Ingrid Pitt dies

One of the most seductive vampires in movie history has died. Ingrid Pitt, best-known for starring in Hammer horror films of the '70s like Countess Dracula and The Vampire Lovers, passed away in London at the age of 73. I was introduced to her talents in the 1973 original version of The Wicker Man, MUCH better and creepier than the awful 2006 remake with Nicholas Cage.

The Polish-born star spent years in a Nazi concentration camp as a child. She survived the war but was forced to flee East Berlin the night of her planned stage debut. She dove into the River Spree and was saved by an American GI whom she later married. Fans called her the "first lady of horror" and she relished the title, always preferring to be cast as predators instead of innocent victims. See obit here.