Photo © 1999
Ingrid Pitt and Stephen Jones
at James Herbert launch party (London 1999)
|
I had never seen Sound of Horror (about an invisible dinosaur running amuck in Spain) or
Where Eagles Dare (I was never a big fan of war films), so I first encountered Ingrid Pitt in
Hammer Film's The Vampire Lovers in a darkened cinema at the age of seventeen.
Although even then I thought that she was too old to play J. Sheridan Le Fanu's
bisexual vampire, there is no doubt that she had genuine screen presence, which
she subsequently brought to Hammer's historical Countess Dracula as the blood-bathing noblewoman.
Over the next few years I caught her again in The House That Dripped Blood
(already sending up her vampire persona in an adaptation of Robert Bloch's 'The Cloak',
opposite Jon Pertwee) and the cult classic The Wicker Man (who can forget her memorable bathtub scene?).
Even though I went down on set for the 1985 Clive Barker adaptation, Underworld (aka Transmutations),
I never encountered Ingrid, and so it was that the first time that I met her in person was when James
Herbert introduced us at a book launch he was having at the top of the OXO Tower on London's South Bank.
Cover by Les Edwards
|
Cover by Joe Roberts
|
When I was commissioned by Robinson in 2001 to edit The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women,
I approached Ingrid to see if she would be willing to do an Introduction to the book. Much to my surprise,
she invited me out to lunch at her club in Chelsea, and we immediately hit it off. Not only was she happy
to write the Introduction, but she also insisted that she contribute a new short story to the
anthology as well! She was wonderful to work with, and the least we could do was put her image on the
cover of the book (a fine Les Edwards portrait in the UK and a fanged photograph on the US
edition). The volume did remarkably well in America—going through multiple printings in
paperback and book club hardcover, and in more recent years the title has repeated that success in hardcover in Russia.
Following our collaboration on the Mammoth book, Ingrid seemed to "adopt" me. She and her
husband Tony invited me out to lunch again to discuss me helping her with a history of Hammer Films
that she had been commissioned to write. Although we worked on it together on-and-off over a couple
of years, nothing eventually came of the project. However, during that time I would regularly
receive phone calls out of the blue when she would shout down the line how much she loved me, and
I recall a wonderful Sunday afternoon at her small apartment in Richmond where she served tea
and the biggest slices of a Russian cake I have ever seen!
In 2006, Kim Newman and I were asked to join Ingrid on the commentary track for the
UK DVD of Countess Dracula. It was perhaps a good thing that she and I got on so well,
as she was hilariously forthright about the production and her co-workers. Even when the recording
session was finished, she continued to entertain us with salacious stories for a couple of hours
while we had lunch in a nearby Soho restaurant.
After that our contact became more infrequent, although I would still get the unexpected phone
call in the middle of the afternoon, and we saw each other at the occasional film memorabilia
fair in London. However, a series of medical problems were obviously taking their toll, and
she was apparently in and out of hospital quite a bit.
I had suggested her for a small voice cameo in an animated monster movie that Michael Marshall
Smith and I were scripting, and the director contacted her. This resulted in her calling me
up to tell me how much she would love to be involved, but perhaps we could introduce
Countess Dracula as character and thus increase the size of her role! I assured her that
if the film ever got made, we would definitely keep that in mind for the sequel. Alas,
she never got to record her part.
Still, when I became involved in organising World Horror Convention 2010 in Brighton,
there was only one person I wanted as our Media Guest of Honour. When I contacted her and
Tony, she was immediately enthused and despite her health problems we worked out a way
that we could limit her participation to one day while still making her appearance a Big Deal.
However, as the convention approached, her health worsened and just a week before the
event it looked unlikely that she would be able to attend. Of course, nobody had told
Ingrid that, and she once again insisted that she travel down to the coast and not let
her fans down. And so she arrived in Brighton, noticeably frail and confined to a
wheelchair, but still full of boundless exuberance.
For the next few hours she held court in the convention bar, talking to anybody who
came up to her and signing anything they wanted her to. Tony and I were dubious about
her doing her programmed interview in the afternoon, but she would have none of it. Her
fans expected her to appear, and so she would do the interview. In the end we could do
nothing but shrug our shoulders and let her go on, although we did convince her to limit
the interview to just half-an-hour.
We need not have worried. Like the professional she always was, she quickly rallied
and gleefully entertained a standing-room-only crowd with more outrageous and inappropriate
stories about her life and career. They loved her.
Afterwards, as I escorted her to the car to take her home, she once again kept telling
me how much she loved me. It was the last time I saw her.
I was on my way back from a meeting with a Hollywood producer in Soho yesterday
evening when I got the news that Ingrid had died while on her way to attend a dinner
in her honour. Her heart simply gave out. Although it was not entirely unexpected,
I was still surprised how much it affected me during my journey home.
Whether you liked her acting or not, there is no doubt that Ingrid Pitt was a true
icon of British horror cinema during the 1970s (and her career continued for three
decades after that). I feel fortunate that our paths intersected over the years, and
I will always recall our meetings with great pleasure. She was definitely unique, and
I am glad that I was instrumental in bringing her to one of her last public
appearances in front of her many fans.
So long as her Hammer films and other movies continue to be revived, she will
never be forgotten. And I will never forget those magical times we spoke on the
telephone or got together in person. She was always an absolute delight to be with.
Goodbye, Ingrid.
—Stephen Jones
November 24, 2010
And so, to New Orleans, to celebrate Neil Gaiman's 50th birthday (along with, apparently, anybody in his address book!), at a party held at Rosy's Jazz Hall on November 10, 2010. Here are some pictures of me with old friends . . .
