CONTINUE
MUMMY'S
ZINES
From The Vampire Journal
#1
THE MARK OF CHRISTOPHER
LEE
by
Thomas Schellenberger
Today, it would be inaccurate to regard Christopher
Lee as one who specializes in horror films. He has demonstrated his
talent during the last several years in other assorted roles and has almost
completely shed his Dracula image. But while horror has become a part
of the film star's past (?), there could never be any doubting of the mark
he left in the genre.
The writer of this article realized an ambition in 1977 when
he met Christopher Lee (see the Thomas Schellenberger interview in the Fall
1984 issue of The Collinsport
Record, a "Dark Shadows" fanzine)
at the Count Dracula Society's Mrs. Ann Radcliffe Awards Banquet in Los Angeles.
Then the actor was being honored for his achievement in international
cinema, and though a number of other celebrities were present, it appeared
obvious that towering Englishman was the main attraction. One Dinner
speaker compared the former Dracula's film life to a "three-stage rocket.''
The first "stage" comprised Lee's years as a struggling unknown from
"Corridor of Mirrors" (Apollo Films, 1948) to his
first real bit of recognition, "Curse of
Frankenstein" (Hammer, 1957).
This was followed by his true baptism of fire,
"Horror of Dracula" (Hammer, 1958; the Briton still
feels that this was his best Dracula film) and a long succession of horror
and fantasy productions.
Lee's third cycle was his emergence from horror into such box
office hits as "The Man With The Golden Gun" (Eon,
1974), "Airport 1977" (Universal, 1977),
"The Three Musketeers" (20th Century Fox, 1974),
and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" (Mirisch,
1970). They reflect the star's yearn to seek a more fulfilling career
and to disassociate himself from macabre movies, which he claims have
degenerated.
However, his performances in the world of the fantastic could
never be disregarded, as helpful as they were to his showmanship and as
overwhelming as they still are to his multitude of fans.
Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was delivered to the world
in London on May 27, 1922 (could it have been just plain coincidence
that Peter Cushing and Vincent Price were born on the same day and in the
same month ? There is more food for thought; Lee's daughter, Boris
Karloff, and Karloff's daughter share the same month and day of birth--November
23).
The name "Carandinill" was taken from a royal family on Lee's
mother's side that is said to be rooted in the days of Charlemagne. It
was that plus a blood link with the notorious Borgias of the same nationality
that lent authenticity to Lee's Dracula. One might conclude, therefore,
that "Count" Lee was the most "aristocratic" of the screen's vampires.
At first, it did not seem likely that drama would become the
young Englishman's profession. His earliest stints occurred during
childhood in school plays, including "Julius Caesar"
(portraying Cassius), "Henry V" (playing the Dauphin),
and "Richard II" (personifying Mowbray). But there was no apparent
desire on Lee's part to make show business a career.
During a period of uncertainty incurred by his parents' divorce,
family financial woes, and a college education cut short,the youth whom one
magazine writer would one day dub the "Terror of the Age" sharply pondered
the course of his life. Lee faced numerous frustrations as his Dracula
would later destructions, but like the Count, he always came back for another
encounter with a world that was far more bleak than any horror movie.
Young Lee's first priority was his family, so he became a working
man. At one pound a week, he handled the mail and ran errands for an
American shipping line. Next was an export corporation where working
conditions were improved though salary was not.
World War II had finally caught up with England and Lee naturally
coveted a higher income as well as a more prosperous career, so he set his
sights on the Royal Air Force. "The R.A.F. is all the rage now," he
once commented to his mother, "and I was lucky to get a ticket into the wild
blue yonder" (Lee's autobiography, Tall, Dark and
Gruesome).
Indeed, a military life for the Briton seemed a natural since
his father, Geoffrey Lee (who died just before his son's enlistment), was
a colonel in the King's Royal Rifle Corps as his father before him.
The youngest Lee's proven expertise in the R.A.F. would have
made his father proud, though the future actor's fans can be thankful that
the carrying on of the "tradition" would only be a wartime experience.
