Your favourites from Hammer Films

124

Comments

  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Well, that depends on how many Hammer films you already have. I haven't bought it since it duplicates many I already have, but some of the films have commentaries or documentaries which aren't on the stand-alone discs (although others miss those out- aggravatingly!*). Depends on the price being charged.

    * eg, The Blu-Ray of The Devil Rides Out includes a commentary by Chris Lee & others, which isn't on the Ultimate set, while that set does include a commentary from Jimmy Sangster on Horror Of Frankenstein which isn't on the stand-alone. Grrr!
  • The Wicker ManThe Wicker Man EnglandPosts: 434MI6 Agent
    Barbel wrote:
    Well, that depends on how many Hammer films you already have. I haven't bought it since it duplicates many I already have, but some of the films have commentaries or documentaries which aren't on the stand-alone discs (although others miss those out- aggravatingly!*). Depends on the price being charged.

    * eg, The Blu-Ray of The Devil Rides Out includes a commentary by Chris Lee & others, which isn't on the Ultimate set, while that set does include a commentary from Jimmy Sangster on Horror Of Frankenstein which isn't on the stand-alone. Grrr!

    Thanks for the info Barbel. I don't have any of the 21 films and I can buy the collection for £35. Seems like a good deal and like you say some of these films have commentaries and documentaries which I enjoy. -{
    1.ohmss 2.cr 3.frwl 4.ltk 5.gf 6.tswlm 7.sf 8.op 9.tld 10.dn 11.lald 12.tb 13.fyeo 14.ge 15.mr 16.yolt 17.tnd 18.avtak 19.sp 20.twine 21.qos 22.tmwtgg 23.daf 24.dad
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    Today I received my fifth Hammer film in one of the many Book-Blu-ray Special Editions I have ordered...very expensive and I'll live on crackers and water for some time :))

    full.jpg
    full.jpg

    It's The Reptile. These Mediabooks are done, unfortunately, only for the German language market with Code B Blu-rays. There are several out but they are limited to between 500 and 1000. Mostly they get released with different covers, each version receives the limitation. After they are sold, normal Blu-ray casings are available but without the books.

    One I have watched it, I'll post one of my colourful reviews :D
    Dalton Rulez™
  • MooresflaresMooresflares Posts: 30MI6 Agent
    Apparently quatermass and the pit looks incredible on blu ray!
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Yes, it does. Very enjoyable!
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    The Reptile

    I thought it too similar to "The Gorgon", which I much preferred.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    full.jpg

    Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter

    This movie is ahead of its time. The blueprint for things I've seen like Netflix's Van Helsing, Blade (the katana sword) etc.
    Caroline Munro has the female lead, three years prior to her memorable appearance in The Spy Who Loved Me.

    I'm sure I don't have to explain anything about this film to you. It's a unique one it seems and I have watched the Reunion of the actors and Brian Clemens in 2008 that is a Special Feature. Also there is a 73 minute ! Interview with Horst Janson.

    I know Janson very well, he was a well known actor from the 70s and 80s, notably for me, in Sesame Street. He is widely loved.

    Here are two lovely pictures of him, with a 40 year gap in between....

    full.jpg
    full.jpg

    Forget Van Helsing. Captain Kronos is the great swashbuckling vampire hunter. Hard-faced Horst Janson is the brooding Kronos, a rangy, sword-wielding soldier who hunts the vampire scourge with his jovial hunchbacked partner, Grost (John Cater), and his earthy peasant girl lover, hazelnut eyed beauty Caroline Munro. Director-writer Brian Clemens, who so entertainingly put genres in the blender on the TV series The Avengers, imaginatively rewrites vampire lore from the film's haunting first scene: a shrouded, shadowy predator (looking more like death incarnate than a traditional vampire) drains a comely maiden of her very youth, leaving the girl an aged, wizened husk. Clemens lacks the budget and the cinematic snap to bring his visual ideas to full fruition, but his well-wrought characters, inspired ideas, and swashbuckling swordfights make this entertaining reinterpretation of the vampire movie a cult classic.

    These Book-Blu-ray Boxes that are produced since 2015 mainly for the German language market are quite something. The booklets are extensive, some up to 30 pages. A lot of photos, information and curated by known Horror film experts.

    Kronos features as well two audio commentary tracks, with about all the cast plus Brian Clemens. Honestly, that's fan service for you.

    full.jpg
    full.jpg
    full.jpg

    I totally love this film. It seems Hammer will become a part of my fandoms like Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Hitchcock, ITVs 60s/70s shows, Star Trek and DC Comics (notably Batman/Justice League).

