The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 16

by Stephen Jones

  Blaxploitation actor Ron O’Neal, best known for his starring role as cocaine dealer Youngblood Priest in the 1970s movies Superfly and Superfly TNT (which he also directed), died of pancreatic cancer on January 14th, aged 66. His other credits include When a Stranger Calls, The Final Countdown, Red Dawn, HyperSpace, Hero and the Terror, Puppet Master 5 and the 1980 TV movie Brave New World.

  German-born Broadway stage actress Uta Hagen died in London the same day, aged 84. Her occasional film appearances include The Other and The Boys from Brazil. Her first husband was actor José Ferrer.

  British-born blonde actress Elsa Buchanan (Elsie Winifred Buchanan) died on January 17th, aged 95. In the 1930s she moved to Hollywood, where she appeared in Charlie Chan in London, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Peter Ibbetson, The Thirteenth Chair and The Invisible Enemy. She was a character in Gosford Park.

  Two days after her birthday, 42-year-old porn star and single mother Rebecca Steele (Jeannette Dee Rogers) died on January 19th of a drug overdose while in the final stages of AIDS. She began her career as an underage junior high school dropout, and her numerous credits include Young Cheeks, Bi Bi Baby and Butts Motel 5.

  Bernard Punsly, the last surviving “Dead End Kid”, died of cancer on January 20th, aged 80. He appeared in Dead End, Angels With Dirty Faces and Junior G-Men before leaving the group after nineteen films to go to medical school. Punsly practised medicine in Los Angeles for almost fifty years.

  Veteran Hollywood musical star Ann Miller (Johnnie Lucille Ann Collier) died of lung cancer on January 22nd, aged 84. Although best known for her dance routines in such films as Easter Parade, On the Town and Kiss Me Kate (RKO insured her legs for $1 million in the late 1930s), her final appearance was in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001). Her autobiography Miller’s High Life was published in 1972 and she also wrote Tapping Into the Force, a book about her own psychic abilities.

  59-year-old French actor Ticky Holgado died the same day, of cancer. He starred in City of Lost Children and Jeunet and Marc Caro’s 1991 black comedy Delicatessen.

  Emmy Award-winning children’s TV presenter Bob “Captain Kangaroo” Keeshan died after a long illness on January 23rd, aged 76. From October 1955, for almost thirty years on CBS-TV and a further six on PBS, he and his puppet friends – Mr Green Jeans and Bunny Rabbit – would present wholesome entertainment from their Treasure House each weekday morning.

  Olympic gold medal American swimming champion Eleanor Holm died on January 31st, aged 90. After being sacked from the American Olympic team in 1936 for over-indulging in champagne while on board the liner bound for Germany, she appeared in a few films, culminating with Tarzan’s Revenge (1938) playing Glenn Morris’ “mate”. She also appeared alongside Johnny Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe in the 1939 New York World’s Fair musical and water stage show, Aquacade.

  Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers sax player Cornelius Bumpus died of a heart attack on February 3rd, aged 58.

  Actor and broadcaster Dick Von Hoene, better known as Cincinnati TV horror host “The Cool Ghoul”, died of a heart attack on February 4th, aged 63. The Cool Ghoul made his debut as the host of Scream-In on independent station WXIX-TV, Channel 19, in 1969. A twelve-year-old Tim Lucus, future editor of Video Watchdog, was The Ghoul’s official #1 fan.

  Actor, singer and environmental activist Jason Raize (Jason Raize Rothenberg), the original Simba in the Broadway production of The Lion King, died of an apparent suicide in Australia on February 6th, aged 28. He also voiced the character of Denahi in the Disney film Brother Bear and appeared on Broadway in The Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar (as Pontius Pilate).

  Fifty-six-year-old Tony Pope, the voice of Disney’s Goofy for more than eleven years, died of an arterial rupture during heart surgery on February 11th. He worked on numerous films and TV shows, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Spaced Invaders, Shrek, Metropolis, The All-New Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show and Vampire Princess Miyu. Pope also voiced the Cheshire Cat and the King of Hearts in Disneyland’s Alice in Wonderland ride.

  Gospel singer Doris Troy [Higginsen], who had a 1963 hit with “Just One Look”, died in Las Vegas of emphysema on February 16th, aged 67.

  Les Gray, lead singer with the British 1970s Glam Rock group Mud, died after two suspected heart attacks in Portugal on February 21st, aged 57. The singer, whose hits included “Tiger Feet”, “Lonely This Christmas” and “Oh Boy”, had been suffering from throat cancer for several months and had a voicebox.

