Hammer Film Productions

[ie]

Not sure if they count under the cult films, but I'm tired, it seems to work, and that's the way it will be until someone comes along and fixes it.

Anyways, over at the exclusive member's only BT club nonfiction, Agent Knight, sidehacker and I go to, they have this thing where every month they focus on a focus on a particular genre of movies and music. As you might have guessed, this month's is the Hammer films.

Like these guys' work?

Any general recommendations?

How about rarities I should look into?

Whose footprints are these?

This might be easier if I post a list, but then I'd have to cull a list from the website, and... that would take work.

[ie]

Well, I guess this could apply as exploitation cinema, and it might go under DVD releases, I don't know, but I think this thread is still valid.

Here's a list of the movies that are up right now, as well as a few notes for recommended movies by a friend of mine who really likes "Hammer films." The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires looks pretty good to me, so I'm attempting to check it out right now, but unfortunately, no one seems to really know about the Hammer films special this month. Oh well...

Anniversary, The
Brides of Dracula, The
Captain Clegg
Countess Dracula
Curse of Frankenstein, The
Curse of the Werewolf, The
Damned, The
Devil Rides Out, The (Recommended)
Devil-Ship Pirates, The
Dracula (Recommended)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (Recommended)
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror
Four Sided Triangle
Gambler and the Lady, The
Glass Tomb, The
Hammer House of Horror Vol. 1
Hammer House of Horror Vol. 2
Hammer House of Horror Vol. 3
Hammer House of Horror Vol. 4
Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense [Series One]
Hell Is a City
Hound of the Baskervilles, The
House Across the Lake, The aka Heat Wave
Kiss of the Vampire, The
Last Page aka Man Bait, The
Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, The (Recommended, getting)
Lost Continent, The
Man Who Could Cheat Death, The
Moon Zero Two
Murder by Proxy aka Blackout
Nanny, The
Never Take Sweets from a Stranger
Nightmare
Paid to Kill AKA Five Days
Paranoiac
Plague of the Zombies, The (Recommended)
Quatermass and the Pit
Quatermass Xperiment, The (Recommended)
Reptile, The
Scream of Fear
Shatter AKA Call Him Mr. Shatter
Snorkel, The
Stolen Face
Taste the Blood of Dracula
Terror Street aka 36 Hours
Twins of Evil
Vampire Circus
Vampire Lovers, The
Wings of Danger
X: The Unknown

Heard of any of these?

[lordofdance]

I just watched The Vampire Lovers last week. It's a lesbian vampire movie, but nowhere near as good as Vampyres, in my opinion. I own it on a Midnite Movies Double Feature DVD, which also includes Countess Dracula (haven't watched it yet). Both star Polish actress Ingrid Pitt (she's briefly in the original Wicker Man). She does get naked in Vampire Lovers, but I don't really think she's all that hot. I thought the beginning of Vampire Lovers was kind of creepy, but the rest is fairly dull. The vampiress does bite her victims on the bosom, which is a novel approach.


That's Ingrid in the red.

Taste the Blood of Dracula isn't bad, though. The ending sucks, but the rest is good entertainment. Kiss of the Vampire wasn't all that great.

I own The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, but I haven't watched it all the way through yet. There are two different versions of it, but stay away from the American version. It's all cut up. I watched the first fifteen minutes of both versions, and there's quite a difference.

[criterionmaster]

I have been meaning to check out more Hammer films, they are always talked about, yet I have probably only seen one or two, and none of them are ones you listed. I got a book, but had to take it back [before reading], about films that changed the way we look at films or something like that, and they talked about Curse of Frankenstein in it, and, although I didn't read about it, the images seemed to look really interesting, so I think I want to check that out. But one film I saw, that I think might qualify, but that I want to ask about, is Blood Suckers. I don't know if it would count as a Hammer film, it has Peter Cushing in it, although not in a big role. It has many scenes that seemed quite psychedelic, too.



It is on that DVD. If you have seen it lordofdance, or anyone, would you call it a Hammer film, 'cause I really don't know?

[ie]

Well, from what I know, Hammer films basically apply to all of these movies made by Hammer Film Productions that all seem to be the same kind of shock/horror/madness kind of exploitation horror dream things that are just fun to watch. So, seems like the only requirement is that it has to be by Hammer. Not sure if that would apply as a genre unto itself, but I have a friend who really likes them, so the term isn't esoteric to the Intlenets.

