Tribute to Ray Harryhausen: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:19
I was privileged to be a part of the “Tribute to Ray Harryhausen: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:19.” My thanks to CFQ, Dan Persons, Steve Biodrowski and Lawrence French: It is not an understatement to say that, for many who work within the industry of fantastic film and those who cover it, Ray Harryhausen was one [...]
Ray Harryhausen Has Died: The Loss of a Fantasy Legend
For a few years now I have wondered when the day would come that I would have to write this piece. Sadly, today is that day. Various media outlets are reporting that Ray Harryhausen passed away Tuesday. Harryhausen was a huge influence on me as a child and teenager. When I first encountered his fantasy [...]
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Obituary: Michael Clarke Duncan
Actor Michael Clarke Duncan passed away Monday of a heart attack at the age of 54. He starred in various films, including genre work, from Planet of the Apes (2001), to The Green Mile. His obituary can be read here.
Obituary: William Windom
Veteran character actor, William Windom, recently passed away at the age of 88. His body of work included roles in science fiction and fantasy/thriller, such as the part of Commodore Decker in the Star Trek original series episode “The Doomsday Machine,” an episode of Night Gallery, and episodes of The Twilight Zone, including the classic [...]
James Arness Dies at 88
It was 1950s science fiction/horror that began my lifelong interest in the fantastic and horrific. Two of my favorite films from that decade are The Thing from Another World (1951) and Them! (1954). Actor James Arness starred in both of these films, as the creature of the title in the first film, and as an [...]
Kevin McCarthy Passes Away at 96
Various media outlets are reporting that Kevin McCarthy, the actor who starred in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) has passed away at the age of 96. As fans of the history of science fiction cinema know, Invasion of the Body Snatchers stands out as one of the classics of 1950s science fiction/horror. McCarthy’s work [...]
Screenwriter Dan O’Bannon Passes Away
Various media sources are reporting on the death of screenwriter Dan O’Bannon. He was perhaps best known for Alien and Total Recall, as well as the remake or re-envisioning of Invaders from Mars. He also wrote the screenplay for the neglected horror film Dead and Buried, which involves an interesting take on the zombie mythology. [...]
Bits and Pieces
This week I have been tending to a personal matter and have been out of the loop in my interactions with the fantastic. With this post I will point to a couple of items from the past week that I find noteworthy and which attempts to catch me up on recent relevant events. First, yet [...]
The Loss of Stan Winston
Hollywood, the film viewing public, and the special visual effects industry lost a pioneer and giant when Stan Winston passed away last Sunday at the age of 62 after a long battle with multiple myeloma. Stan hailed from Virginia and at an early age his love for Disney cartoons, Universal Studios classic monters, and Ray [...]
Ben Chapman’s Passing: The Loss of the Man Behind an Iconic Cinema Creature
I received an email announcement from Rue Morgue Radio announcing that Ben Chapman, the actor who played the Creature from the Black Lagoon in the land-based scenes from the film, passed away this morning. As I have mentioned previously, this film was the first horror film I saw as a young boy that both frightened [...]
