24 replies to this topic

[B Jenkins]

Twins Of Evil (1971)


IMO, the best of the Karnstein trilogy and dont worry each film is a standalone. This film is not only superior to the two previous installments but more tame as well as Hammer entered the 1970s, the studio grew more decadent in response to the demands of the times and its own failing box office. The very best Hammer offered was from between the late 1950s to the late 1960s. I may post up a couple more Hammer films if the mods are peachy about it.

[schizoidwoman]

Ambush Bug, on 27 October 2012 - 10:22 PM, said:

Browsing through yt today and discovered this, it has long been out of print. To get a brand new and sealed DVD fetches a small fortune.

The Reptile (1966)


IMO, this film features one of Hammer's creepiest monsters.

My husband's just sold a DVD of this brilliant film as he has replaced it with the bluray; the bluray version includes the DVD too, though it's locked to UK and European players. Incidentally, early DVD releases of the film aren't that great other than the Anchor Bay version.

[B Jenkins]

schizoidwoman, on 28 October 2012 - 08:25 PM, said:

My husband's just sold a DVD of this brilliant film as he has replaced it with the bluray; the bluray version includes the DVD too, though it's locked to UK and European players. Incidentally, early DVD releases of the film aren't that great other than the Anchor Bay version.

Yes, I wouldnt buy earlier R1 DVD versions of The Reptile unless it was Anchor Bay, but the asking price can be steep for a brand new DVD. I would recommend just waiting for it (and Plague Of The Zombies) to be re-released on R1.

Fortunately, most of the greatest Hammer Horror is still available on DVD. They still need to put out the Quatermass trilogy, X The Unknown, and The Devil Rides Out on R1 DVD.

For vampires I would recommend Horror Of Dracula, Brides Of Dracula, Twins Of Evil, Vampire Circus, and Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter. One is set there.

The rest of the Dracula and Karnstein films are recommended for completists only.

Just too little of Dracula himself and Van Helsing disappears for more than half of the sequels. They can still be gorgeous films with infrequent nice action sequences too but that is not enough to eliminate the regurgitated familiarity and overall inferiority.

For the Baron Frankenstein I would recommend Curse Of Frankenstein, Revenge Of Frankenstein, and Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. One is set there.

The rest of the Frankenstein films are recommended for Cushing completists only.

Evil of Frankenstein = atrocious absolutely atrocious creature design that looks papermache (incorporates elements of Universal Pictures' Son Of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man sans the Wolf Man, yuck!). Frankenstein Created Woman = Meh, truly bizarre genderbender. Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell = Just plain stupid. Only Peter Cushing redeems these films as he is fantastic as always in all his Frankenstein films.

The Mummy films, honestly, I have only seen the original The Mummy with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. No comment on the rest. Which is worth owning but not near my favorite Hammer Horror. And plus I love the Universal Pictures original that starred Boris Karloff anyways. Overall, I dont dig Mummy horror sequels, they're just lumbering unstoppable monsters much like the Frankenstein creature.

[B Jenkins]

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960)

[B Jenkins]

Christopher Lee discusses Dracula and Hammer




PS. There will never be another Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing again. Neither will there ever be another Hammer phenomenon ever again. They simply dont make and CANT make movies like that ever again.

[B Jenkins]

A Fan Tribute To The Brides Of Dracula To The Music Of Danny Elfman (Sleepy Hollow) - DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE FILM YET, SPOILER ALERT



PS. This tribute gave me the chills had to include it in the thread. Brides Of Dracula is Hammer's finest Dracula sequel (though not featuring either Dracula or Christopher Lee). The climatic end of BoD inspired the climatic end of Sleepy Hollow.

[schizoidwoman]

Ambush Bug, on 30 October 2012 - 07:22 AM, said:

A Fan Tribute To The Brides Of Dracula To The Music Of Danny Elfman (Sleepy Hollow) - DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVENT SEEN THE FILM YET, SPOILER ALERT


PS. This tribute gave me the chills had to include it in the thread. Brides Of Dracula is Hammer's finest Dracula sequel (though not featuring either Dracula or Christopher Lee). The climatic end of BoD inspired the climatic end of Sleepy Hollow.

BoD is a great film; Yvonne Monlaur is a tad wooden but Martita Hunt is absolutely fantastic and Peter Cushing as good as ever. It holds a special place in my heart too because I met my now-husband at a screening of it!

[B Jenkins]

schizoidwoman, on 30 October 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

BoD is a great film; Yvonne Monlaur is a tad wooden but Martita Hunt is absolutely fantastic and Peter Cushing as good as ever. It holds a special place in my heart too because I met my now-husband at a screening of it!

That is awesome, congratulations btw!   Its great to find another enthusiastic Hammerphile. Turner Classic Movies inspired me to create a thread dedicated to Hammer for Halloween.  

Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee co-starred together in 22 movies (that is more than Lugosi/Karloff did by a large margin).

8 were Hammer Films... Curse Of Frankenstein, Horror Of Dracula, Hound Of The Baskervilles, The Mummy, The Gorgon, She, Dracula AD 1972, and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula.

What is your favorite Hammer film? Or top 5 favorite?

Maybe next year it will be Universal Monsters.  (They released a Blu-Ray collection earlier this month.)

http://www.amazon.co...onsters blu-ray

[B Jenkins]

A final word many of the best of Hammer Film are available in R1 DVD sets:

TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Hammer Horror (Horror of Dracula / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / The Curse of Frankenstein / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed)

http://www.amazon.co...s Hammer Horror

Franchise Collection: Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)

http://www.amazon.co...s=Hammer Horror


Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / Scream of Fear / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / The Gorgon)

http://www.amazon.co...mmer Collection


The Icons of Suspense Collection: Hammer Films (Stop Me Before I Kill! / Cash on Demand / The Snorkel / Maniac / Never Take Candy from a Stranger / These Are the Damned)

http://www.amazon.co...mmer Collection


Icons of Adventure Collection: Hammer Films (The Pirates of Blood River / The Devil-Ship Pirates / The Stranglers of Bombay / The Terror of the Tongs)

http://www.amazon.co...mmer Collection


Technically speaking IMO Horror Of Dracula, Curse Of Frankenstein, Curse Of The Werewolf, and Scream Of Fear represent the very best Hammer ever made. Til Blu-ray or next Halloween which ever may come first.

[B Jenkins]

The great Hammer British director Terence Fisher made 15 horror and 3 science fiction movies IIRC. These represent some of the greatest gothic horrors of the '50s and '60s, only Mario Bava and Roger Corman (Poe-cycle movies) can stand head and shoulder to the contributions Fisher made to the subgenre. Here is a checklist of his work:

HORROR

The Curse Of Frankenstein - 1957
Horror Of Dracula - 1958
The Revenge Of Frankenstein - 1958
The Man Who Could Cheat Death - 1959
The Mummy - 1959
The Brides Of Dracula - 1960
The Two Faces Of Dr Jekyll - 1960
The Curse Of The Werewolf - 1961
The Phantom Of The Opera - 1961
The Gorgon - 1964
Dracula, Prince Of Darkness - 1966
Frankenstein Created Woman - 1967
The Devil Rides Out - 1968
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - 1969
Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell - 1973

SCIENCE FICTION

The Earth Dies Screaming - 1964
Island Of Terror - 1966
Night Of The Big Heat aka Island Of The Burning Damned - 1967