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« on: February 23, 2009, 08:12:55 PM »
I love the seance sequence at the beginning of Count Yorga Vampire. That, and the scene where the Count, attired in a smoking jacket and a very frosty smile, is "entertaining" the two protagonists who have been unwise enough to enter his home, I actually found reminiscent of similar sequences on DS. I thought the film slithered rapidly downhill from a rather promising start. For years, I had thought that it was the fault of the hack job the censors had done on the CBS Late Movie broadcast print, but a few years back I finally got to see the original, uncut release film and it was still cheesy, slipshod, amateurish work.
My personal favorite Quarry performance is as Darius Beiderbecke in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. Although Quarry and Vincent Price did not get along very well (due to some busybody who "helfpully" told Price that Quarry was being groomed as his "replacement" at AIP), they had a wonderful chem together onscreen. They acted together as well in Madhouse, which is out on DVD now but I have yet to catch up with. I saw it on VHS in the 90s and was distinctly underwhelmed, despite the fab cast--Peter Cushing and Adrienne Corri also appear--Corri probably has the best scenes of anyone in this.
There was a really good print interview of Quarry in one of the mags some years ago. His departure has yet another "end of an era" ring to it.
G.