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Old 11th October 2007, 04:30 PM
avalard avalard is offline
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Ach, I wish I had a more exciting story to tell about my first horror memory, but I'm afraid mine are all fairly safe by comparison.

Now when I think about it I don't know when exactly I watched it, but I recall visiting my maternal grandparents when I was about 9 or 10 years of age, and being left for most of the week with an Arthur C. Clarke book on all things weird and mysterious (I thumbed it regularly and was given it, and it now sits on one of my bookcases in amongst my Dennis Wheatleys and other occult reference books). But better still, was the big box of vhs tapes which were sitting in the living room which I went through over the course of the week.

One which caught my eye was listed (in biro on one of those tatty white spine labels) as "Scars of Dracula". Ohhh, a Dracula picture... ah! Old friend, I'm still so fond of you, you have so much to answer for regarding the direction my life would take. I refuse to listen to those who mock you for your style and shoddy special effects. The ten year old me was enthralled and delighted....

I watched it on my own one afternoon on the floor of my grandparent's living room, beside the fire. There was probably, tea, juice and sandwiches from my ever-loving gran, but that wasn't important. I marvelled at Christopher Lee's menacing performance - the sex passed me by complete - I was shocked when that sword went down on Klove's back...

That film did two things. One, it made me a fan of Patrick Troughton - I saw The Box of Delights on video around the same time (a Christmas present from parents), and over the next few years became aware of his Doctor Who connections thanks to an uncle (oh how my brother and I were weened on old betamax and vhs tapes, recordings from Superchannel when the BBC didn't repeat classic WHO). But it also introduced me to the name HAMMER - I saw the Hammer name at the opening and began a life's work of tracking down the films, little was I to know.... I must have asked about what Hammer was at the time, and someone must have mentioned Hammer Horror films....

My other over-riding memory is from around the same time - maybe a year later. We came back from my paternal grandparents' house late one Friday or Saturday evening - could have been 12.30, and I retired to my bedroom, and flicked on the tv as I got ready for bed, very sleepy.

On screen were Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee... a dominant brown hue to proceedings... a train... Kojak!.... weird eyes.... eerie music... Horror Express! I watched most of the film that night, and made rather uncomfortable by the experience, I was also sucked in to horror forever. Haven't seen it in months, maybe a couple of years, old friend we really must revisit each other....

From there, a steady decline into Hammer, Amicus, Tigon, Franco (erm, pass), The Exorcist, Carpenter, Fulci, and Argento! Ahhh, its been good