  Blacklisted character actor and social activist John Randolph (Emanuel Hirsch Cohen) died on February 24th, aged 88. His open defence of accused figures during the McCarthy era led to his being blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee. One of the founding members of the Actors Studio, his film credits include John Frankenheimer’s Seconds, Pretty Poison, Little Murders, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, The New Original Wonder Woman, King Kong (1976) and Heaven Can Wait (1978). On TV he appeared in The Invaders, Lucan (series regular), Darkroom and the memorable “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” episode of Night Gallery.

  American actress Sheila Darcy (Rebecca Heffener, aka “Rebecca Wassem”), who portrayed “The Dragon Lady” in the 1940 serial Terry and the Pirates, died of a heart attack on February 27th, aged 89. Her other credits include The Big Broadcast of 1938, Zorro’s Fighting Legion, Jungle Man and Arrest Bulldog Drummond.

  Singer and actor Carl Anderson, best remembered for his portrayal of Judas in the 1973 movie Jesus Christ Superstar, died of leukaemia on February 28th, aged 58. During the 1980s and ’90s he released several albums.

  Singer Gene Allison, whose hits include “You Can Make it if You Try”, died of liver and kidney failure in Nashville on the same day, aged 69.

  Academy Award-winning actress Mercedes McCambridge (Charlotte Mercedes Agnes McCambridge) whose raspy voice was used – initially uncredited – for the demonically possessed Regan in The Exorcist (1973), died on March 2nd, aged 87. A former alcoholic whose economist son killed his wife, two daughters and himself while wearing a Halloween mask in 1987, McCambridge’s other films include Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, The Scarf, Suddenly Last Summer, Jess Franco’s 99 Women and Justine, Echoes and The Concorde – Airport ’79. Welles described her “The world’s greatest living radio actress,” and she contributed to the I Love a Mystery radio series (1939–49). She also appeared in episodes of TV’s Tales of Tomorrow, Climax!, Lost in Space and Bewitched. McCambridge’s autobiography The Quality of Mercy was published in 1981.

  TV actress and casting director Cecily Adams, who had a recurring role as “Moogie” on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, died after a four-month battle against cancer on March 3rd, aged 46. The daughter of Get Smart actor Don Adams and singer Adelaide Adams, she also appeared in Total Recall 2070 and cast such series as Third Rock from the Sun, Bone Chillers and Eerie Indiana.

  Character actor Walt Gorney, who as “Crazy Ralph” warned the unlucky campers that they were “All doomed” in the original Friday the 13th (1980), died on March 5th, aged 91. He was back in the sequel and also narrated Part VII. Other credits include Heavy Traffic, King Kong (1976) and Day of the Animals.

  American leading lady Frances Dee died of pneumonia and complications from a stroke on March 6th, aged 96. In 1933 she married her co-star Joel McCrea (who died in 1990), and they eventually became amongst the richest landowners in California, rumoured to be worth between $50–100 million. Her best-known role is as nurse Betsy Connell in the 1943 Val Lewton classic I Walked with a Zombie. Dee retired from the screen in 1954. One of her three sons is actor Jody McCrea (Joel Dee McCrea) from the “Beach Party” films.

  Dominican Republic-born singer Peggy DeCastro who, with her younger sister Cherie, had a #1 hit in 1954 with “Teach Me Tonight”, died of lung cancer in Las Vegas the same day, aged 82. Protégés of Brazilian star Carmen Miranda, the DeCastro Sisters made TV history when th
ey appeared on the first live broadcast of Los Angeles station KTLA in 1947.

  Emmy-winning African-American actor Paul Winfield died of a heart attack on March 7th, aged 62. Discovered by Burgess Meredith while a contract player at Columbia Pictures, his film credits include Brother John, Damnation Alley, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, The Terminator, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Mars Attacks!, White Dwarf, Dead of Night (1996) and the TV movie The Horror at 37,000 Feet. He was a regular on the 1987–88 TV series The Charmings (as the Mirror) and also appeared on The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Spider-Man, Babylon 5 and Star Trek The Next Generation.