Following arduous training, Lee finally earned the rank of
Pilot Officer. Also having worked with the Rhodesian Police, he was
later transferred to Special Operations as an Intelligence Officer. There
he acquired fluency in several languages which would prove advantageous to
his international acting performances.
The end of one of history's bloodiest conflicts was said to
have brought joy for many. But a readjustment period ensued for the
men who engaged in that war, and Chris Lee was no exception.
When the second World War drew to a close, Lee's military jaunt
did likewise. He found himself back in London with one obvious question
on his mind: "What do I do now?"
His old job at the export corporation was again offered to
him at six pounds a week, but office work would never again do for the changed
Lee. Something a little more exciting, a little more demanding, was
the requirement.
Fate played its hand in the form of Count Nicolo Carandini,
Italy's ambassador to England and Lee's cousin. While the two were
lunching one afternoon, the Count suggested that his relative take up acting
professionally. After some careful consideration, the idea appealed
to Lee.
It could have been in keeping with another family tradition,
as Lee's great-grandfather was also an actor and a singer. Lee, however,
was never exactly sure why he wanted to act. "I suppose it was just
an urge to create people that weren't me," he confessed
(The House of Hammer, page 16), adding that
he felt it was a job he could do best.
Not everyone was in agreement with his newest ambition. The
war veteran's mother was said to be "violently opposed to the whole mad ideal"
(Tall, Dark and Gruesome), asserting that
such a business was only for those without morals.
Lee did not concur and persisted in his attempts to reach the
big screen. A few years later, though, when his career was in a lull,
the cinematic vampire-to-be went to work as a floorwalker in a department
store. It perhaps made his mother a little happier at the time.
Count Carandini had arranged for his cousin to meet Del Guidice
of Two Cities Films. Lee almost hit another stone wall when he was
informed by a producer that his height (6 ft. 5 ins.) would deter any chances
of his becoming a successful actor. Being a "rookie," he was not well-known
enough to land a leading role, and he would have been considered too tall
for bit parts.
Lee's stature, which he jokes about to this day (When he addressed
the 1977 Dracula Society banquet, he had to lift the microfilm from the stand,
commenting that it was not for "abnormally normal-sized people"), would certainly
never do for minor appearances. As it would have to be quite sometime
before he could command a lead, luck and determination were going to be sorely
needed.
After being granted a seven-year stock contract with Two Cities
Films, Lee's first part, the beginning of a long line of bits, was that of
a man sitting (the director's solution to the height problem) at a table
in "Corridor of Mirrors" (Apollo Films, 1948).
His footage was no longer than a minute and he had one line.
Cameos, minor roles, cut footage, and stunt work were all that
composed the actor's chosen path for the next several years. While
he did have some noted parts in "Penny and The Pownall
Case" (Highbury, 1948--Lee's first appearance as a villain),
"Alias John Preston" (Danziger/ Associated Artists,
1956), and "Beyond Mombasa" (Hemisphere/Todon,
1957), the name of Christopher Lee was far from being one associated with
filmdom.
There were also some grueling times for young Lee during the
"obscure" days in show business. He had the misfortune (some might
have actually considered it an honor) of being wounded twice by well-known
movie stars.
While making "Captain Horatio Hornblower
RN" (Warner Brothers/First National, 1951), Lee had his arm severely
cut by Gregory Peck during a sword fight. Lee said that Peck still remembers
the unfortunate episode.
A few years later, it was swashbuckling Errol Flynn, who had
lacerated Lee's right finger while dueling with him in "The
Dark Avenger" (Allied Artists, 1955). The Briton was aware,
of course, that it was an accident, but he had to repeatedly assure Flynn
that he was forgiven.
The state of gloom that permeated Lee's future as an actor
was not to last much longer, for he was about to enter into a genre that
many performers deem both unattractive and damaging to one's career.
"Curse of Frankenstein" (Hammer, 1957) was,
in Lee's words, the film that "started it all" (The
Films of Christopher Lee). The actor's height, previously
considered a stumbling block, now worked to his advantage as he was awarded
the role of Mary Shelley's classic monster, now referred to as a "creature."
After a single interview and no screen test, Lee's destiny in horror
films had begun.
