With over 100 films under his belt, Peter Cushing was no mere actor. He was a star of both stage and screen. More than that, he was a king of the horror genre, appearing in popular films like The Gorgon (1964), The Mummy (1959), and The Evil of Frankenstein (1964).

With such a lengthy career, Cushing was able to witness firsthand just how much horror had changed during his time as an actor. By 1972, Cushing was not only starring in new horror movies, but his older films were also enjoying a second life of fame with young horror fans.

The actor seemed to be tickled that his older films still sent a shiver down the spine of an audience, no matter how old they were. “This resurgence is jolly good,” Cushing said during an interview with the Dayton Daily News. “Why, do you know I’m now scaring the kids of some of the people I scared in the ‘50s?”

Cushing was grateful to horror for all it had given him, and was careful to ensure the genre got the credit it so rightfully deserved. “Horror has been very good to me,” said the actor. “After all, it’s an art, and judging by some of the bad horror films made, a hard art to do well.”

Of course, like any art, Cushing felt that some forms of horror were better than others. To the actor, the more genuine an attempt, the better. “The cutting edge between good and bad horror is very thin,” said Cushing. “I always try to approach my work with total sincerity. I don’t like too much gore. I think I’ve been able to score without it, and I’m worried that horror films are going to get too violent.”