Lee Cushing's Blog, page 5
September 20, 2021
Fright Night Trivia
At the time this was being filmed, the studio was sinking all its efforts into making a hit out of Perfect (1985), and they also gave high priority to The Slugger's Wife (1985). "Nobody paid any attention to Fright Night," commented writer/director Tom Holland. "It was wonderful!"
Although the part of Peter Vincent was based upon and originally written for Vincent Price to play, Roddy McDowall decided Peter Vincent was not in the same league as Price. "My part is that of an old ham actor, I mean a dreadful actor," McDowall commented in a 1985 interview with Monster Land magazine. "He had a moderate success in an isolated film here and there, but all very bad product. Basically, he played one character for 8 or 10 films, for which he probably got paid next to nothing. Unlike stars of horror films who are very good actors and played lots of different roles, such as Peter Lorre and Vincent Price or Boris Karloff, this poor sonofabitch just played the same character all the time, which was awful."
The film's genesis came in Tom Holland wanting to do a vampire story crossbred with The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Avoiding using special effects at the expense of good acting, Holland included plenty of humor, warmth, and relationships. He also wanted to make it valid to a modern audience by rooting it in reality, hence the suburbia setting.
Director Tom Holland sought out Brad Fiedel to score the movie because he had been impressed by the music in The Terminator (1984).
The crew spent a lot of time and money composing the scene where Jerry walks through Mrs. Brewster's bedroom and casts no reflection in the mirror. "It doesn't work," director Tom Holland has frequently commented. "The audience never notices it because I framed it badly."
Cast and crew members have recalled that Roddy McDowall videotaped extensive on-set behind-the-scenes footage. None of them saw the tapes, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
During the scene where Amy and Evil Ed arrive at Charley's house and find his room adorned with crosses and candles, Stephen Geoffreys was suffering from a bad case of food poisoning.
One of the life-masks of Roddy McDowall taken for the Planet of the Apes franchise is visible in Peter Vincent's apartment.
Much of the film's $9.5 million budget was spent on special effects (it was the first vampire film to spend $1 million on special effects).
William Ragsdale injured his foot running down a staircase during the last shot filmed on 24 December 1984, just three weeks into principal photography. Ragsdale's action scenes were postponed until he was healed sufficiently to perform them and the director filmed other scenes to stay on schedule.
The fact that Amy resembles a lost love of Dandrige's was Chris Sarandon's idea. He wanted Dandrige to have added dimension and not just be some evil bad guy.
A puppet that was created for the ghost librarian's monstrous visage in Ghostbusters (1984) was rejected as being too terrifying for a PG-movie. When the FX crew subsequently went to work on this film, they realized the rejected model resembled the vampire bat that they'd created, so they repurposed and utilized it for the vampire's fiery destruction.
Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role of Charlie Brewster, but the director decided his looks weren't right for the character, so William Ragsdale was ultimately cast. "Charlie Sheen was a hero," Tom Holland commented in an interview with The Projection Booth. "Bill Ragsdale in playing Charlie Brewster was the guy next door."
Because of the horrible experience he'd had making The Sentinel (1977), Chris Sarandon was apprehensive about taking a role in another horror movie. Meanwhile, writer Tom Holland decided to direct 'Fright Night' himself because he was so disgusted by the film that had been made from his last screenplay, Scream for Help (1984). Both movies were directed by Michael Winner.
While blocking a scare scene, director Tom Holland asked visual effects man Randall William Cook if he could devise a "shark mouth" for one of the vampires. There was neither time nor money left in the budget to create an elaborate prosthetic, but Cook agreed to concoct a rig over a weekend with the proviso that it would only be seen on-screen for a few seconds. Ultimately the crudely made mouthpiece was not only featured extensively in the film, it was also utilized in the movie's famous poster art.
Amanda Bearse was required to remove her top for a scene in the film in which her back and shoulders are viewed, but she was uncomfortable being topless in front of the crew so she covered her breasts with duct tape.
Roddy McDowall was interested in playing Peter Vincent because the character was featured from ages 30 (in the old film clips) to 60 (when the events of the movie take place). "I'd never played anything that old," the then-57-year-old actor commented in a 1985 interview.
Writer/director Tom Holland conceived the role of Peter Vincent with Vincent Price in mind, but Price's health was declining and he was trying to shy away from accepting horror roles by that point in his career.
Writer/director Tom Holland encouraged each of the actors to pen one- to two-page biographies so they would fully understand their characters and motivations and be able to draw upon that information for subtext.
Heidi Sorenson, who plays the hooker that Charlie sees going into Jerry's house, was Playboy Playmate of the Month in July 1981. Prior to shooting her topless bedroom scene that follows, Holland asked wardrobe to rub some ice on her nipples to make her extra perky!
