Christopher Lee: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Stefan Crosscoe - Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf (1985)

Lee knows all about terrible horror sequels. He made a fair few under duress during his later years with Hammer, being guilt-tripped into reprising his role as Dracula on the grounds that otherwise the crew would all be out of work. But the weakest entry in his filmography, at least in terms of his own performance, comes not from Hammer but from Hollywood €“ the risibly titled Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf. Picking up straight after the events of The Howling, the film begins with the funeral of Karen White, the heroine of the previous film. At her funeral her brother Ben is approached by Lee's Stefan Crosscoe, who tells him that his sister was a werewolf and persuades him to journey with him to Transylvania to battle Stirba, immortal queen of the werewolves. What follows is a pretty cheesy showdown involving witchcraft, dwarfs and supernatural parasites (no, I'm not making any of this up). Howling II may not be the worst film ever made, with some arguing that its ridiculous plot and camp action put it firmly in the 'so-bad-it's-good' category. But even with this stipulation, Lee seems embarrassed and disinterested during all his time on screen. Had his involvement been limited to a knowing cameo, that might have been alright, but having him on screen for so long doing so little so badly only serves to highlight the film's many weaknesses. In short, it's his worst performance because he makes the very least out of the very little he is given. --- Disagree with my choices? Drop me a comment below or visit Mumby at the Movies for more film reviews.