NEWS

CINEMA RETRO: the Essential Guide to Cult and Classic Movies is a new 64-page full colour magazine devoted to those great films of the 60’s and 70’s (but we will probably be tempted to delve into the archives from the 40s and 50s too!). Its aim is to feature in each photo-infested issue:

A major in-depth look at a classic film or film series. Cinema sirens: photos of those delicious sexy actresses whom we all long to see again. Reproductions of some of the greatest poster art of all time. Exclusive interviews with actors, producers and directors from films of this period. Have regular columns about the films of Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Hammer Horror, Italian Spaghetti Westerns, great Hollywood actors and actresses - and much, much more!

CINEMA RETRO will launch in the fall of 2004. Each issue will be a limited edition collector’s item and will not be sold on newsstands. This is not an amateur fan magazine. Rather, it is written by recognised writers in the field of film criticism as well as from the vantage point of the actors, producers, directors and technicians who were a part of this wonderful era of film making. To ensure you receive each issue of this magazine, you must be a subscriber. Cinema Retro is a premium-priced magazine designed for readers who take their moves seriously. You will not find the latest film news, gossip or rumours. You will find insightful and fun articles regarding classic and cult movies, in-depth interviews and some of the rarest photos imaginable. EVERY SUBSCRIBER WILL RECEIVE A FREE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISMENT IN OUR BUYING/SELLING/TRADE SECTION.

So, if you have a passion for films like – The Great Escape, Psycho, The Devils Brigade, Get Carter, Zulu, Where Eagles Dare, The Magnificent Seven, Play Misty For Me, Our Man Flint, Von Ryan’s Express, 100 Rifles, A Fistful of Dollars, The Carry On comedies, Ice Station Zebra, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Kelly’s Heroes, the films of Hammer, Norman Wisdom comedies, The Professionals, The Dirty Dozen, The Men From UNCLE movies, Cinerama, The Wild Geese, The Eagle Has Landed, The St Trinians series – get our drift? – Then why not join the growing band of film buffs who, at long last, have decided – no, demanded, they can at long last read a publication devoted to their passion – great classic films from the 60’s and 70’s. And if there’s a favourite film you would like to see featured or would like to supply an article about, then we want to hear from you too!

THE FIRST 1000 SUBSCRIBERS WILL RECEIVE A FREE COMPACT DISC OF MOVIE RADIO ADVERTS! Go to ‘NEWS’ for further details

THE WOMEN OF HAMMER
By Tim Greaves

“It’s very difficult to be precise about what qualities of a girl catch my interest. A good face and figure, of course. But it’s more than that. She has to have a special kind of magnetism. I can’t describe it, but I know it when I see it.” So said Sir James Carreras of his newest starlet, Victoria Vetri, during the filming of ‘When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth’ in 1970. Yet his words could have been spoken on numerous occasions throughout Hammer’s heyday, in reference to any one of the myriad of ladies who embodied their incomparable gallery of loveliness. Each of them were immortalised on film by the most famous production company in the history of fantasy cinema. Now THE WOMEN OF HAMMER transposes that immortality to print in a comprehensive guide to the wanton wenches, the helpless heroines, the sensual sirens and the duplicitous damsels whose curves enhanced some of the most revered films of the 20th Century. This lavishly illustrated book will feature many rare and never seen before photos, including poster art from around the world, and be released as a top quality hard bound book as a limited edition of just 1000 signed and numbered copies only.

WE ARE TAKING PRE-ORDERS NOW. SEND YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS TO SECURE YOUR NUMBERED AND SIGNED COPY. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE BY DOING SO.

TO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK PLEASE FORWARD YOUR FULL NAME AND ADDRESS, THE QUANTITY REQUIRED, AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO paul-lawton@i12.com. OR GO TO 'CONTACT US' AND SEND BY MAIL, FAX, OR PHONE.

CHRISTOPHER LEE’S DRACULA: THE HAMMER YEARS
By Dave Worrall & Lee Pfeiffer

At last, here is a book devoted to the Hammer Dracula films which starred Christopher Lee. This limited edition hardback book will feature interviews, behind the scenes information, and a wealth of illustrative material from each of the seven films made by Hammer Film Productions, including poster and advertising material from around the world.
Written with the full co-operation of Christopher Lee, whose portrayal of the infamous vampire is generally acknowledged as the most definitive of all actors who have played the role, this superbly designed book will, at last, celebrate each film in detail – something no other book has ever done before – and pay tribute to the wonderful actors and technicians who brought these gothic horror classics to the cinema screen.

