Austin Churton Fairman – crazy name, crazy guy. Better known to hordes of little boys who became enamoured of Horror Films, especially British ones, from the Golden Age of 1955 – 1976 (roughly spanning Hammer’s horror output from The Quatermass Xperiment to To The Devil- A Daughter – or some might chart it from The Curse Of Frankenstein (1956-7) to Pete Walker’s rise circa 1974) as Mike Raven. Good old Mike. He was a bit of a figure of fun, as a wannabe horror star who couldn’t quite make it. Check out it his Wikipedia entry if you’re unfamiliar with him, because he led quite an extraordinary life.
His British Horror credentials rest on four films –
I, Monster. It’s an Amicus film featuring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in a slight variation on Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, so that’s pretty good stuff from the off. Mike doesn’t have a lot to do apart from chat to Peter Cushing.
Lust For A Vampire – a Hammer Film – so Mike’s still in the big league. This sequel to The Vampire Lovers extrapolates the further adventures of Carmilla (now Mircalla) Karnstein. Mike’s role as a kind of demonic supervisor is rather undefined, and he’s further hampered by having his voice dubbed by Valentine Dyall and his eyes by Christopher Lee. Apparently not a happy experience for him.
Crucible Of Terror – an independent production featuring Mike as a mad sculptor in Cornwall. He subsequently moved to Cornwall and became a sculptor, eschewing the madness. A nutty little film, which features James Bolam, and some actors and technicians who would join Mike for his swansong –
Disciple Of Death – The one of Mike’s films that had eluded me until last night. Mike, Tom Parkinson and their collaborators seem to go for broke on this one. It’s often jeered for being a somewhat shambolic, virtually am-dram production, financed by the participants, lurching from a fairly decent period horror piece to outright comedy (whether intentional or not) via all manner of WTFness. Like some of Jess Franco or Richard Dricoll’s work, I do enjoy a film that, even as you’re watching it, makes you disbelieve what you’re seeing.
Plotwise, it concern’s a young farmboy in love with the Squire’s daughter. Unable to plight their troth because of class barriers, financial problems and the burden of living in a small village, our unrequited lovers decide a cutting-of-thumbs blood pact will have to suffice – a drop of blood falls upon the ground, an satanic lord of the manor Mike is freed from Hell to cause mischief, mayhem and murder amongst the unsuspecting villagers.
The opening credit of 'Once upon a time...' sets the scene. Ronald Lacey (one of the Crucible refugees) shows up in an amazing wig - and those eyebrows! He's like a cross between Peter Bull and Joe Pesci as David Ferrie in JFK. His line 'A DWARF!' is one of the best, topped by an incredible performance in his church - growling 'There is evil abroad, my children' as he climbs onto the coffin of the deceased whose funeral he's supposed to be conducting, whilst Mike grins wickedly in the doorway and practically gives a tip of the hat. There's mucho Georges Melies special effects, Raven horse-riding around like Matthew Hopkins and coming out with those fantastic mid-line mood swings at the end - after bellowing about 'RACKING TORMENT!!!' he switches to ' Well, I'll be off then' with a classic '...'til we meet again (pause) IN HELL!!!' before shaking his fist melodramatically.
Could this sort of crackpot vanity project get made these days?
No comments:
Post a Comment