count dracula

This past Halloween I attended a screening of F.W. Murnau's horror masterpiece, Nosferatu, at the First Unitarian Church with live organ accompaniment. I have seen a bevy of bands play at the church's R5 concert series, which along with the film screenings, takes place against a gorgeous Gothic backdrop of wooden arches and church pews. Two words about the screening: A-Mazing! There were some serious mystical forces at work that evening as I sat cuddled against my date, completely captivated by the shadowy image of Max Schreck lurking across the big screen. I could swear there was a time or two that I was falling into a trance-like state and the hiss and vibrato of the organ playing above us gave me chills. This is how I want to remember the film forever.

November Fire Productions wants you to remember the film their way -- with a new metal/experimental soundtrack by the group Hobgoblin (big points for the name) and with actual dialogue. The band consists of members from some well known metal and experimental groups like Skinlab, Neurosis and Sacrilege B.C. They use Bram Stoker's novel to guide their story which was actually written 24 years prior to Murnau's film. The German film studio, Prana Film, released the classic vampire tale and was sued by Bram Stoker's widow shortly after but they dodged her by declaring bankruptcy and vanished from sight.

In what seems as a long overdue gesture of appreciation for one of the most seminal horror actors in the history of the genre, Count Dracula himself, Christopher Lee, can now have the ever-impressive "Sir" appended to the front of his name.

Joining a number of others, including musician Joe Brown and cyclist Nicole Cook, BBC News reports that the veteran actor, who also starred as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Lord Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, has been knighted by the Prince of Wales for "services to drama and to charity."

Through it all, Sir Christopher Lee remained as humble as ever, jokingly citing not Hammer but his success in The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars as his big break: "I've done a lot of films that have become iconic, not necessarily because of me...a whole new career opened up for me when I was in Lords Of The Rings and Star Wars.

This isn't the first honor to bestowed upon Dracula. In 2001 Queen Elizabeth appointed him Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2005 named the 'Most Marketable Star' for his performances in three of the top films in 2005 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which garnered $640 million combined.