Category Archives: Hammer Films
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
THE VAMPIRE LOVERS-United Kingdom/United States-1970
Ingrid Pitt as Marcilla/Carmilla/Mircalla Karnstein
George Cole as Roger Morton
Kate O’Mara as The Governess (Mme. Perrodot)
Peter Cushing as General Von Spielsdorf
Dawn Addams as The Countess
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Screenplay by Tudor Gates
Based on the novella “Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Adapted by Harry Fine, Tudor Gates and Michael Style
It is with a very heavy heart that I come to you, oh lovers of Hammer films and vampires and heaving natural bosoms, and that I make a confession that shake you to the very core of your foundation. Oh, dear God, I can only beg the forgiveness of those who have gone before me. Please, I beg of all of you; please forgive me when I say:
Before “The Vampire Lovers”, I was an Ingrid Pitt virgin.
There, I have said it. Are you satisfied? Do you want to gloat and rub it in my face that until now I never enjoyed the pleasure of those eyes, that mouth, those knockers and that exquisite voice? Screw Helen of Troy; Miss Pitt is the true face that launched those thousand ships. Her beauty is the stuff of legend!!
The story of “The Vampire Lovers” is quite simple. It is a tale that is based on the story “Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. Ingrid Pitt does triple duty as she portrays Marcilla, Carmilla and Mircalla Karnstein; a vampire whose sole intent is sucking the blood from the boobs of every hot babe within a five mile radius of her coffin. She moves from house to house, feeding off the innocent girls who reside there, occasionally feasting on the blood of a village girl to sate her unquenchable thirst for blood.
“The Vampire Lovers” is the first in what would become known as The Karnstein Trilogy. The other two films in the series are “Lust for a Vampire“, starring Yutte Stensgaard; and “Twins of Evil” featuring twin centerfold beauties Madelaine and Mary Collinson. There are no lethargic heroines and no sparkly vampires playing softball looking brooding and forlorn. There are only vampires, beautiful women and enough boob action to make Hugh Hefner get it up without the aid of hydraulics or Viagra. In other words, Hammer did it right.
TRIVIA
Peter Cushing was cast at a late stage.
This film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America due to the vampire bites inflicted on the women’s bosoms.
James Carreras rejected a suggestion that Bond girl Shirley Eaton play the lead on the grounds that she was too old. Ingrid Pitt, actually older than Eaton, was eventually cast.
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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-United Kingdom-1962
Herbert Lom as The Phantom
Heather Sears as Christine Charles
Thorley Walters as Lattimer
Michael Gough as Lord Ambrose D’arcy
Edward de Souza as Harry Hunter
Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by John Elder
Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux
Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra”, or “The Phantom of the Opera”, has been told in many forms over the years. There was, of course, the classic 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, Sr. as Erik and Mary Philbin as Christine. Then there is the 1943 edition starring Claude Rains and Susanna Foster. Even director Dario Argento has aimed his directorial vision at this tragic tale.
But it is the 1962 Hammer Films edition of the film that I remember best. Not because I remember seeing the film; until now I had never seen the film. I remember it because I was not allowed to watch when it first premiered on television as the movie of the week for Saturday night. The film premiered in theaters in August of 1962; so I can only guess that I may have been 3 or 4 years old when it made its TV debut. Thinking I was too young, my parents sent me away to bed. However, they didn’t bother turning down the volume. I remember hearing Christine’s beautiful voice as she sang for the Phantom (Herbert Lom, “The Dead Zone”). I remember that the Phantom would tell her that she would sing ‘only for me’. Finally, my memory is hearing the announcer’s voice saying ‘We continue now with…The Phantom of the Opera.’ I knew that one day I would see this film and that I would wonder if I would be as scared to see it as my parents thought I would be. Honestly speaking, that is not the case at all.