When playing Peter Vincent, Roddy McDowall based his character's movie persona on some bad actors from the films he used to watch as a child. To depict how his character reacted to the situation he was thrust into, McDowall found inspiration in The Lion from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Roddy McDowall's idea for the 'Fright Night' TV show within the movie was that Peter Vincent had had minor success playing a vampire killer in a series of films in the 1960s, but his career puttered out 15 years before the movie takes place. Trying to make a living, Vincent conceived the 'Fright Night' TV show and traveled with it to various syndicated markets in the United States. "He'd go six months in Iowa, six months In Podunk," McDowall stated in a 1985 interview with Monster Land magazine.
Coincidentally, Stephen Geoffreys and Amanda Bearse had played a couple in Fraternity Vacation (1985) and went straight from filming that movie to working on 'Fright Night.' Both films were also scored by composer Brad Fiedel.
The character of Peter Vincent claims he has been fired from hosting Fright Night because "all they want are demented madmen running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins," an obvious reference to the Friday the 13th franchise. The bouncer (Nick Savage) at the club, who first confronts Jerry, plays one of the three motorcycle gang members killed by Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
When Charley Brewster first meets Peter Vincent outside the TV studio, that was the filming location for the start of the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).
While writing the script for Cloak & Dagger (1984), Tom Holland amused himself when he conceived the idea of a horror-movie fan becoming convinced that his next-door neighbor was a vampire, but he didn't initially think this premise was enough to sustain a story. "What's he gonna do," Holland asked, "because everybody's gonna think he's mad!" The story percolated in his mind for a year and finally one day while discussing it with John Byers, then the head of the story department at Columbia Pictures, he finally figured out what the boy would do. "Of course, he's gonna go to Vincent Price!'" In that era, many local TV affiliates in the United States had horror hosts (such as Zacherle (John Zacherle), Svengoolie (Jerry G. Bishop), and the nationally syndicated Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)), so Holland decided it would be natural for the boy to seek aid from his local host. "The minute I had Peter Vincent, I had the story. Charley Brewster was the engine, but Peter Vincent was the heart." Once he'd conceived that character, Holland knocked out the first draft of the script in three weeks. "And I was laughing the entire time, literally on the floor, kicking my feet in the air in hysterics." Holland wrote the film for himself to direct, in part because he was so disheartened by the film that was ultimately made from his previous screenplay, Scream for Help (1984), and he'd developed enough of clout from the successes of his screenplays for Class of 1984 (1982), Psycho II (1983), and Cloak & Dagger, that the head of Columbia Pictures said, "Let's take a chance on the hot screenwriter kid," not figuring that Fright Night would be as successful as it ultimately became.
(Features a Fright Night style story with a unique twist)
Although the part of Peter Vincent was based upon and originally written for Vincent Price to play, Roddy McDowall decided Peter Vincent was not in the same league as Price. "My part is that of an old ham actor, I mean a dreadful actor," McDowall commented in a 1985 interview with Monster Land magazine. "He had a moderate success in an isolated film here and there, but all very bad product. Basically, he played one character for 8 or 10 films, for which he probably got paid next to nothing. Unlike stars of horror films who are very good actors and played lots of different roles, such as Peter Lorre and Vincent Price or Boris Karloff, this poor sonofabitch just played the same character all the time, which was awful."
The film's genesis came in Tom Holland wanting to do a vampire story crossbred with The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Avoiding using special effects at the expense of good acting, Holland included plenty of humor, warmth, and relationships. He also wanted to make it valid to a modern audience by rooting it in reality, hence the suburbia setting.
Director Tom Holland sought out Brad Fiedel to score the movie because he had been impressed by the music in The Terminator (1984).
The crew spent a lot of time and money composing the scene where Jerry walks through Mrs. Brewster's bedroom and casts no reflection in the mirror. "It doesn't work," director Tom Holland has frequently commented. "The audience never notices it because I framed it badly."
Cast and crew members have recalled that Roddy McDowall videotaped extensive on-set behind-the-scenes footage. None of them saw the tapes, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
During the scene where Amy and Evil Ed arrive at Charley's house and find his room adorned with crosses and candles, Stephen Geoffreys was suffering from a bad case of food poisoning.
One of the life-masks of Roddy McDowall taken for the Planet of the Apes franchise is visible in Peter Vincent's apartment.
Much of the film's $9.5 million budget was spent on special effects (it was the first vampire film to spend $1 million on special effects).
William Ragsdale injured his foot running down a staircase during the last shot filmed on 24 December 1984, just three weeks into principal photography. Ragsdale's action scenes were postponed until he was healed sufficiently to perform them and the director filmed other scenes to stay on schedule.
The fact that Amy resembles a lost love of Dandrige's was Chris Sarandon's idea. He wanted Dandrige to have added dimension and not just be some evil bad guy.
A puppet that was created for the ghost librarian's monstrous visage in Ghostbusters (1984) was rejected as being too terrifying for a PG-movie. When the FX crew subsequently went to work on this film, they realized the rejected model resembled the vampire bat that they'd created, so they repurposed and utilized it for the vampire's fiery destruction.
Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role of Charlie Brewster, but the director decided his looks weren't right for the character, so William Ragsdale was ultimately cast. "Charlie Sheen was a hero," Tom Holland commented in an interview with The Projection Booth. "Bill Ragsdale in playing Charlie Brewster was the guy next door."
Because of the horrible experience he'd had making The Sentinel (1977), Chris Sarandon was apprehensive about taking a role in another horror movie. Meanwhile, writer Tom Holland decided to direct 'Fright Night' himself because he was so disgusted by the film that had been made from his last screenplay, Scream for Help (1984). Both movies were directed by Michael Winner.
While blocking a scare scene, director Tom Holland asked visual effects man Randall William Cook if he could devise a "shark mouth" for one of the vampires. There was neither time nor money left in the budget to create an elaborate prosthetic, but Cook agreed to concoct a rig over a weekend with the proviso that it would only be seen on-screen for a few seconds. Ultimately the crudely made mouthpiece was not only featured extensively in the film, it was also utilized in the movie's famous poster art.
Amanda Bearse was required to remove her top for a scene in the film in which her back and shoulders are viewed, but she was uncomfortable being topless in front of the crew so she covered her breasts with duct tape.
Roddy McDowall was interested in playing Peter Vincent because the character was featured from ages 30 (in the old film clips) to 60 (when the events of the movie take place). "I'd never played anything that old," the then-57-year-old actor commented in a 1985 interview.
Writer/director Tom Holland conceived the role of Peter Vincent with Vincent Price in mind, but Price's health was declining and he was trying to shy away from accepting horror roles by that point in his career.
Writer/director Tom Holland encouraged each of the actors to pen one- to two-page biographies so they would fully understand their characters and motivations and be able to draw upon that information for subtext.
Heidi Sorenson, who plays the hooker that Charlie sees going into Jerry's house, was Playboy Playmate of the Month in July 1981. Prior to shooting her topless bedroom scene that follows, Holland asked wardrobe to rub some ice on her nipples to make her extra perky!
When playing Peter Vincent, Roddy McDowall based his character's movie persona on some bad actors from the films he used to watch as a child. To depict how his character reacted to the situation he was thrust into, McDowall found inspiration in The Lion from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Roddy McDowall's idea for the 'Fright Night' TV show within the movie was that Peter Vincent had had minor success playing a vampire killer in a series of films in the 1960s, but his career puttered out 15 years before the movie takes place. Trying to make a living, Vincent conceived the 'Fright Night' TV show and traveled with it to various syndicated markets in the United States. "He'd go six months in Iowa, six months In Podunk," McDowall stated in a 1985 interview with Monster Land magazine.
Coincidentally, Stephen Geoffreys and Amanda Bearse had played a couple in Fraternity Vacation (1985) and went straight from filming that movie to working on 'Fright Night.' Both films were also scored by composer Brad Fiedel.
The character of Peter Vincent claims he has been fired from hosting Fright Night because "all they want are demented madmen running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins," an obvious reference to the Friday the 13th franchise. The bouncer (Nick Savage) at the club, who first confronts Jerry, plays one of the three motorcycle gang members killed by Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th Part III (1982).
When Charley Brewster first meets Peter Vincent outside the TV studio, that was the filming location for the start of the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).
While writing the script for Cloak & Dagger (1984), Tom Holland amused himself when he conceived the idea of a horror-movie fan becoming convinced that his next-door neighbor was a vampire, but he didn't initially think this premise was enough to sustain a story. "What's he gonna do," Holland asked, "because everybody's gonna think he's mad!" The story percolated in his mind for a year and finally one day while discussing it with John Byers, then the head of the story department at Columbia Pictures, he finally figured out what the boy would do. "Of course, he's gonna go to Vincent Price!'" In that era, many local TV affiliates in the United States had horror hosts (such as Zacherle (John Zacherle), Svengoolie (Jerry G. Bishop), and the nationally syndicated Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)), so Holland decided it would be natural for the boy to seek aid from his local host. "The minute I had Peter Vincent, I had the story. Charley Brewster was the engine, but Peter Vincent was the heart." Once he'd conceived that character, Holland knocked out the first draft of the script in three weeks. "And I was laughing the entire time, literally on the floor, kicking my feet in the air in hysterics." Holland wrote the film for himself to direct, in part because he was so disheartened by the film that was ultimately made from his previous screenplay, Scream for Help (1984), and he'd developed enough of clout from the successes of his screenplays for Class of 1984 (1982), Psycho II (1983), and Cloak & Dagger, that the head of Columbia Pictures said, "Let's take a chance on the hot screenwriter kid," not figuring that Fright Night would be as successful as it ultimately became.
(Features a Fright Night style story with a unique twist)
Fun Facts About Hell Night
Actor Vincent Van Patten claims that future actor Kevin Costner worked on the film as a Grip.
Actor Kevin Brophy (Peter) said in an interview that he still has the purple cape that he wears in the movie and that he has worn it every Halloween since making the film.
Future director Frank Darabont had one of his earliest film credits on this movie, as a Production Assistant.
