Friday, February 20, 2026
Thursday, February 19, 2026
R.I.P. TOM NOONAN
You made an outstanding, Karloffian Creature in The Monster Squad, a cruel (and ultimately mechanical) Cain in RoboCop 2, a revengeful Ripper in The Last Action Hero and a chilling Francis Dollarhyde in the breakout, "Hannibal" picture, Manhunter.
You also penetrated through other indelible roles, which include F/X, Wolfen, Eight Legged Freaks, The House of the Devil, The Roost, The Alphabet Killer, The Astronaut's Wife, The Pledge, Collison Course, Kickaround Guys, What Happened Was ..., Heaven's Gate, The Ten Million Dollar Getaway, The Man With One Red Shoe 1985, Gloria 1980, Ragel, Best Defense, Eddie Macon's Run, Easy Money, Mystery Train, Heat, Phoenix, The Photographer, The Opportunist, The Egoists, Hair High, Seraphin Heights, Synecdoche New York, Follow the Prophet, Rage!, The Roost, Heaven and Hell: North and South Part II, Late Phases, Wonderstruck, Snow Angels, Anomalisa, The Rendezvous (as writer), The Shape of Something Squashed (as writer/director), Red Wind (as writer/producer) and The Wife (as writer/director/editor/composer).
On the episodic side, you struck an anxious chord with your contributions to Monsters, starring in "The Moving Finger," and even writing/directing the episodes "Where's the Rest of Me?" and "The Bargain." In addition, you visited the series' predecessor, Tales from the Darkside, as well as The X-Files, Dimension 404, The Cape, The (original) Equalizer, The Blacklist, Bar Karma, The Leftovers, Animals, Johnny Zero, Louie, Horace and Pete, Quarry, The Jury, Kidnapped, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and (for those enduring, series hauls), Hell on Wheels, as Reverend Nathaniel Cole; 12 Monkeys, as the Pallid Man; The Beat, as Howard Schmidt; and Damages, as Victor Huntley. However, my favorite of all your small-screen ventures is in the Twilight Zone-ish Early Edition, where, for the episode, "Pilot," you portrayed Frank Price, a beleaguered man facing a dangerous and consequential crisis (indeed, a profound performance that's hard to shake).
Time and again, Mr. Noonan, you won your audience over with identifiable expression, everyman appeal and more than often, a fearsome edge. Like so many of your ubiquitous breed, you deserved more accolades than you received, but among those who discovered your remarkable skills, you'll always stand tall among the character-actor ascendency.
FLASH FICTION AT EIGHTH TOWER MAGAZINE
Raffaele Pezzella asked me to contribute a little, fictional filler for his Eighth Tower Magazine, and so I composed some monster-oriented flash fiction.
The story, "Bride of the Swamp Beast," is a roundabout companion piece to my old "Bog Demon" tale, though this one is played for sheer laughs. In truth, it's a spoof of social media and the great, pretentious vapidness that has come to symbolize it.
As soon as Pezzella tells me the story is set, I'll share the link. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
FAREWELL, DOCTOR MADBLOOD (JERRY F. HARRELL)
Tidewater, Virginia embraced you as their emblematic, horror host and for good reason.
You entered the WAVY-TV airwaves on a frightful bang way back in 1975. From there, you never let go, bringing the best and (sometimes) the worst in imagi-movies, buffering both sides of the coin with fun vignettes that kept your viewers wide awake with smiles, giggles and above all, crazy, good cheer.
It's important to note that, in addition to being an impassioned, Beatles-maniac (who stockpiled trivia on the Fab Four like no other), you made an important impression on several horror hosts who came in your wake, including Sally the Zombie Cheerleader, aka Nicole M. King, Penny Dreadful, aka Danielle Gelehrter, and the inimitable Mr. (Erik) Lobo, which speaks volumes, considering their renowned stature.
For those who experienced your benefaction, Mr. Harrell, you'll never be forgotten, living on through your fans' memories, and indeed, you've given them a ton to treasure.
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA: A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE
Nige Burton & Jamie Jones, through Classic Monsters of the Movies, honors one of Hammer Studios' most interesting sequels: Taste the Blood of Dracula.
Directed by newcomer Peter (Countess Dracula/Hands of the Ripper/The Devil Within Her) Sasdy and written by Hammer veteran John Elder (aka Tony/Anthony Hinds), Taste bleeds with style (thanks in substantial part to cinematographer Arthur Grant), so much so that some Hammerheads rank the 1970 chapter right alongside the studio's vampiric breakthrough, (Horror of) Dracula.
As Burton and Jones explain, Christopher Lee was reluctant to revive his Count, and early on, the script catered to a surrogate to replace him (rather in the vein of Brides of Dracula's Baron Meinster), that being Ralph (Horror of Frankenstein/Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde/Lust for a Vampire/The Devil Within Her) Bates' Lord Courtley. Bates' character does, in fact, dominate the first phase of the dark exploit, but he's later made a vessel from which the Dracula manifests.
The authors detail how Elder's script switched antagonists, while maintaining its Faustian theme, centering on a Hellfire Club knockoff. The setup, therefore, is different than other Hammer/Dracula movies. Taste's club-of-debauchery twist is unexpected, and though Lee may have been wary (and weary) of Hammer's tried-and-true formula (reinstated by Warner Bros-Seven Arts' insistence), this submission established a memorable, guilt-ridden parable.
The cast helps, of course (its members detailed by pleasing, pictorial bios), headlined by the always regal Lee (who donned, for a portion of this movie, consuming-red contacts to emphasis his ravenous resurrection), and Bates enacts Courtley's immoralist with chilling condescension. They are accompanied by Linda (Blood on Satan's Claw/Madhouse/House on Straw Hill) Hayden; Martin (Titanic 1997/Eragon/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Jarvis; Anthony (Vampire Circus/Young Sherlock Holmes/Sherlock Holmes Returns/Raiders of the Lost Ark) Corlan; Ilsa (A Hard Day's Night/Dr. Terror's House of Horrors/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) Blair; Geoffrey (The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh/Cromwell/Doomwatch) Keen; Michael (The Brides of Dracula/Dracula Has Risen from the Grave/Scars of Dracula) Ripper; Peter (Wallis & Gromit/Last of the Summer Wine/A Night to Remember) Sallis; John (Captain Kronos/Plague of the Zombies/Doomsday) Carson; Roy (Scrooge 1970/The Three/Four Musketeers) Kinnear; Madeline (The Vampire Lovers/Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell/Live and Let Die) Smith; Russell (The Brave Don't Cry/Doctor Who: "The Robots of Death") Hunter; ... and Gwen (Never Take Sweets from a Stranger/Fall of the House of Usher 1950) Watford: indeed, as classy an ensemble as any Hammer production could deliver.
The Classic Monsters "Ultimate Edition" is all the more impactful for its scrumptious stills and publicity imagery, tied by Burton & Jones' "Quotable Quotes" and revealing trivia.
Please Note: Supplies of Classic Monsters' first-run printing for the Taste the Blood of Dracula are now low, so move fast while they last.
https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/taste-the-blood-of-dracula-1970-ultimate-guide-magazine/
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