The January 1989 double issue of Cinefantastique (Volume 19, Numbers 1 & 2) magazine features an extensive cover story on the career of “Vincent Price: Horror’s Crown Prince.” This survey of Price’s fifty years in Hollywood and his legacy in the genre was written by Steve Biodrowski with David Del Valle and Lawrence French, with interviews, sidebars, and other contributions from Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper, Hazel Court, Robert Quary, Gordon Hessler, Roger Corman, Douglas Hickox, and Bill Kelly. The issue also includes feature articles on ELVIRA - MISTRESS OF THE DARK, David Cronenberg’s DEAD RINGERS, the making of Stuart Gordon’s ROBOJOX and Neil Jordan’s HIGH SPRITIS, and the animation of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT; previews of John Carpenter’s THEY LIVE, Ken Russell’s LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, and Gene Roddenberry’s STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION; and a retrospective on the 1958 version of THE BLOB. You can access articles from this issue under the Archives listing for January 1989. Continue Reading »

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Long before Vincent Price was asked by director Roger Corman to star in a screen version of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (1960), he had been a fervent admirer of the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. Price relates “I’ve been enchanted by Poe ever since I was forced to read him as a kid.” Later, as an English major at Yale, Price had further time to become immersed in the world of Poe, and he bristles at the lack of acclaim Poe received in his lifetime. “The American people relegated him to a second place in the history of American literature,” says Price. “In the rest of the world, Poe is considered to be our major contribution to literature. He invented the detective story, he influenced all of the great French poets: Baudelaire, Valery, Verlaine, as well as all of the great English poets. And almost every major artist of the 19th century illustrated Poe: Gustave Dore, Edouard Manet, Odilon Redon. His influence on the world of art was enormous.” Continue Reading »

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Most of the classic movie monsters are derived from folklore (the Wolfman), literature (Frankenstein), or a combination of the two (Dracula). Only a very few are original products of Hollywood. Of these latter creatures, one of the most memorable ever to leave its indelible impression upon the popular psyche is the Blob. Let’s face it: the Blob has become part of our popular consciousness, an instantly recognizable pop icon; whether you have not seen the film in years, or never saw it at all, you know what the Blob is – quite an achievement for a monster that has not literary or mythic antecedents.

Generally regarded as a classic among fans of old sci-fi flicks (especially those who first saw the film as children), THE BLOB owes its status to two factors: the presence of star Steve McQueen in his first feature film starring role, and the originality of its truly unique monster. The film itself is an amusing little effort Continue Reading »

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