The scene where Jeff (Peter Barton) is thrown down a flight of stairs and hurts his leg didn't require much acting on Barton's part; he actually did hurt himself, and his limping was due to the fact that he was really in pain from his injury. Though he tells a different story in interviews.
Actress Linda Blair said in an interview that after her head turning role in the feature film, The Exorcist (1973), she was unable to break free of the young girl as a victim role. So she wanted to revitalize her image after she finished this film. She wanted to show the world she was a grown woman capable of adult roles, which is why she posed for nude photos in the October 1982 issue of Oui magazine. Unfortunately, the photoshoot had an unintended consequence. Instead of big Hollywood pictures, Linda would go on to appear in more exploitation B-films like this one or smaller television roles for most of her career.
Though never mentioned in the film, Marti's actual name is suppose to be Martha Gaines according to the original Hell Night script. Marti was her nickname.
The character of Seth was originally written to be a southerner from Louisiana but after Vincent Van Patten was brought into the production the character was re-written around Van Patten; who, like Seth, had a passion for surfing.
Several residents of Redlands, California, were hired as extras. Kimberly Crest, the mansion in Redlands where much of the film was shot, was also the locale for Fleetwood Mac's 1987 music video, Fleetwood Mac: Big Love (1987). Despite the depiction in the film, Kimberly Crest has no underground tunnels.
Actor Kevin Brophy (Peter) said in an interview that he still has the purple cape that he wears in the movie and that he has worn it every Halloween since making the film.
Future director Frank Darabont had one of his earliest film credits on this movie, as a Production Assistant.
The scene where Jeff (Peter Barton) is thrown down a flight of stairs and hurts his leg didn't require much acting on Barton's part; he actually did hurt himself, and his limping was due to the fact that he was really in pain from his injury. Though he tells a different story in interviews.
Actress Linda Blair said in an interview that after her head turning role in the feature film, The Exorcist (1973), she was unable to break free of the young girl as a victim role. So she wanted to revitalize her image after she finished this film. She wanted to show the world she was a grown woman capable of adult roles, which is why she posed for nude photos in the October 1982 issue of Oui magazine. Unfortunately, the photoshoot had an unintended consequence. Instead of big Hollywood pictures, Linda would go on to appear in more exploitation B-films like this one or smaller television roles for most of her career.
Though never mentioned in the film, Marti's actual name is suppose to be Martha Gaines according to the original Hell Night script. Marti was her nickname.
The character of Seth was originally written to be a southerner from Louisiana but after Vincent Van Patten was brought into the production the character was re-written around Van Patten; who, like Seth, had a passion for surfing.
Several residents of Redlands, California, were hired as extras. Kimberly Crest, the mansion in Redlands where much of the film was shot, was also the locale for Fleetwood Mac's 1987 music video, Fleetwood Mac: Big Love (1987). Despite the depiction in the film, Kimberly Crest has no underground tunnels.
September 17, 2021
Genesis - May 3421 BC
Left for dead after an attack on his settlement in which his people, including his wife, were taken away by bandits, a retired warrior, Chenzira seeks help from a local ruler, Amen-Ra. Overhearing the conversation between Chenzira and her father, Hathor heads down through a secret passage to caverns hidden beneath the palace where she is informed that the preparations for the ritual have been finished. Taking her place at an altar with one of the men from Chenzira's village tied to it, Hathor waits for her acolytes to assemble and sacrifices the man on the altar to summon the demon Bacchus. Stripping naked in front of him, she sucks on his cock before letting him fuck her and turn her into a vampire. Using acolytes working in the palace, Hathor is able to have a casket that she can sleep in during the day placed in her bedchamber without anyone knowing other than those loyal to her. Rising as sunset, Hathor fucks her handmaiden, Theoris, and turns her into a vampire. Managing to enter Amen-Ra's bedchamber after she has risen as a vampire, Theoris murders him and his two wives before fleeing from the palace. Informed about the murder of her father, Hathor declares herself ruler and orders the arrest of the man she claims killed her father, Chenzira. Suspicious about really happened, Hathor's sister, Jamila, convinces her bodyguard and secret lover, Tarik, to help her infiltrate the dungeon where Chenzira is being held to hear what he has to say. Becoming convinced of his innocence, Jamila and Tarik arrange for Chenzira to escape. Learning about Chenzira's escape, Hathor is able to identify Tarik as being involved and orders her palace acolytes to bring her to her bedchamber. Making him fall under her influence, she rides his cock before turning him into a vampire. Revealing that he was following Jamila's instructions, Tarik is sent back to her bedchamber where he fucks her and turns her into a vampire. Heading to the inn where she had arranged to meet with Chenzira after his escape, Jamila attempts to lure him into an ambush of Hathor's soldiers but he succeeds in escaping.
October 8, 2013
Werewolves & Silver
In 1941, Lon Chaney, Jr’s Wolfman was bashed over the head with his own silver headed cane and the use of silver as a means to combat werewolves became part of the standard werewolf lore. (A few years earlier, Henry Hull’s Werewolf Of London was killed by police using regular bullets.)