Horror films are filled with creatures of all kinds. Many of them are evil and deserve our disdain. They are hideous to behold and are the stuff of our nightmares. As for the Phantom of the Opera, that is not so. He is a man to be pitied. He had a gift and it was stolen from him. He lashed out in anger and was punished. Here is a man who merely wanted his songs to be sung and his music to be heard. For Hammer’s Phantom, the monster is not the man behind the mask, but the cruel and unscrupulous Lord D’Arcy (Michael Gough in a deliciously over the top performance). He is a thief, a scoundrel of the lowest morals. He is the most inhuman of monsters because he is all too human in the first place. The Phantom hides a beautiful soul behind a hideous mask. Lord D’arcy is hideous through and through; no mask in the world could hide such corruption.
Looking back, I’m actually glad my parents sent me off to bed. My impressionable young mind may not have understood that the bad guy is not always who we think it is.
TRIVIA
The film was originally written for Cary Grant, who wanted to do a horror film. The Phantom’s character was rewritten as a more tragic figure, with the dwarf (played here by Ian Wilson) doing the actual violence, to suit Grant’s image. Grant declined the part (possibly unhappy with the watered down character) and it went to Lom.
The mask was made on the fly just before shooting out of cloth, tape, string and paint.
At one point, Christopher Lee was seriously considered for the Phantom part.
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THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN
THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN-United Kingdom-1957
Hazel Court as Elizabeth
Robert Urquhart (r) as Paul Krempe
Christopher Lee as the Creature
Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster
Based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Although it was not their first movie together; that would be Lawrence Olivier‘s “Hamlet” in 1948, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee begin with “The Curse of Frankenstein” what would be a pairing that is yet to be matched in the horror genre. Cushing is Victor Frankenstein; a man obsessed with the creation of human life and who will stop at nothing to achieve that goal. Lee is his hideous creation, a creature so foul that the faint of heart would be very wise not to see this film.
Well, maybe I should say the faint of heart in the year 1957, the time of the film’s release. Hammer Films retelling of the Frankenstein could actually be considered quite a gory affair for its day. One scene in particular has blood pouring from the creature’s eye as he shot by rifle at close range. Even more shocking than the gore is Cushing’s portrayal of Victor Frankenstein. Colin Clive’s rendition in the 1931 “Frankenstein” was one that elicited sympathy for his character as he was torn by his desire to create life and his guilt over his monstrous achievement. Here, Cushing portrays Victor as uncaring, lecherous and capable of cold-blooded murder. The creature is merely a hideous reflection of his creator.
This is literally my first time seeing “The Curse of Frankenstein.” It is a film that for one reason or another has eluded me for all these years. I found it to be an incredible addition to the Frankenstein saga and was more than pleased at the pairing of Lee and Cushing in the key roles. Each actor brings strength to their role that comes from years of honing their craft to the level of masters. If you’re looking for an old fashioned film to watch late at night with the lights out and a bowl of popcorn on your lap then you need look no further than “The Curse of Frankenstein.”
TRIVIA
For many years this held the distinction of being the most profitable film to be produced in England by a British studio.
The idea originated with Milton Subotsky, who went on to co-found Amicus Films, Hammer’s main rival during the 1960s and early 1970s. The script was revised several times to avoid repeating any elements from the Universal Frankenstein series. As part of this effort, new monster make-up had to be devised especially for this film.
The original concept for this film was a black-and-white feature with Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster. Universal threatened a lawsuit if Hammer copied any elements from the classic Universal version. Hammer had Jimmy Sangster completely redo the script and had Jack Asher shoot it in Eastmancolour.
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THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF
THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF-United Kingdom-1961
Clifford Evans as Don Alfredo Corledo
Oliver Reed as Leon Corledo
Yvonne Romain as Servant Girl (Jailer’s Daughter)
Catherine Feller as Cristina Fernando
Directed by Terence Fisher
Written by Anthony Hinds
Based on the novel “The Werewolf of Paris” by Guy Endore
Don’t you just love these old horror movies? No matter how cheesy they are you just can’t seem to get enough of them. I remember these films from my childhood and I recall fond memories of Saturday afternoons spent watching horror movies on the local channels. Films like “The Curse of the Werewolf” kept my fingers in a position just under my eyes so that I could cover them quickly when the werewolf reared his horrible head. 40 years later and I find myself writing about the same movie that scared me so much as a boy. Life is grand.
