I met Dr. Reed in 1963 and quickly became Vice President of the Count Dracula Society; an odd amalgam of monster fans and literary sorts also frequented by the likes of Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Christopher Lee and many others. These were the days before horror and science fiction entered the mainstream and Don was the genius who pulled it off. Clearly, Don had the enthusiasm and energy to maintain and operate his gaggle of social lepers and monster kids and while he had his share of detractors he in the end, had the last laugh.
On many levels he was an amazing man and yet, that which made him successful, would serve to crumble his world about him. There was his childish charm, enthusiasm and clear love of the genre, yet there was also nasty vindictiveness, inability to cope with the world around him and his own mortality coupled with an immense, all consuming ego.
On a kitchen table in his cluttered home he and I drew plans for what would become The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. It was a masterstroke that could eventually lead to great and wonderful things, yet as the Academy became more famous, more lustrous, televised, reported on and about, his ego and sense of self importance exploded and when that final moment came where he had the choice of moving the Academy to the next level, he said simply "no" to the powers that be and thus began the downfall from which the Academy never recovered.
Dustin Lance Black has done an incredible unflinching job capturing this eccentric little man and the world in which he lived, serving as proof that "Absolute power" does in fact, "corrupt absolutely". This film is a must-see on so many levels.
My sole gripe is the Universal "Dracula" footage used (I suppose) to parallel aspects of Don's life. It only serves to slow down the film and I'll wager, using this footage is why the film isn't widely available.
Seeing myself in this film shows how much water has flowed under the bridge and that for a brief moment there were wonderful things afoot that turned alas, into time lost that can never be recovered.