On the surface it seems like a great idea having a monster that is invulnerable to everything other than silver, making it possible only for those who were extremely lucky to have a silver weapon (like a silver wolf headed cane in the Wolfman) or those who were prepared to hunt down werewolves.
Now if the assumption is made that silver causes a fatal allergic or toxic reaction (As in The Beast Must Die) to werewolves, the advantage of being only vulnerable to silver becauses more of a weakness. It also follow that professionals who hunt werewolves would incorporate silver into their clothing or armour to guarantee no werewolf would survive eating a hunter it had killed.
On the surface it seems like a great idea having a monster that is invulnerable to everything other than silver, making it possible only for those who were extremely lucky to have a silver weapon (like a silver wolf headed cane in the Wolfman) or those who were prepared to hunt down werewolves.
Now if the assumption is made that silver causes a fatal allergic or toxic reaction (As in The Beast Must Die) to werewolves, the advantage of being only vulnerable to silver becauses more of a weakness. It also follow that professionals who hunt werewolves would incorporate silver into their clothing or armour to guarantee no werewolf would survive eating a hunter it had killed.
September 21, 2013
Arnold Paolo - A Documented Account Of A Vampire
Returning to his village in the spring of 1727 after a number of years in military service, Arnold Paolo bought a small cottage and some land with the intention of settling down. As time went on, some of the other people in the village started noticing a strange uneasiness in his behaviour, which seeme to include trying to avoid meeting the daughter of a rich neighbour.
As more time passed, Arnold was not always able to avoid the companion of his neighbours and soon his marriage to the daughter of his rich neighbour was announced. However the new bride often commented to her friends that he seemed distant.
Eventually giving in to his bride's curiosity, Arnold admitted he had been haunted by the fear of an early death and told her about an encounter with a vampire in a remote area of Greece during his military service, an event which caused him to resign and return to his native village.
Some point later, Arnold fell off the top of a loaded haywagon and died from his injuries.
About a month after his body was laid to rest, several of the local population reported that they had seen Arnold wandering around the village after sunset and others claimed that they were being haunted by him.
Over the next few weeks, several of the people who claimed to be being haunted began to die. Throughout the entire winter, the people in the village lived in a state of terror.
After nearly three months after Arnold's funeral, it was decided that his body be exhumed to confirm whether he had become a vampire. The exhumation party consisted of two military officers, two army surgeons and the authorities of the village.
It was early in the morning that the group visited the quiet cemetery, they soon had removed the coffin from the ground and removed the lid. It was discovered that the body had moved to one side and there was fresh blood which trickled in a thin stream from the side of Arnold's mouth.
The group then proceed to scatter garlic over the remains and drove a stake through the body, which was reported to give out a piercing scream as the warm blood spouted out.
After this operation had been carried out, the group proceeded to exhume the bodies of those who had claimed to have been haunted by Arnold and drive stakes through them.
All of the bodies were eventually burned and the ashes were replaced on consecrated ground
As more time passed, Arnold was not always able to avoid the companion of his neighbours and soon his marriage to the daughter of his rich neighbour was announced. However the new bride often commented to her friends that he seemed distant.
Eventually giving in to his bride's curiosity, Arnold admitted he had been haunted by the fear of an early death and told her about an encounter with a vampire in a remote area of Greece during his military service, an event which caused him to resign and return to his native village.
Some point later, Arnold fell off the top of a loaded haywagon and died from his injuries.
About a month after his body was laid to rest, several of the local population reported that they had seen Arnold wandering around the village after sunset and others claimed that they were being haunted by him.
Over the next few weeks, several of the people who claimed to be being haunted began to die. Throughout the entire winter, the people in the village lived in a state of terror.
After nearly three months after Arnold's funeral, it was decided that his body be exhumed to confirm whether he had become a vampire. The exhumation party consisted of two military officers, two army surgeons and the authorities of the village.
It was early in the morning that the group visited the quiet cemetery, they soon had removed the coffin from the ground and removed the lid. It was discovered that the body had moved to one side and there was fresh blood which trickled in a thin stream from the side of Arnold's mouth.
The group then proceed to scatter garlic over the remains and drove a stake through the body, which was reported to give out a piercing scream as the warm blood spouted out.
After this operation had been carried out, the group proceeded to exhume the bodies of those who had claimed to have been haunted by Arnold and drive stakes through them.
All of the bodies were eventually burned and the ashes were replaced on consecrated ground
September 4, 2013
The Beast Of Gevaudan
In a remote region of France during the 18th century, a murderous beast stalked the countryside leaving a trail of blood and corpses.
The nightmare began during the summer of 1764 with a young woman tending to her cow when a mysterious beast appeared and began charging at her. Her dogs fleeing in terror, the only thing that saved her from being eaten alive were the cows that were able to keep the creature from reaching her. Managing to escape with only a few scratches, the woman was able to give a description of the beast that had tried to attack her.
