Hammer Films
From the release of "The Curse of Frankenstein" in 1957 to its last horror production "To the Devil a Daughter" in 1976, England's Hammer Film Productions were the premiere horror films of the day. Though the studio began production in the 1930s it wasn't until the Hammer Horror period began that the studio really hit its stride. It was with the success of this genre of film on their home turf that they were also able to conquer the American market. The studio invoked controversy for its free-flowing technicolor blood and graphic violence, which later gave way to female nudity and lesbian couplings in a bid to retain an audience who were attracted to the new horror stylings of "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Exorcist". Those that grew up with Hammer never forget them and new generations of fans are discovering the wonderous gothic trappings that are long since missing from today's horrors. They also produced many memorable fantasy and suspense films and in the 1970s turned to feature film productions of popular UK tv series' such as "On the Buses" and "Man About the House". Actors such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, director Terence Fisher and writer Jimmy Sangster were synonymous with Hammer and owe their immense popularity to their dedication to the Hammer ideal. Hammer Films was finally resurrected in 2010 with 'Let Me In', the first new Hammer film to hit cinemas in 31 years, but the new productions could never be the same as these unique films that still hold a special place in many fan's hearts.
Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)
5.8/10
Director: Seth Holt
Starring: Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon, James Villiers, Hugh Burden
A British expedition team in Egypt discovers the ancient sealed tomb of the evil Queen Tera. But when one of the archeologists steals a mysterious rin... Read more
Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
6.6/10
Director: Brian Clemens
Starring: Caroline Munro, Shane Briant, Horst Janson, John Carson
Captain Kronos (Horst Janson), a vampire hunter and expert swordsman who, with the assistance of the beautiful gypsy Carla (Caroline Munro; The Spy Wh... Read more
Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (Blu-ray) (1974)
6.5/10
Director: Brian Clemens
Starring: Caroline Munro, Shane Briant, Horst Janson, John Carson
Captain Kronos (Horst Janson), a vampire hunter and expert swordsman who, with the assistance of the beautiful gypsy Carla (Caroline Munro; The Spy Wh... Read more
Countess Dracula (1970)
6/10
Starring: Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green, Maurice Denham, Lesley-Anne Down
When a voracious vampire vixen (Ingrid Pitt) discovers that virgins' blood holds the secret to eternal youth, it's not time at all before she's squeez... Read more
Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Ralph Bates, Martine Beswick, Gerald Sim
Adding a typically '70s twist to Robert Louis Stevenson's story, Dr Jekyll finds himself turning into a beautiful woman, who in turn, kills prostitute... Read more
Dracula (Blu-ray) (1958)
7.6/10
Director: Terence Fisher
Starring: Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Christopher Lee
Aka 'Dracula'. Probably Hammer Films' best horror, a handsomely mounted retelling of the Stoker tale, with fantasy elements de-emphasized. Christopher... Read more
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)
6.6/10
Director: Freddie Francis
Starring: Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Barbara Ewing
The bloodscuking Count, played by Christopher Lee in one of his signature roles, returns from his watery resting place to terrorise the residents of a... Read more
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1965)
6.8/10
Director: Terence Fisher
Starring: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews
Count Dracula (Christopher Lee) has been dead for ten years but terror reigns in the hearts of local inhabitants of a lonely hamlet in the Carpathian... Read more
Fear in the Night (1972)
6/10
Director: Jimmy Sangster
Starring: Joan Collins, Judy Geeson, Peter Cushing, Ralph Bates
Recovering from a recent nervous breakdown, a young woman (Judy Geeson) moves with her new husband (Ralph Bates) to a rural boarding school where she... Read more
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973)
6.4/10
Director: Terence Fisher
Starring: Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, David Prowse, Madeline Smith
A bodysnatcher is spotted exhuming a corpse for young surgeon Dr Simon Helder (Briant). Helders experiments are terminated when he is arrested for s... Read more