Horror Icon of the Month: Donald Pleasence

I have been wanting to write about this iconic actor for years. His presence on screen is unmatched, his delivery of his lines, though often imitated, never duplicated. He may be renowned for chasing down the ultimate evil, or taking on the world’s greatest spy, but there’s more to him then just that. Stepping into the Horror Icon Spotlight this month is the legendary Donald Pleasence.

Born October 5th, 1919 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England to Alice and Thomas Pleasence, the latter being a railway station master. He was brought up as a strict Methodist in the small village Grimoldby, Lincolnshire. He received his formal education at Crosby Junior School, Scunthorpe and Ecclesfield Grammar School, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. After following his father and working as the clerk-in-charge at Swinton railway station in South Yorkshire, he decide that he wanted to be an actor, taking up a placement with the Jersey Repertory Company in 1939.

In December of 1939, Pleasence initially refused conscription into the British Armed Forces, registering as a conscientious objector, but changed his stance in Autumn 1940, after the attacks upon London by the Luftwaffe, and volunteered with the Royal Air Force. He served as an aircraft wireless-operator with No. 166 Squadron in Bomber Command, with which he flew almost sixty raids against the Axis over occupied Europe. On August 31st, 1944, his Lancaster NE112 was shot down during an attack on Agenville, and he was captured and imprisoned in the German prisoner-of-war camp, Stalag Luft I. Pleasence produced and acted in many plays for the entertainment of his fellow captives.

After the war and his release, he was discharged from the RAF in 1946.

Pleasence made his television debut in I Want To Be A Doctor (1946). He also received positive critical attention for his role as Syme in the BBC version of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954) from the novel by George Orwell. The adaptation was by Nigel Kneale and featured fellow horror icon Peter Cushing in the lead role of Winston Smith.

He would find success in television with appearances in The Adventure of Robin Hood (1958), and The Scarf (1959).

His first steps into the horror genre came in 1960 with The Flesh and the Fiends. Starring alongside Peter Cushing, the story follows a fictional recreation of a real-life event where a doctor conducts medical research on cadavers he buys murderers Burke and Hare, the latter which was brought to life by Pleasence.

That same year, he would appear in Circus of Horrors. The storyline of Circus of Horrors sees a plastic surgeon, on the run from the law, retreating to France after one of his patients has ghastly problems with her surgery. Once there, he acquires a circus and continues to transform disfigured women into the beautiful stars of his show. Police become heavily involved when women who want out of the circus suddenly begin dying in freak accidents, with all suspicions being aimed towards the good doctor.

Excelling at his craft, Pleasence continued to work, mostly focusing on dramatic films and roles. Horror would come knocking again in 1961 with No Place Like Homicide! (Fun Fact: The original title was What A Carve Up!) This horror-comedy throws in a little mystery as it follows the story of Ernie whose uncle has just died. In order to claim his inheritance, he must spend the night in the ancestral home with the rest of his relatives. Before long, the guests begin to drop dead.

In 1963, Pleasence found himself with a star studded cast including Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenbough, James Coburn and Charles Bronson in the classic film, The Great Escape. The movie follows allied prisoners of war as they plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II. It’s adventurous, dramatic, rich with history. A fantastic film that is highly recommended.

It would be another 3 years before the horror genre came calling again. Eye of the Devil was released in 1966 and starred David Niven, Sharon Tate, and Deborah Kerr. The story follows workers employed at a French vineyard quietly following old pagan rituals that call for the life of the marquis owner to save his crops during the dry seasons. (Fun Fact: Alex Sanders, an English occultist and Wiccan, was hired as a consultant to give the pagan rites some authenticity)

If you enjoy films that center around paganism, this film is for you. An interesting, slow burn classic with beautiful cinematography, Eye of the Devil is worth the watch.

In 1967, Pleasence stretched his acting credentials to include villainy, appearing as the physical form of the James Bond nemesis, Blofeld. (Fun Fact: Pleasence had less than ten minutes screentime overall, including scenes where Blofeld is heard but not seen)

Though his role was short, his appearance was more impactful within pop culture. Comedian Mike Myers would parody Pleasence’s appearance to create Dr. Evil, nemesis of super spy, Austin Powers.

In 1968 Pleasence returned to the horror genre for Creature of Comfort, a film that was in so much financial strife, it was seized by Canadian bank and never shown in cinemas.

The story is about a giant amoeba-like creature that absorbed people when they used it on their bed as part of their linen. It was a series of vignettes that had to do with selfish, mean-spirited people. Pleasence takes on the role of the store owner that sells the amoeba-like creature as bedding to unsuspecting victims.

If you’re able to find a copy of this film, it is worth the watch, and deserves to be seen.

In 1971, Pleasence found himself in my neck of the woods. Wake In Fright is a disturbing Australian horror film that sees a schoolteacher (Gary Bond) marooned in a small town after a bad gambling bet cleans him out of all his money. But the town he finds himself in is full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.

Pleasence wowed the Australian crew with his near-perfect Aussie accent. Director Ted Kotcheff was familiar with his talent for accents and insisted on hiring him after seeing his performance in 1958’s Armchair Theatre: The Greatest Man in the World where Pleasence played a pitch-perfect US President.

Wake In Fright is an unsettling film. At the risk of delivering spoilers, it features a graphic hunting scene during which a kangaroo is killed by a hunting dog. Many other roos are shot, several shown wounded but still alive. This may be distressing to some viewers, so caution is advised. Significant parts of this section were genuine footage of an actual hunt. There is a production note at the start of the closing credits suggesting that these disturbingly confronting images were kept uncut as a deliberate statement against licensed hunting of kangaroos.

In 1972, Pleasence found himself in a feature called Innocent Bystanders. An action adventure following an experienced British spy having to retrieve a defecting Soviet scientist from Turkey.

