each other. I will always treasure those letters and those memories. As beautiful as Ingrid Pitt is in Hammer films, she was even
more breathtaking in person. I seem to remember her asking my name—pen in hand, ready to sign a photo—and I giggled like a school boy with a crush and said something incoherent that must have reminded her of Alfalfa trying to talk to Miss Crabtree. Yes, Ms. Pitt must have been very impressed with me. My only saving grace was the fact that most of the guys who met her for the first time that day probably sounded the same as I did. The ’75 Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention also afforded
me the chance to see some Hammer films on a big screen in an auditorium filled with like-minded fans. Michael Carreras, who was also terrific with all of us, brought quite a few Hammer films with him—none of which I had seen. And if my memory is still giving me at least 75% of what it should, at least three of the films had never been seen on this side of the pond: FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL, THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA, and THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES. But don’t hold me to it. It’s been almost thirty-eight years and I have trouble remembering if I shaved this morning. I know DRACULA A.D. 1972 was in the mix, too, but I think that had played here by then. To say that Hammer Studios played a big part in my personal
geek journey is an understatement. They gave me the chance to see the work of some top notch writers and directors. They allowed me to see some wonderfully talented actors and actresses at the top of their game. And it still amazes me that, at one time, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Ralph Bates, Veronica Carlson, Terence Fisher, Jimmy Sangster, Freddie Francis, and other immensely talented individuals too numerous to mention all worked for the house of Hammer. Looking back, they were the little studio that could… and did. And that’s what always mattered the most to me. Well, that and the cleavage.
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