  The body of Spalding Gray was found the same day in the East River near Brooklyn, New York, after he apparently jumped off the Staten Island Ferry. The 62-year-old actor and monologist was identified through dental records and X-rays. Gray was last seen on January 10th at his Manhattan home and was listed as officially missing on the 19th of that month. The author of Swimming for Cambodia, Monster in a Box and Gray’s Anatomy (filmed, respectively, by Jonathan Demme, Nick Broomfield and Steven Soderbergh) had been suffering from depression since sustaining injuries in a car accident in Ireland two years earlier. He had reportedly attempted suicide on at least two occasions since then. Gray appeared in the films of his own work and also had featured roles in Ilsa Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks, Little Orphan Dusty, the remake of Diabolique, Kate & Leopold, Beaches, The Killing Fields and others.

  Forty-nine-year-old American actor and former boxer Robert Pastorelli died from a drug-related death at his Hollywood Hills home on March 8th. Best known for his recurring role as house painter “Eldin Bernecky” on CBS-TV’s Murphy Brown, he also appeared in several films, including A Simple Wish, Michael and the 1998 vampire comedy Modern Vampires (aka Revenant), in which he played “The Count”. His 25-year-old girlfriend Charemon Janovich was found fatally shot to death in the same house in 1999, reportedly following an argument.

  Former German heavyweight boxer turned actor Wilhelm Von Homburg (Norman Grupe) died of cancer on March 10th, aged 63. He appeared as the long-haired Lord of the Underworld in Ghostbusters II and also had roles in Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain, The Wrecking Crew, The Silence of the Hams and In the Mouth of Madness. He spent five years in jail on drugs and prostitution charges.

  Sixty-six-year-old Russian actor Borislav Brondukov, best known for playing “Inspector Lestrade” in the Soviet series of Sherlock Holmes films, died the same day of a heart attack.

  Canadian actor Jack Creley, who played “Brian O’Blivion” in David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, also died of heart failure on March 10th, aged 78. His other credits include Dr Strangelove, Rituals, Change of Mind, Reincarnate, The Only Way Out is Dead and Welcome to Blood City.

  Dave Blood (Dave Schulthise) bassist with the American punk band The Dead Milkman, best known for their 1988 song “Punk Rock Girl”, committed suicide the same day, aged 47.

  Seventy-seven-year-old French actor Philip Lemaire committed suicide by throwing himself under a Paris metro train on March 15th. He appeared in Mystery of the Red Jungle, Spirits of the Dead, The Blood Rose and Beyond the Grave. His first wife was singer Juliette Greco.

  Former nude Playgirl model turned actor Brian Bianchini committed suicide in San Francisco on March 16th, aged 25. He appeared in the vampire film The Brotherhood and also The Black Magic shot in Thailand. A few days before his death he was subdued by police with taser guns while attempting to take his own life on a beach.

  Sixty-two-year-old J.J. (John) Jackson, a long-time Los Angeles radio personality and one of the original MTV VJs in 1981, died of an apparent heart attack while driving in L.A. on March 17th.

  Russian-born British character actor Richard Marner (Alexander Molchanoff-Sacha) died on March 18th, aged 82. Best known for his role as the bungling German Colonel Kurt von Strohm in the BBC-TV comedy series ’Allo ’Allo (1982–92), he also appeared in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Mouse on the Moon, Where the Spies Are, You Only Live Twice, The Boys from Brazil, The Last Horror Film, The Sum of All Fears and TV’s The Avengers.

  French-Russian ballerina and choreographer Ludmila Tcherina (Monique Tchemerzine) died on March 21st, aged 79. She appeared in L’atalantide (as “Antinea”), The Red Shoes, Tales of Hoffman, Salome, Sign of the Pagan and Agent 38–24–36. The youngest prima ballerina ever at the age of fifteen, Tcherina was also the first western-born dancer to star at the Bolshoi in Moscow.

  Motown singer and producer Johnny Bristol (John William Bristol) died on March 22nd, aged 65. His biggest hit was “Hang on in There Baby” in 1973. He also recorded the original “Someday We’ll be Together” in 1961 (with Jackie Beavers) and later produced such acts as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye.

  Irish-born character actor Richard Leech (Richard Leeper McLelland) died on March 24th, aged 81. His many credits include Night of the Demon (US: Curse of the Demon), Hammer’s Terror of the Tongs and BBC-TV’s Doctor Who.

  Japanese actor Utako Mitsuya died of pneumonia the same day, aged 67. His credits include Atomic Rulers of the World, Evil Brain from Outer Space and various episodes of the Super Giant series.

