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The old collection cabinet opens this time to Issue #16 of the venerable newspaper, "The Monster Times," published October of 1972. I was a wee lad of 13 when I bought it on a trip to the drug store while visiting for the weekend at my Grandma's house in Macon, Ga. The article scanned is on "The Return of Count Yorga," which featured poster artwork that was as memorable and eye-catching as it was strange and unconnected to the title character's appearance! Enjoy...
Below, one of the posters for the movie (not in the issue of TMT) depicting the monopedal incarnation of the count. While something like this could be frightening on first sight, being confronted by this bizarre thing wouldn't neccessarily be dangerous unless you panicked and fell down. Standing only about a foot tall with three eyes, two mouths and one foot, a hopping abomination like this could be easily dispatched with a swift punt. Then you could put a trash can over it to hold it til the morning, when you could whack it with a shovel and bury it.
As usual, the Monster Times review was spot-on... the movie was a let-down, never fulfilling the potential that it was set up for. After the enjoyable (if low-budget) first movie, we were ready for a better film, but, except for some bright spots, all we get is a retread that lapses into confusion. I truly did like Quarry's portayal of Yorga; he seemed a perfect gentleman, but there was always a simmering danger lurking under the veneer of politeness. And when the veneer was dropped, you felt truly afraid. But the film is only mildly enjoyable. What it could have been if it had taken Hammer's approach to horror, only taking place in (then) modern-day America!
Alas, poor Yorga! I knew him, Horatio...
ReplyDeleteAh, the good old days. Had you ever heard this: "AIP had planned at one stage to revive Count Yorga as an adversary for the abominable Dr. Phibes in Dr. Phibes Rises Again. This plan was dropped, however, and Robert Quarry appeared as the artificially young Dr. Biederbeck."
Now THAT would have been a movie!
RP,
ReplyDeleteI had not read that! A good idea there... hearkening back to the good old days of films like "Frankenstein meets the Wolfman" and foreshadowing the recent trend like "Freddy Meets Jason" or the Aliens Vs Predators" movies. Too bad it never worked out that way!
But there was a third movie about Yorga... only, he went under another name, in the film "The Deathmaster." I consider it a sequel, if not an official one.
I read a filmography of Vincent Price a few months back, and it mentioned that Quarry was being groomed by AIP to replace Price as their in-house horror star. I assume that didn't go too well for them, although I do seem to remember Quarry starring in a pretty entertaining blaxploitation horror movie around the same time. "Sugar Hill" maybe? It had voodoo and zombies.
ReplyDelete