MovieChat Forums > The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) Discussion > Writer Jimmy Stangster has passed away

Writer Jimmy Stangster has passed away

posted 13 years ago by CountVladDracula
1 reply | 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 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.

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

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?

[–] hitfan 13 years ago

I just came back from a two week vacation. I brought "Curse of Frankenstein" DVD hoping to watch it after five years of not seeing it, but didn't get to it until I came back yesterday.

As someone who has gotten heavily into the 1957-1974 horror era (mostly made famous by British studios Hammer and Amicus, though American International Pictures also jumped into the fray) over the past five years or so, Jimmy Sangster was a name I always noticed whenever I read the film credits preceding many Hammer films.

Getting back to "Curse", I think I have to say that it's my favorite Hammer film.