  Hollywood film noir star of the 1940s and ’50s Jan Sterling (Jane Sterling Adriance) died of complications from a broken hip and a series of strokes on March 26th, aged 82. Often cast as conniving blondes in such films as Ace in the Hole and The High and the Mighty, Sterling also co-starred in the 1956 film of George Orwell’s 1984. She was the widow of actor Paul Douglas (who died in 1959) and long-time companion of actor Sam Wanamaker (who died in 1993).

  Sixty-two-year-old singer and songwriter [William] Jan Berry who, with Jan & Dean partner Dean Torrence, helped popularize the Southern California surf sound of the 1960s, died after suffering a brain seizure the same day. The son of a millionaire, he had never fully recovered from a car accident in 1966 that resulted in partial paralysis and irreversible brain damage. The duo’s hits include “Surf City”, “Dead Man’s Curve”, “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” and various collaborations with the Beach Boys. In recent years Berry weighed around 3001b.

  British stuntman and actor Peter Diamond died of a stroke on March 27th, aged 75. He choreographed the lightsabre duels in the original Star Wars trilogy and his other credits include Hammer’s Kiss of the Vampire, The Gorgon, The Devil-Ship Pirates, The Evil of Frankenstein, Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, Rasputin the Mad Monk, The Reptile, Frankenstein Created Woman, Dracula Prince of Darkness and The Witches, Children of the Damned, A Study in Terror, The Psychopath, The Legacy, Superman II, An American Werewolf in London, Lifeforce, Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Solomons Mines (1985), The Princess Bride, Highlander and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

  Oscar-winning British actor, playwright, director, novelist and raconteur Sir Peter [Alexander] Ustinov died of heart failure in Switzerland on March 28th, aged 82. He had suffered from diabetes for many years. Ustinov wrote, directed and produced the 1947 film of F. Anstey’s body-switch fantasy Vice Versa, and his other genre credits include Blackbeard’s Ghost, Hammersmith is Out, One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, Logan’s Run, Appointment With Death, The Thief of Baghdad (1978), The Great Muppet Caper, Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, The Phoenix and the Magic Carpet, Alice in Wonderland (1999), Animal Farm (1999) and the 2003 CBS-TV movie Salem Witch Trials.

  Thirty-eight-year-old stuntman, personal fitness trainer and former Navy SEAL Scott Helveston was one of four private security contractors ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq, and beheaded by insurrectionists on March 31st. His credits include Raise the Titanic and Face/Off.

  Fifty-seven-year-old American film and TV actress Carrie (Caroline) Snodgress died of heart failure while awaiting a liver transplant on April 1st. Following an uncredited role in Easy Rider, she appeared in such films as Diary of Mad Housewife (for which she was nominated for an Academy Award), Brian DePalma’s The Fury, The Attic, Trick or Treats, Pale Rider, Ed Gein and The Forsaken. Her TV credits include episodes of
Friday the 13th, Shades of L.A., Touched by an Angel and The X Files. She is survived by her son, Zeke, whose father is musician Neil Young.

  Musician and recording executive Paul Atkinson died of liver and kidney failure the same day in Santa Monica, aged 58. From 1963–67 he was the guitarist with British band the Zombies, who had hits with “She’s Not There”, “Tell Her No” and “Time of the Season”. They also briefly turned up in Bunny Lake is Missing.

  German-born supporting actor Herb Andress (aka “Herbert Andreas”) died of cancer in Munich on April 8th, aged 69. He made his film debut in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini and also appeared in Lady Frankenstein, Who? and Enemy Mine.

  Harry Babbitt, the lead vocalist with Kay Kyser’s Band, died of heart failure on April 9th, aged 90. Babbitt sang on such Kyser hits as “Three Little Fishes” and “On a Slow Boat to China”, and he appeared in the 1940 horror/comedy You’ll Find Out opposite Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Bela Lugosi. His most famous solo recording is “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”.

  Nick and Mary Yankovic, the parents of singer “Weird Al” Yankovic, were found dead the same day in their suburban San Diego home. Aged 86 and 81, respectively, the Yonkovics apparently died of carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a closed flue in a fireplace.

  Nineteen sixty four Playboy “Playmate of the Year” Donna Michelle died of a massive heart attack on April 14th, aged 58. She appeared in such films as Beach Blanket Bingo (as “Animal”), Mickey One, Agent for H.A.R.M., One Spy Too Many and The Spy With My Face.

  British stage and screen actor Philip Locke died on April 19th, aged 76. Best known for his role as silent assassin Vargas in Thunderball, his other credits include The Plague Dogs and TV’s The Avengers, The Champions, Doctor Who and Box of Delights (1984). He apparently spent much of his time in his pyjamas.