"With that Marcel wave, I looked like Helen Hayes!", Peter Cushing says with a glint in his eye, describing one of his many ventures as Dr. Frankenstein in the series that got Hammer on the map. Not to be confused with American International which also did colorful gothic horror films, Hammer was a British studio that re-made many of Universal's 1930's classics, including "Frankenstein", "Dracula" and "The Mummy", making long-running series out of both "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" and creating a star in Christopher Lee. This documentary covers a bit of the studio's entire history, how it was set up, the types of films that influenced it in creating an artistic look, and the flow of each series from conception to its completion, how both the critics and the public reacted to these films (quite differently as you can imagine), and how changes in the production code led to an abundance of bare flesh that added an erotic view to the characterization of these classic monsters.
Along the way, there are interviews with many of the stars, including Cushing and Lee of course, as well as the Hammer beauties, luscious British vixens who looked far more innocent than fellow British actress Barbara Steele who was very popular in Italian made horror films around the same time. Some of the actresses talk candidly about having to bare their breasts on screen, but one thing is clear in their appearance more than 20 years after these films have made: they were still quite attractive! Martine Beswicke ("Sister Hyde") stands out for me with her candidness and charm and humor, talking about how gorgeous Raquel Welch got all the make-up and attention on "One Million Years B.C." while she just was expected to look rough and unkempt for their fight scene. Those who worked there comment on the family like atmosphere, how everything got done on time and on budget, but how they managed to find time to have fun as well.
Looking back at these films 40-50 years after they were made, you can see the care that was put into the making of them, with some films very subtle in their horror, but genuinely spooky. The use of some American stars (Welch, Herbert Marshall, Richard Widmark, etc.) gives the film a continental feel, just as American International utilized some British actors also from Hammer in their Gothic horror films. Like a documentary I saw on the creation and fall of American International, Hammer reigned supreme in the late 1950's and 60's, begin to go down in quality and budget in the 1970's, and was pretty much non-existent after the early 1980's. There's little camp in the Hammer films, unlike American International, but there are subtleties of humor in the way the monsters encounter, seduce and finish off their victims, and that adds to the appeal of these movies. Audiences are admittedly frightened, yet attracted, by things that entice them, and this reminds them of their own weaknesses and desires and desperation not to be seduced by something that can steal their souls.
Along the way, there are interviews with many of the stars, including Cushing and Lee of course, as well as the Hammer beauties, luscious British vixens who looked far more innocent than fellow British actress Barbara Steele who was very popular in Italian made horror films around the same time. Some of the actresses talk candidly about having to bare their breasts on screen, but one thing is clear in their appearance more than 20 years after these films have made: they were still quite attractive! Martine Beswicke ("Sister Hyde") stands out for me with her candidness and charm and humor, talking about how gorgeous Raquel Welch got all the make-up and attention on "One Million Years B.C." while she just was expected to look rough and unkempt for their fight scene. Those who worked there comment on the family like atmosphere, how everything got done on time and on budget, but how they managed to find time to have fun as well.
Looking back at these films 40-50 years after they were made, you can see the care that was put into the making of them, with some films very subtle in their horror, but genuinely spooky. The use of some American stars (Welch, Herbert Marshall, Richard Widmark, etc.) gives the film a continental feel, just as American International utilized some British actors also from Hammer in their Gothic horror films. Like a documentary I saw on the creation and fall of American International, Hammer reigned supreme in the late 1950's and 60's, begin to go down in quality and budget in the 1970's, and was pretty much non-existent after the early 1980's. There's little camp in the Hammer films, unlike American International, but there are subtleties of humor in the way the monsters encounter, seduce and finish off their victims, and that adds to the appeal of these movies. Audiences are admittedly frightened, yet attracted, by things that entice them, and this reminds them of their own weaknesses and desires and desperation not to be seduced by something that can steal their souls.