MovieChat Forums > The Brides of Dracula (1960) Discussion > Hammer Writer Jimmy Stangster has passed...

Hammer Writer Jimmy Stangster has passed away

posted 14 years ago by CountVladDracula
9 replies | jump to latest

Horror writer Jimmy Stangster has passed away.

http://trailersfromhell.com/blog/2011/08/19/rip-jimmy-sangster/?utm_so urce=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rip-jimmy-sangster

Now you might not recognize the name but Jimmy Stangster is a legend in the horror genre.

He was the writer for the 1959 The Mummy starring Christopher Lee as well as other Hammer Horror classics.

He wrote Horror of Dracula, Brides of Dracula (which had Cushing but not Lee) and Dracula: Prince of Darkness. These are all Hammer Horror movies which starred Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing (basis for the original Fright Night Peter Vincent) as Professor Van Helsing.

Jimmy Stangster also wrote along side Richard Matheson (writer of I am Legend) on several episodes of Kolchak the Night Stalker (soon to be re-adapted by Johnny Depp), and Wonder Woman.

A funny story about Jimmy Stangster is his falling out with Christopher Lee. According to Hollywood legend (and Christopher Lee himself) Christopher Lee played Dracula as mute in Dracula: Prince of Darkness because he hated the dialogue of the script (in every other Hammer Horror Dracula movie he spoke). But according to Jimmy Stangster he deliberately wrote that movie without any lines for Dracula because he saw Dracula as a predator who didn't need words. Yet every scene with him feels strange and awkward with Dracula pointing and grunting where dialogue feels like it belongs. Whose version of the story do you believe?

[–] CountVladDracula 14 years ago

He also wrote Horror of Frankenstein and Course of Frankenstein which also featured Christopher Lee (as the Monster) and Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein).

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 13 years ago

Christopher Lee wasn't in 'Brides of Dracula' his character (Dracula, obviously is merely mentioned). It is good someone remembers the legend that is Jimmy Sangster though.

It is sad that Jimmy Sangster has died, he was a great screenwriter. I always wanted to meet him. A lot of Hammer related people have been dying recently such as Ingrid Pitt, Michael Gough and Roy Ward Baker. They are all missed.

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[–] CountVladDracula 13 years ago

When did I say Lee was in Brides of Dracula? I just looked over my original post and I never said that. I mentioned Lee, I didn't say he was in this movie.

Edit: Whoops, I see where I implied it, I meant to put in brackets there (only Cushing was in that one). I was in a rush when I was typing that.

[–] Mithrandir-Olorin22 13 years ago

Also Cushing wasn't in Prince of Darkness, unless you count the opening stock footage.

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[–] CountVladDracula 13 years ago

It counts. :-P Even though yes, it was stock footage.

[–] ContinentalOp 13 years ago

And that stock footage was one of the best openings in the series due to how great that scene was from the first film. 'Taste The Blood of Dracula' has a great beginning too as it reveals to fans of the series that Roy Kinnear was witnessing the death of Dracula in 'Dracula Has Risen From The Grave' as well as the audience! The scene is very well done as if the Roy Kinnear sequences were filmed at the same time.

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[–] CountVladDracula 13 years ago

I loved that too, when he saw Dracula dying on that cross, the way the films seamlessly were woven together.

[–] Pharaoh-in-de-Nile 13 years ago

I third that. It was an amazing beginning to a film. It makes it fun when I rewatch 'Dracula Has Risen...' thinking that their is Roy Kinnear just offscreen. He was, incidentally, a great actor.

"Nothings gonna change my world!"

[–] scribe1270 12 years ago

Over at youtube there is a 3 part documentary titled "A History of Horror" in which Mr. Stangster and others are interviewed. I believe his parts are mostly in part 2 "Home Counties Horror" which covers British Horror and Hammer in particular.