Just before Halloween, I was invited back to 'A Podcast From Beneath' to participate in another discussion of old films, this time focusing on the gothic horror output of the legendary Hammer Studios, and especially their Dracula and Frankenstein films. Joining me is Erik K Myers, director of "Butterfly Kisses', and podcast hosts, Carey Vickers and Aaron M Poe.
It may seem frivolous, given the troubled times we're living through, to be engaging in an impassioned, two-hour discussion of something as trivial and inconsequential as old horror movies. On the other hand - for some, at least - it might provide just what's needed: a brief but welcome escape into a world of fantasy. Which is really what Hammer was all about.
Enjoy :)
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fu8xBSstdIA
Here are some notes about the Hammer films discussed in this episode, along with information about where you can stream them online:
- The Curse of Frankenstein (1957): The first in Hammer's Frankenstein series. An enormously successful (and controversial) film in its day – and it still holds up very well even now. Buy or rent the film on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/FCNrxjaVf2M
- The Horror of Dracula (1958): The first in Hammer's Dracula series. Inventive script by Jimmy Sangster; clever direction by Hammer's best director, Terence Fisher; beautiful cinematography, sets, costumes. And a rousing, memorable climax that Hammer never topped. One of the top five Dracula adaptations. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/atQr_Eac11k
- The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958): The second in Hammer's Frankenstein series. A smart, well-crafted follow-up to the first film. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IkXx3MeZNvU
- The Brides of Dracula (1960): The second in Hammer's Dracula series. A lavish, colorful, fast-paced gothic melodrama that doesn't suffer at all from the absence of Dracula himself. A favorite of mine; I think it's one of Hammer's best. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NEQHTxU63ls
- The Evil of Frankenstein: (1964): The first of the Hammer Frankenstein films to be produced in cooperation with Universal (who made the original Frankenstein in 1931). With an infusion of cash from Universal, this is one of most visually impressive of Hammer's Frankenstein films, with great sets that recall the Universal original. But the monster is one of the weakest of the Hammer series and the script is not up to par. Not one of Hammer's best but still enjoyable. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cTyJWBF22zA
- Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966): Christopher Lee returns to the role of Dracula - though he has no lines and is only briefly onscreen - in the third film in Hammer's series. Very well produced, and for once a genuinely suspenseful and even scary Dracula film. Not available for streaming on YouTube as far as I can see, but the DVD and Blu-ray can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dracula-Prince-Darkness-Collectors-Blu-ray/dp/B07GW2P9RF/
- Frankenstein Created Woman (1967): An off-beat entry in Hammer's Frankenstein series. Not the best of the series, but surprisingly well-done and enjoyable. Not available for streaming on YouTube apparently, but the DVD/Blu-ray can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Created-Woman-Blu-ray-Cushing/dp/B07PL9PY4X/
- Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968): Fourth in the Hammer Dracula series, with Christopher Lee returning in the role of the Count. Entertaining, smart, fast-paced. Lee is only on screen briefly and has little dialog, but his snarling, red-eyed, demonic appearance in this film (and it's follow-up) are probably the reason he came to be thought of, by a generation of film fans, as the ultimate screen Dracula. Apparently, at the time this was Hammer's highest grossing film. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s9gGa4t4sHc
- Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970): Christopher Lee had determined not to play Dracula again, so Hammer cast Ralph Bates as his replacement for this film. (Also in 1970, Bates briefly replaced Peter Cushing in Hammer's Frankenstein series.) But at the last minute Hammer managed to change Lee's mind, so here he is again - with Bates shifted over to the role of Dracula's would-be acolyte. Beautifully shot, fun, solid Hammer entertainment, though not the best of the Dracula films. One of two (!) Dracula films Hammer released in 1970. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VjoPIXZW09Q
- Scars of Dracula (1970): Christopher Lee is back again in one of the weaker entries in the Dracula series. Handsomely produced and not devoid of entertainment value, but it often feels tired and tedious, with occasional bursts of unnecessarily brutal violence. Lee, though, has more screen time and dialog in this entry than any of the other Dracula films he did for Hammer. After this one, Warner Brothers, which was financing and distributing Hammer's films in the US, insisted they bring the Dracula character into the modern world, so this is the last "period piece" Hammer Dracula film in which Lee played the Count. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZMbH-KyHsXs
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970): One of the best of the Hammer Frankenstein series. Fast-paced, beautifully shot and performed, with a smart, inventive script. A favorite of mine. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cI-fG0Ov2Pc
- The Horror of Frankenstein (1970): Widely viewed as a misstep when it was released, this is Hammer's attempt at a parody of their own films. (Possibly, a reaction to the popularity of Andy Warhol's Frankenstein and Roman Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers, which were both open and unabashed homage/parodies of the Hammer films.) I think Ralph Bates is a worthy stand-in for Peter Cushing and I think the film is smart and funny, though it clearly is not the best of the Hammer Frankensteins. Incidentally, that's David Prowse as the monster. He would go on to play Darth Vadar in Star Wars. He's wearing a significantly skimpier costume here. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yU_D11OlNSs
- Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972): First of two Hammer Dracula films set in the 1970s. This is the film Marvel comics appears to be imitating with its Tombs of Dracula books. The first fifteen minutes of the film, which appear to be more inspired by A Clockwork Orange than anything else, are idiotic and annoying, but the film as a whole is an example of the kind of colorful, dynamic genre storytelling that Hammer excelled at, even at this late stage. Peter Cushing gives a master class in the use of cigarettes and other props in screen acting. Sexy, beautiful, Caroline Munro also makes an appearance here. She would go on to appear in Hammer's Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter, as well as the Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad film, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Dracula A.D. 1972 is apparently a favorite of Tim Burton. The musical score, which was derided as being wildly inappropriate for a Dracula film when the film was first released, has now developed a cult following, as has the film itself. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AUu7bUIUGNU
- The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974): The last appearance of Christopher Lee as Dracula in a Hammer film. And the last time Lee would play Dracula to Cushing's Van Helsing. (Cushing would go on to play Van Helsing in one more Hammer Dracula film, Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires.) This film's story follows directly from the story of the previous film, which is unusual for Hammer. (They usually didn't stress perfect continuity in their Dracula or Frankenstein series. ) I think I prefer this one to Dracula A.D. 1972, but both are fun, colorful and reasonably fast-paced, though the stories in both films are illogical and border on the silly. One aspect of The Satanic Rites of Dracula inspired a key plot point in my film, Sleepless Nights. Joanna Lumley, who would go on to achieve fame in the popular Brit comedy show, Absolutely Fabulous, plays Van Helsing's daughter here. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J2H1ZO0gups
- Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974): A return to form for the final entry in the Hammer Frankenstein series. After the commercial and critical failure of the series' attempted reboot, Horror of Frankenstein, Ralph Bates is out and Peter Cushing is back as Baron Frankenstein. This is a smart, well-crafted finale for the series, though it's an unusually grim and bleak film for the series, and the monster (once again played by David Prowse) is one of the more absurd iterations of the monster. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_Lb4nFlf2Rw
- The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974): The last of the Hammer Dracula series, with Peter Cushing back for a final turn as Van Helsing. This unusual mash-up of two exploitation film genres (decades before From Dusk Till Dawn) was the result of a co-producing deal between Hammer and Sir Run Run Shaw, the legendary Hong Kong film producer. Surprisingly well-done and entertaining, especially if you're a kung fu film fan. The appearance of John Forbes-Robinson as Dracula gives the film its most disappointing aspect. Heavily made up and speaking in a ridiculously ominous voice, he looks less like Christopher Lee's Dracula and more like someone made up for Halloween trick-or-treating. The film struggled to find distribution in the US, as was the case with Satanic Rites of Dracula. Both were eventually re-cut, retitled and dumped on the market by "Dynamite Films," an exploitation film distributor. After Dynamite Films went out of business, both Satanic Rites and 7 Golden Vampires entered into the public domain, a status they have been rescued from by Warner, which has asserted its copyright and recently released Blu-ray editions of the films. Hammer would make just two more films after Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires: To the Devil, A Daughter, with Christopher Lee and Richard Widmark, and a remake of Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes, with Elliot Gould and Cybil Shepard. Watch FOR FREE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eA_L4L0qrAs
- Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter (1974): This quirky, off-beat Hammer vampire film was directed by Brian Clemens, who wrote and produced The Avengers, for British TV. (He's responsible for casting Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel.) The film shows the influence of the Sergio Leone spaghetti western films and may itself have served as an influence on Marvel's comic and film series character, Blade. Interesting and memorable. Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xITx9gIqQks
- Quatermass & the Pit (1967): One of Hammer's best, based on Nigel Kneale's groundbreaking British TV serial. Science fiction with supernatural horror overtones. Loaded with great ideas. Echoes of this film can be seen in The X-Files among other TV series and films. Well performed and shot. A favorite of mine. Not available on YouTube, but the DVD/Blu-ray can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Quatermass-Pit-Blu-ray-Andrew-Keir/dp/B07NNMJK3J/
- The Mummy (1959): While Hammer's first two big hits, Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula, were ostensibly adaptations of novels in the public domain and not sequels or remakes of Universal's classic horror films from the 30s, the studio's great success led to collaborations with Universal, such as Evil of Frankenstein, and licensing arrangements that allowed them to remake Universal's copyrighted material. Universal's 1932 film, The Mummy, was not based on a novel in the public domain, it was an original screenplay that led to a franchise that has so far resulted in ten movies from 1932 to 2017, so Universal unquestionably owned the copyright to the story and characters, and when Hammer decided to add The Mummy to their roster of monsters, they needed a licensing arrangement with Universal. They got one, which allowed them to use characters and plot points not just from Universal's first Mummy film, but from several of its sequels. In return Universal got the distribution rights to the film, which was so successful in its original release that Hammer ended up cranking out three sequels, the last one hitting the screens in 1971.
