56-year-old Oscar-nominated film editor Sally [JoAnne] Menke, best known for her collaborations with director Quentin Tarantino, was found dead the same day on a hiking trail in the hills near Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. She had become separated while out hiking with friends on the hottest day since records began 133 years earlier. Menke worked on such movies as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Nightwatch and Tarantino’s Death Proof.
Russian-born Andy (Andreus) Alback, who was president of United Artists during the Heaven’s Gate debacle (Michael Cimino’s Western only made back $1.5 million of its $44 million cost at the US box office), died in New York City on September 29, aged 89. Alback had more success with other films at UA, including the two James Bond movies Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only.
Roy Ward Baker (Roy Horace Baker), the veteran British director of the Marilyn Monroe film Don’t Bother to Knock and the “Titanic” drama A Night to Remember, died on October 5, aged 93. In later years he became a prolific if journeyman director for Hammer Films, Amicus Productions and Tyburn Film Productions with such movies as Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth), The Anniversary, Moon Zero Two, The Vampire Lovers, Scars of Dracula, Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, Asylum (based on stories by Robert Bloch), The Vault of Horror, —And Now the Screaming Starts! (based on the novella by David Case), The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (aka The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula), The Monster Club (based on the book by R. Chetwynd-Hayes) and The Masks of Death (featuring Peter Cushing as “Sherlock Holmes”). Baker’s other credits include the time-travel fantasy The House in the Square (aka I’ll Never Forget You), plus episodes of The Avengers, The Champions, Hammer’s Journey to the Unknown (Robert Bloch’s “The Indian Spirit Guide”), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
French-born cinematographer Michael Hugo, who shot the “Kolchak” pilot TV movie The Night Stalker, died of cancer in Las Vegas on October 12, aged 80. His other credits include The Monkees’ Head, The Phynx, Earth II, Bug, The Manitou (based on the novel by Graham Masterton), Terror Out of the Sky, Pandemonium and High Desert Kill, along with episodes of Tales of the Unexpected (aka Twist in the Tale) and Matt Houston.
British cinematographer Robert [William] Paynter, who photographed John Landis’ groundbreaking video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller, died on October 20, aged 82. His other credits include The Nightcomers (a prequel to Henry James’ Turn of the Screw), Superman II, The Final Conflict, Landis’ An American Werewolf in London, Curtains, Superman III, The Muppets Take Manhattan, Scream For Help, Little Shop of Horrors (1986), The Secret Garden (1987) and the live-action segments in Rock-a-Doodle, along with additional photography on Saturn 3. Paynter also had a cameo as a doctor in John Landis’ 2010 comedy Burke and Hare.
Director and actor Lamont Johnson died of congestive heart failure on October 24, aged 88. His films include The Groundstar Conspiracy, You’ll Like My Mother, Lipstick, and Spacehunter Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 3-D, along with episodes of TV’s Matinee Theatre (“Jane Eyre”, and “Dracula” starring John Carradine), Steve Canyon, The Twilight Zone (“Five Characters in Search of an Exit”, “Kick the Can” and six others), The Name of the Game (“The White Birch”, featuring Boris Karloff) and Faerie Tale Theatre. In the early 1950s Johnson portrayed “Tarzan” on the radio, and he also appeared in episodes of Climax! (“The Thirteenth Chair”), Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Steve Canyon.
British-born TV and documentary director Eric [Albert] Fullilove, whose credits include the weekly 1973 anthology series The Evil Touch, died of heart failure in Australia the same day, aged 85.
Japanese producer, writer and director Yoshinobu Nishizaki (Hirofumi Nishizaki), co-creator of the 1970s anime TV series Space Crusier Yamato (aka Star Blazers) and the various movie spin-offs, died on November 7, aged 74.
