Margia Dean, who co-starred in the cult sci-fi classic The Quatermass Xperiment and appeared alongside the likes of Clint Eastwood, Vincent Price, Esther Williams and George Reeves in other movies, has died. She was 101.
Dean died June 23 in her apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, California, her niece Denyse Barr told The Hollywood Reporter.
From 1948-56, Dean worked in about 20 features for producer Robert L. Lippert, founder of the B-movie studio Lippert Pictures, thus earning the nickname “The Queen of Lippert.”
She acted for Sam Fuller in two of those films, the first two features he ever directed, in fact — I Shot Jesse James (1949), in which she portrayed a saloon singer, and the Price-starring The Baron of Arizona (1950).
Based on a popular BBC serial, Hammer Films’ The Quatermass Xperiment (1956), directed by Val Guest and starring Brian Donlevy, told the story of an astronaut (Richard Wordsworth) who crash-lands back on Earth and...
Dean died June 23 in her apartment in Rancho Cucamonga, California, her niece Denyse Barr told The Hollywood Reporter.
From 1948-56, Dean worked in about 20 features for producer Robert L. Lippert, founder of the B-movie studio Lippert Pictures, thus earning the nickname “The Queen of Lippert.”
She acted for Sam Fuller in two of those films, the first two features he ever directed, in fact — I Shot Jesse James (1949), in which she portrayed a saloon singer, and the Price-starring The Baron of Arizona (1950).
Based on a popular BBC serial, Hammer Films’ The Quatermass Xperiment (1956), directed by Val Guest and starring Brian Donlevy, told the story of an astronaut (Richard Wordsworth) who crash-lands back on Earth and...
- 7/6/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rip-roaring Oliver Reed’s silver-coated were-beast is one of Hammer Films’ very best screen monsters, which is more than enough reason to sample this colorful 1961 shocker. It was apparently ripped to shreds by the U.K. censors, a horror-crime spared us lucky Americans. The movie has been released more than once on Blu-ray but Shout’s new 4K scan restores it to prime condition. Numerous extras trace its stormy path through the slights and deletions of The Curse of the BBFC.
The Curse of the Werewolf
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 21, 2020 / Collector’s Edition / Available from Scream Factory
Starring: Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller, Anthony Dawson.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Alfred Cox
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by John Elder (Anthony Hinds) from The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds
Directed by Terence Fisher
When stab comes to gouge,...
The Curse of the Werewolf
Blu-ray
Shout! Scream Factory
1961 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date April 21, 2020 / Collector’s Edition / Available from Scream Factory
Starring: Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, Yvonne Romain, Catherine Feller, Anthony Dawson.
Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Film Editor: Alfred Cox
Original Music: Benjamin Frankel
Written by John Elder (Anthony Hinds) from The Werewolf of Paris by Guy Endore
Produced by Michael Carreras, Anthony Hinds
Directed by Terence Fisher
When stab comes to gouge,...
- 5/19/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer with four more titles, three of which are front-rank winners. Once again, the company’s extras make all the difference. We’re’ given alternate versions, censor comparisons, and for one reel, an entire roll of outtakes and stage waits featuring Peter Cushing.
Hammer Volume Four Faces of Fear
Region Free Blu-ray
The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Taste of Fear, The Damned (These Are the Damned)
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1962 / Color & B&w / 1:66, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date November 25, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99
Directed by Terence Fisher (2), Seth Holt, Joseph Losey
Powerhouse Indicator’s fourth collection of Hammer attractions shows no sign of compromise — three out of four titles here are superb tales of fright and science fiction. Thanks to the company policy of leaving no gravestone unturned, the exclusive special extras never stop.
Hammer Volume Four Faces of Fear
Region Free Blu-ray
The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Taste of Fear, The Damned (These Are the Damned)
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1962 / Color & B&w / 1:66, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date November 25, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99
Directed by Terence Fisher (2), Seth Holt, Joseph Losey
Powerhouse Indicator’s fourth collection of Hammer attractions shows no sign of compromise — three out of four titles here are superb tales of fright and science fiction. Thanks to the company policy of leaving no gravestone unturned, the exclusive special extras never stop.
- 11/2/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Joseph Losey’s fortunes as an expatriate director took an upswing with this efficient, nervous and somewhat overcooked thriller with a daunting ticking-bomb deadline story gimmick — alcoholic wreck Michael Redgrave has only twenty hours to save his son from execution for murder. Losey racks up the tension, but he doesn’t give a hoot for Ben Barzman’s whodunnit scripting. Just the same, it’s good to see the director finally gaining traction — from this point forward most every Losey picture received serious international attention.
Time Without Pity
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK (Region Free) / £15.99
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen, Lois Maxwell, Richard Wordsworth, Joan Plowright.
Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Tristram Cary
Written by Ben Barzman from a play by Emlyn Williams
Produced by John Arnold, Leon Clore,...
Time Without Pity
Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1957 / B&w / 1:66 widescreen / 89 min. / Street Date October 28, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK (Region Free) / £15.99
Starring: Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd, Peter Cushing, Alec McCowen, Lois Maxwell, Richard Wordsworth, Joan Plowright.
Cinematography: Freddie Francis
Film Editor: Alan Osbiston
Original Music: Tristram Cary
Written by Ben Barzman from a play by Emlyn Williams
Produced by John Arnold, Leon Clore,...
- 10/15/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer — productions that found new ways to shock audiences than tradition-breaking gore and violence. Two are war pictures with sharply contrasting themes, and the second pair constitute a popular-cinema referendum on racist colonial attitudes.
