R.I.P. VERONICA CARLSON...

You enchanted me to the libidinous core when I first saw you in the chilling Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. 

Thereafter, I became further enthralled with your beauty in the eerie duo, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and Horror of Frankenstein.

But it wasn't just in these Hammer classics that you rose to the beguiling occasion. There's also Joshua Kennedy's Hammer homage, House of the Gorgon; The Ghoul '75 (aka Night of the Ghoul/The Thing in the Attic; directed by Hammer's Freddie Francis); Vampira (aka Old Dracula); Night of the Devil; Hammerhead; Crossplot; Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You; Smashing Time; The Best House in London;  Stellar Quasar and the Scrolls of Dadelia; and your recurring role as the wily Wallis Ackroyd on The Spyder's Web. 

In addition to your movie career, your presence in the modeling field is second to none, making you one of the greatest pin-ups ever to grace Britain and abroad. To boot, you were also an exceptional artist, whose renderings of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing became every fan's delight. 

You were an amiable lady and a charmer supreme, Ms. Carlson. My only regret is never having met you, and for that there will always be a woeful hole in my heart. 

SCARY MONSTERS #113: A SCREAM QUEENS & HOUSE OF THE GORGON HOMAGE!!!

Don A. Smeraldi's Scary Monsters #113 is an absolute must for horror-vixen fans, covering such stunning scream queens as Barbara Steele (dig that striking, Scott Jackson cover), Karen Black, Carolyn Kearney, Dee Wallace, Jeanne Bates, Musetta Vander, Gloria Holden, Janet Leigh, Marli Renfro (Leigh's "Psycho" body double), Jamie Lee Curtis and many more in a comprehensive gallery that will leave readers gasping in lustful delight. 

To make the issue's 178 pages all the more enticing, dear ol' Dr. Gangrene offers an in-depth, threesome interview with the beautiful, iconic stars of my favorite film of the year, writer/director Joshua Kennedy's "House of the Gorgon". (See April '19 for full review.)

"House of the Gorgon" features Hammer sirens Caroline Munro, Martine Bestwick and Veronica Carlson; and let's not forget the dashing Christopher Neame.  (That's right--the one and only Johnny Alucard from "Dracula: A.D. 1972.")

That Scary Monsters highlights this modern classic and its stars is most appreciated and in my estimation sets the mag on an even higher, prestigious perch.

BTW: Issue #113 also offers a charming article on affable actor, Aron Kincaid, by Tim Lisanti, entitled, "The Beach Boys vs the Creature of Destruction". How's that for extra splash?

If by some crazy chance, you still need convincing, check out #113's ghoulish, video preview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h-PxjyfKbI.

Grab this sensational submission today at your local bookstore or order straight from the Scary Monsters mad lab:
https://www.mymoviemonsters.com/store.php/mymoviemonsters/pd9736371/_scary_monsters_magazine_113__women_of_the_silver_scream_issue_preorder_now.

I saw Joshua Kennedy's House of the Gorgon...

There are Hollywood directors who aspire to recapture a distinct, old-school flavor in their endeavors, but somehow fall short in the process: perhaps because as much as they wish to recapture the past, their egos dare to redefine it. 

With Joshua Kennedy, there is no such threat, for the humble but commanding writer/director/producer continues to hit the mark with each homage he spins. 

Kennedy's latest accomplishment is another tribute to Hammer's "The Gorgon" (his favorite film), entitled "House of the Gorgon". The filmmaker's first "Gorgon" homage was "The Night of Medusa" (see May '16 post); prior to such, he dispatched the succulent, Hammer salute, "Dracula: A.D. 2015" (see Oct '15 post). "House of the Gorgon" tells the terrifying, turn-to-stone tale of a young woman haunted by sinister, spectral sisters with a legendary link, thanks to her spouse's supernatural abetting.

Even beyond its bewitching premise, "House of the Gorgon" is notable for including such Hammer headliners as Christopher Neame, as Father Llewellyn; Caroline Munro, as Baroness Bartov; Martine Bestwick, as Euryale; and Veronica Carlson, as Anna Banning. That these attractive, talented stars have been teamed so many years after Hammer's heyday is astounding in its own right. To see them again at the top of their game (never once missing a beat) is a full-fledged, historic treat. 

Accompanying the veteran ensemble is Georgina Dugdale, as Isobel Banning and Jamie Trevino, as Christine, with Kennedy as demented Dr. Julian Pritchard; Gus Kennedy as brassy Bailey; Tom Pearson as haughty Hans; and Marco Munoz as kindhearted Karl (along with a nifty cameo by famed Femforce writer, Mark Holmes). For the Kennedys and Munoz, this marks a "Theseus and the Minotaur" reunion, which Gooey Film followers will appreciate.

"House of the Gorgon" also benefits from Kennedy's inspired direction, which flows in the sumptuous style of Terence Fisher. The skillful execution ensures that the story stays doleful, eerie and refined, as any proper Hammer salute should.  

To supplement the latter, "House of the Gorgon" features awesome, period-piece art direction by Lauro S. Hinojoso; fantastic, Freddy Francis-tailored cinematography by Martin Torres; luscious lighting by Rosa Cano; and a brooding, Bernard-esque score by Reber Clark. These important additives prove cozy yet edgy, keeping the film's aesthetic and emotional aspects high, no matter what the scene. (For all intents and purposes, "House of the Gorgon" looks as though it was made in the late '60s/early '70s: precisely the point. The result may, in fact, be Kennedy's most polished production to date.)

By the time the credits roll, one will have found "House of the Gorgon" a glorious, gorgeous love letter to Hammer's filmmakers and their faithful fans.

Though other films in release this year may draw more hype, "House of the Gorgon" is the one to see: the one that proves beyond any doubt that classic, Gothic, movie-making still holds a precious place in cinema's expressive heart.