Italian-born movie producer Dino De Laurentiis (Agostino De Laurentiis) died in Beverly Hills, California, on November 10, aged 91. An often controversial figure, he began his career in Italy working with Carlo Ponti and Federico Fellini and producing the fantasy epic Ulysses, before churning out genre product like Goliath and the Vampires, Matchless, Mario Bava’s Danger: Diabolik, Barbarella, Lipstick, the 1976 version of King Kong, The White Buffalo, Orca, the 1980 version of Flash Gordon, Amityville II: The Possession, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer, Dune, Manhunter, King Kong Lives, Army of Darkness, Hannibal, Red Dragon, Hannibal Rising, and the Stephen King adaptations The Dead Zone, Cat’s Eye, Silver Bullet, Maximum Overdrive (directed by King) and Sometimes They Come Back. After the failure of his Dinocitta’ Studios complex in Rome, De Laurentiis moved to America in the mid-1970s and in 1984 he unveiled the DEG Film Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina, which he was forced to sell just four years later. His first wife was Italian actress Silvana Mangano.
American TV production executive William [Edwin] Self died of a heart attack on November 15, aged 89. A former actor (The Thing from Another World), his many production credits include Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–68), Lost in Space (1965–68), the 1967 pilot Dick Tracy (featuring Victor Buono), Batman (1966–68), The Green Hornet (1966–67), The Time Tunnel (1966–67), The Ghost & Mrs Muir (1968–69) and Land of the Giants (1968–69).
64-year-old Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen died on November 16 when she was shot to death while driving home from the Burlesque premier and after-party. Chasen was hit at least five times in the chest, which caused her to crash her Mercedes into a lamp post in a Beverly Hills street. No motive was established. A publicist for thirty-seven years, her work included the Cocoon franchise. 43-year-old Harold Martin Smith, a “person of interest” to the police investigation, subsequently shot himself to death with a handgun that ballistics matched to a bullet recovered from Chasen’s body.
Japanese animator and anime writer and director Umanosuke Iida died on November 26, aged 49. His credits include the 2001–2 vampire TV series Herushingu (aka Hellsing).
Irvin (Isadore) Kershner, who was one of George Lucas’ instructors at the University of Southern California Film School and directed the fi rst Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back (1980), died of cancer on November 27, aged 87. Given his first break by producer Roger Corman in 1958, Kershner went on to direct such films as Eyes of Laura Mars, the “other” James Bond movie Never Say Never Again and RoboCop 2, along with an episode of TV’s Amazing Stories and the pilot for SeaQuest DSV, after which he retired.
British make-up artist Jane Royle (Irene Jane Buchan Shortt) died on December 13, aged 78. She worked on The Rocky Horror Picture Show (uncredited), Murder by Decree, Dracula (1979), Flash Gordon (1980), Dragonslayer, The Company of Wolves, Legend, Young Sherlock Holmes, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Alien3, Lost in Space, the James Bond films GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough, Batman Begins and the first three Harry Potter movies. Royle also worked on the TV series The Avengers (1965–69) and The Champions.
Iconoclastic French director Jean Rollin (Jean Michel Rollin Le Gentil) died on December 15 after a long illness. He was 72. Beginning with Le viol du vampire (The Rape of the Vampire) in 1968, he churned out a string of often erotic horror movies that usually relied more on imagination than budget. These included La vampire nue (The Nude Vampire), Le frisson des vampires (The Shiver of the Vampires), Vierges et vampires (Requiem for a Vampire aka Caged Virgins), Curse of the Living Dead (aka The Démoniacs), Lèvres de sang (Lips of Blood), The Grapes of Death, Fascination, Zombie Lake (as “J.A. Laser”), La morte vivante (The Living Dead Girl), Les deux orphelines vampires (The Two Vampire Orphans), La fiancée de Dracula, La nuit des Horloges ( The Night of the Clocks) and La masque de la Médusa. Rollin also contributed a dream sequence to Jesus Franco’s Among the Living Dead, as well as directing hardcore movies under the pseudonyms “Michel Gentil” and “Robert Xavier”. He also scripted, produced and acted in his films, and was the author of a number of novels, including a novelisation of Les deux orphelines v
ampires.
Hollywood actor-turned-screenwriter, producer and director Blake Edwards (William Blake Crump), best known for his successful series of Pink Panther movies, died of complications from pneumonia the same day, aged 88. He began his career as an (often uncredited) actor in such films as A Guy Named Joe and Strangler of the Swamp, before going on to write the original stories for The Atomic Kid and The Couch (scripted by Robert Bloch). Edwards’ own films as a director include the genre-inspired The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the ghostly TV movie Justin Case, and the body-swap comedy Switch. His second wife was singer and actress Julie Andrews.