ONLY 1000 NUMBERED AND SIGNED COPIES WORLD-WIDE! MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS ON OUR DATABASE NOW. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO PURCHASE BY DOING SO.

TO PRE-ORDER THIS BOOK PLEASE FORWARD YOUR FULL NAME AND ADDRESS, THE QUANTITY REQUIRED, AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO paul-lawton@i12.com. OR GO TO 'CONTACT US' AND SEND BY MAIL, FAX, OR PHONE.

The First World War, which introduced trench warfare and chemical weapons and involved some of history’s bloodiest battles, was frightening enough. But imagine a WWI where soldiers must face not only enemy artillery and mustard gas, but vampires, werewolves, an army of the living dead, and the Frankenstein Monster himself.
That’s the idea behind THE BLACK FOREST, a stunning new graphic novel coming in Spring, 2004, from Image Comics. Brilliantly blending wartime action-adventure with gothic horror, THE BLACK FOREST marks a bold new step in the career of artist Neil Vokes and heralds the debut of two exciting new voices in comics, writers Robert Tinnell and Todd Livingston.

Vokes is best known from his work on Superman Adventures, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, and for his critically acclaimed Image Comics one-shot, Parliament of Justice. Tinnell, a director/screenwriter whose credits include Believe and Frankenstein and Me, crossed over to the world of comics for THE BLACK FOREST, and brought with him Livingston, the writer/director of the indie comedy So, You’ve Downloaded a Demon. Michael Avon Oeming, (Powers, Hammer of the Gods and Bastard Samurai) contributes the cover art, which will be colored by Tom Smith, George Perez’s colorist on the Avengers/JLA crossover.

Vokes has realized Tinnell and Livingston’s nail-biting story in glorious inkwashed black-and-white, reminiscent of the classic Universal Studios horror films that inspired THE BLACK FOREST. His enthusiasm for the project radiates from every page of this, the artist’s finest work to date. Tinnell calls the piece “All Quiet on the Western Front meets House of Frankenstein.” The creative team is working hand-in-hand with Image to ensure maximum exposure, including producing an online trailer and a “Making Of” documentary that will make the festival and convention rounds.

THE BLACK FOREST should fire the imagination of anyone interested in monsters or military adventure – or anyone who simply loves a ripping good story and gorgeous artwork. “If Hell were a machine, the Black
Forest would be its battery.”

My first published short story "Reconciliation" appeared in the vampire anthology THE DARKEST THIRST back in 1998. This anthology is still in print and for a small market publication, it's still selling rather well. I know that at my own book signings, I always seem to sell a copy or two. People really love vampires, I guess.

Anyway, I have a whole box of these books in my office, and in order to make room for several new anthologies I'll be appearing in later this year, I'd like to move these out--- in other words, sell them off. So, I'm in a deal making mood. The book regularly sells for $15.95, but for a limited time (say, thru April, how's that?), I'm willing to part with them for $10.00 a piece.

Now, I'd like to say that since it contains my first published short story, it might be a collector's item some day, but I'm too honest a guy, so I won't say that. I will say it contains some really cool vampire stories, and that it makes a great gift for the friend or family member who loves to read horror, especially if they like vampires. And of course, I'll sign it. If interested, just reply to this email and let me know. Thanks! And remember, every book I sell is important. Authors build fan bases one fan at a time.

No new story credits to report this month. My story "Sculpting Time" is still available to read for free at http://www.eternalnight.co.uk. For those of you who have already checked it out and had good things to say about it, thank you!

In other news, I'm very close to working out a deal with the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, a very fine museum here in Hopkinton, NH, to have my books sold on the shelves of its local author section. There may even be a panel discussion in the works for next year's Halloween season.

The Horror Channel, the world’s first English language television channel dedicated to the dark side of cinema, launches as a free-to-view Sky channel on May 3^rd.

The Horror Channel’s programming is going to be diverse, unusual and very exciting.

Managing Director Tony Hazell explains: “American horror films will dominate the Horror Channel’s schedule but our approach is to show as many rare and unusual titles as possible, rather than attempting to compete with premiere channels by showing modern blockbusters. These will range from Karloff and Lugosi classics in earlier slots to full-on splatter movies after midnight. We want The Horror Channel to appeal to as many horror fans as possible, so we’re trying to balance out classic and modern titles fairly evenly.” Amongst the gems lined up so far are Dementia 13, Night of the Living Dead, White Zombie, Bloody Birthday, The Incredible Melting Man, Blood Tracks, Evil Ed, The Stepfather, The Devil Bat, The Dark Dealer, Nightmares and Rattlers.