The Curse of the Werewolf is the tale of Leon. Born on Christmas day he is cursed to become a beast, a killer, a werewolf. Oliver Reed plays the role of Leon to perfection. Here is a man who makes the most out of overacting and it shows in every scene he appears in. In the final scenes Reed is so terrifyingly good as the werewolf I actually found myself hiding my eyes like that little ten year old boy all those years ago. Alright, alright, I can’t back that up. I didn’t hide my eyes.
I hid under the bed. My dog looked at me like I was crazy. I looked at her like ‘who was under here first, bitch?’
Seriously though, “The Curse of the Werewolf” was one of my favorite horror films growing up. Watching it again after all these years was such a thrill despite the fact that it’s an overacted mess. The werewolf makeup still stands as some of the best of all time and I’m talking just as good as “The Wolf Man” here. The only question I have concerning the film is why was the werewolf’s fur blonde when Oliver Reed’s hair was black? That, my friends, is a mystery for the ages. Ah-woooooo!!!
TRIVIA
The only werewolf movie made by Hammer Studios.
Makeup-artist Roy Ashton based his makeup for this film on Jack P. Pierce’s makeup forThe Wolf Man.
In an interview, Richard Wordsworth stated that in the original screenplay his beggar character was a werewolf. Hammer told him that the censor had problems with the notion of a werewolf/rapist, so out it went.
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HORROR OF DRACULA
HORROR OF DRACULA-United Kingdom-1958
Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing
Michael Gough as Arthur
Melissa Stribling (w/Michal Gough and Peter Cushing) as Mina Holmwood
Carol Marsh as Lucy Holmwood
Christopher Lee as Dracula
Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker
For my money, Christopher Lee was the greatest Dracula of all time. If you don’t believe me, just watch his performance in Hammer Films re-telling of the classic novel by Bram Stoker. Lee has less than 15 lines and he only speaks to one person throughout the entire film; yet his presence onscreen is so commanding there is no way you can tear your eyes away from him. In several scenes, Lee need merely stand as still as a statue and he still manages to evoke a feeling of dread. With Lee’s portrayal, the greatest literary villain of all time becomes the greatest cinematic villain of all time.
Now of course every great villain must do battle with a great hero; and that is where Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing comes in. Cushing was the perfect foil to Lee’s mesmerizing and terrifying Dracula. As much as Lee commanded a sense of dread in the role of Dracula, thus did Cushing command a sense of decency? Cushing would continue to do battle with the Count in subsequent films in the series; The Brides of Dracula (1960), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and finally 1973′s The Satanic Rites of Dracula.
While Horror of Dracula may not be a faithful adaptation of Stoker’s novel, it is by all accounts an entertaining one. Lee and Cushing bring all of their acting chops to the forefront and you never get the feeling that they are acting in ‘just a horror film’. The film may be over 50 years old, but it was fun to watch as any of the films that are being produced today within the horror genre. Finally, watching Horror of Dracula for the first time in nearly 25 years I found myself reminded of why I love horror films in the first place. It’s not about the gore; it’s all about the frights.
TRIVIA
On several occasions, Christopher Lee complained about the contact lenses he had to wear for the shock scenes. Not only they were quite painful, but he could not see a thing. While running towards the vampire woman for instance, he even ran too far past the camera on the first take.
Christopher Lee has only thirteen lines in this film.
The cape worn by Christopher Lee was discovered in 2007 in a London costume shop during its annual inventory-taking. It had been missing for 30 years, and is believed to be worth around $50,000 (US$). Lee was contacted to verify its authenticity.
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