Yes, many of you know that I died over 33 years ago. Some of you have never heard of me but have just stumbled on my website. Yes, I am writing “From the Grave.” But when I walked in your world I made my living producing and directing horror films and creating gimmicks that have seemed to outlast me. I’ve “Tingled” butts, insured movie-goers against “Death by Fright,” created “The Fright Break,” “The Coward’s Corner,” “Emerg-o,” “Percept-O,” and “Illusion-O.” But coming back “From the Grave” might be my finest gimmick yet. Enough to scare the pants off a whole new generation I hope.
I live now in Provence in a house I bought in 1959. I suspected it was haunted then. I had been right. And now I find myself drawn to this place, for reasons I cannot yet share.
I’m intrigued by your world. Intrigued by the young people wrapped around the block waiting to see The Twilight Saga.
So I have a simple question for anybody bold enough to leave me a quick reply.
What attracts you more–a werewolf or a vampire?
Lon Chaney, Jr. or Bela Lugosi?
Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner?
I’m from a different world. Everything has changed. Or has it?
I am now tweeting “From the Grave,” @twitter.com/billcastle
WC
I declared the vampire subtle, the Werewolf straightforward. To prove the point in a moment of conflict the Werewolf would have already killed the Vampire before ever he got the second over rehearsed, philosophical platitude out of his mouth.
That’s very funny. You are a clever man.
I love vampires. They mesmerize me. I love the way they move, talk, the whole idea of an unrelentling love, the transends life and God. Sue me I’m an incurable romantic. Call me twisted, but the Count will always lure me. Bela had the accent, this sexual aura. I loved Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But I just can’t get into this Twilight Saga. No one will ever top Mr. Lugosi. People just don’t have the imagination of past days. All they do is remake old movies and USUALLY screw it up. Hollywood has lost it’s golden glow. Seems a little rusty to me. I want to feel scared again. I want to feel excited again. I just want to feel.
I hope I can bring back some of the magic of years gone by.
Loyalty begets loyalty. You have always been loyal to your fans, so we are here for you.
Thank you once again.
Interview With The Vampire, as a movie adapting a book, was far better than I expected it to be, especially Tom Cruise as Lestat. I really expected hi to be horrible, but he did a very good job with Lestat. I still wish it could have been Rutger Hauer or Julian Sands, though. However; the films was doomed to fail on some levels due to the limitations of time, as I am sure you can relate to. I think it captured the essence of Rice’s work, while having to leave out too much.
And thank you for your compliments.
You’re very welcome. Thank you for being so loyal.
I do love Anne Rice. I love the early works in her Vampire books, when only Louis whined, and Lestat was cheerfully evil. But, in the later books, the vampires became all soft and romanticized. That took the edge off her work for me.
I loved her first Vampire Book. That’s why I asked. The movie didn’t do her justice.
Vampires are my first choice, and a special area of amateur study for me. However; not the (as a friend of mine puts it) Twitlight variety. I am tired of the whiny vampires who don’t want to be vampires. Vampires should be evil, joyfully so. Drinking blood is very intimate, sucking someone’s life away has erotic overtones that can’t be denied, but vampires shouldn’t be romanticized. They are a type of rapist, pure and simple. Stealing the most precious part of us, violently and against our will, has to be considered as rape.
Werewolves, on the other hand, do hold an attraction as well. They are an archetype along the lines of Mr. Hyde. The beast contained within that is released once a month to rage and commit all manner of evil. Werewolves are tragic, but strangely attractive. All of us have wished we could release the worst side of ourselves once in a while, and rip and tear someone who has aroused our anger. We long to throw away the thousands of years of civilization, reducing ourselves to our basest animal state.
Do you like Anne RIce? I love the way you differentiate the vampire and the werewolf. I think you are thoughtful and insightful.
It is wonderful that you met the legendary Bela Lugosi and was befriended by him. Much as the young boy in your story who met with ancient artifacts that called to him, so Bela and his magic called to you, touching your life while still so young, so impressionable. He saw greatness in you–noting you–and his legacy he passed on, imparted unto you as others. I am an old spirit. My time was before I was born. Bela would have been my contemporary, but the fickle heart of time skipped a beat and so I appeared out of rhythm, decades later. I just bought The Return of Chandu (12 serial theater shows) where Bela is the great magician. I would have loved to have known Bela. But, I’m solaced in knowing his apprentice, William Castle, whose work I’ve admired and followed all my life, never dreaming to one day be conversing with him. I am a fortunate student and one whose masters form a long royal line. Lon Chaney Sr.–what a wonder it would have been to have spoken with him.
Not so much that people pretend to be Vampires as much as they by nature share qualities (subtle, cunning and blood thirsty) with the Vampire while the qualities of the Werewolf (straightforwardness, strength and remorse) are somewhat more rare….
“free ourselves from what haunted us in life”–wonderful Mr. Castle, beautiful, actually, a well turned phrase of ironic despair. It drips of hopelessness, inspiring dread. I believe that I may have briefly felt something akin to fear.
Subtle, cunning, blood thirsty vs. straightforward, strong and remorseful. Sounds like the logline for “Wall Street.”
Originally, according to folklore these “mythical creatures” were one in the same. But, pressed to dismiss this as semantics, I would say the strength and straightforwardness of the Werewolf impresses me more than the patient subtlety of the cunning vampire. Why? Because humans use the attributes of vampires daily and a blood feast is nothing new to any of us while the great strength of the Werewolf and his to-the-point directness are rare commodities indeed. Also, the fact that Larry T. wanted free from his darker side is rather refreshingly novel, isn’t it?
So you saying that many amongst us pretend to be Vampires, but the Werewolf is unique? The concept of freedom from one’s darker self always intrigues me. Even in death, some of us need to free ourselves from what haunted us in life.
BELA LUGOSI ! ! !
I had the chance to see him on Broadway and I actually met him. When I was 15 he invited me to watch Dracula backstage and later recommended me as the assistant stage manager for the road company tour of Dracula.
Robert or Bela. Vampires are sexy.
Careful with the vampires. Sexy or not, they do like to suck your blood.
Taylor is pretty cute…but now I’m interested in finding out more about Bela Lugosi.
Bela is the real deal. Watch some of his old films. I think you will enjoy them.
Lon and Bela.
Funny how the girl’s name from Twilight is Bella.
Coincidence? I think not.