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LINDA HAYDEN: BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW AKA SATAN'S SKIN : RARE PHOTOGRAPH

 

More large stills at our BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW FEATURE. CLICK ON LINK:

HERE

FROM WINSTON SMITH TO FRANKENSTEIN: PETER CUSHING A CELEBRATION @ 100

POSTING EVERYDAY AT OUR WEBSITE AND THE UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Peter Cushing had a career that spanned over six decades and over ninety films. He is fondly remembered as "the gentleman of horror" that brought to life both the creator of evil, Baron Frankenstein, and the destroyer of evil, Professor Van Helsing. He was also perhaps the greatest Sherlock Holmes ever to grace the screen. Peter Cushing was honoured with an OBE in 1989 for his services to the film... industry. Interestingly he was also a dedicated artist, and was taught to paint under the guidance of British artist Edward Seago. Some of his works have sold for in excess of £12,000.

 

Peter Cushing trained at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and began his career in prewar Hollywood in The Man in the Iron Mask (US, d. James Whale, 1939) and made several films there before starting in Britain with Hamlet (1948), as a vividly exquisite Osric.

In the early 50s, he worked mainly in the theatre (he was in Laurence Olivier's 1951 St James Theatre season), had a TV triumph in Nineteen Eighty-Four (d. Rudolph Cartier, 1954), and was very moving as Deborah Kerr's cuckolded husband in The End of the Affair (d. Edward Dmytryk, 1954).

His film career took off when he played the eponymous over-reacher in Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein (d. Terence Fisher, 1957), establishing him at once as a cult hero of the horror film aficionados, with Christopher Lee as the monster. These two names, along with director Terence Fisher, now evoke the output of this most successful British studio. As well as playing the Baron half a dozen times, he also memorably incarnated Dr Van Helsing in several reprises of the Dracula myth, including the wonderfully stylish The Brides of Dracula (d. Fisher, 1960).

His chiselled features, refined, even ascetic speech and bearing, his intense belief in the scientific mumbo-jumbo he was given to say, are now so firmly embedded in the public mind that it is an effort of will to remember that he played many other roles, including Sherlock Holmes. It is arguable, though, that his most incisive performance is as the thin-lipped bank manager under fearful strain in the excellent B thriller, Cash on Demand (d. Quentin Lawrence, 1961). 

DR WHO AND THE TARDIS: PETER CUSHING.

LINDA HAYDEN: BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW AKA SATAN'S SKIN : REVIEW AND GALLERY

CAST:

Patrick Wymark (Judge), Linda Hayden (Angel Blake), Barry Andrews (Ralph Gower), Wendy Padbury (Cathy Vespers), Michele Dotrice (Margaret), Anthony Ainley (Reverend Fallowfield), Simon Williams (Peter Edmonton), Howard Goorney (Doctor)

PRODUCTION:

Director/Additional Writing – Piers Haggard, Screenplay – Robert Wynne-Simmons, Producers – Peter L. Andrews & Malcolm B. Hayworth, Photography – Dick Bush, Music – Marc Wilkinson, Makeup – Eddie Knight, Art Direction – Arnold Chapkis. Production Company – Tigon/Chilton Films.

SYNOPSIS:

In 17th Century England, children playing in the fields find a strange claw. Using the claw, the wanton Angel Blake leads the children in Satanic rituals that leave each of them possessed by strange patches of hair, the ‘Mark of Satan’.

COMMENTARY:

Matthew Hopkins – Witchfinder General/The Conqueror Worm (1968) opened up the 17th Century witch-persecutions as a new horror milieu. The continental horror market had been exploiting it for years but suddenly everyone jumped in with items like Mark of the Devil (1970) and Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971), while Spain’s Jess Franco virtually made the period his home turf for several years. Many of the films, like Blood on Satan's Claw here, threw the witch persecutions in with occult elements from the post-Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1973) cycle. The point that most missed, and as the Witchfinder General showed, was that the witches were not legitimate practitioners of magic but persecuted victims – it is akin to saying that the Nazis had a point with the concentration camps because there really was an international Jewish conspiracy. Most films never even concerned themselves with that and only became unpleasant catalogues of acts of sadism and torture. 

Blood on Satan's Claw is a mostly muddled variation. The plot is hapharzedly assembled – its principal protagonist (Patrick Wymark’s Judge) drops out part way through and the ending is a anti-climax. The film is raised somewhat by a superb score and in being directed with some effect by Piers Haggard. Haggard creates some nice scenes with claws creeping up through floorboards and Linda Hayden trying to tempt the local vicar. With something like a script to hold it together, Blood on Satan's Claw could have been impressive.

Former Doctor Who (1963-89) member Wendy Padbury is particularly noteworthy as a naive flower-child and Michele Dotrice, daughter of Roy, is standout with her haunting grasp of regional accent as the frightened Margaret. Linda Hayden, a minor Anglo-horror queen, holds the show as the seductive Angel. 

