While perhaps not well-known outside of certain circles of horror and B-movie fandoms, these films are shocking and unique examples of how Hammer elevated and evolved horror and thrillers from the early days of the Hollywood system. Included in the set are some fine examples of Hammer’s genre output, including the likes if Die! Die! My Darling, Scream of Fear, and The Gorgon. At this point, it’s part of the mystique, especially considering that for the longest time much of Hammer’s output was available only on half-worn out video cassettes passed down over the decades. The tawdry feel of their brand of genre filmmaking welcomes the lo-fi sensibilities of grainy picture and bad lighting. Still, that almost just adds to the atmosphere of a Hammer Film. That said, these were all low-budget films to begin with, and in many cases the best they can do isn’t much. This results in a collection that, while certainly not the cream of the crop, showcases the kinds of films that Hammer fans have come to know and love over the decades.Įach film in this collection has been remastered to the best of their ability the results are sometimes mixed but, for the most part, these old black and white and technicolor B-movie marvels look as best as they’ve looked in decades. The 20 films included here run the gamut of Hammer’s output but focuses its attention largely away from the straight horror films for which Hammer is best known. It’s these that are celebrated in the new box set Hammer Films: The Ultimate Collection. Much of these works pale in comparison to their straight horror output, but there are some gems to be found within those hundred or so non-horror Hammer films. Outside of horror, they made swashbucklers, thrillers, mystery, and sci-fi. It’s not unfair to say that the trajectory of cinematic horror was forever altered by Hammer and what they got away with.Īnd while their takes on the likes of Dracula (starring the inimitable Christopher Lee in the title role) and Frankenstein (a role originated at Hammer by Peter Cushing) might be the most well remembered of their Hammer output, over the decades they produced over 150 works of genre film whose influence can be felt to this day. A Hammer film is one that was unafraid to get its hands dirty it might be bloodier than its American counterpart and it was certainly sexier.
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Liberties were taken with the source material, allowing Hammer to explore the tales and characters free from the threat of lawsuits while breathing new life into the tales that have haunted us for centuries.īut over the decades they established themselves as the most ardent competitor to the relatively tame output of Hollywood at the time. Owing largely to the ever looming threat of lawsuits from Universal, who were none to pleased to see someone else mining similar fields, their takes on the popular characters of the day were largely unique, telling the tales of Victor Von Frankenstein, Count Dracula, et al, with a kind of exploitation gusto. There’s was simple aesthetic and ethos they produced their films quickly but brought to them themes and imagery unheard of in American horror at the time. Largely piggybacking off the success of America’s Universal, Hammer Films brought new life to the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein, and even the Wolfman throughout the 50s and 60s into the 70s.
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The British film studio made their name by pushing the boundaries of taste and propriety with their series of gothic thrillers and horror. The legacy of Hammer Films is hard to equal.
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