The creature was described as being the size of a cow with a very wide chest, huge head and neck, short grey ears and a nose that resembled a greyhound. A pair of fangs were visible protruding from each side of its mouth. The survivor also claimed that the creature was able to move at great speed with bounds of up to 30 feet.
The following months saw the mystery beast spreading terror throughout the countryside, leaving the half-eaten corpses and severed limbs scattered throughout the region. As the bodycount climbed, the creature began to be viewed less than a wolf-like beast but as an invulnerable demon.
With the carnage continuing and with people afraid to leave their homes or tend to their farms, the local men united in an attempt to track down the beast, despite the majority of them only having access to the most basic of weapons. Even those who did have the use of firearms found that their guns seemed to have little effect on the beast.
On the 8th October of the first year of the beast's killing spree, two hunters encountered the beast and claimed to have shot it from only a space of ten paces.
The beast fell.
The hunters' victory was shortlived. The beast recovered immediately. The two hunters shot at it again and once more it fell. Appearing injured, the beast did manage to escape into the woods, despite being shot two more times before it was able to evade its pursuers.
Learning about the hunters' encounter with the beast, the local people quickly became convinced that the creature had been severly wounded and expected to soon find its carcass.
The hope that the nightmare was over ended when the beast returned over the next few days and slaughtered more victims.
It was the following month when a Captain Duhamel took charge of trying to hunt down the beast and organised all of the local people into helping nearly the soldiers under his command, 40 on foot and 17 on horseback.
The beast proved to be a formidable and intelligent foe. Every time Duhamel and his soldiers had been convinced that they had managed to kill the creature, it recovered and managed to escape.
The constant failure to kill the beast led to the offer of a large reward to anyone capable of capturing it. Hunters from all over France arrived in an attempt to claim the money, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
In the months that followed, the local people began to feel fed up with the presence of the soldiers and hunters. It was at this time that the beast mounted its most murderous attack to date, right under the noses of the soldiers.
With the news of the beast's killing spree beginning to spread to other countries in Europe, King Louis XV sent a hunter, Denneval, with a reputation of killing over 1200 wolves. Arriving in the region, Denneval began attempting to track the beast with six of the best bloodhounds.
This was the time that the unfortunate Denis family became linked to the legend of the beast.
In March 1765 and Denneval having been in the region for a month, three of the four Denis siblings, Jacques, Julienne and Jeanne were watching their livestock near Malzieu. After lighting a fire for him and his sisters, Jacques heard Jeanne screaming when the beast attacked her. Attempting to save his sister, Jacques fought with the beast and managed to throw it into the fire.
Again managing to survive, the beast escaped.
Left with wounds behind each of her ears and a torn shoulder, the attack resulted in Jeanne becoming a quivering wreck and experiencing intense periods of terror.
Blaming herself for her sister's condition, Julienne vowed that she would kill the beast or die trying and would often head out to provoke an encounter with the creature.
Also vowing revenge on the beast, Jacques joined forces with Denneval. Proposing a new strategy, Denneval attempted to lure the beast out into the open by using himself as bait, at which time his men would surround the beast and trap it with dogs.
The new tactics failed. The beast always managed to evade the hunters and continued leaving mutilated bodies throughout the region.
Two months after Denneval's arrival in the region, the beast was seen stalking a shepherd by a nobleman called de la Chaumette. Alerting his two brothers, de la Chaumette plotted to try to ambush the beast. Managing to shoot the creature and wound it, de la Chaumette and his brothers failed to prevent the beast from escaping back into the woods.
The signs that the beast had been wounded were evident, splashes of blood stained the soil, and the people once again believed that the beast that could not be killed was dead.
The celebrations that followed the belief that the beast was dead faded when a horse rider galloped into the village with the news that the beast had attacked a woman named Marguerite, a friend to Jacques. Heading off to find Marguerite immediately, Jacques found her body on the road leading into the village with her throat ripped open.
The beast attacked and killed another three people during that day, but did not bother to eat them.
Jacques organised the people into using whatever they could find and put the dogs onto the still-fresh scent of the beast. This time he was determined to kill the creature once and for all.
Soon, Jacques find himself face to face with his quarry and attacked it with a bayonet. Appearing unconcerned by any threat that he posed, the beast bared its fangs and leapt forward for the kill.
Jacques was lucky and was saved by the arrival of more hunters who caused the beast to flee.
With the legend of the beast making France look ridiculous, the King dispatched his personal gun carrier, Antoine de Beauterne, to end the beast's rampage.
Denneval gave up hunting the beast in June 1765. That month, the beast embarked on another vicious rampage, killing two children and a 45 year old woman.
Whispers that the beast was linked to witchcraft began to circulate with local priests declaring that it was a messenger of evil sent to punish the people for their sins. Suspicion fell on the mysterious Chastel family whose son, Jean, lived in the wild in the woods.
For the following three months, de Beauterne did nothing but study the beast's hunting patterns. In September, he organised 40 hunters using 12 dogs and chose a starting point near the village of Pommier.
