David Hess - RIP

It was a very sad day yesterday for horror fans the world over, as yet again we lost one of our own, genre veteran and cult icon David Hess. This has come as a shock to everyone that knew and worked with him, as Mr. Hess was only a scant 69 years old and still busy as could be in film community (he was slated to star in 4 upcoming films in pre-production and due for a 2012 release, amongst them were The House on the Edge of the Park Part II and The House that Wept Blood), and a very lively man towards his fans at conventions. The cause of death was a heart attack, but no other details were made public at the time.

David's children broke the unfortunate news to family and friends yesterday via his official Facebook page, stating that the beloved actor had passed away.

"It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all. David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life."

David, friend Jessica and I at Cinema Wasteland (October, 2002)

Hess is probably best known as the slimy and villainous Krug Stillo from Wes Craven's Last House on the Left (1972), a role that landed him other, like-minded brutal movies such as The House at the Edge of the Park (1980), Hitch-Hike (1977). Mr. Hess also starred in other genre efforts such as Swamp Thing (1982), Zombie Nation (2004), Zodiac Killer (2005), Fallen Angels (2006) and Smash Cut (2009).

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hess once a few years ago at the Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia expo in Strongsville, Ohio. I remember him as a kind man, very approachable and generous with his time. I still have his autographed headshot from the event framed and hanging on my library's wall in fact. In movies and in person at cons across the nation, he will be missed. We here at The October Country would like to offer our heart felt condolences to David's friend and family during this trying time.


Before we go and bid Mr. Hess a final adieu, we'd like to offer up a more personal recount of his life and passing from someone who knew David better and so we suggest dropping by Eli Roth's Tumblr for a moving farewell to his friend. You may do so by clicking here.

Obituaries - 2010

As the sun sets on 2010, it wouldn't be proper of The October Country to usher in the new year without tipping our hats and paying respect to those contributors of our beloved genre who are no longer with us. While some's presence has been felt more than others, they're all of them icons in their own right, every single one of them leaving an indelible mark in the field.
So, without further ado, a moment of silence for:

Dennis Hopper (Actor/Writer/Director)
1936-2010
Night Tide (1961), The Twilight Zone (1963), Queen of Blood (1966), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), Blue Velvet (1986), Black Widow (1987), Witch Hunt (1994), Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002), Unspeakable (2002), The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005), Land of the Dead (2005), Hoboken Hollow (2005)



Corey Haim (Actor)
1971-2010
Silver Bullet (1985), The Lost Boys (1987), Watchers (1988), Fever Lake (1996), The Backlot Murders (2002), The Lost Boys: The Tribe (2008)


Ingrid Pitt (Actress)
1937-2010
Sound of Horror (1964), The Vampire Lovers (1970), Countess Dracula (1971), The House That Dripped Blood (1971), The Wicker Man (1973), Thriller (1975), Transmutations (1985), The Asylum (2000), Minotaur (2006), Sea of Dust (2008)


Jean Rollin (Director/Writer/Actor)
1938-2010
The Rape of the Vampire (1968), The Nude Vampire (1970), Caged Virgins (1971), Strange Things Happen At Night (1971), Rose Of Iron (1973), Curse of the Living Dead (1974), Lips of Blood (1975), Grapes of Death (1978), Fascination (1979), Zombie Lake (1981), Two Orphan Vampires (1997), La fiancée de Dracula (2002), Le masque de la Méduse (2010)


Leslie Nielsen (Actor)
1926-2010
Stage 13 (1950), The Clock (1950), Out There (1951), Lights Out (1950-1952), Suspense (1950-1953), Tales of Tomorrow (1952-1953), Forbidden Planet (1956), Thriller (1960), Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1958-1961), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1964), Dark Intruder (1965), Night Slaves (1970), Night Gallery (1971), The Evil Touch (1973-1974), Day of the Animals (1977), Prom Night (1980), Creepshow (1982), The Creature Wasn't Nice (1983), The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985), Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Scary Movie 4 (2006), Stan Helsing (2009)


Dino De Laurentiis (Producer)
1919-2010
Goliath and the Vampires (1961), Danger: Diabolik (1968), Barbarella (1968), King Kong (1976), Orca (1977), Amittyville II: The Possession (1982), The Dead Zone (1983), Dune (1984), Cat's Eye (1985), Silver Bullet (1985), Maximum Overdrive (1986), Manhunter (1986), King Kong Lives (1986), Sometimes They Come Back (1991), Army of Darkness (1992), Unforgettable (1996), Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), Hannibal Rising (2007)


Stephen Gilbert (Author)
1912-2010
Ratman's Notebooks (1968)



Frank Frazetta (Artist)
1928-2010
Frank Frazetta was an acclaimed American fantasy, horror and science-fiction artist.


Zelda Rubenstein (Actress)
1933-2010
Poltergeist (1982), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), Anguish (1987), Poltergeist III (1988), Teen Witch (1989), Tales From the Crypt (1992), Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996), Little Witches (1996), Wishcraft (2002), Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), The Scariest Places On Earth (2000-2006)
John Steakley (Author)
1951-2010
Armor (1984), Vampire$ (1990)


Leisure Books (Publisher)
2000-2010
Leisure Books was an imprint of Dorchester Publishing specializing in Horror and Thriller mass market paperbacks. As of 2000, Leisure Books was the only U.S. publisher with a line of horror books.
Lisa Blount (Actress)
1957-2010
Dead and Buried (1981), What Waits Below (1984), The Hitchhiker (1986), Nightflyers (1987), Prince of Darkness (1987), Needful Things (1993), Stalked (1994)





R.I.P. all of you and thank you for your years of service in our genre.