American TV scriptwriter Aron Abrams, who co-produced and wrote six episodes of the NBC SF sit-com 3rd Rock from the Sun (1999–2001), was found dead in his hotel room in Waikoloa, Hawaii, on Christmas Day. It is thought that the 50-year-old died of a heart attack. He also scripted an episode of Big Wolf on Campus and the 2007 TV movie I’m in Hell.
American special effects supervisor and model maker Grant McCune died of cancer on December 27, aged 67. He shared a 1978 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects with John Dykstra for his work on “R2-D2” and the miniatures in the original Star Wars (he also appeared in the film as a “Death Star Gunner”). McCune’s numerous other credits include the pilot for Battlestar Galactica (1978), Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Firefox, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land, Lifeforce, Spaceballs, My Stepmother is an Alien, Ghostbusters II, Batman Forever, Sphere and Thirteen Days.
USEFUL ADDRESSES
THE FOLLOWING LISTING OF organisations, publications, dealers and individuals is designed to present readers and authors with further avenues to explore. Although I can personally recommend many of those listed on the following pages, neither the publisher nor myself can take any responsibility for the services they offer. Please also note that the information below is only a guide and is subject to change without notice.
—The Editor
ORGANISATIONS
The Australian Horror Writers Association (www.australian-horror.com) is a non-profit organisation that formed as a way of providing a unified voice and a sense of community for Australian (and New Zealand) writers of horror/dark fiction, while furthering the development and evolution of this genre within Australia. AHWA aims to become the focal point and first point of reference for Australian writers and fans of the dark side of literature, and to improve the acceptance and understanding of what horror is to a wider audience. For more information mail to: Australian Horror Writers Association, Post Office, Elphinstone, Victoria 3448, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
The British Fantasy Society (www.britishfantasysociety.org) was founded in 1971 and publishes the newsletter Prism and the magazines Dark Horizons and New Horizons featuring articles, interviews and fiction, along with occasional special booklets. The BFS also enjoys a lively online community – there is an e-mail news-feed, a discussion board with numerous links, and a CyberStore selling various publications. FantasyCon is one of the UK’s friendliest conventions and there are social gatherings and meet-the-author events organised around Britain. For yearly membership details, e-mail: [email protected]. You can also join online through the CyberStore.
The Friends of Arthur Machen (www.machensoc.demon.co.uk) is a literary society whose objectives include encouraging a wider recognition of Machen’s work and providing a focus for critical debate. Members get a hardcover journal, Faunus, twice a year, and also the informative newsletter Machenalia. For membership details, contact Jeremy Cantwell, FOAM Treasurer, Apt.5, 26 Hervey Road, Blackheath, London SE3 8BS, UK.
The Friends of the Merril Collection (www.friendsofmerril.org) is a volunteer organisation that provides support and assistance to the largest public collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror books in North America. Details about annual membership and donations are available from the website or by contacting The Friends of the Merril Collection, c/o Lillian H. Smith Branch, Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R5, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]
A Ghostly Company (www.aghostlycompany.org.uk) is an informal group of like-minded people, whose members are known within the society as “Companions”. It publishes a regular newsletter that appears four times a year, containing members’ letters, book reviews, a section for book sales and wanted, and other news. The Silent Companion is an annual fiction magazine containing previously unpublished fiction by members. The society also holds an Annual General Meeting, which coincides with a gathering or “Black Pilgrimage” to places associated with actual ghost stories or the lives of their authors. Membership falls due in January of each year and is open to anyone from the UK or overseas. Details are on the website, or contact the Membership Secretary: Katherine Haynes, 150 Elstree Park, Barnet Lane, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 2RP, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
The Horror Writers Association (www.horror.org) is a worldwide organisation of writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of writers of horror and dark fantasy. It was formed in the early 1980s. Interested individuals may apply for active, affiliate or associate membership. Active membership is limited to professional writers. HWA publishes a monthly online newsletter, and sponsors the annual Bram Stoker Awards. Apply online or write to HWA Membership, PO Box 50577, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA.
World Fantasy Convention (www.worldfantasy.org) is an annual convention held in a different (usually American) city each year, oriented particularly towards serious readers and genre professionals.