The picture was the Englishman's thirty-sixth, and it launched
a new horror "team" known as Lee and Cushing, a pair that promised to achieve
the greatness of Karloff and Lugosi. It was the first time that Lee
and Peter Cushing (who played Baron Frankenstein) had performed together
since "Hamlet" (Two Cities/ Pilgrim, 1948; Lee
played a palace guard and Cushing was Osric).
It was also a reunion with the film's director, Terence Fisher,
who had directed a previous picture of Lee's, "Song For
Tomorrow" (Highbury/Ivory/Production Facilities, 1948).
As tremendous a hit as the full-color remake of Karloff's famous
film was, "Horror of Dracula" (Hammer, 1958; also
directed by Fisher and also starring Cushing as vampire fighter Van Helsing)
was even better. This may well have actually been the film that started it
all, for Lee (now as Dracula) was shown in all of his glory without the
concealing make-up of his Frankenstein creature.
Unlike Bela Lugosi, Lee's Dracula was quiet, vicious, and almost
totally without compassion. At the time, Lee had not yet seen the 1931
Universal version, so there was no impetus to copy the Hungarian-born Lugosi's
hammy style. The Briton's commanding height, deep, resonant voice,
and ferocity compelled many to believe that he had far surpassed Universal's
first Dracula in fearsomeness. Lee claimed that he tried to bring
an element of sadness or loneliness to the Dracula role, which was to become
his most renowned. He even defended the character, not as a hero, but
as an anti-hero.
"However terrible the actions of Count Dracula might be," he
asserted, "he was possessed by an occult power which was completely beyond
his control. It was the Devil, holding him in his power, who drove
him to commit those horrible crimes, for he had taken possession of his body
from time immemorial. Yet his soul, surviving inside its carnal wrapping,
was immortal and could not be destroyed by any means. All this is to
explain the great sadness which I have tried to put into my interpretation"
(The Dracula Scrapbook, "Dracula
and I," pages 96-97).
Fan clubs abounded for Lee as a result of his "horrific" shows.
He was enjoying a new-found popularity that gave way to a long line
of Dracula sequels and enactments of other sinister roles in such pictures
as "Corridors of Blood" (Amalgamated, 1962),
"Terror of -The Tongs" (Hammer, 1960),
"The Hands of Orlac" (Continental, 1962),
"Rasputin, The Mad Monk" (Hammer/Seven Arts, 1965),
"Horror Hotel" (Vulcan/ Amicus, 1960), and many,
many others (Lee considered a lot of them fantasy film, not horror).
And what of the Lee-Cushing combination, the likes of which
has not yet been repeated in horror today ? The duo continued to grapple
(and at times, unite) in "The Mummy" (Hammer, 1959),
"The Gorgon" (Hammer, 1964), "Dr.
Terror's House of Horrors" (Amicus, 1964), "She" (Hammer/MGM, 1964),
"The Skull" (Amicus, 1965),
"Island of The Burning Doomed" (Planet, 1967),
"Horror Express" (Scotia International/Barber,1972),
"Dracula A.D. 1972" (Hammer, 1972),
"The Creeping Flesh" (World Film Service, 1972),
and "The S-a-t-_-n-i-c Rites of
Dracula"(Hammer/Dynamite Entertainment, 1974). (NOTE: We are
altering words to confuse the search engine spidering thought police.)
Lee's association with horror had also reunited him with Boris
Karloff, who inspired the Englishman in his earlier years as an actor.
They first met during the early fifties at Southhall Studios when Lee
appeared in "Colonel March of Scotland Yard," a
television series of Karloff's. The two worked together again in
"Corridors of Blood" (Amalgamated, 1962), which
firmly established their friendship.
Both of the "Frankenstein monsters" became neighbors in London
Square. Besides Conrad Veidt according to Lee, Karloff was another
great force in his life, a man he truly admired.
They appeared together for the final time in Karloff's last
motion picture, "The Crimson Cult" (Tigon/ American
International, 1968).
Lee's stroke of good fortune was to extend to more than just
his movie career. It was said that he had received numerous marriage
proposals in the mail after his first "Dracula,"
but his true heart-throb appeared in the form of a Danish model and painter
named Birgit Kroenecke (known to her friends as Gitte). The two were
introduced by close friends who felt that they were just right for each other.