There’s only one reason I bring this film up, and it’s the unforeseen foreshadowing in Pleasence’s character: Loomis. Yes, that’s right. He played the role of Loomis in Innocent Bystanders.

As the years rolled by, so did the roles within the horror genre. From Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973), From Beyond the Grave (1974), House of the Damned (a.k.a La loba y la Paloma) (1974), The Freakmaster (1974), The Devil’s Men (1976), and Night Creature (1978) they all paved the way for his most iconic role, the role responsible for him landing in the Horror Icon Spotlight. Of course, we’re talking about the role of Dr. Samuel Loomis in John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

It is well-known that Pleasence wasn’t the first choice to take on the role of the predominant psychiatrist. Carpenter had approached both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, both turning down the role. Christopher Lee would later go on to say passing on Halloween was the biggest mistake he ever made in his career.

Pleasence shot his part in 5 days, pocketing $20,000 for his effort. But what was originally a one of role would prove to be his most memorable.

The following year, Pleasence found himself up against one of horror’s most memorable characters, Dracula. Starring alongside Frank Langella and Laurence Olivier, Pleasence was originally offered the role of Professor Abraham Van Helsing, but rejected it, saying it was too similar to his role in Halloween. He did accept the role of Dr. Jack Seward instead.

Not giving into the commercialism that vampires had become, Dracula (1979) stands out in the sea of other Dracula films, with Langella highly praised for his role as the titular character. Worth the watch.

As the eighties rolled around, so did a return to Haddonfield. Pleasence was called back to reprise his role of Dr. Sam Loomis in Halloween II (Fun Fact: The ending of Halloween II and subsequent defeat of Michael Myers at the end of the film bears a similarity to the defeat of Dracula in the 1979 film that also starred Pleasence).

In 1982 Pleasence found himself starring alongside Jack Palance and Martin Landau in Alone In The Dark, while 1983 saw The Devonsville Terror come to life. Both films are intriguing, but if you want a recommendation, Alone In The Dark is a must see.

As 1985 rolled around, so does one of my favorite films; Phenomena. Directed by Dario Argento, this underrated film stars Jennifer Connelly alongside Pleasence (Fun Fact: It is said that the imagery, aesthetic, and partial plot points of the film were used as inspiration for the 1995 survival horror video game, Clock Tower). This gruesome, gory film is pure genius from Argento and deserves more credit among some of his more well-known works. Definitely a must-see film.

Fast forward to 1987, Pleasence found himself once again in the company of John Carpenter, this time for Prince of Darkness. A sinister secret has been kept in the basement of an abandoned Los Angeles church for many years. With the death of a priest belonging to a mysterious sect, another priest opens the door to the basement and discovers a vat containing a green liquid. The priest contacts a group of physics graduate students to investigate, only for it to be discovered that the vat contains the essence of Satan himself.

Overlooked at the time of release, Prince of Darkness has become a cult classic film. Pleasence gives a superb performance as the priest. Keep an eye open for a cameo by shock rocker, Alice Cooper.

The next two years saw Pleasence return to Haddonfield in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. In 1989 he delved into an Edgar Allan Poe phase with appearances in House of Usher and Buried Alive. While both stories were inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the films are only loosely based on the original sources.

Fast forwarding to 1995, Pleasence returned to the role that most horror fans knew him for, Dr. Sam Loomis, for one final battle against the ultimate Boogeyman, Michael Myers in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. The film bombed due to studio interference and lack of direction. But regardless of how poor the script was, Pleasence gave us his all, even though at no point in the film does Dr. Loomis interact with Michael Myers. Unfortunately, Pleasence wouldn’t live to see the film released, passing away before reshoots were required. His passing held up production, but the film was dedicated to the veteran actor who had carried the franchise for the better part of 18 years. He would later have a dedication in the credits of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later with Tom Kane providing a rather convincing voice-over for Loomis in the film.

Donald Pleasence passed away on February 2nd, 1995, age 75 from complications of heart failure following a heart valve replacement surgery.

He may be gone, but his legacy lives on. His most well-known role still lives on. Colin Mahan provided a brief voice over in 2018’s Halloween, with actor Tom Jones, Jr. physically playing Loomis in 2021’s Halloween Kills. Mahan once again provided the voice.

Stepping away from the Halloween franchise, Pleasence has often been remembered, and parodied for his role as Blofeld. Previously mentioned Dr. Evil (Mike Meyers) is the most well-known parody, although it can be argued Dr. Claw from the animated series Inspector Gadget was also highly influenced by Pleasence’s performance.

Donald Pleasence has stood out in the world of film for decades, commanding the attention of the audience. Even when ‘overacting’ (Halloween 5), his sincerity to the craft shines through. He will forever live on the in the hearts and minds of fans, and in the collection of films he’s left behind. He is greatly missed.

Rhiannon’s Top 5 Donald Pleasence Performances

1: Halloween (1978) – Was it really a surprise that this film would make this list? The desperate doctor spreading fear among the community. “Death has come to your little town, Sheriff.”

2: Wake In Fright (1971) – The harsh reality of outback living is on full display in this Australian nightmare. Pleasence shows off his talent for accents by perfecting an Australian one. Creepy, confronting, disturbing.

3: You Only Live Twice (1967) – He may have had less screen time than Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, but the impact was just as great. Pleasence shows he can be a convincing, and powerful villain.

4: The Flesh and the Fiends (1960) – Pleasence plays a fictional version of real-life serial killer, William Hare in this disturbing movie from 1960. Co-staring fellow Horror Icon, Peter Cushing, this film is a must-see for fans of true crime.

5: Phenomena (1985) – A personal favorite that deserves to be in the spotlight, Pleasence’s performance and Argento’s direction makes for a spectacular movie experience.