“At the heart of The Horror Channel’s programming will be our own horror heritage,” says Hazell. “The British horror film is almost as old as cinema itself, and our schedule will feature an eclectic mixture of British cinema’s blood-drenched output, from the black and white classic The Ghoul, through Hammer Horror masterpieces Frankenstein & The Monster From Hell and Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter to underrated obscurities such as Assault, Revenge, Goodbye Gemini and Expose. Fans of classy British horror double act Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee (and who isn’t?) will not be disappointed as we showcase their finest work, together and individually, in Nothing But The Night, Dr Terror’s House of Horrors. City of the Dead, The Uncanny and The Funnyman.” And in August, Cushing devotees can look forward to a special season of the actor’s films on the tenth anniversary of his death.

According to Mr Hazell, Euro-horror fans should be happy too – there’ll be plenty of Bava, Fulci and Argento to keep them happy, as well as some truly obscure titles and these films will be broadcast in the Horror Around The World slot in the early hours.

The Horror Channel is also working with cult video label Salvation to produce a weekly midnight slot featuring the pick of their uniquely provocative crop.

Some films will be preceded by brief introductions giving background information and trivia. And The Horror Channel will be holding an open audition to find a presenter to become the ‘face’ of the channel in the coming weeks.

The Horror Channel welcomes your feedback, and their website www.thehorrorchannel.tv gives fans a direct point of contact.

David Greenham of the Heritage Foundation of England has just informed me that their tribute to Peter Cushing will be taking place in Whitstable, England this July 25, 2004. More details will be posted as they become available. To check out the Heritage Foundation, visit their website at: http://www.theheritagefoundation.info/index.htm

This summer of 2004 Whitstable has decided to honour its most famous former resident on the tenth anniversary of his passing. Listed below are the tentative plans that are currently in the works for the event. It should be noted that all proceeds raised from this event are going towards a fund to create a special memorial window for Peter Cushing at St. Alphege Church in Whitstable.

The exhibition, tentatively titled "The Man Behind The Screen", will run for all of August and September of 2004. There is a possible start date in late July. The plan is for set pieces focusing on Peter Cushing's many interests outside of showbiz.

A Cushing walk, covering all Peter Cushing's favourite Whitstable places is being planned by the Whitstable Museum staff and Joyce Broughton - with a small booklet for the "walkees" to follow around town. (They already have a very popular walk commemorating deep sea diving in Whitstable).

There will possibly be a lecture at the theatre, given by a speaker nominated by the British Film Institute, with accompanying films and slides.

That grand old institution - tea and cakes - will take place on set days at St. Alphege Church to raise funds for the window.

Possibly an old fashioned film convention with a dealer room for those of us who remember them.

A very special book, made up of autographed photos of Peter Cushing's friends and colleagues, each with a personal reminiscence of him. The completed volume will be assigned in a silent auction which will be on-going during the festival. It is hoped that one of Sir's friends will open the bids and name the successful recipient.

Possibly an update on Peter Cushing's caricatures - with up to date photos of the people alongside the sketches Sir did of them. A memory from each person about meeting him would be a nice accompaniment.

A newspaper campaign to have some part of the new building development along the sea front named for Whitstable's best loved citizen. This has already been started.

One of England's famous "blue plaques" at 3 Sea View (with the current owner's co-operation) to mark the home Peter Cushing loved so well and so long. The Canterbury City Council have been approached about this and seem interested.

A reception at the beginning of the tribute event - in the Whitstable Museum's garden, weather permitting - of as many of Peter Cushing's friends and colleagues who can come...probably a ticketed event due to numbers being important on health and safety grounds.

"Making Monsters" events for children at the Whitstable Museum - arts and crafts.

The overall aim of this tribute event is to celebrate Peter Cushing's life in a meaningful way for those who loved him and knew him, through the spectrum, to those who merely see the exhibition posted and think it will be a good way to pass the afternoon whilst in the town of Whitstable. Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.

Joyce Broughton, the honorary president of the PCA and Peter Cushing's former secretary, has started a special campaign to have a specially commissioned window made in Peter Cushing's honor at St. Alphege Church in Whitstable. The goal is to raise £20,000 for the construction of the window in time for the special tribute event to Peter Cushing planned for 2004 in Whitstable. Below I have included the flier that is being distributed to the fans. Please keep in mind that even the smallest donations are very helpful in this cause.

