It’s all fright on the night
QUESTION Who are the most unlikely actors to feature in a horror film?
John Le Mesurier, famous as sgt Wilson in Dad’s Army and for many other light comedy roles, was one of the murder suspects in the low-budget chiller Jack The ripper.
Directed by robert Baker and Monty Berman in 1959, it was filmed in atmospheric black and white. The climax shocked audiences when, as the ripper met his gory end at the bottom of a lift shaft, the screen suddenly burst into lurid colour.
The film occasionally turns up on TV, but invariably the colour sequence is missing. how the directors managed to acquire those few feet of Technicolor film stock must be a story in itself.
The hero of John Llewellyn Moxey’s 1960 film The City of The Dead was the south African Dennis Lotis, who was much more famous as the vocalist with the Ted heath orchestra.
he acted in only a handful of films, so it’s puzzling why he was cast alongside Christopher Lee in a story of modern-day witchcraft in new england.
entertainers roy Castle and Kenny Lynch appeared in 1965 film Dr Terror’s house of horrors, the first portmanteau movie produced by Amicus, a rival to hammer Films.
Directed by Freddie Francis, the film also features veteran radio DJ Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman being strangled by a massive vine that had taken over his garden. Monty Don would have sorted that out!
Comedian roy hudd appeared as a mortuary attendant in Vernon sewell’s The Blood Beast Terror aka Deathshead Vampire in 1968. it starred Benedict Cumberbatch’s mum Wanda Ventham in the title role.
Alfred Marks, mostly known for comedy roles, played no-nonsense Detective inspector Bellaver in the horror/science fiction hybrid scream And scream Again in 1970.
The film also features two performances by the pop group Amen Corner, who were popular at the time. one of eric sykes’ last appearances on the big screen was as a creepy gardener alongside nicole Kidman in the 2001 supernatural scarefest The others.
it was not the first time he had dabbled in the horror genre. in 1973, he starred alongside Vincent Price and Diana rigg in Theatre of Blood directed by Douglas hickox. This was a twisted tale of an actor’s revenge on theatre critics played by some of the biggest names in British cinema including Jack hawkins, robert Morley and ian hendry.
Before saturday night Fever and Grease, John Travolta appeared as a coven member in The Devil’s rain in 1975. Directed by robert Fuest, it starred William shatner.
Travolta’s fever rose higher than in his disco film — he melted away to nothing at the end! he also played Billy nolan, one of the bullies, in Carrie in 1976.
Carry on star Charles hawtrey appeared in the obscure sci-fi chiller The Terrornauts. it was filmed in 1966 but not released until 1971 as the B-film supporting the Albert Finney musical scrooge — one of the strangest double bills i’ve seen.
Alan Wightman, Newport, South Wales.
QUESTION Why do our eyes water when we’re tired, but not when we’re asleep?
our eyes do water to some extent when we are asleep, but because our eyelids are closed it is not necessary to replenish the tear film to the same extent as when we are awake. The tear film keeps our eyes moist and healthy.
it is composed of an inner mucous layer produced by the conjunctiva (the clear tissue that covers the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelid); a watery layer supplied by the lacrimal (also known as tear) glands above the eye; and an outer oil film from the meibomian oil glands along the edge of the eyelids.
The film contains an antibacterial enzyme called lysozyme.
The tear film begins to evaporate 15 to 30 seconds after a blink, which causes discomfort and stimulates blinking. This reflex renews the tear film and prevents dry spots.
When we are asleep, evaporation decreases dramatically. Lacrimal gland output is less than a third of what it is when we are awake.
Because we do not blink during sleep, discharge collects in the corner of our eyes and along the eyelash line. Dr Ian Smith, Cambridge.
QUESTION Who were the Fifth Monarchy Men?
This was a Puritan doomsday cult that came to prominence during the english Civil Wars.
They were convinced the Fifth Monarchy of the Apocalypse, the end of Days, was at hand. The source for their views was the Bible’s seventh book of Daniel and the 20th book of revelation.
Daniel had a vision that ‘four beasts come out of the sea, the Ancient of Days sits in judgment over them’ and ‘one like a son of man is given eternal kingship’. These are revealed as the Assyrian, Persian, Greek and roman monarchies.
After the fall of the fifth monarchy, Christ would reign on earth with his saints for 1,000 years.
its adherents believed the collapse of the stuart monarchy and the beheading of Charles i signified that fall and judgment was at hand.
The Fifth Monarchy Men wanted a Parliament of saints, a council of religious men from independent churches, based on the Jewish sanhedrin.
After two armed uprisings against Cromwell’s Protectorate were ruthlessly suppressed and the leaders executed, the sect died out.
Ian Fleetwood, Glastonbury, Somerset.
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