World Horror Convention (www.worldhorrorsociety.org) is a smaller, more relaxed, event. It is aimed specifically at horror fans and professionals, and held in a different city (usually American) each year.
SELECTED SMALL PRESS PUBLISHERS
Anomalous Books. E-mail: anomalousbooks@anomalous books.com
Apex Publications LLC (www.apexbookcompany.com), PO Box 24323, Lexington, KY 40524, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Ash-Tree Press (www.ash-tree.bc.ca), PO Box 1360, Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada V0K 1A0. E-mail: [email protected]
Atomic Fez Publishing (www.atomicfez.com).
Bad Moon Books/Eclipse (www.badmoonbooks.com), 1854 W. Chateau Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92804-4527, USA.
Bards and Sages Publishing (www.bardsandsages.com), 201 Leed Avenue, Bellmawr, NJ 08031, USA.
BearManor Media (www.bearmanormedia.com), PO Box 71426, Albany, GA 31708, USA.
Big Mouth House (www.bigmouthhouse.net), 150 Pleasant Street #306, Easthampton, MA 01027, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Blue Room Publishing (www.blueroompublishing.com), PO Box 134, Newtown Square, PA 19073, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Cemetery Dance Publications (www.cemeterydance.com), 132-B Industry Lane, Unit #7, Forest Hill, MD 21050, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
ChiZine Publications (www.chizinepub.com). E-mail: [email protected]
Chômu Press ([email protected]), 70 Hill Street, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1TW, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Cutting Block Press (www.cuttingblock.net), 6911 Riverton Drive, Austin, TX 78729, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Damnation Books, LLC (www.damnationbooks.com), PO Box 3931, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, USA.
Dark Regions Press/Ghost House (www.darkregions.com), PO Box 1264, Colusa, CA 95932, USA.
Earthling Publications (www.earthlingpub.com), PO Box 413, Northborough, MA 01532, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing (www.edgewebsite.com), PO Box 1714, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2L7, Canada.
Gauntlet Publications (www.gauntletpress.com), 5307 Arroyo Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80922, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Gothic Press (www.gothicpress.com), 2272 Quail Oak, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-9023, USA.
Gray Friar Press (www.grayfriarpress.com), 9 Abbey Terrace, Whitby, North Yorkshire Y021 3HQ, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
&nbs
p; Hippocampus Press (www.hippocampuspress.com), PO Box 641, New York, NY 10156, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
IDW Publishing (www.idwpublishing.com), 5080 Santa Fe Street, San Diego, CA 92109, USA.
Lachesis Publishing (www.lachesispublishing.com), Kingston, Nova Scotia, Canada B0P 1R0.
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers (www.mcfarlandpub.com), Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640, USA.
MonkeyBrain Books (www.monkeybrainbooks.com), 11204 Crossland Drive, Austin, TX 78726, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Mortbury Press (mortburypress.webs.com/), Shiloh, Nantglas, Llandrindod Wells, Powys LD1 6PF, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Mutation Press (www.mutationpress.com), 1 Craiglea Place, Edinburgh EH10 5QA, Scotland.
Mythos Books, LLC (www.mythosbooks.com), 351 Lake Ridge Road, Poplar Bluff, MO 63901, USA.
NewCon Press (www.newconpress.co.uk).
Nightjar Press (nightjarpress.wordpress.com), 38 Belfield Road, Manchester M20 6BH, UK.
Night Shade Books (www.nightshadebooks.com), 1661 Tennessee Street, #3H, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Obverse Books (www.obversebooks.co.uk). E-mail: [email protected]
Pendragon Press (www.pendragonpress.net), PO Box 12, Maesteg, Mid Glamorgan CF34 0XG, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
P’rea Press (www.preapress.com), 34 Osborne Road, Lane Cove, NSW 2066, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]
PS Publishing Ltd (www.pspublishing.co.uk), Grosvenor House, 1 New Road, Hornsea HU18 1PG, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
Raw Dog Screaming Press (www.rawdogscreaming.com), 2802 Farris Lane, Bowie, MD 20715, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Read Raw Press, 11 Market Road, Carluke ML8 4BL, UK.
Sam’s Dot Publishing (www.samsdotpublishing.com), PO Box 782, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-0782, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
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