I have to admit that while I revere the 1932 Universal original, I was never a fan of any of the Universal Mummy sequels, which I considered tedious, and so the 1959 production of The Mummy was one Hammer film I avoided, never seeing it as a child, teenager or young adult. In fact, I only saw it for the first time about two years ago. I sought it out, finally, because I had begun to develop a special appreciation for the work of director Terence Fisher. I'm glad I did, because it's definitely in the front rank of Hammer films. It has the lavish, richly colorful look that was by then a hallmark of Hammer productions; it's smart, well-paced, tightly scripted and has a surprisingly nuanced performance, by Christopher Lee, of the title character. In his portrayal of the creature in Curse of Frankenstein and the Count in Horror of Dracula, Lee showed that even when he had little or no dialog, he could bring a degree of depth to monster characters through physicality alone, and he does the same here. He's very much the rampaging monster at times, but his eyes and his body language create an impression of a mummy that has thoughts, emotions and dimensions to its personality that aren't even hinted at in the Universal sequels or in Hammer's own sequels. (In two of Hammer's Mummy movies, the mummy's face is hidden behind bandages, so no emoting is necessary.) Buy or rent The Mummy (1959) on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uojNB-SbDEo
- The Devil Rides Out (1968): This may be my favorite Hammer film. It's another Terence Fisher film, and another with Christopher Lee in the lead. It's based on a terrible novel by a terrible writer, Dennis Wheatley, but the screenwriter, Richard Matheson (of I Am Legend, Duel, Hell House and Twilight Zone fame) does a terrific job of finding all that is exciting, suspenseful and entertaining in the novel, while weeding out most of the dumb, racist, reactionary stuff Wheatley was famous for. (While he's almost entirely forgotten today, and his books are largely out of print, he was, for a time, one of the best selling authors in the English language.)
Charles Gray plays cult leader Mocata with great elan, giving the screen one of its most urbane villains. (He would later bring his wit and style to the role of Blofeld in the Bond film, Diamonds are Forever.) And as the film's hero, Lee - for once - has an enormous amount of dialog, which he delivers with speed and style, punctuating each line with flourishes of his hands and eyebrows. One could say this is "hand and eyebrow acting" at its most entertaining.
The film was not a big hit for Hammer when it came out. 1968 was the year of Rosemary's Baby and perhaps critics and audiences found The Devil Rides Out a bit too old-fashioned. But I love it, for all its absurdities and melodramatic excesses. Not available for streaming on YouTube, but the DVD/Blu-ray is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Devil-Rides-Out-Blu-ray/dp/B07TMRRRL4/
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959): The same year Hammer's first Mummy movie came out, Hammer released its one and only Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Seeking to capitalize on their newfound fame as purveyors of horror product, they naturally turned to the Holmes adventure that had the most pronounced supernatural overtones, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Their biggest star, Peter Cushing was a natural choice to play Holmes, and he does so with great wit, style and energy. (He would go on to play Holmes in a BBC series in 1965.) Their other biggest star, Christopher Lee, got a lesser role in the film, not as Watson but instead as Sir Henry Baskerville, the film's romantic lead. (He'd go on to play Holmes in a 1962 German film, with Terence Fisher directing, and in two leaden American TV movies in the early 90s.)
I've always thought of the Universal 1939 version of this story, with Basil Rathbone, as the definitive film version, but I've always enjoyed this one as well. Cushing is in the upper tier of actors who have played the character, and the film itself, like most of the best Hammer films, is colorful, fast moving and stylish.
Buy or rent on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wMwMGhZBAJU
Here are Carey Vickers' picks for top Hammer Horror:
1. Horror of Dracula (1958)
2. Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
3 The Vampire Lovers (1970)
4. Lust for A Vampire (1971)
5. Twins of Evil (1971)
Here's Aaron M Poe's choices:
1. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
2. Twins of Evil (1971)
3. The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974)
4. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
5. Horror of Dracula (1958)
And here are my top Hammer picks:
!. The Brides of Dracula (1960)
2. Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
3. The Devil Rides Out (1968)
4. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
5. The Horror of Dracula (1958)
6. The Mummy (1959)
7. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
8. Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
