An Introduction to Hammer Films

Brief History of Hammer Films

Founded November 1934, Hammer Films released several minor features before the advent of World War Two ceased production. Returning to movie-making in 1947, Hammer’s output consisted largely of modest B-grade pictures (crime thrillers and comedies, often adapted from successful stage or radio plays) but it was yet to find international success. With major stars beyond Hammer’s admittedly limited resources, a new audience hook was required, resulting in Hammer’s first foray into horror and the company’s first major success. Based on Nigel Kneale’s popular television serial, The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) struck a chord with audiences and led the enterprising studio to conclude there might be a quid to be made with this monster lark.

Key Films

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Cast

Peter Cushing as Baron Victor von Frankenstein
Christopher Lee as the Creature
Hazel Court as Elizabeth
Robert Urquhart as Dr. Paul Krempe
Valerie Gaunt as Justine
Noel Hood as Aunt Sophia
Melvyn Hayes as Young Victor
Paul Hardtmuth as Professor Bernstein
Fred Johnson as Grandpa

Dracula (1958)

Cast

Christopher Lee as Count Dracula
Peter Cushing as Abraham Van Helsing
Michael Gough as Arthur Holmwood
Melissa Stribling as Mina Holmwood
Carol Marsh as Lucy Holmwood
John Van Eyssen as Jonathan Harker
Janina Faye as Tania
Charles Lloyd-Pack as John Seward
George Merritt as Policeman
George Woodbridge as Landlord
George Benson as Frontier Official
Miles Malleson as Undertaker
Geoffrey Bayldon as Porter
Olga Dickie as Gerda
Barbara Archer as Inga
Valerie Gaunt as a Bride of Dracula

The Mummy (1959)

Cast

Peter Cushing as John Banning
Christopher Lee as Kharis
Yvonne Furneaux as Isobel Banning / Princess Ananka
Eddie Byrne as Inspector Mulrooney
Felix Aylmer as Stephen Banning
Raymond Huntley as Joseph Whemple
George Pastell as Mehemet Bey
Michael Ripper as Poacher
George Woodbridge as P. C. Blake
Harold Goodwin as Pat
Denis Shaw as Mike
Gerald Lawson as Irish Customer
Willoughby Gray as Dr. Reilly
John Stuart as Coroner
David Browning as Police Sergeant
Frank Sieman as Bill
Stanley Meadows as Attendant
Frank Singuineau as Head Porter

The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

Cast

Clifford Evans as Don Alfredo Corledo

Oliver Reed as Leon Corledo/Werewolf

Yvonne Romain as Servant girl

Catherine Feller as Christina Fernando

Anthony Dawson as Marques Siniestro

Josephine Llewelyn as Marquesa

Richard Wordsworth as Beggar

Hira Talfrey as Teresa

Justin Walters as Young Leon Corledo

John Gabriel as Priest

Warren Mitchell as Pepe Valiente

Anne Blake as Rosa Valiente

George Woodbridge as Dominique the goat herder

Michael Ripper as Old Soak

Ewen Solon as Don Fernando

Peter Sallis as Don Enrique

Martin Matthews as Jose Amadayo

David Conville as Rico Gomez

Denis Shaw as Gaoler

Sheila Brennan as Vera

Joy Webster as Isabel

Renny Lister as Yvonne

Loraine Carvana as Young Servant girl

Charles Lamb as Marques' Chef

Desmond Llewelyn (uncredited) as Marques’s footman

The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

Cast

André Morell as Sir James Forbes
Diane Clare as Sylvia Forbes
Brook Williams as Dr. Peter Tompson
Jacqueline Pearce as Alice Mary Tompson
John Carson as Squire Clive Hamilton
Alexander Davion as Denver (as Alex Davion)
Michael Ripper as Sergeant Jack Swift
Marcus Hammond as Tom Martinus
Dennis Chinnery as Constable Christian
Louis Mahoney as Coloured Servant
Roy Royston as Vicar
Ben Aris as John Martinus
Tim Condren as Young blood
Bernard Egan as Young blood
Norman Mann as Young blood
Francis Willey as Young blood
Jerry Verno as Landlord

Key Actors

Hammer's horror films featured many of the same actors in recurring roles; the two most famous examples of this is:

Peter Cushing

Featured Hammer Films:

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The Abominable Snowman (1957)
Dracula (1958)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) 
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
The Mummy (1959)
The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
Cash on Demand (1961)
Captain Clegg (1962)
The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
The Gorgon (1964)
She (1965)
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Twins of Evil (1971)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Fear in the Night (1972)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)
Shatter (1974)



Christopher Lee

Featured Hammer Films:

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Mummy (1959)  
The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) 
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) 
The Terror of the Tongs (1961)
Scream of Fear (1961)
The Pirates of Blood River (1962) 
The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) 
The Gorgon (1964)
She (1965)
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966)
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
Scars of Dracula (1970)
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
To the Devil a Daughter (1976)
The Resident (2011)

What Makes Hammer Films Unique

One of the things that made the films unique is that Hammer Horror was overall quintessentially British, frequently stylish, often sophisticated and characterised by a quaintly antiquated aesthetic.