Tim Lucas of the Video Watchblog reports that famed horror television producer Dan Curtis has passed away.
The 1970’s looms large in cinema history, especially among horror junkies, myself included. It was a time when a gritty, independent vision could still make it to the big screen without compromise, and often take in a healthy box office as an added bonus. This sensibility filtered down to television as well. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that the 1970’s was the golden age of made-for-tv horror movies. And behind the most fondly remembered of those films was producer/director/writer Dan Curtis.
Curtis cut his teeth on horror as creator of the cult favourite soap opera series Dark Shadows, moving on from there to a television adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That telefilm starred Jack Palance, who would also appear in Curtis’ version of Dracula in the title role, and one which many believe to be one of the all-time best screen renditions of the Count.
While these productions have their devout followers, for my taste Curtis really hit his stride in his less gothic work. The Night Stalker introduced the world to horror’s unlikeliest hero, Carl Kolchak, a rumpled and cynical investigative reporter on the trail of a vampire roaming the streets of Las Vegas. The Night Stalker went on to capture a 54 share of the ratings for its timeslot, meaning that over half of the viewing audience tuned in, giving The Night Stalker the best ratings for a made-for-tv movie up to that time. Curtis followed this up with a sequel, and another telefilm about a supernatural investigator called The Norliss Tapes. The story was told through audio tapes Norliss had made describing his encounters with the horrific as found by his editor, who is seeking an explanation for Norliss’ mysterious disappearance. Unfortunately, the premise never went beyond the pilot, so no one knows what happened to poor Norliss. The heady mix of horror and cynicism evident in these three films, with the little guy facing dark powers seemingly beyond his power to defeat let alone comprehend, touch on the zeitgeist of the times as well as just about any of television’s big brothers on the silver screen.
And there’s plenty more, from Frankenstein to Trilogy of Terror to Burnt Offerings to the new Dark Shadows and all the way up to the present-day. For people of a particular age, Dan Curtis is the man most responsible for many a sleepless night. Thanks for the nightmares, Mr. Curtis.
Mr. Curtis is survived by two daughters. Condolences to his friends and family.
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