By now you’ve probably read that horror movie icon and cinema legend Christopher Lee has died at age 93. One of the most prolific actors in movie history with 281 screen performances spanning 8 decades, Lee found fame portraying Dracula but is probably better known to young filmgoers as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films and as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels.
I’ve been a huge fan since I was a wee lad, so I simply must come out of blogging retirement to pay tribute to the man. For Sir Christopher Lee, my three favorite of your many great films:
3. City of the Dead (1960)
(sorry he’s not in the trailer than much)
2. Horror of Dracula (1958)
1. Horror Express (1972)
Eric the Gray 
June 12th, 2015 at 8:14 am
I was so sad to hear he died, although, geez, 93? The man had a good, full, rich life. He was my favorite Dracula because he really scared the bejeezus out of me. (I loved Bela Lugosi, but he didn’t scare me.) I don’t recognize two of the films you recommend, so I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for posting this, Eric. Good to know you’re still breathing 😉
June 12th, 2015 at 12:33 pm
Hi! I intend to keep breathing for a while yet (fingers crossed).
City of the Dead is also known by a more mundane alternate title Horror Hotel. Either way, it’s the textbook example of ‘atmospheric’ horror. Highly recommended. Horror Express is rather more gruesome (cinema changed a lot in those 12 years!) and violent, so proceed at your own risk. The letter film is one of the very few times Sir Christopher got to play a good guy.
June 14th, 2015 at 7:26 pm
I was able to find Horror Express on Netflix. It’s in my “films to watch when husband is out stargazing” queue 😉
June 12th, 2015 at 9:18 am
To a long life, well lived. Hope you’re enjoying your blogging break.
June 12th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Yes indeed. Sir Christopher should certainly have no regrets.
June 13th, 2015 at 3:56 am
Good reason to come back. Good clips of him when he was young.
June 13th, 2015 at 2:27 pm
RIP Christopher Lee.
Are you fully out of retirement or was it just to honour Mr. Lee?
June 14th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Just to honour Mr. Lee today. I’ve been watching his films since before I can remember.
June 15th, 2015 at 6:16 am
He’ll always be Dracula to me. Loved that guy but I still had to root for Peter Cushing trying to kill him.:)
August 1st, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Sorry I missed this comment before somehow. That battle between Cushing and Lee at the climax of Horror of Dracula is brief but intense. The fact that they were opponents so often is one of the reasons I like Horror Express so much. It’s one of the few times they were both on the heroic side.
August 1st, 2015 at 12:35 pm
Excellent choices! Horror Express is a very underrated/overlooked film. How can you go wrong with not only Lee and Cushing, but Telly Savalas, as well!
August 1st, 2015 at 1:08 pm
You can’t! The film is full of great, perhaps over-the-top performances and moves along at the pace of… well, an express train.