The actor soon agreed and married the lovely redhead in 1961
(the first time for either of them). In his autobiography, Lee commented
that folks in show business would term it a "miraculous marriage," as it
has lasted to this day.
Two years later, the "Prince of Terror"' and his wife became
the proud parents of a baby girl. She was named Christina.
While caring for his family, Lee starred in films throughout
the world. He continued to usually play the villain, but occasionally
found himself on the right side of the law, as in a German flick,
"The Devil's Daffodil" (Ounia/Rialto, 1961) in
which he portrayed a Chinese detective.
Most of Lee's pictures called for him to die. Once, when
the Briton was signed to do a new film, daughter, Christina asked him how
he would be "killed" in this one.
This writer, in fact hardly ever expected to see the character
played by Lee make it to the final reel in any picture alive (it beginning
to like it was a rule in the actor's contract). When Lee as Sir Henry
Baskerville was saved in "Hound of The Baskervilles"
(Hammer, 1959), the writer felt like standing up and applauding!
Whether Chris Lee's personifications were targeted to survive
or not, his performances in features and on television programs became more
and in demand in many parts of the globe. A career that was almost
thwarted was now blossoming more than ever, though Lee's name was mainly
recognized by horror buffs.
The acclaim won by Lee still had not earned him top-billing
in any motion picture until "Devil-Ship Pirates"
(Hammer, 1964), in which he played -a Spanish privateer. But a better piece
of cake was to come from a character who was a personal favorite of Lee's,
Sax Rohmer's unabatable Fu Manchu.
Though Dracula was regarded as his most significant role,
"The Face of Fu Manchu" (Hallam/Anglo- Amalgamated,
1965) lifted the Londoner to new heights of popularity
("Terror of The Tongs," produced by Hammer in 1960,
featured Lee as a Fu Manchu-like character named Chung King). Also
known as "Chop-Suey Bond" it gave way to a rash
of sequels, all of which Lee felt were below par.
The original should have been the last,"' he said.
(The Films of Lee) Rohmer's widow
was on the set of the film in Ireland. She informed Lee that her husband's
famous creation was inspired by a tall Oriental he once had seen getting
out of a car. Mrs. Rohmer then made another interesting comment; Lee
looked exactly like him!
The new production on the Oriental criminal mastermind caught
on with the public. New Yorkers had even launched a write-in campaign
to make Fu Manchu the new mayor, and he was reported to have received some
votes.
As mentioned, there were sequels to Lee's most successful
film to date including "The Brides of Fu Manchu"
(Hallam/Anglo-Amalgamated 1966), "The Vengeance of Fu
Manchu" (Anglo-Amalgamated/ Hallam/Babasdave/Terra-Filmkunst, 1967),
"Castle of Fu Manchu" (Maron/Commonwealth/Italian
International/Terra, 1970), and "Blood of Fu Manchu"
(Udastex/Commonwealth/Ada/Terra/Towers of London/Hallam, 1969).
None of them, as far as Lee was concerned, measured up to the first.
While there were previous Fu Manchus, such as Boris Karloff,
Warner Oland, and Henry Brandon, Christopher Lee remains the definitive celluloid
version of Nayland Smith's arch-enemy in the minds of many. Fu Manchu became
a continuing filmed "alter ego" for which Lee is solely known (his Dracula
is still often challenged by Lugosi fans, as well as faithful followers of
Jack Palance and Frank Langella).
In the midst of all of this, what ever did become of Dracula?
As stated, earlier, there were follow-ups, and as with the Fu Manchus,
Lee was less than satisfied with any of them.
The plots of succeeding Dracula films usually focused on the
supporting characters, with Count Dracula having to be worked into the script.
(This was especially true in "Legend of The Seven
Golden Vampires," a 1974 Hammer release not featuring Lee, where Dracula
could have been omitted altogether with no alteration in the story.) It
disgusted Lee, for he felt that Hammer's writers had strayed too far from
the original concept set forth in the 1958 effort.