    So far I've seen: in this order:
    -The Hound Of The Baskervilles
    -Dracula
    -The Gorgon
    -Taste Of Fear
    -Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter


    I also have seen Horror Express and Dr. Terror's House Of Horror which both feature Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.
    The whole Lee/Cushing universe is amazing too.
    Dalton Rulez™
  • ToTheRightToTheRight Posts: 314MI6 Agent
    I love CAPTAIN KRONOS. It had been a film that eluded me for years. I can remember as a kid reading about it various horror film and Hammer film books, and lamenting it hadn't been available in the States on home video.
    Eventually a cable station aired it when I was in my mid-twenties and like pretty much every Hammer horror I wanted to see, it lived up to it's expectations. Luckily it became readily available when DVDs hit the market.
  • The Wicker ManThe Wicker Man EnglandPosts: 434MI6 Agent
    I have been enjoying a few Hammer Horror films recently. Watching one a night after work and really enjoying them. Last night was Revenge of Frankenstein and I had completely forgotten that Eunice Gayson was in it (loved the film btw). Tonight it's The Mummy.
    1.ohmss 2.cr 3.frwl 4.ltk 5.gf 6.tswlm 7.sf 8.op 9.tld 10.dn 11.lald 12.tb 13.fyeo 14.ge 15.mr 16.yolt 17.tnd 18.avtak 19.sp 20.twine 21.qos 22.tmwtgg 23.daf 24.dad
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    Yes, that's a good one. Cushing never put in a bad performance, and this is one of his best.
  • always shakenalways shaken LondonPosts: 6,287MI6 Agent
    The hound of the Baskerville for me with both the great masters themselves Cushing anLee
    By the way, did I tell you, I was "Mad"?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    Interesting. On page 3 and 4 I did some reviews. I only discovered HAMMER last summer thanks to @ToTheRight
    And I can't even remember having done those reviews now, my brain damage is a nuisance :))
    Yes I can crack jokes about my mishaps, at least on my good days ;)

    I've got a high stack of Hammer Blu-rays and some DVDs too. 42 films high....wow.

    Well 2018 will definitely become my HAMMER year plus re-discovering all the Bond films.
    Dalton Rulez™
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    Oh Good Heavens! :))
    Dalton Rulez™
  • chrisisallchrisisall Western Mass, USAPosts: 9,061MI6 Agent
    I've got a high stack of Hammer Blu-rays and some DVDs too. 42 films high....wow.
    There's nothing quite like them. {[]
    Dalton & Connery rule. Brozz was cool.
    #1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were such a great acting team {[]
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    Yes in fact the second film I watched since waking up in my new life is THE HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS
    I was going to write a review but of course it's not a HAMMER film.

    Lee, Cushing, Vincent Price and the relatively unknown (to the big audience) John Carradine.

    It's got meta-humour of the best kind and is a mix of old-school horror and 80s cheese. And it works beautifully. It's also a murder mystery in an old house ;)

    Here's a nice pic:

    full.jpg
    Dalton Rulez™
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    I haven't seen that one in 30 years, but I remember it was great to see them all together. Is it available on Blu-ray or DVD (Region 2)?
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 SwitzerlandPosts: 870MI6 Agent
    HAMMER fans in the German and French language region get very spoiled recently. The films get restored and released since circa three, four years. Many get beautiful releases in so called Mediabooks or in normal Blu-ray cases but always with beautiful artwork.

    Some of the other famous films of the well known horror actors get such releases too.

    This is the mediabook of HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS, it's got a high quality 28 page booklet, written by renown German film historians/critics.
    It's a DVD/Blu-ray combo set. Region 2 DVD and B Blu-ray. So it's playable in the UK for instance and throughout Europe.

    Of course these things are expensive as most have limited number of prints. There are the normal versions available too, normal Blu-ray case and without the booklet obviously.

    And here on amazon uk:
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Long-Shadows-Vincent-Price/dp/B006O7G6LA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517919021&sr=8-1&keywords=house+of+the+long+shadows&dpID=51gQasclWaL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Haus-langen-Schatten-Peter-Cushing/dp/B008HMPKYO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1517919021&sr=8-2&keywords=house+of+the+long+shadows

    My set :)
    full.jpg
    full.jpg
    full.jpg
    Dalton Rulez™
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Anyone know the name of an early 70s Hammer
    Dracula film. In which he's going to spread a virus
    Across the world ?
    I watched Dracula: AD 1972 last night thinking it was
    It.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • sniperUKsniperUK UlsterPosts: 594MI6 Agent
    Anyone know the name of an early 70s Hammer
    Dracula film. In which he's going to spread a virus
    Across the world ?
    I watched Dracula: AD 1972 last night thinking it was
    It.

