Someone asked me yesterday if Dracula met Saruman and there was a fight, who would win. I just looked at this man. What an idiotic thing to say. I mean, really, it was half-witted.

Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff didn't like the word 'horror'. They, like I, went for the French description: 'the theatre of the fantastique'.

In Britain, any degree of success is met with envy and resentment.

There are many vampires in the world today - you only have to think of the film business.

My favourite country is Finland because once you get to a certain point, you can drive for hours without seeing a single person. I love peace and quiet - something I don't get very often.

Peter Jackson's instincts are extraordinary, as is his stamina.

I was once asked what I thought was the most disquieting thing you could see on the screen and I said, "An open door".