They only have one version of Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, so it can't be helped, but no one seems to have it so I can't get it. But I did get the Devil Rides Out in less than forty minutes.

[criterionmaster]

ie said:

Well, from what I know, Hammer films basically apply to all of these movies made by Hammer Film Productions that all seem to be the same kind of shock/horror/madness kind of exploitation horror dream things that are just fun to watch. So, seems like the only requirement is that it has to be by Hammer. Not sure if that would apply as a genre unto itself, but I have a friend who really likes them, so the term isn't esoteric to the Intlenets.

They only have one version of Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, so it can't be helped, but no one seems to have it so I can't get it. But I did get the Devil Rides Out in less than forty minutes.

Ah, thanks for the link. Looks like it is not a Hammer film, and when I looked more into it, it seems to just be a British horror film. It also, besides being called Blood Suckers, is called Incense for the Damned, which is a much cooler title, I think.

Production Companies
Lucinda Films
Titan International

Which gave the fact it isn't Hammer away pretty fast. You will have to tell us if that Devil Rides Out is any good if you watch it anytime.

[ie]

Well, a friend of mine (Scumdogg), gave me all my current suggestions. Of them, I have these on tap:

Devil Rides Out
Rasputin: the Mad Monk
Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

I may not get around to seeing them for a while. I get bonuses for seeding them, and if I don't watch them, then I won't be tempted to deleting them because they're not good. But, Scumdogg likes them, so hey, they're probably worth checking out.

[PTAhole]

De Mol Revives Hammer Film Productions
Source: Variety May 10, 2007


Dutch producer John De Mol is reviving famed British horror studio Hammer Film Productions, which built its name on a string of films released in the 1950s and 1960s under the Hammer House of Horror label, reports Variety.

Private equity firm Cyrte Investments, led by de Mol, has acquired the rights to Hammer's library, home of roughly 300 titles featuring the likes of Count Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy as well as the popular "Quatermass" franchise.

Reinvigorated Hammer studio --which hasn't done any production to speak of since the mid-1980s -- will be run by former Liberty Global executives Simon Oakes and Marc Schipper. Oakes played a leading role in brokering the deal.

"Hammer is a great British media brand that has lain dormant but lived on in people's imaginations. It is more intelligent and character-driven than traditional American 'goreography,' and we intend to capitalize on this and make it a global brand," Oakes said in a statement.

Guy East and Nigel Sinclair of L.A.-based Spitfire Pictures have joined the Hammer board and plan to produce two to three horror pics or thrillers a year for the U.K.-based studio.

The production house will pursue both film and television. It is said to already be in talks with a U.K. broadcaster about a Hammer Horror TV series.

Source: ComingSoon.Net

[ie]

Thanks. That's a good article, even though ComingSoon.Net doesn't seem too interesting, or even reputable, to me. On the interesting side, a focus on blockbusters. On the reputable side, you have to wonder when their target audience is more willing to gamble with a new Star Wars trilogy. And I don't really have anything ill to say against the new Star Wars trilogy and REALLY don't feel like turning this thread into another Star Wars debate, but I mean, come on.


So yeah, great article. Still haven't seen any of the old Hammer films yet, but at least they're giving me fat bonuses on KG.


edit: Oh yeah, good news too. I hope this means we'll see better horror movies coming out, or maybe even less mindless shock horror.

[criterionmaster]

ie said:

Glass Tomb, The
Paid to Kill AKA Five Days
Terror Street aka 36 Hours
Wings of Danger

You probably don't care, but DVDBeaver has reviews for these films that just came out in two new releases.

www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews30/hammer_noir_vol.4.htm

www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews30/hammer_noir_vol.5.htm

[ie]

criterionmaster said:

ie said:

Glass Tomb, The
Paid to Kill AKA Five Days
Terror Street aka 36 Hours
Wings of Danger

You probably don't care, but DVDBeaver has reviews for these films that just came out in two new releases.

www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews30/hammer_noir_vol.4.htm

www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews30/hammer_noir_vol.5.htm

Nice. They're also rather cheap on Amazon.

Not sure if I'd get them right away or anything, but I'll mention those to Scumdogg.


Still going to be a while before I watch any of these movies, but I have been in the martial arts mood lately so I may end up watching the Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires soon enough. Or something.