"We consulted Peter Cushing's secretary, Mrs. Joyce Broughton, who has given her wholehearted support to such a worthy and charitable cause to be able to create a lasting memorial to Mr. Peter Cushing in the form of a stained glass window in the local Church. The fund is now open. It is also being arranged that next year as it will be the tenth anniversary of his death that fans world wide will make every effort to raise sufficient funds to provide and maintain the stained glass window as a lasting memorial to a fine actor, gentleman and lover of Whitstable and all its people.

We believe that the Whitstable Museum is interested in helping with this cause. There is absolutely no money to be made out of this, all those involved will be working for the good of the cause and not for any monetary
gain."

Fans of Peter Cushing have the opportunity to celebrate his life and work with a specially commissioned window in St. Alphege Church in the town of Whitstable. We need £20,000 and we hope you'll help.

All donors will be recorded in a permanent record although we shall not record amounts donated. Receipts will be issued as requested, accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. We will take cash, postal or money orders, cheques and any major currency. We hope that the window will be ready for the 10th Anniversary of his passing in 2004 when Whitstable will be celebrating his life.

From "Ain't it Cool News" - here is a leaked image of actor Christopher Eccleston (from 28 Days Later) posing in makeup as Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars episode 3. Next to Eccleston is Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin from the original Star Wars. Click on the image to view at full size.

GOLD COAST, Australia (Hollywood Reporter) - Legendary horror production house Hammer Films is set to shoot its first film in almost 30 years under a joint venture with one of Australia`s most prolific filmmaking outfits.

Under the deal, announced at the Australian International Movie Convention, six low-budget films are due to be made over five years, each targeting younger audiences and "designed to have strong potential in other media, especially DVD", said Hammer and Queensland-based Pictures in Paradise (PIP).

"A lot of people have tried to talk with Hammer about remakes, but I`m interested in working with them to create horror films in the `new gothic` style, and that`s what they`ve found interesting; that`s their roots, their trademark. We`re not talking about making slasher films," said PIP principal Chris Brown, an expatriate British producer.

Hammer chief executive Terry Illott said: "This deal gives us a terrific opportunity to deliver highly commercial, low-budget, English-language horror movies for a worldwide teen audience."

Development costs will be shared, with PIP taking primary responsibility for production, while Hammer will oversee financing and distribution. The majority of the films are expected to be produced in Australia.

While there are a few in-house projects under consideration, Brown said the search is on for other suitable titles to make up the slate. "Our doors are now open (to scripts)," he said.

Hammer`s return to production -- its last film was the 1974 horror kung fu release "The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires" -- is part of a plan by Illott and partner Peter Naish to rebuild the entity as a production, distribution and finance label for genre horror movies.

Hammer was bought from previous owner Roy Skeggs at the beginning of 2000 by a team of investors that includes advertising guru Charles Saatchi, British Film Commission chairman Larry Chrisfield and former Warner Music UK chairman Rob Dickens.

PIP, founded in 1999, has so far made two horror films: "Cubbyhouse" and, most recently, the New Zealand offering "The Locals", which is due to be released later this year. It has also produced two comedies -- "Blurred", released late last year, and "Under the Radar", which comes out next year.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN A RARE CD RECORDING OF THE LATE PETER CUSHING, RECITING A POEM FOR PEACE WITH FULL BACKING MUSIC.

PRICE U.S.A. $10 INCLUDES POSTAGE AND PACKAGING - ACCEPT PAYPAL, DOLLARS BY POST.

OR WRITTEN MAIL;

PHOTOS FROM WHITSTABLE OF "NO WHITE PEAKS" AUTHOR PETER KAYNE AT THE CUSHING CORNER OF THE WHITSTABLE MUSEUM, AT 'CUSHING'S VIEW,' AND AT THE WHITSTABLE IMPROVEMENT TRUST WITH ERIC OATES (AUTHOR OF 'SALTY TALES OF WHITSTABUBBLE', AND TONY HARGREAVES OF THE WHITSTABLE TRUST.

A Toy Company is creating figures of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee from their Hammer Films. To read more about this, go to: www.action-figure.com and click on the
button near the top of the page for coverage from the UK toy fair. There you will see the link for Hammer Horror.

For those of you in England, you may want to pick up the Autumn 2002 edition of "The Kentish Times Magazine." The issue is dedicated to Halloween or spooky related stories. The editor, Melody Ryall (who at one time was a reporter and interviewed Peter Cushing twice), has written a very nice giant two page article (called "Remembering Peter Cushing: The Original Scary Monster") with some pictures of Peter Cushing. The October Hammer event is mentioned, and also the planned 2004 Whitstable tribute event is mentioned along with the Peter Cushing Association. And you cannot miss the cover - a GIANT picture of Peter Cushing from "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed."