The Hammer sequels (with Lee) were as follows:
"Dracula, Prince of Darkness" (1965; again,
Terence Fisher was the director, as he had handled several other of Lee's
pictures), "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" (1968;
this time it was Freddie Francis, another "veteran" director of Lee's films),
"Taste The Blood of Dracula," (1970),
"Scars of Dracula" (1970),
"Dracula A.D. 1972" (1972), and
"S-a-t-_-n-i-c Rites of Dracula" (1974). Lee also
essayed the role of the Count in "Count Dracula"
(Fenix-Filmar/Cinematografica- Korona/Towers of London-C.C./Tigon, 1970),
a Spanish film that adheres closely to Bram Stoker's novel, but suffered
in quality. (Not even Lee's performance could save it; it was interesting,
though, to see Lee made up as Dracula in accordance with Stoker's description
and transforming into a bat, a feat denied him by Hammer.)
"S-a-t-_-n-i-c Rites of Dracula" (released in the U.S.
as "Count Dracula and His Vampire Bride") was the
final straw for the Englishman. Set in London in 1973 (a direct sequel
to "Dracula A.D. 1972"), Dracula's new headquarters
was a modern office building, where the vampire is masquerading as a businessman.
Lee referred to it as "pointless, absurd, and fatuous."
Lee had announced that he was playing the part simply because
his fans demanded it of him and he did not want to disappoint them.
However, he felt that "Dracula A.D. 1972"
and "S-a-t-_-n-i-c Rites" constituted the lowest
level the character could ever sink to yet, and he was certain that most
people agreed. The return of Peter Cushing in the role of Van Helsing
seemed like a possible attempt to add mote flavor to the films, but it did
not appear to make much difference.
Dracula, according to Lee, was now being treated by Hammer
as "a mixture of Howard Hughes and Dr. No." This remark was ironic,
for another of Lee's cousins was Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books.
He once informed Lee that he would make a fine Bond villain, and the Briton
did later play the pernicious Scaramonga in "The Man With
The Golden Gun" (Eon, 1974).
The actor proclaimed that he would never play Dracula again
unless the scripts were improved or a close adaptation of Stoker's novel
was presented.
The man who played Dracula more times than any other in feature
films was obviously a stickler for Stoker. He was always seen on the
Hammer Dracula sets clutching a copy of the 1897 novel. It was his
idea to include a line of original dialogue from the book in
"Dracula A.D. 1972" and while he felt that
"Horror of Dracula" was the best, he still felt
that more scenes should have been borrowed from Stoker's work.
Thus, after being disintegrated by sunlight drowned in running
water, impaled on a huge cross, overcome by spiritual forces, struck by
lightning, cremated, staked, and pricked by a hawthorn bush, ''Draculee"
was finally laid to rest.
Or was he? Lee did don the familiar black cloak again
in "Dracula and Son" (Gaumont International/ Production
2000, 1975), but he insisted that this French vampire spoof was not even
a Dracula movie (Lee had satirized his Dracula film before in
"Uncle Was a Vampire" an Italian 1959 farce produced
by Steno/ Maxima-Cie.). And an announcement was once made that the
Englishman would play Dracula's father in "Love at Second
Bite," the planned sequel to George Hamilton's 1979 comedy. But
since these are comedies, Lee may not feel that they count, even if the featured
vampire is the actual Transylvanian Terror.
Lee never did resent being termed a "horror actor" in previous
years, though even then he felt it was a misnomer. He persisted that
he really had not made that many "horror" movies, but rather that they were
"fantasy.
As with many others in his profession., the actor sought to
branch himself out into other, more diversified roles. Unlike Karloff,
who saw nothing wrong with being "typed," since it usually meant a steady
flow of work, he has striven to make his fans realize that there is much
more he can do in the cinema.
It appears to be ringing true, judging by his immense success
with films as "The Man With The Golden Gun" and
"The Three Musketeers" (and its follow up,
"The Four Musketeers," both by 20th Century Fox,
1974). One might even regret the demises of villains Scaramonga and
Roquefort, as helpful as they were to the man who personified them.