Setting up an ambush for the beast at the Beal ravine, de Beauterne and his hunters began to wait.
The dogs began to bark at something that was still not within sight.
The hunters released the dogs as soon as the beast came into the open. Becoming aware that it was surrounded by the hunters, the beast tried to find a way to escape the trap it had been caught in.
Taking advantage of having caught the beast in the open, de Beauterne fired.
The buckshot struck the beast on its shoulder with another shot going straight through its right eye and into its skull.
The beast fell and the horns sounded in triumph.
Shocked by the following sight, the hunters watched the beast return to its feet and launch itself directly towards de Beauterne. A shot by one of the other hunters hit the beast in the leg and it made a run for an opening in the trap.
Almost having escaped from the ambush, the beast fell and lay unmoving.
The beast was declared to be a rare wolf measuring 6 feet from nose to tail. The animal was stuffed and taken back to the King's court as a trophy.
But there were still those who refused to believe that the beast was gone, including Julienne Denis who was convinced that Jean Chastel knew that it was still out there and believed that the beast was a werewolf.
For the next two months until the end of November 1765, the killings continued but the King forbade anyone from talking about the beast's resurrection.
On Christmas Day, Jacques went off in search of Julienne who had not been seen since the day before. The week after her disappearance, unrecognisable remains were discovered.
The spring of 1767 saw the killings begin again with at least 14 victims of the beast during the months of March and June.
In June 1767, a local nobleman organised three hundred hunters to try to stop the beast, one of them was Jean Chastel, who had loaded his gun with silver bullets.
Setting up a position in the Beal ravine just like de Beauterne before him, Jean Chastel opened a prayer book and read it. Then he waited.
With the hunting dogs close behind it, the beast emerged into the open just a few steps from where Jean Chastel was waiting.
Finishing his prayer, he closed the book and removed his glasses.
The beast remained motionless.
Jean Chastel raised his gun and fired, killing the beast once and for all.
The nightmare began during the summer of 1764 with a young woman tending to her cow when a mysterious beast appeared and began charging at her. Her dogs fleeing in terror, the only thing that saved her from being eaten alive were the cows that were able to keep the creature from reaching her. Managing to escape with only a few scratches, the woman was able to give a description of the beast that had tried to attack her.
The creature was described as being the size of a cow with a very wide chest, huge head and neck, short grey ears and a nose that resembled a greyhound. A pair of fangs were visible protruding from each side of its mouth. The survivor also claimed that the creature was able to move at great speed with bounds of up to 30 feet.
The following months saw the mystery beast spreading terror throughout the countryside, leaving the half-eaten corpses and severed limbs scattered throughout the region. As the bodycount climbed, the creature began to be viewed less than a wolf-like beast but as an invulnerable demon.
With the carnage continuing and with people afraid to leave their homes or tend to their farms, the local men united in an attempt to track down the beast, despite the majority of them only having access to the most basic of weapons. Even those who did have the use of firearms found that their guns seemed to have little effect on the beast.
On the 8th October of the first year of the beast's killing spree, two hunters encountered the beast and claimed to have shot it from only a space of ten paces.
The beast fell.
The hunters' victory was shortlived. The beast recovered immediately. The two hunters shot at it again and once more it fell. Appearing injured, the beast did manage to escape into the woods, despite being shot two more times before it was able to evade its pursuers.
Learning about the hunters' encounter with the beast, the local people quickly became convinced that the creature had been severly wounded and expected to soon find its carcass.
The hope that the nightmare was over ended when the beast returned over the next few days and slaughtered more victims.
It was the following month when a Captain Duhamel took charge of trying to hunt down the beast and organised all of the local people into helping nearly the soldiers under his command, 40 on foot and 17 on horseback.
The beast proved to be a formidable and intelligent foe. Every time Duhamel and his soldiers had been convinced that they had managed to kill the creature, it recovered and managed to escape.
The constant failure to kill the beast led to the offer of a large reward to anyone capable of capturing it. Hunters from all over France arrived in an attempt to claim the money, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
In the months that followed, the local people began to feel fed up with the presence of the soldiers and hunters. It was at this time that the beast mounted its most murderous attack to date, right under the noses of the soldiers.
With the news of the beast's killing spree beginning to spread to other countries in Europe, King Louis XV sent a hunter, Denneval, with a reputation of killing over 1200 wolves. Arriving in the region, Denneval began attempting to track the beast with six of the best bloodhounds.
This was the time that the unfortunate Denis family became linked to the legend of the beast.
In March 1765 and Denneval having been in the region for a month, three of the four Denis siblings, Jacques, Julienne and Jeanne were watching their livestock near Malzieu. After lighting a fire for him and his sisters, Jacques heard Jeanne screaming when the beast attacked her. Attempting to save his sister, Jacques fought with the beast and managed to throw it into the fire.
Again managing to survive, the beast escaped.
Left with wounds behind each of her ears and a torn shoulder, the attack resulted in Jeanne becoming a quivering wreck and experiencing intense periods of terror.
Blaming herself for her sister's condition, Julienne vowed that she would kill the beast or die trying and would often head out to provoke an encounter with the creature.
Also vowing revenge on the beast, Jacques joined forces with Denneval. Proposing a new strategy, Denneval attempted to lure the beast out into the open by using himself as bait, at which time his men would surround the beast and trap it with dogs.
The new tactics failed. The beast always managed to evade the hunters and continued leaving mutilated bodies throughout the region.
Two months after Denneval's arrival in the region, the beast was seen stalking a shepherd by a nobleman called de la Chaumette. Alerting his two brothers, de la Chaumette plotted to try to ambush the beast. Managing to shoot the creature and wound it, de la Chaumette and his brothers failed to prevent the beast from escaping back into the woods.
The signs that the beast had been wounded were evident, splashes of blood stained the soil, and the people once again believed that the beast that could not be killed was dead.
The celebrations that followed the belief that the beast was dead faded when a horse rider galloped into the village with the news that the beast had attacked a woman named Marguerite, a friend to Jacques. Heading off to find Marguerite immediately, Jacques found her body on the road leading into the village with her throat ripped open.
The beast attacked and killed another three people during that day, but did not bother to eat them.
Jacques organised the people into using whatever they could find and put the dogs onto the still-fresh scent of the beast. This time he was determined to kill the creature once and for all.
Soon, Jacques find himself face to face with his quarry and attacked it with a bayonet. Appearing unconcerned by any threat that he posed, the beast bared its fangs and leapt forward for the kill.
Jacques was lucky and was saved by the arrival of more hunters who caused the beast to flee.
With the legend of the beast making France look ridiculous, the King dispatched his personal gun carrier, Antoine de Beauterne, to end the beast's rampage.
Denneval gave up hunting the beast in June 1765. That month, the beast embarked on another vicious rampage, killing two children and a 45 year old woman.
Whispers that the beast was linked to witchcraft began to circulate with local priests declaring that it was a messenger of evil sent to punish the people for their sins. Suspicion fell on the mysterious Chastel family whose son, Jean, lived in the wild in the woods.
For the following three months, de Beauterne did nothing but study the beast's hunting patterns. In September, he organised 40 hunters using 12 dogs and chose a starting point near the village of Pommier.
Setting up an ambush for the beast at the Beal ravine, de Beauterne and his hunters began to wait.
The dogs began to bark at something that was still not within sight.
The hunters released the dogs as soon as the beast came into the open. Becoming aware that it was surrounded by the hunters, the beast tried to find a way to escape the trap it had been caught in.
Taking advantage of having caught the beast in the open, de Beauterne fired.
The buckshot struck the beast on its shoulder with another shot going straight through its right eye and into its skull.
The beast fell and the horns sounded in triumph.
Shocked by the following sight, the hunters watched the beast return to its feet and launch itself directly towards de Beauterne. A shot by one of the other hunters hit the beast in the leg and it made a run for an opening in the trap.
Almost having escaped from the ambush, the beast fell and lay unmoving.
The beast was declared to be a rare wolf measuring 6 feet from nose to tail. The animal was stuffed and taken back to the King's court as a trophy.
But there were still those who refused to believe that the beast was gone, including Julienne Denis who was convinced that Jean Chastel knew that it was still out there and believed that the beast was a werewolf.
For the next two months until the end of November 1765, the killings continued but the King forbade anyone from talking about the beast's resurrection.
On Christmas Day, Jacques went off in search of Julienne who had not been seen since the day before. The week after her disappearance, unrecognisable remains were discovered.
The spring of 1767 saw the killings begin again with at least 14 victims of the beast during the months of March and June.
In June 1767, a local nobleman organised three hundred hunters to try to stop the beast, one of them was Jean Chastel, who had loaded his gun with silver bullets.
Setting up a position in the Beal ravine just like de Beauterne before him, Jean Chastel opened a prayer book and read it. Then he waited.
With the hunting dogs close behind it, the beast emerged into the open just a few steps from where Jean Chastel was waiting.
Finishing his prayer, he closed the book and removed his glasses.
The beast remained motionless.
Jean Chastel raised his gun and fired, killing the beast once and for all.
September 2, 2013
Fright Night Remake
Just watched the remake of Fright Night and frankly there wasn't one original thought in the entire film. Even the parts not lifted from the original have been ripped off from other sources, Marti Noxon even ripped off a scene from Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
If you want a neighbour is a vampire story with an original twist, there is always the NEIGHBOURS story in the Trust Casefiles.
If you want a neighbour is a vampire story with an original twist, there is always the NEIGHBOURS story in the Trust Casefiles.
December 15, 2011
Pack Hunters
One of the things I'm planning for my next book, Pack Hunters, is basically throwing out pretty all the accepted folklore (Most of which is false anyway) concerning werewolves. Gone completely will be the vulnerability to silver which didn't exist until the 19th century and a few new elements are going to be added.
Lee Cushing
Lee Cushing
