The biggest regret of Christopher Lee’s career
Between the 1950s and the 1970s, many horror films were produced by Hammer, a British company that churned out B-movies that have since become cult classics. Known for their depiction of classic characters from gothic literature and film, they paved the way for the explosion of horror movies that occurred in Hollywood in the late 1970s and 1980s.
Many Hammer horrors featured the same iconic characters, such as Count Dracula, who was first introduced to the world in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel. English actor Christopher Lee portrayed the character in many Hammer horror movies, becoming forever associated with the company. His first appearance as the villain came in 1958’s Dracula, directed by Terence Fisher. He then reprised the role multiple times, featuring in Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Count Dracula and more.
When Lee wasn’t portraying the blood-thirsty vampire, he could be seen in other films playing characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Fu Manchu, The Mummy, and the Devil. In the 1970s, he also garnered further acclaim for his performance in the folk horror classic The Wicker Man.
As the decades progressed, Lee continued to star in countless films, appearing in several instalments of both the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings series. In the 2000s, he collaborated with Tim Burton several times, appearing in titles such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Dark Shadows.
However, there was one seminal horror movie that Lee turned down – a decision he now regrets. In the 1970s, Lee was asked to star in a movie that would transform horror and popularise the slasher genre. John Carpenter’s Halloween was released in 1978 and follows Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, a teenage babysitter who is targetted by the masked killer Michael Myers.
The movie ends with a dramatic climax, which involves psychiatrist Dr Loomis wounding Myers with a gun. Loomis – the name a nod to Sam Loomis from Psycho – is played by Donald Pleasance, but it was originally offered to Lee. In a documentary about the legacy of the movie, Halloween – A Cut Above the Rest, producer Debra Hill revealed: “Christopher Lee declined to do the role. But it’s funny, we ran into Lee at a party, and he said that ‘The biggest mistake I ever made of my career was not being in this movie.’”
While Lee has never given a reason for turning down the role, it is a possibility that the actor was unaware of just how successful the movie would become. The independent film was made on a small budget, and Carpenter was relatively unknown at the time. However, Halloween became a massive hit, grossing $70million as became an instant classic of the genre.