The Man Who Could Cheat Death opens across the U.S. in 1959. The Terrence Fisher-directed, Jimmy Sangster-written Hammer film stars Anton Diffring, who replaced Peter Cushing when Cushing dropped out just before shooting due to exhaustion. Christopher Lee appears in a rare non-villain role. The talky thriller met with mixed reviews but became a staple of movie theater horror double and triple features in the 1960s.
This Day in Halloween: Hammer thriller "The Man Who Could Cheat Death" opens across the U.S. in 1959. / Illustration by Gabriela Vega