The "Dracula" in Lee was effectively suppressed in
"The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" (Mirisch,
1970), a definite favorite of the actor's as conveyed by a variety of sources.
He played Mycroft, the elder brother of Sherlock Holmes and the supposed
brains of the family in a performance far removed from his "terrifying"
productions.
"It was a high spot in my career," Lee commented
(The Films of Lee). He has repeatedly
expressed his gratitude to producer Billy Wilder for the opportunity to do
what was, in his words, a "first-class" film.
Mycroft was the third "Holmes" character that Lee had played in his career.
First, he portrayed Sir Henry Baskerville in "Hound
of The Baskervilles" (Hammer, 1959; with Peter Cushing as Sherlock),
then the master sleuth himself in "Sherlock Holmes and
The Deadly Necklace" (Constantin/CCC/Omnia/Criterion/ INCEI, 1962).
As with his Fu Manchu, Lee's depiction of Sherlock Holmes was
praised by a member of the character's author's family. Arthur Conan
Doyle's own son, Andrew, once commented that Lee's portrayal of literature's
most celebrated detective was one of the finest he had ever seen.
While the established talent of Christopher Lee has taken him
beyond the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, has he completely
forsaken the field to which he owes his initial popularity? Evidently not,
considering such recent fare as "House of The Long Shadows"
(1984) and "The Howling II" (1985).
In spite of Lee's despondency over what he feels is the way
most horror movies have diminished in quality, he still views them as "the
most escapist films ever made."
"I never set out to frighten people out of their wits, but always
to divert and entertain them," claimed Lee (The Films
of Lee). He always tried to bring out what he believes are
the essential elements in any horror movie, namely "suggestion, subtlety,
taste, style, and conviction," and "to make the unbelievable believable."'
The critics who damned Lee's "Dracula" twenty-seven years ago
for its "gore" and "tasteless horror" did not foresee the boost it would
give to a once-struggling actor. Nor did they seem to recognize the
potential of a dramatist who brought new dimensions to the films of the horror
genre.
How did future Dracula Christopher Lee happen to come into
the world in 1922, the year when "Nosferatu," the
German Dracula film starring Max Schreck and a favorite of Lee's, was released?
What of the strange chance that the Londoner resembled the Oriental
who gave Sax Rohmer the idea for Fu Manchu? Could it have been just a coincidence
that Lee has almost the same face as Vlad Tepes Dracula (see the Vlad Tepes
article, "The Real Dracula"), as was noticed by the reviewers when he essayed
the part in "In Search of Dracula" (Aspekt, made-for-
TV, 1972)? Who else could boast of playing three separate characters
from the Sherlock Holmes saga and be lauded by the son of Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle?
These questions could intrigue any psychic, admittedly.
However eerie they (and others one could think of) may seem, most of
Christopher Lee's true fang are surely just grateful to the cosmic forces
for giving them such a distinguished performer.
This tall, well-spoken gentleman who avidly plays golf, has
an extensive library, and devotes himself to his family has undoubtedly made
his mark as an accomplished actor. He is to be congratulated, not only
for his great progress, but for the loyalty he has always shown his fans.
To sum it all up, the presence of Christopher Lee in a motion
picture promises entertainment, even if the film itself does not.
CHRISTOPHER LEE BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS:
Adkinson, Robert & Eyles, Allen & Fry, Nicholas (editors),
The House of Horror, Lorrimer Publishing
Limited, 1973.
Brosnan, John, The Horror People,
St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1976.
Glut, Donald F., The Frankenstein
Legend, The Scarecrow Press, 1973.
Glut, Donald F., The Dracula
Book, The Scarecrow Press, 1975.
Raining, Peter (editor), The Dracula
Scrapbook, (Lee, Christopher "Dracula and I"), Bramhall
House, 1976.
Hart, Douglas C. & Pohle, Jr., Robert W., The Films
of Christopher Lee, The Scarecrow Press, Inc. 1983.
Lee, Christopher, Tall, Dark, and
Gruesome, Granada Publishing, 1978.
Marrero, Robert, Vampires--Hammer
Style, RGM Publications, 1982.
