Continuing our circumnavigation, this month's entry of Foreign Fear Friday moves us from the breezy Chilean shores to the embittered drear of the mother land. England, that is. In specific, we're stoked to throw a little love Freddie Francis' way, the long time cinematography great-turned-horror/sci-fi-director. Born December 22, 1917 in Islington, London - Francis found an interest in photography in his teens, working as a still-photo apprentice on a major motion picture before enlisting a 7-year stint in the Army in 1939. Naturally, he was assigned to work as a cameraman - a niche that would not only endure, but offer quite a training ground for him and his craft.
Upon return, Francis went to immediate work as a camera operator; a decade long vocation which included credit on Moby Dick. From there, Francis ignited his impressive career as a cinematographer, one that would commence and culminate in Oscar winning efforts for his work on the films Sons and Lovers (1960) and Glory (1989). So here's a man not only technically skilled enough to effortlessly gerrymander film genre, Francis upheld that high quality skill for over 30 years. He's worked with Jack Clayton (The Innocents), David Lynch (Elephant Man, Dune), Karel Reisz (Night Must Fall), Ed Zwick (Glory) and Marty Scorsese (Cape Fear). Shabby I'd say not. Not only that, but the dude has locked horns with British screen vet Peter Cushing a whopping 7 times, a collaboration mostly born out of Francis' directorial canon.
As much as I love this guy's work as a DP (The Innocents, Lynch's Elephant Man and The Straight Story the least of which), I have even greater fondness for the way Francis championed the horror genre. As a man with Oscar caliber talent, how easy would it be to make esteemed art-house pictures and cached Academy contenders every time out? Instead, this guy bucks convention and directs features he feels the most innately linked with; those in the horror genre. Lauding the diversity of the man's work is one thing, but to be able to, based on the merit of your own talent, carve your own creative path, is quite another. Whether it's his work on silly B-movie fare like Trog and The Deadly Bees, or his more inspired efforts in films like Legend of the Werewolf or The Creeping Flesh - Francis infused all his work with beauty and raw nerve we've since seen rarely matched.
One of Francis' major contributions to the screen would also become snuggly etched in the consciousness of pop culture. The 1972 film version of Tales From the Crypt, of course starring Pete Cushing, is not only a damn fine horror effort, but would obviously lend itself to most likely the unanimous vote for best horror anthology to ever hit the small screen. If you were like I, raised spending formative years watching the great HBO show, you probably hadn't even known there was a Tales From the Crypt movie, much less one pre-dating the TV program. Either way, cop a look at Francis' film version, it's clear the movie laid the ground work and formatting for the show.
The flick sees a handful of strangers who get lost on a remote countryside tour and stumble upon an ancient crypt. The meet a creepy ass crypt-keeper, who much like in the show, tells a series of awful and demoralizing tales of terror that scare the shit out of everyone. All Through the House: A wife plans to murder her hubby for the insurance reward, but is attacked by a maniac in a St. Nick ensemble. Reflection of Death: a morbid car crash fate with a nice snap ending; Poetic Justice: A sick Valentine's Day reanimation tale of revenge; Wish you Were Here: A darkly comic spin on the 3 wish fable, where a husband's return from the grave isn't what his wife had hoped; Blind Alleys (my favorite): where an obdurate general running a hospital for the blind is repaid with a corridor of gnarly spikes and razors. Aside from the cool concept, the flick stars Joan Collins, Roy Dotrice, Nigel Patrick, Richard Greene, Ian Hendry, Barbara Murray, Robin Phillips, Angela Grant and Ralph Richardson as the crypt-keeper himself. Get a dose of the film below:
That's it this time around, be sure to catch up with us next time for Foreign Fear Friday!