    Satanic Rites of Dracula.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    Thanks SniperUK {[] I'll seek out a copy.
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    It's out of copyright (someone goofed) and should be easily and cheaply available, sometimes under different titles (eg "Count Dracula And His Vampire Bride" 8-) ), both as a DVD or whatever and online eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft8HP5-l1L4
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    {[] Just watched it, Great fun as always.
    The titles using the wide angle lens, look the same as Dracula AD 1972
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
  • Silhouette ManSilhouette Man The last refuge of a scoundrelPosts: 8,644MI6 Agent
    On the subject of asking about Hammer films...

    Was it The Brides of Dracula that didn't actually feature Dracula at all?

    I had a good old school friend who educated me (a bit) in the late 90s on Hammer and horror more generally and this was I think the one he mentioned. It kind of just traded off the Dracula name I guess to pursue a story all of its own.

    Sadly, all these years later, I've still not seen any of the Hammer Dracula films and I probably need to ASAP! :D
    "The tough man of the world. The Secret Agent. The man who was only a silhouette." - Ian Fleming, Moonraker (1955).
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    On the subject of asking about Hammer films...

    Was it The Brides of Dracula that didn't actually feature Dracula at all?


    Yes, it was. Here's the list:

    DRACULA (1958) Known as Horror Of Dracula in the US, to avoid confusion with the old 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula which was on re-release. Christopher Lee as Dracula, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.

    BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) Cushing as Van Helsing, no Dracula (a "Baron Meinster" played by one David Peel was the vampire). Stories clash as to whether Lee refused to play Dracula or he wasn't asked.

    DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) Lee as Dracula, Cushing only in a flashback as Van Helsing. Personal favourite.

    DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968) Lee as Dracula.

    TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA (1970) Lee as Dracula.

    SCARS OF DRACULA (1970) Lee as Dracula. Perhaps the weakest.

    DRACULA AD 1972 (er... you can figure out the year) Lee as Dracula, Cushing as Van Helsing.

    THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (1973) Lee as Dracula, Cushing as Van Helsing.

    THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1974) Cushing as Van Helsing, John Forbes-Robertson (dubbed by Valentine Dyall) as Dracula owing to Christopher Lee running screaming from the room when shown the script. (I rather like this one)

    Dracula is of course undead, but Van Helsing is a normal man so Peter Cushing plays various different generations of Van Helsings in the Hammer series as it moves through time. Throughout the series, Cushing is excellent (hell, he's excellent in anything) as is Lee when he's not gritting his teeth (metaphorically- wearing fangs is a bit restricting in that area) at the scripts.


    plus

    THE MAGIC CHRISTIAN (1969) A film starring Peter Sellers & Ringo Starr, in which Lee plays a very Dracula-like vampire (unnamed). Not Hammer. (See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpix0qgpOwA )

    ONE MORE TIME (1970) A Sammy Davis Jr movie, in which Lee as Dracula and Cushing as Frankenstein have a one-scene guest appearance owing to Davis being a big fan of theirs. Not Hammer. (To save you watching this awful film, here is the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghAOsj6-VaA )

    COUNT DRACULA (1970) Lee as Dracula, Herbert Lom as Van Helsing. Not Hammer. Not recommended either.

    DRACULA AND SON (1976) Lee as Dracula. French horror comedy, Dracula Pere et Fils, not Hammer. I've only seen the English dub, which is terrible. Apparently the French version is ok.



    Obviously many actors in the Hammer Dracula movies also appeared in the Bond series. A partial list includes Geoffrey Keen (TSWLM-TLD), Caroline Munro (TSWLM), Michael Kitchen (GE, TWINE), Christopher Neame (LTK), Joanna Lumley (OHMSS), Madeleine Smith (LALD) and Richard Vernon (GF). Plus Rory Kinnear's dad, Roy Kinnear. And a certain Sir.
  • Charmed & DangerousCharmed & Dangerous Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
    -{ -{ Always good to see Choogle in action :o :D
    "How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
  • BarbelBarbel ScotlandPosts: 36,053Chief of Staff
    :)) :)) I love these movies! (Though I prefer the Frankenstein ones)
  • The Red KindThe Red Kind EnglandPosts: 3,119MI6 Agent
    Big fan of the Hammer films too. Something so nostalgic about them. Have so many in my collection. Good to see so many like minded individuals on this forum {[]
    "Any of the opposition around..?"
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy Behind you !Posts: 63,792MI6 Agent
    I think this is from a Hammer movie ...

    Bbc2 Saturday night horror double bill ( always loads
    Of great Hammer films ) I remember being disturbed
    By one particular death.
    Some poor chap had a bus reverse over his head !
    As a young kid, that scared the crap out of me. :))
    "I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Sign In or Register to comment.