Reed, Dr. Donald A. & Pattison, Patrick,
Collector's Edition--Science Fiction Film
Awards, (Life Career Award 1978--Christopher Lee), ESE
California, 1981.
MAGAZINES:
Abrams, Steve, "Christopher Lee: 'I've Made My Last Horror Film,"
Quasimodo's Monster Magazine, No.
3. Vol. 1, 1975.
Borst, Ron V, "Meet Mr. Christopher Lee in An Exclusive Monster Times Interview,"
The Monster Times, No. 8, Vol. I,
1972.
Borst, Ronald V., "Horror of Dracula--An Analysis of The Hammer Film Classic,"
Photon, No. 27, 1977.
Hewetsong, Alan, "An Exclusive Interview with Christopher 'Dracula' Lee,"
Nightmare, No. 17, 1974.
Hoffman, Eric, "Christopher Lee--Master of Horror and Villainy,"
Science Fiction, Horror and
Fantasy, Nos. I & 2, vol. 1, 1977.
Knight, Chris, "The Vampire With The Golden Gun,"
Cinefantastique, No. 1, Vol. 4,
1975.
Lee, Christopher, "Are Movie Monsters Human?," Famous
Monsters of Filmland, No. 29, 1964.
Lee, Christopher, "Dracula," Monsters of The
Movies, No. 7, Vol. 1, 1975.
Lee, Christopher, "Christopher Lee Speaks Out,"
Hammer's Halls of Horror, No. 9,
Vol. 2, 1978.
Leider, R. Allen, "A Candid Conversation with Christopher Lee...The End of
the Count?," The Monster Times, No.
27, Vol. 1, 1973.
Moench, Doug, "Christopher Lee--Hammer's Hero of Horror,"
Dracula Lives, No. 12, Vol. 1,
1975.
Nahat Ed, "Christopher Lee,"
Starlog, No. 70, Vol. 6, 1983.
Palmer, Randy, "Dracula Without the Crepe," Famous
Monsters, No. 133, 1977.
Parish, James Robert & Pitts, Michael R., "Christopher Lee,"
Cinefantastique, No. 1, Vol. 3,
1973.
Parry, Michael, "The Return of Christopher Lee," Castle
of Frankenstein, No. 6, Vol. 2, 1965.
Parry, Mike, "Cof Interviews Christopher Lee," Castle
of Frankenstein, Nos. 10, 11, & 12, Vol. 3, 1966.
Pound, Roscoe, "Monster No More,"
Fangoria, No. 1, Vol. 1, 1979.
Toefafer, Susan, "Christopher Lee A Candid Conversation,"
The Monster Times, No. 46, Vol. 1,
1976.
Author Unknown, "When Dracula Met the Vampires," Famous
Monsters, No. 98, 1973.
Author Unknown, "Dracula L.A. 1972," Famous
Monsters, No. 105, 1973.
Author Unknown, "Christopher Lee Times Three," Famous
Monsters, No. 117, 1975.
Author Unknown, "Blood Banquet--Dracula's 15th Birthday,"
Famous Monsters, No. 145, 1978.
Author Unknown, "Christopher Lee--The Man Behind the Monster,"
House of Hammer, No. 1, Vol. 1,
1976.
Interviewer Unknown, "Dear Mr. Lee," Monster
World, No. 4, 1965.
Author Unknown, "Christopher Lee--The Art of Playing Dracula,"
Souvenir Issue--(Dracula), No. 17,
1979.
From REALM OF THE
VAMPIRE
#2:
"THE BEAST
OF THE HUNT"
by Marilyn Shea
During the Month of Shivering,
the Festival comes in dark and cold.
Tapestries hang from dusty rails,
halls are swept of their leafy mold,
and servants etch their smoky trails
with torches borne from room to room,
lighting the lamps--and whispering.
Have they seen at last the ruddy glare,
the faceless burn of two red eyes?
Most veil their smiles, say I am ill
to imagine eyes that float waist-high
but fade when anyone nears; still,
a presence lingers in the dark,
a crusty thinkness clogs the air.
I saw them first when The Hunt was set
to celebrate, our sister said,
the frosty dawn of Festival.
just then I glimpsed at forest's edge
two eyes that glowed like breath-stirred coals.
