria he is using to define a horror movie, but it sure isn't the same one I would use. He claims Christopher Lee only made 15 horror movies in his close to 300 total films. I made just a quick sweep through his IMDB page, and came up with the list below. Even throwing out such horror/comedies as Gremlins 2 and Dark Shadows, as you'll see, there are way more than 15 horror films below, and I'm sure I probably missed a few as I was going through it pretty quickly.

Your thoughts?

CORRIDORS OF BLOOD
HORROR OF DRACULA
CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN
THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH
THE MUMMY
TWO FACES OF DR JEKYLL
THE CITY OF THE DEAD
SCREAM OF FEAR 

ALIAS JOHN PRESTON
 HORROR CASTLE
THE WHIP AND THE BODY
CRYPT OF THE VAMPIRE
CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD
THE GORGON
DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORROR
THE SKULL
DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS
ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED
BLOOD FIEND
PSYCHO CIRCUS
THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR SADISM
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT
DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE
CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTER
THE OBLONG BOX
SCARS OF DRACULA
THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD
I, MONSTER
DRACULA AD 1972
HORROR EXPRESS
DARK PLACES
THE CREEPING FLESH
SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA
WICKER MAN
RAW MEAT
TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER
DRACULA AND SON
THE KEEPER
MEATCLEAVER MASSACRE
TALES OF THE HAUNTED
HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS
HOWLING II
MASK OF MURDER
TALE OF THE MUMMY
BURKE AND HARE
THE WICKER TREE

THE RESIDENT

6 comments:

  1. In interviews, Christopher Lee himself claims that he was in no more than 15 horror movies "sensu stricto". On this list, for instance, Burke and Hare might not stand as a horror movie even though it involves a pair of infamous "resurrectionists." Too bad that Lee didn't list the movies he considered to be real horror flicks.

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  2. While I agree Burke and Hare, like Gremlins 2, might not qualify strictly as a horror film, that would have to be a narrow definition indeed to exclude all but fifteen from the above list. Not so sure I agree with that assessment, and also would like to know what year he made that statement.

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    1. Right. That would be in 1990 on NPR http://www.npr.org/2015/06/12/413936419/listen-back-to-a-1990-interview-with-actor-christopher-lee So, he wouldn't have been considering titles like Burke and Hare or Curse III: Blood Sacrifice or Season of the Witch or Tales of the Mummy, etc. So, you are quite right, Dr. Gangrene, definitely more than 15.

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    2. Thanks for that link, I'd not listened to that before. I would say that probably is where Mankiewicz got that info. Not that I agree with it, though. Very interesting. I agree with the previous post would love to know what Lee considered his "horror" movies.

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  3. Saw the Mankiewicz (and friends) video....very disappointed....you would think that they would have known better than to make a video without doing research...poor excuse for reporting. Christopher Lee R.I.P.

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  4. My thought too, Vance. It almost seemed like he was reading it off a website or something. Hope they research it better before the TCM tribute next week, but then I doubt the hosts do the actual research themselves.

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