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
Hammer Volume 3 Blood and Terror
Blu-ray
The Camp on Blood Island, Yesterday’s Enemy, The Stranglers of Bombay, The Terror of the Tongs
Powerhouse Indicator
1958-1960 / Color / B&W / 1:85, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date July 30, 2018 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £44.99
Directed by Val Guest, Terence Fisher, Anthony Bushell
It’s true — unless one is a full-on Hammer true believer that considers The Brigand of Kandahar and Creatures the World Forgot to be timeless classics, delving into the lesser-known Hammer films can be a case of diminishing returns. But when the company got truly creative, either with a radical screenplay or a committed director — Terence Fisher,...
- 8/14/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Happy December everyone! Here are the new releases for December 2nd, 2014.
Tales from the Crypt / Vault of Horror. Shout Factory. 1972-1973.
Tales from the Crypt:
An evil monk shares five separate stories of the macabre. (Source)
Vault of Horror:
Five men trapped in the basement vault of an office building share visions with each other of their demise. Stories revolve around vampires, bodily dismemberment, East Indian mysticism, an insurance scam, and an artist who kills by painting his victims’ deaths. (Source)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Blu-ray + UltraViolet 20th Century Fox. 2014.
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth¹s dominant species.
Tales from the Crypt / Vault of Horror. Shout Factory. 1972-1973.
Tales from the Crypt:
An evil monk shares five separate stories of the macabre. (Source)
Vault of Horror:
Five men trapped in the basement vault of an office building share visions with each other of their demise. Stories revolve around vampires, bodily dismemberment, East Indian mysticism, an insurance scam, and an artist who kills by painting his victims’ deaths. (Source)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Blu-ray + UltraViolet 20th Century Fox. 2014.
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth¹s dominant species.
- 12/2/2014
- by Sarah Skidmore
- Destroy the Brain
Britain's historic horror studio Hammer recently launched its own YouTube channel, which includes content from contemporary Hammer films (like the sequel to the Daniel Radcliffe-starring box office hit "The Woman in Black") as well as beautifully restored classic Hammer titles available for streaming. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing enthusiasts, welcome home. So far the channel is streaming British horror maestro Val Guest's "The Quartermass Xperiment" (aka "The Creeping Unknown"), one of the scariest sci-fi horror hybrids from the '50s, starring Brian Donlevy as rocket scientist Quartermass and Richard Wordsworth as an astronaut-turned-outsized wormy octopus blob; 1973's "Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter," which resituates Dracula lore into a swashbuckler, with Horst Jansen "en garde"-ing the undead like nobody's business; and behind-the-scenes tidbits from upcoming "The Quiet Ones," starring Jared...
- 8/24/2012
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Movie Pool takes in The Quatermass Xperiment (aka The Creeping Unknown), on DVD for the first time!
This DVD is offered as part of MGM's "Limited Edition Collection," which is available from select online retailers and manufactured only when the DVD is ordered. The DVD features a simple menu with no menu for chapters or scenes. Manufacture-On-Demand (Mod) DVDs are made to play in DVD playback units only and may not play in DVD recorders or PC drives. This DVD did not play in our laptop DVD drive but did play in our Toshiba DVD recorder.
DVD Specs
Release Date: September 22, 2011
Running Time: 82 minutes
Rating: Not rated
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 full frame
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: None
Special Features: Theatrical trailer
The Set-up
An astronaut returns from space infected by a creature that could spread and takeover the entire earth.
Directed by: Val Guest
The Delivery
This 1955 Hammer Studios film is surprisingly effective,...
This DVD is offered as part of MGM's "Limited Edition Collection," which is available from select online retailers and manufactured only when the DVD is ordered. The DVD features a simple menu with no menu for chapters or scenes. Manufacture-On-Demand (Mod) DVDs are made to play in DVD playback units only and may not play in DVD recorders or PC drives. This DVD did not play in our laptop DVD drive but did play in our Toshiba DVD recorder.
DVD Specs
Release Date: September 22, 2011
Running Time: 82 minutes
Rating: Not rated
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 full frame
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: None
Special Features: Theatrical trailer
The Set-up
An astronaut returns from space infected by a creature that could spread and takeover the entire earth.
Directed by: Val Guest
The Delivery
This 1955 Hammer Studios film is surprisingly effective,...
- 11/1/2011
- Cinelinx
Fans of classic horror and cheesy Eighties movies have just received the green light to shit their pants with joy! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Mod (Manufacturing on Demand) initiative is once again unleashing MGM's vaults with a stellar collection of long gone classics!
In September be prepared to break your banks as we have your first look at some of the upcoming hard to find titles that lay in the not too distant future!
The Living Ghost (1942) - James Dunn stars as Nick Trayne, a retired detective, hired to look for missing banker Walter Craig. During the investigation Craig shows up in a zombie-like state and murders his brother-in-law. But is the banker the killer or is someone controlling him? The trail leads Nick to the real culprit, a mad scientist, who has been conducting experiments on Craig. Stars James Dunn; Joan Woodbury; Paul McVey. Directed by William Beaudine.
In September be prepared to break your banks as we have your first look at some of the upcoming hard to find titles that lay in the not too distant future!
The Living Ghost (1942) - James Dunn stars as Nick Trayne, a retired detective, hired to look for missing banker Walter Craig. During the investigation Craig shows up in a zombie-like state and murders his brother-in-law. But is the banker the killer or is someone controlling him? The trail leads Nick to the real culprit, a mad scientist, who has been conducting experiments on Craig. Stars James Dunn; Joan Woodbury; Paul McVey. Directed by William Beaudine.
- 8/26/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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