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Stephen Jones in New Orleans
|
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Stephen Jones and HarperCollins editor Jennifer Brehl
|
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Paul Cornell, Chris Claremont and Stephen Jones
|
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Stephen Jones and Peter Nicholls
|
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Shawna McCarthy, Ellen Datlow and Stephen Jones at The Old Absinthe House
|
|
On the evening of Tuesday, October 12, 2010, Stephen Jones stood in for Kim Newman on a panel discussion
about "Frankenstein" held at the prestigious The Times Cheltenham Literature
Festival. Arguably the world's most famous work of horror fiction, Frankenstein remains
an extraordinary exploration of the limits of human creativity. Mary Shelley's biographer
Miranda Seymour, horror editor Stephen Jones and Daisy Hay, author of Young Romantics,
explored the book behind the myth and why it still mesmerises us today with former
Festival Director Richard Cohen.
|
|
On the evening of October 3rd, Stephen Jones was interviewed on stage by "cult film and TV babe" Emily
Booth at Gorezone Magazine's International Film Festival 2010, held at the Prince Charles cinema,
just off London's Leicester Square. Afterwards, Stephen Jones signed copies of Zombie Apocalypse!,
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror Volume 21 and
The Mammoth Book of the Best of Best New Horror along with Pat Cadigan, Christopher
Fowler, Paul McAuley, Mark Samuels, Mandy Slater and Michael Marshall Smith.
Photo © 2010 Pat Cadigan
Stephen Jones interviewed by Emily Booth
|
Photo © 2010 Chris Fowler
Stephen Jones signing books with Paul McAuley and Pat Cadigan
|
Photo © 2010 Jamie-Lee Nardone
Back Row: Paul McAuley, Michael Marshall Smith, Mandy Slater and Mark Samuels;
Front Row: Stephen Jones, Pat Cadigan and Christopher Fowler.
|
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
John Ajvide Lindqvist, Stephen Jones and Mia Lindqvist
|
On September 29, 2010 I was invited by Quercus publicist Lucy Ramsey to London's
Charlotte Street Hotel for the launch of John Ajvide Lindqvist's third novel, Harbour,
and a preview screening of Let Me In, the UK/USA remake of the Swedish
version of his first book, Let the Right One In. The new film was almost
as impressive as the original, but in a slightly different way. Among those also
at the screening were Val and Les Edwards, Jo Fletcher and Ian Drury,
Amanda Foubister, Ali Karim and Mandy Slater.
Photo © 2010 Mandy Slater
Lunch at Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Nottingham: Amanda Foubister, Stephen Jones, Val Edwards and Robert Shearman
|
Photo © 2010 Peter Coleborn
"How Not to Get Published (An Idiot's Guide)" panel: Marc Gascoigne, Jo Fletcher and Stephen Jones
|
Photo © 2010 Peter Coleborn
Reggie Oliver and Stephen Jones after the British Fantasy Awards
|
Photo © 2010 Peter Coleborn
Robert E. Howard panel: Mike Chinn, Les Edwards, Stephen Jones, Ramsey Campbell and Joel Lane
|
Photo © 2010 Abaddon Books
Stephen Jones and journalist Sandy Auden
|
STEPHEN JONES is one of the announced Guests at ALT.FICTION—Derby's Festival of Horror, Fantasy and Sci-fi on SATURDAY JUNE 12.
The other Guests are RAMSEY CAMPBELL, MIKE CAREY, PAUL CORNELL, PETER CROWTHER and ROBERT SHEARMAN.
Derby's festival for alternative fiction is a one-day event featuring some of the top authors, editors, agents and publishers in the field. The day is made up of a number of different types of sessions, including author talks, Q&A sessions, readings, discussion panels, workshops and a mass book launch.
In addition, Alt Fiction 2010 will have a new and second-hand bookfair running in parallel to the other events of the day, and there will also be some improvised comedy in the bar in the evening. If comedy is not your thing, then there is always the option of a late-night movie double-bill showing in cinema 2 that will be programmed and introduced by Stephen Jones!
Tickets cost £25.00
FOR MORE INFORMATION:Visit the Alt.Fiction website: www.altfiction.co.uk
Follow the festival on Twitter: www.twitter.com/altfiction
E-mail: catherine@writingeastmidlands.co.uk
Although I was one of the co-organisers, I had a wonderful time at the convention catching up
with old friends and meeting new ones. I didn't get time to attend as many programme items as
I wanted to (I was only on one panel myself), but I did participate in a few book launches
(for Robinson Publishing and PS Publishing) and ended the weekend by hosting a private party
for close friends and colleagues as a belated "thank you" for last year reaching a total
of 100 different books. Thanks again to everyone who helped make the convention such a huge success!
Photo © 2010 Ali Karim
Michael Marshall Smith, Stephen Jones and Neil Gaiman in the bar (where else?).
|
Photo © 2010 Peter Coleborn
The Robinson Publishing launch of The Best of Best New Horror. Some books did eventually show up for the contributors to sign!
|
Photo © 2010 Mike Chinn
Ian Alexander Martin and a very tired Stephen Jones on the Sunday morning panel about successors to The Pan Book of Horror Stories.
|
Photo © 2010 Peter Coleborn
Taking a bow at The Bram Stoker Awards with Amanda Foubister.
|
Photo © 2010 Nancy Kilpatrick
Scott Edelman, Lisa Morton, Lisa Tuttle and Ian Watson at the 100 Books party.
|
Photo © 2010 Nancy Kilpatrick
Michael Marshall Smith, Martel Sardina, Lisa Tuttle, Nicky Crowther, Dennis Etchison and Peter Crowther at the 100 Books party.
|
If you find any errors, typos or anything else worth mentioning,
please send it to webmaster@stephenjoneseditor.com.
Copyright © 2008–2021 Stephen Jones All Rights Reserved Worldwide
