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The death of Jimmy Sangster, the writer most identified with Hammer films, was announced yesterday; he was 83. He was already working for the studio behind the scenes when it was suggested to him he should try writing, and his scripts for Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula not only made stars of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, but revolutionised screen horror for evermore.
He continued in the same vein for the studio with such films as Revenge of Frankenstein, Blood of the Vampire, Jack the Ripper, The Mummy, Taste of Fear (which set him on a path of psychological thrillers), Paranoiac, Nightmare, The Nanny, Dracula Prince of Darkness, the James Bond-esque Deadlier than the Male, Horror of Frankenstein (which he directed, as well as Lust for a Vampire), Whoever Slew Auntie Roo, Fear in the Night, and his last film, Phobia, a chiller for John Huston. He was also active in television and often modest about his achievements and sceptical about the industry, but horror fans have so much to thank him for. |
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