Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts

Sunday 14 October 2018

SLASH AND SHOCK : PC'S ONLY BRUSH WITH MR NASTY OF CINEMA : OR WAS IT?


OVER AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we posed this question: It's Cushing film you either love or hate! When CORRUPTION was released on DVD by Sony Entertainment a while ago . . they certainly cranked up the violence factor, but using the Japanese poster. as it's DVD box cover. It's seen by many as Cushing's most gory and violent film. If so, is there a Cushing film you would personally put in second place??? Some interesting answers . .




FOR THE ABOVE FEATURE JUST CLICK HERE!




OUR REVIEW ON THE GRINDHOUSE BLU RAY REMASTERED
BLU RAY: CLICK HERE! 


COME JOIN US AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE: HERE! 

Wednesday 3 October 2018

OCTOBER DRACULA MONTH : COMICS AND MAGAZINE WEDNESDAY PLUS CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS?


HAJIME ISHIDA'S MONSTERZINE made a wonderful return in 2013. I know little about Ishidma, except that he edited a very popular and quite excellent magazine / fanzine for fans of the fantasy genre during the 1980's. Sadly, as with many such mags, it bowed out and looked never to return. But like, what appears to be his favorite Horror film character, it CAME BACK, from the GRAVE. And what a return! MONSTERZINE covered an array of monster movies, the classic Universal film catalogue and also the brilliant Godzillia flicks. But, it's the subject of #HAMMERFILMS that seems to hold Hajime's attention and passion. And in particular, their Dracula series of films



TO BE QUITE FRANK I am not not a lover of books on Hammer films, with ACRES of reviews of said films. I quite like to make my own mind up about a film and unless the opinions of the flick, are giving by people who were involved with the production of it, I glaze over. Now I know there are MANY who LOVE reviews, that's why I post them. But me? I am a visual chap. I still like to spend a Sunday afternoon, grazing through my children's picture books, minus the text and a story. A box of crayons, I am game! Simple? Yes, I am. AND YES, it STILL remains a mystery as to how, I EVER got my Degree's and Masters. So, when I first opened a Ishida magazine, I thought I had found the Ambrosia of Hammer Film books. MASSES OF PHOTOGRAPHS. 


YOU SEE, I am also a collector of stills and images. Ishida, edits and publishes the kind of books that present Hammer films, in the most of attractive ways, visually. During 2011 and 2013, MONSTERMAGAZINE also released TWO Photo Album Books. Volume one on the Hammer Dracula series and Volume Two dedicated to the Hammer Frankenstein's. Lovingly Lavish, Sensibly Presented and not shy on sharing a few rare photographs too. The regular MONSTERMAGAZINE also contains a news and features section, but there are still many many pages of images. The dedicated Photo Album's have very little text. Which is just as well, as what there is, is in Japanese. If you LIKE the experience of turning the page and going 'Ooooh!' at the content, The Hajime Ishida's Photo Album's are for you!



IT'S WORTH MENTIONING, that it was HAJIME ISHIDA who for many years, religiously pushed the idea that Hammer films 1958 DRACULA DID contain a shoot of the melting Christopher Lee's Count, in the films final moments. Hajime went along to see the film in the 1960's with a still camera, hidden away on his person and snap a blurred shot of the burning face of Dracula AND the passionate scene with Christopher Lee and Melissa Stribling. Many experts and fans, still refused to listen and insisted the scenes did not exitst, only as still publicity photographs, taken by the set photographer. ALL these amazing shots WERE finally included in the Lionsgate Blu Ray remaster of the film in 2103. They were all cleaned and remastered from a Japanese print, just like the one Hajime saw decades before . . . 


WHAT IS THAT THING???  Yes! It ain't pretty is it? In our continuing dip into Collectable Comic, Mags and Posters featuring the work of Peter Cushing, comes THIS very odd cinema poster for, 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula'. The film had a long tour and presence in cinemas around the globe after it's stunted release in 1973 and with it came weird posters, titles and press kits. In some cases like this one, posters were quickly and cheaply made up, with limited images and resources. I am not absolutely sure of the country where this 'art attack' was displayed and used.


THE STUCK ON WHITE FANGS are 'interesting', also Lee's glowing eyes, but personally, that isn't what has puzzled me most about the pasted up images, that were cobbled together and used to make this poster. Can ANYONE identify and tell me, what is THAT behind the photo of our frantic king vamp?? For years, I have blown up the image, studied it and have drawn a blank! Anyone??? IF you have a suggestion, please come join us at  our post on this NOW at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE!

Monday 21 March 2016

WHAT WE DIDN'T SEE! DRACULA 58 HARKER'S VAMPIRE #MONSTERMONDAY


Today's MONSTERMONDAY features something that has been part of Hammer films lore for as long as I can remember. With the emergence of unseen publicity stills and contact sheets from Hammer films 1958 Dracula, the prompting of all kinds of theories around the missing or censored shots from the final cut of the film can be read on many forums on the net. The release of the remastered blu ray a few years ago, caused a few of us to smile smugly about the inclusion of the footage of Dracula's disintegration. We suspected it was shot, the problem was finding it! Most of that hunch was based on a colour photograph of Lee's Dracula in the final moments of the film, lying on the floor wearing make up that hinted of another stage in his grisly death appearance.


The still of John Van Eyssen as Jonathan Harker in our banner, hints at maybe something similar. We know the character is bitten by Valerie Gaunt, we see Peter Cushing's Van Helsing stake him, finding him in the castle crypt and judging by Van Helsing's grimace on looking on his vampire state, he wasn't a pretty sight! For whatever reason, what Van Helsing saw, was snipped out of prints for the European market. Though, it could have been included in the Japanese print, which provided the source of the missing footage of Dracula's death. As reels 1,2,3 were rendered unusable and damaged after finding the print, the scene where this shot appeared in the feature, was lost to us. Many argue the point that this shot was never included in ANY print, it was never shot...but I'll go with the point I made when the Dracula death photograph was found...Director Terence Fisher I suspect, would not have spent time setting up this scene, without shooting it. Time was premium at Hammer and was never wasted. Cushing himself has stated multiple takes were rare, because of costs...and I can't see Anthony Hinds signing off on a SFX - Make Up head of Harker, with no intention of using it! Hammer did not waste money on a budget that was already tight...


VALERIE GAUNT as the Vampire Woman from
Hammer films'Dracula' / 'Horror of Dracula' (1958)
 ...and Harker's VAMPIRE undead-head at the left
 of the photograph...
 

Still it looks great, a pity we have yet to see this shot in the film. There is further evidence of this make up head in a publicity photograph of Valerie Gaunt, included in the thread below. It's an interesting pic and story...and for that reason alone, we present it as this week's icky item for ‪#‎MONSTERMONDAY‬ ...what do you think? - Marcus
 

Friday 15 November 2013

HAJIME ISHIDA'S 'MONSTERZINE' ISSUE TWO'


Hajime 'Mr Monster' Ishida is on a roll! No sooner have we enjoyed the release of his Hammer 'Dracula' issue, here comes the next one on our hall mat this morning! This issue is a special on, yes you've guessed it, 'Dracula AD 1972'. Despite the mauling this film has received over the years, it just won't go away. And as we love it, we were happy to see the cover. And the inside of the mag, lives up to the cover promise. As well as the 'AD '72' feature, Hajime also makes lots of room for a very nice Peter Cushing Centenary Tribute. Much more inside and it's all given the Hajime treatment from his own image archives. You can order your copy here:https://www.facebook.com/HajimeIshidaMonsterzine


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