I just noticed that my five-month-old post Assembling the Dracula Bad-Dream Team received an exceptional number of hits today. Unfortunately, the reason is not a happy one. Michael Gough, the actor I chose as the ultimate on-screen Arthur Holmwood, died today at the age of 94. Although Gough was not the Hammer Horror mainstay that, say, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Michael Ripper were, he made major impressions in the studio's superb 1958 adaptation of Dracula and its 1962 version of Phantom of the Opera, in which he played Lord Ambrose d'Arcy. Gough also starred in a segment of Amicus's pioneer portmanteau, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, but is probably best known to more contemporary audiences for playing Alfred the Butler in the '90s Batman franchise and his roles in several Tim Burton movies.
Psychobabble: For Groovy Ghouls, Retro Rockers, & Kooky Cultists.