Wolves, I thought, as our sister's voice
went on, sharp as any lancet...
"The old Queen demands everything
of us--fealty, submergence of
our lives in hers. A merciful God
took the King! She even wants love."
And we other two nodded
as she said: "Let us consider The Hunt
and how spears fly." Even frogs sing
at the bottom of wells. I rode
homeward humming to myself, trying
not to hear the click of claws on scree.
Why had I always thought it right
that when Mother Queen was happy,
I was happy, when she was sad,
I was sad? The king in his robes
was no less in thrall. He died
waiting for her, late as always,
as hot sun baked the castle keep.
He fell from his horse with a noise
like trash dumped into the midden heap--
soft, weighty, a hint of wetness.
"Help me," he cried. But no one did.
"My husband," she wept. We three mourned
a father, but we crowned her grief,
allowed it to reign. She dampened
every hall with tears. Needy fiefs
burdened us with care of servants,
handling pocked and pithy guardsmen,
granting land, measuring out corn.
Not that she asked for help; merely
sighed loudly over documents
she could barely read. A weakness
of the eyes, no doubt. "My apartments
go unvisited," she whined, mindless
of time spent serving her, arriving
at our own hearths spent and weary.
My husband grew more silent,
his mouth in a straight line, thus.
I heard a silly kitchen maid
speak of my brother-in-law. A kiss
in the pantry. A hand that played
on her breast. "Tomorrow's The Hunt,"
our sister said. The Queen consented.
(No wolf owns eyes that float on air.
No wolf lives in a citadel.
There is no wolf that never blinks.
Could I be touched by witch's spell?
Look! By the granary it slinks!
If eyes are windows to the soul,
what raw, red spirit turns and stares?)
An icy fog had glazed the trees,
which poked like bones from a shroud,
while an anxious pack howled and danced
patterns in the snow. As we rode,
the Queen chattered about her chance
of making a kill. The horses wore
their breath like plumes in a breeze.
Spear-end nested in my stirrup,
I rode behind my sister
who was hooded like a falcon
all dressed in sober leather.
Flushed from cover, the roe deer ran.
How easily a spear could miss
as into the fog we galloped.
I heard the panting of the deer,
the hangling of the royal bit,
then red eyes stared out from the mist.
No spur is sharper than guilt.
I caught up with the Queen; a fist
in the neck turned her silly horse,
and thus she was spared from the spear.
Staring at the point imbedded
deeply in a tree, the Queen shrieked
"I could have been killed!" Such accidents
I said, are common when we seek
prey in fog. "Mishaps are often sent
to warn," the husband of my sister
softly (and most unwisely) said.
We waited long for my sister.
Supper was laid and cleared; all slept.
Early, early we whipped the pack
to search the woods. And how I wept
when at last we found it--the hacked
body scattered; the staring head
still wrapped in its hood of leather.
For days I remembered little:
the Queen sniffling about wild boars;
a kitchen maid smiling; red eyes
watching from behind every door.
Then my younger sister defied
sense and talked wildly of revenge,
She and her betrothed left the castle.
Merciful God, why was it I
who found them in her manor house,
dead at table, yellow vomit
leaking from their mouths? Arousing
the dogs, I fed them leftover bits
of that last supper. They followed
their mistress to the grave. Shall I?
Now I saw red eyes everywhere,
even in our rooms. My husband
blamed choler and sleeplessness.
The mourning Queen commended,
and I received a grand, black horse
for a funeral rite in the woods.
Alone we'd ride, the surviving pair.
Trust is something you have to earn;
you earn it in blood and grief. Hate,
by contrast, comes as a gift, wrapped
in weakness and silence. I felt safe,
riding out in a stained leather cap,
a trusted daughter and her beast.
Something happened on the long ride back.
Something sprang for the old Queen's throat.
Something tore through lace to flesh.
Something made the air turn red,
but though the snow had fallen fresh
there were no tracks where the Queen lay dead.
"Murder." I cried; an echo returned.
The corpse had begun to bloat
when they found me, red-eyed, they said,
from weeping and the cold.
