R.I.P INGRID PITT (1937-2010), THE QUEEN OF VAMPIRE CINEMA

It just goes to show that I really should go with my gut when it comes to my hobby of autograph collecting.

Ingrid Pitt, one of the signature women of the Hammer horror stable and the hands down epitome of the female vampire archetype, has gone on to the Great Beyond, and I almost would not be surprised if she turned up strolling down some foggy road in the English countryside in a day or two. Let's face it, coming back from the dead, usually in slinky diaphanous nightgowns or various states of undress, was her particular schtick in a number of vampire flicks, and she was compelling while doing her sinister thing.

Pitt, as seen in THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1971).

Though her vampire output was sparse, it was nonetheless indelible, as is seen in such perennial favorites as COUNTESS DRACULA and THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (both 1970), and a memorable segment in THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD. (Yeah, I know her character in COUNTESS DRACULA was not technically a vampire, but close enough for rock 'n' roll.) She was also in THE WICKER MAN (1973), one of the undisputed masterpieces of British horror cinema, so the lady was a legend and I am sad to see her go.

I had always hoped to meet her at a horror convention but she tended to attend those mostly in the U.K., so I looked online and was happy to find that she had a mail order autograph site that featured a really good selection of color 8x10's, including the good nudie stuff from her macabre outings. I was going to order one during the summer, but instead I opted to wait and get one as a Christmas gift to myself. So much for that...