Hot off the presses!

Ever feel like life is passing you by and no matter what you do, you can't get ahead? You feel like you're running in place? You're not alone. And some people have it worse than you, like the man in my new short story "Running." He's running, and he has no idea why.

To find out more, check out my latest short story "Running" at http://www.peridotbooks.com in Volume 16 of the ezine PERIDOT BOOKS.

And if that's not enough, my lurid tale of grotesque nightlife, "A Fly On The Wall of Hell," is now available at HORRORFIND.COM at http://www.horrorfind.com.

Happy reading! (Preferably after dark!)

---Michael Arruda

He will also be taking part in a Horror Panel at the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Thursday, September 19, 2002, from 7:00PM to 8:30PM, along with fellow authors Rick Hautala, Kevin Johnson, Jon Merz, and Holly Newstein. They will be talking about their writing, breaking into the field, and getting published. They will will also answer questions from the audience. Plus they will be signing copies of their books.

Lastly, Michael recently came across extra copies of the anthology THE DARKEST THIRST which contains his first published short story, the vampire tale "Reconciliation." If you or anyone you know would like a signed copy, just let Michael know. They sell for $15.95. You can contact Michael Arruda at: Mmarruda@aol.com

Writer James Murray is planning on novelizing the remaining films not covered by the hammer horror omnibus, ie, Frankenstein Created Woman, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Evil Of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell. If anyone has access to copies of these scripts please contact James at:

Peter Cushing is on the cover of the latest issue (#49)
of "Sherlock" magazine (Formerly Sherlock Holmes: the Detective
Magazine). The cover ties into an article by Tony Earnshaw on the BBC
archives of the 1968 Cushing Holmes series. There is also a brief
review of the BBC Hound DVD. The mags site is located at
http://www.pmh.uk.com/sherlock/sherlock.htm but it hasn't been
updated in nearly a year, so no current issue cover image.

As you may well know there is some uncertainty about what is going to
happen to the free service at Yahoo Groups, and whatever happens will
effect us all.

Just to ward off any nasty surprises I have created a new group with
MSN and I would urge everyone to join this group. MSN Communities
work very much like Yahoo Groups - they are free to join, anyone can
post, there is file space etc. The URL of the new group is:
http://communities.msn.co.uk/PeterCushing/homepage.msnw

For the moment this group will continue but please be aware that it
may not be for long, so I wouldn't add any new files or photos.
Please do join the new group.

Michael Arruda's new horror short story, "The Loogaroo" is now available for your reading pleasure at the website http://www.horrorfind.com. You can read the story by clicking on the link and searching either the story's title or Michael's name. Please check it out and give your own rating.

Hammer fans will fall out of their chairs when they hear about the extra at the screening: a ten minute reel of outtakes and slate trims from The Revenge of Frankenstein. These were negative trims that turned up in a can and held few surprises but were fascinating just the same. Half of the clips had been 'lacquered' and thus retained about 95% of their original lustre, according to the lab expert who attended. Besides watching Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Eunace Gayson and Michael Gwynne hover in extended stage waits, there was a new character, a thin little clapper boy in his school tie, dressed just about identically to Wallace of Wallace and Gromit fame, dutifully snapping off the Bray studio slates. A monkey wrangler was also briefly visible trying to get the caged chimpanzee to hit his proper cues. Hammer fans of course would die to see this stuff; Cushing in one take enters, says a few words, then turns around and says another line before putting his coat back on and exiting, proving that economy on a Hammer set was such that getting the entrance and exit in one go was considered a way of saving on film stock. Somebody said Terence Fisher broke the frame line once or twice in a blur - they recognized the glasses on his nose - but it was so fast Savant didn't catch it. A published Hammer expert and film documentarian was in attendance, and lip-synched a few dialog lines into the silent screening for us!

DVD resource http://www.dvdresource.com is where this report came from. Click on "DVD Savant" once you get to that site. They screened them in California.

Peter Cushing's handprints, which were collected and written about by PCA member Chris Hassell, are going to be donated to the Theatre Royal in England. I was recently informed by Chris that due to on-going structural repairs, the ceremony for the handprints will now be put back until Peter's next birthday - May 26th, 2001. Any further information will be posted here.

WRITTEN AND PERSONALLY SIGNED BY PETER KAYNE©

OR WRITTEN MAIL;