Hammer Movies was based in 1934, however it took an eleven yr hiatus on the best way to the ‘50s, the last decade when the corporate entered the period it’s greatest recognized for. In 1955, the sci-fi horror movie The Quatermass Xperiment grew to become their first main worldwide success, inspiring Hammer to start out constructing towards turning into one of the in style style corporations of all time. Since this yr marks the ninetieth anniversary of Hammer Movies, we determined it was time to place collectively an inventory of a few of The Greatest Hammer Horror Motion pictures. Right here we go:
HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)
Certain, that is yet one more adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula; a re-telling of the story that any horror watcher will see roughly fifty variations of over the course of their fandom. However director Terence Fisher and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster introduced some twists to this one that aren’t current in others and shuffled a number of the characters. As common, it begins with a younger man named Jonathan Harker coming to Rely Dracula’s fort on enterprise – however then we get the twist that Harker is definitely a vampire hunter, in league with skilled vampire killer Physician Van Helsing. He is aware of what Rely Dracula is and has come to destroy him. In fact, that doesn’t work very nicely for him, and Van Helsing has to spend the remainder of the film attempting to cease Dracula, who has his evil sights set on Harker’s fiancée. Horror of Dracula is an exciting reimagining of Stoker’s story that strikes alongside at a surprisingly quick tempo, telling its story in a brisk 81 minutes. Because it’s so nice, it’s no shock that it spawned a franchise. Film-goers couldn’t get sufficient of Christopher Lee’s efficiency as Dracula, and he got here again for six sequels (Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Style the Blood of Dracula, Scars of Dracula, Dracula A.D. 1972, and The Satanic Rites of Dracula). Peter Cushing, the good Van Helsing ever, got here again to share the display screen with Lee in a few these sequels, and in addition returned for 2 adventures with out Lee (The Brides of Dracula and The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, a martial arts / horror mash-up that noticed Hammer collaborating with Shaw Brothers Studios) – which are literally extra entertaining than a number of the Lee Dracula sequels.
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)
Hammer’s Quatermass trilogy is the uncommon franchise that will get higher with every installment. The primary movie, The Quatermass Xperiment (a.ok.a. The Creeping Unknown) is a advantageous story about an astronaut who’s a bit completely different when he returns from a visit into house. Seems, he has been taken over by an alien entity and is mutating. Quatermass 2 (a.ok.a. Enemy from Area) has extra happening, coping with a village that has fallen beneath the management of aliens, and has components harking back to Halloween III: Season of the Witch – which is smart since these tales originate from the identical individual, Nigel Kneale. Directed by Roy Ward Baker and scripted by Kneale, Quatermass and the Pit begins when staff extending the London Underground unearth a wierd cranium and a mysterious steel. Investigating the state of affairs, the character on the middle of this sequence, Professor Bernard Quatermass (performed on this movie by Andrew Keir and within the earlier movies by Brian Donlevy) finds himself coping with Martians that resemble the Satan, could also be chargeable for rumors of a haunting within the space, and have lethal telekinetic talents. You possibly can see reflections of Quatermass and the Pit in a few of John Carpenter’s work, particularly Prince of Darkness. For a bonus, additionally take a look at X the Unknown, which Hammer wished to show right into a Quatermass sequel, however Kneale wouldn’t allow them to. It’s form of like The Blob, earlier than The Blob existed.
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote concerning the detective character Sherlock Holmes and his buddy / biographer Dr. John H. Watson in 4 novels and fifty-six quick tales – however as a horror fan, the one I’ve at all times been drawn to is The Hound of the Baskervilles. And, in fact, this story that includes a curse and a demonic beast was additionally the one that almost all appealed to Hammer Movies. That they had director Terence Fisher carry it to the display screen with Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and Christopher Lee as the person who may very well be the newest sufferer of the curse. This isn’t precisely a horror story; it’s a thriller that occurs to have some bizarre, creepy stuff happening in it, and enjoyable scenes involving the man-eating hound, a lethal tarantula, and a visit into an outdated mine. It’s an entertaining film that left me wishing Hammer had made extra Sherlock Holmes films with Cushing within the lead. Cushing would go on to play the character once more (and Lee would play him as nicely), however not for Hammer.
THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968)
A Hammer movie that was written by creator Richard Matheson however based mostly on the work of a distinct one other (a novel by Dennis Wheatley, on this case), The Satan Rides Out is without doubt one of the many classics that had been directed by Terence Fisher. Christopher Lee is the hero this time round, bringing to life Nicholas, Duc de Richleau, a personality Wheatley wrote about many instances. The Duc is out to carry down a devil-worshipping cult headed up by Lee’s fellow Bond film villain Charles Grey, an endeavor that takes numerous effort. The movie strikes alongside at a fast tempo and has loads of creepy motion, together with possession, black magic assaults, a large spider, the conjuring of the Angel of Loss of life, and an look by Devil himself within the type of the Goat of Mendes. If solely Hammer had made extra Duc de Richleau films with Lee because the character… They made numerous franchises, however in addition they left loads of promising alternatives on the desk.
THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
One franchise alternative they didn’t fail to pursue was the possibility to make a sequence of Frankenstein films – in truth, they made almost as many Frankenstein films as Common did again within the day! It begins with The Curse of Frankenstein, a director Terence Fisher / author Jimmy Sangster collaboration that tells a variation on the basic Mary Shelley story, this time with Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as his monstrous creation. It’s an ideal tackle the very acquainted story and opened the door to a number of sequels, with Cushing returning for monster-making, brain-swapping, and soul-transferring adventures in The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Evil of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Created Girl, Frankenstein Should Be Destroyed, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. Within the midst of this, Hammer additionally produced a tongue-in-cheek remake of The Curse of Frankenstein referred to as The Horror of Frankenstein, which starred Ralph Bates as Victor Frankenstein. However the individuals wished extra Cushing, so Hammer gave them extra Cushing.
THE MUMMY (1959)
Hammer handled a number of the similar characters as Common’s basic monster films, however their Dracula and Frankenstein movies don’t have anything to do with those Common made about these characters. The Mummy is a distinct state of affairs. For this one, they secured the remake rights from Common and proceeded to cherry-pick components from the studio’s whole Mummy franchise, mixing collectively concepts, characters, and scenes from the entire films (besides Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy). Directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster, The Mummy 1959 has Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee dealing with off once more, this time with Lee because the silent, bandage-wrapped, mud-caked title character and Cushing as archaeologist John Banning… whose spouse has a robust resemblance to the nice love the mother misplaced in historical Egypt. Mixing bits and items of all of the Common Mummy tales labored nicely, leading to a wonderful movie. This additionally sparked a franchise and was adopted by The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, The Mummy’s Shroud, and Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, all of that are stand-alone mummy tales.
NIGHT CREATURES (1962)
Evening Creatures, a.ok.a. Captain Clegg, is an odd one, as a result of this a film I might by no means assume to name a horror film if not for the truth that it’s historically thought of a horror film. For essentially the most half, it’s a form of journey movie / drama, with Royal Navy troopers coming to the small village of Dymchurch to analyze studies of an alcohol smuggling operation. Peter Cushing stars as native parson Dr. Blyss, who might have some connection to the legendary pirate captain Nathaniel Clegg, a person who was supposedly hanged for his crimes. The locals are certainly smuggling alcohol, and we watch how they attempt to keep away from getting caught. Horror components solely enter the image in a few scenes that contain the Marsh Phantoms; males on horseback, carrying glow-in-the-dark skeleton costumes. I don’t actually assume these moments are sufficient to make this a horror flick, however it’s film nonetheless.
DIE! DIE! MY DARLING! (1965)
This one is also referred to as Fanatic, however Die! Die! My Darling! is a a lot better and extra attention-grabbing title. Directed by Silvio Narizzano from a screenplay written by legendary creator Richard Matheson and based mostly on the novel Nightmare by Anne Blaisdell, the movie manages to be a charming, participating thriller even if the lead character is without doubt one of the most pathetic, ineffectual heroines you’ll ever hope to not see; the stereotypical damsel in misery. Performed by Stefanie Powers, that character is Patricia Carroll, an American girl who decides to fulfill with the mom of her late British fiancé throughout a visit to England – and finds that her almost-mother-in-law, performed by Tallulah Bankhead in her last display screen function, is a spiritual fanatic with some excessive beliefs. So excessive that she locks Patricia within the attic of her residence so she will attempt to save the lady’s soul. Die! Die! My Darling is considered one of a number of nice psycho-thrillers that had been made by Hammer. Different standouts embrace Worry within the Evening, The Nanny, The Snorkel, and Nightmare (which had nothing to do with Anne Blaisdell’s novel).
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962)
Following within the footsteps of Common once more, Hammer despatched their very own tackle the Gaston Leroux novel The Phantom of the Opera out into the world in 1962 – and this can be a enjoyable model of the story, when you can tolerate the quantity of opera singing that director Terence Fisher included in its 84 minute operating time. Herbert Lom performs the Phantom that lurks across the opera home, abducting refrain lady Christine (Heather Sears) and taking her down into his sewer lair with the assistance of his dwarf assistant (Ian Wilson). Edward de Souza is Christine’s love curiosity Harry – and there’s some confusion as as to if the function of the Phantom or Harry was initially meant for Cary Grant, who had expressed curiosity in engaged on a Hammer horror film. Grant didn’t find yourself enjoying both character… however the film would have been even higher if he had. As it’s, it’s nonetheless time.
THE GORGON (1964) / THE REPTILE (1966)
Right here we have now a two-for-one particular, as director Terence Fisher’s The Gorgon and director John Gilling’s The Reptile are two comparable films which can be each nicely price testing. The Gorgon is about in a village that has been the location of a number of unusual murders in recent times, with victims having been turned to stone. This all hyperlinks again to historical mythology, the tales of Medusa and her sisters, and it’s as much as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to place a cease to all of this. In The Reptile, residents of a village are falling sufferer to a mysterious ailment known as the Black Loss of life… and it seems that one of many native individuals transforms right into a reptile creature with a deadly chew. These are enjoyable monster films that may be paired for an entertaining double function.
What do you consider this checklist of The Greatest Hammer Horror Motion pictures? How would you rank the movies, and the place would you place a few of their different classics, like The Curse of the Werewolf, The Plague of the Zombies, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, or Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde? Tell us by leaving a remark beneath.
