The Horror Guys Guide To The Horror Films of Peter Cushing

The Horror Guys Guide To The Horror Films of Peter CushingWho wants to see me as Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein so that's the one I do. Hes Been Dr. Frankenstein, Grand Moff Tarkin, Van Helsing, Doctor Who, and Sherlock Holmes. Hes fought Dracula, werewolves, ghouls, gorgons, Nazi zombies, upstart rebels, ancient mummies, skulls, aliens, and even the abominable snowman. With a range from cold, calculating malevolence to kindly grandpa, Peter Cushing enthralled horror (and non

ÒWho wants to see me as Hamlet? Very few. But millions want to see me as Frankenstein so that's the one I do.Ó

HeÕs Been Dr. Frankenstein, Grand Moff Tarkin, Van Helsing, Doctor Who, and Sherlock Holmes. HeÕs fought Dracula, werewolves, ghouls, gorgons, Nazi zombies, upstart rebels, ancient mummies, skulls, aliens, and even the abominable snowman.

With a range from cold, calculating malevolence to kindly grandpa, Peter Cushing enthralled horror (and non-horror) fans for decades. With a humble start with Laurel and Hardy in Hollywood, to a low point where he couldnÕt get anything but BBC Radio roles, Cushing always knew he was made for acting. Still, it wasnÕt until Hammer Films decided to remake ÒFrankensteinÓ that CushingÕs star really began to rise.

Starring in dozens of chilling films from Hammer and Amicus, he soon became one of the great icons of horror. Toward the end of his career, he took a role as Tarkin in ÒStar Wars,Ó which popularized him with an entirely new generation of fans that couldnÕt get enough of his earlier work. WeÕre here to look at his horror films. *All* of them.

This is *not* a Peter Cushing biography. What the book does do is go through each and every one of CushingÕs horror films, going through a *complete* synopsis, including spoilers and commentary. WeÕll look at CushingÕs array of characters shift from the evilest incarnation of Dr. Frankenstein to lovable old benefactors. WeÕll look at fifty horror films and eight important non-horror films that are significant in CushingÕs career.

ÒPeople look at me as if I were some sort of monster, but I can't think why. In my macabre pictures, I have either been a monster-maker or a monster-destroyer, but never a monster. Actually, I'm a gentle fellow. Never harmed a fly. I love animals, and when I'm in the country I'm a keen bird-watcher.Ó Ð Peter Cushing, 1964