Director Piers Haggard is the great-grandson of the adventure writer H. Rider Haggard, author of books like King Solomon’s Mines (1885) and She (1887). Blood on Satan's Claw was Piers Haggard’s debut as a director. Haggard has since floated around the genre in film and tv with efforts such as the Dennis Potter mini-series Pennies from Heaven (1978), Quatermass/The Quatermass Conclusion (1979), The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu (1980), Venom (1982) and The Breakthrough/The Lifeforce Experiment (1994).

KEY BOOK STILLS GALLERY TO FOLLOW NEXT!

HELP US CELEBRATE PETER CUSHING'S BIRTHDAY AND CENTENARY!

Help us CELEBRATE Peter Cushing's Birthday 

and Centenary at our facebook Fan Page

https://www.facebook.com/petercushingblog

PETER CUSHING BIRTHDAY CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS AT PCASUK START TOMORROW

Rare photographs, memorabilia and all things Peter Cushing are being shared and posted at

https://www.facebook.com/petercushingblog and http://petercushingblog.blogspot.co.uk/ tomorrow which marks what would have been Cushing's 100th birthday!

A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: COME CELEBRATE PETER CUSHING CENTENARY BIRTHDAY MAY 25TH 2013

The UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society are marking Peter Cushing's Centenary on the 25th May 2013. Join us at BOTH the website http://petercushingblog.blogspot.co.uk/ and our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/petercushingblog for a full 24 hours of competitions, prizes, rare pics and features.

Banner above: Some of Peter Cushing's iconic roles, Van Helsing from Hammer Films 'Brides of Dracula', Baron Frankenstein from 'The Curse of Frankenstein' Arthur Grimsdyke from Amicus films 'Tales From The Crypt', DR Who from 'Dr Who and the Daleks' and 'Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD' and Sherlock Holmes from Hammer Films 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.

THE UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE CENTENARY

Now celebrating Peter Cushing Centenary Year: The UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society founded in 1956, now on Facebook Fan Pages. Updated every day with features, interviews and rare images. Our aim is to celebrate the life and career of Peter Cushing. OBE. Over 4,500 images and 200 albums we invite you to browse! Please join us! HERE

ANOTHER MILESTONE: SIX THOUSAND FOLLOWERS JOIN THE UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

Great to announce that our PCASUK Fan Page has just hit another milestone with another thousand followers! Many thanks to everyone who have joined up in the last month and to everyone for your support and comments! JOIN HERE!

THE MUMMY: HAMMER HORROR AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOGRAPH FEATURING PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE: PCASUK CELEBRATES 5000

A great signed vintage photograph of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee from Hammer Films 'THE MUMMY' part of the UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page celebration on reaching 5000 followers.

OUR PETER CUSHING FACEBOOK FAN PAGE HITS 5000: MANY THANKS!

Our UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page Had Just Reached 5000 Followers. PCASUK was started way back in 1956 is the oldest Peter Cushing group still in operation. If you have a Facebook account why not pop along and join them?

DR WHO: THE USUAL SUSPECTS: AND SURPRISINGLY CUSHING TOO ILLUSTRATION.

This fantastic DR WHO artwork comes courtesy of artist and illustrator Lee Sullivan who joined our UK Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page a few weeks ago and was commissioned last year to produce this piece of art for The Cartoon Museum in London, to promote an exhibition of Dr Who comic strips. It's a re working of an earlier version that appeared in the Dr Who Monthly Magazine and is a pastiche of 'The Usual Suspects' movie poster. Peter Cushing may not be considered 'Dr Who Canon' but he certainly looks as if he belongs here!

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: 2013 PETER CUSHING CENTENARY

Peter Cushing followers around the world will be having a double celebration on New Years Eve this year. 2013 marks the 100th anniversary of Peter Cushing's birthday in 1923. The Facebook Fan Page has seen a 400% increase in the page following in 2012 and have had a great response to their posts and features. Next year looks to be a another cracker! If you haven't joined them yet, skip along to their page, join up and help them celebrate!

PETER CUSHING FAN PAGE GROWING DAILY. POSTING DAILY. GALLERIES AND MEMORABILIA

DR WHO: PETER CUSHING: HAPPY 49TH BIRTHDAY TO TV SERIES

The DR WHO TELEVISION SERIES celebrates it's 49th BIRTHDAY today. Peter played the... 'non canon'...Dr Who in both film versions of the popular BBC television character in 'Dr Who and The Daleks' ( 1965) and 'Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD' (1966) Both films are coming to blu ray in the Spring next year.

TOM BAKER DR WHO: THE DOCTOR GETS A LITTLE TLC AND A BAND AID. OR IS IT?

 

There must be a story behind this one. Tom Baker with Mary Tamm in the doorway of the Tardis posing for a publicity shot, with a band aid on his top lip. Anyone?

DR WHO: CAROLE ANNE FORD AT GAMAGE TOY STORE LONDON: PHOTOGRAPH

DR WHO: AND THE WINNER IS... BLUE PETER DR WHO COMPETITION: PATRICK TROUGHTON

Eight year old Paul Worrall of Sheffield, the winner of a "Dr Who Monster Competition organised by the BBC's Blue Peter childrens programme, meets Dr Who himself in the form of actor Patrick Troughton

DR WHO: JEAN MARSH PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPH