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Hammer Horror...what's your top five?

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  • enyawd72
    Maker of Monsters!
    • Oct 1, 2009
    • 7904

    Hammer Horror...what's your top five?

    I love Hammer Horror...probably even more than Universal Monsters, though sadly there have been very few toys to speak of.

    I grew up watching them on rainy Saturday afternoons, and several of them had a profound impact on me.

    My personal top five are:

    5. Curse of the Werewolf...it takes a while to get going, but Oliver Reed's monster is worth the wait.
    4. Phantom of the Opera...was a fan of the Chaney version long before I ever saw it. So this was the version I had growing up.
    3. The Curse of Frankenstein...this one really scared me, but I still preferred the square head look of Karloff's monster.
    2. Dracula Has Risen From the Grave...my favorite of all the Hammer Draculas. So moody! I love the setting and the rooftop chases. Dracula being impaled on the huge cross at the end
    while blood leaks from his eyes was the freakiest thing I ever saw as a kid.
    1. The Mummy...IMO the best film Hammer ever made. Peter Cushing and Lee give their best performances. Atmospheric, and with the best music of any Hammer film. This was Christopher Lee's
    personal favorite as well. He thought it was the best looking film Hammer ever made.

  • hedrap
    Permanent Member
    • Feb 10, 2009
    • 4825

    #2
    1. The Mummy - The best Mummy film ever, to this day. I think it's partly due to Egyptology being so deeply indebted to real British adventurism. Visually, it's the zenith Hammer film.

    2. Curse of The Werewolf - As much as I love the gypsy tale, Curse has a great idea behind it. Reed was also the perfect anti-Chaney actor. The landscapes in some shots are incredible for a horror film.

    3. Curse of Frankenstein - The movie that made Victor Frankenstein as important as the monster. Some visuals, like the appearance of the monster in the woods, are untouchable.

    4. Horror of Dracula - Pure visual presence balanced by Cushing as the psuedo-narrator. Hermann's best Hammer score.

    5. Lost Continent - Because the budget couldn't produce the scale for needed visuals, what was supposed to be an adventure film comes across disturbing. As if Gilliam started his career in Hammer's art department. One of those movies that when you see as a kid, it just stays with you.

    Comment

    • Earth 2 Chris
      Verbose Member
      • Mar 7, 2004
      • 32498

      #3
      1. Horror of Dracula - My personal favorite Dracula film, and the best pairing of Cushing and Lee where they get to use ALL their formidable talents!

      2. Curse of Frankenstein - The best of the series, and the best example of one of Cushing's best roles.

      3. The Mummy - You guys are right, it's the best Mummy movie EVER. Lee is a legitimately frightening, but also very sympathetic, and his pantomime acting rivals Karloff as Frankenstein's monster.

      4. Twins of Evil - Cushing's greatest role? Certainly his juiciest. As much as I love The Vampire Lovers (and I do) this one has now become my favorite of the Karnstein films.

      5. Curse of the Werewolf - This one spends WAY to much time with the beggar and Marquis, and not enough with Reed's Leon, but man, he's fantastic, and so is that makeup!!!

      Chris
      sigpic

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      • PNGwynne
        Master of Fowl Play
        • Jun 5, 2008
        • 19444

        #4
        Hmmm, no Dracula on my list, sorry. I'm a Lee fan but not so much of Hammer's version of the count. My favorites are, in no special order:

        *Curse of the Werewolf. 'Nuff said. Possibly my favorite werewolf film, lacking only Maria Ouspenskaya.

        *The Devil Rides Out: Shaky effects, but a terrific cast in a chilling story.

        *The Reptile: Huge fan of this film, well-shot and with an engrossing subtext.

        *The Mummy: Best Kharis ever, Lee does amazing things with a limited role.

        *The Brides of Dracula: A handsome vampire film with an interesting twist. Martita Hunt steals the show.

        There're many others I like--Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Plague of the Zombies, Phantom, Curse of Frankenstein, some Hammer sci-fi--but the five above really grab my attention for repeat viewing.
        Last edited by PNGwynne; Jul 11, '18, 4:19 PM.
        WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

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        • Bruce Banner
          HULK SMASH!
          • Apr 3, 2010
          • 4327

          #5
          Dracula (AKA Horror of Dracula)

          The Mummy

          Twins of Evil

          Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter

          The Curse of Frankenstein
          PUNY HUMANS!

          Comment

          • Hedji
            Citizen of Gotham
            • Nov 17, 2012
            • 7246

            #6
            These may not be the "best" but they're my favorites:


            Dracula Has Risen From the Grave - It's like a horror fairytale. Love the cinematography in this one. So lush and atmospheric.

            Twins of Evil - Everything you could want from a later era Hammer. And Peter Cushing.

            Curse of Frankenstein - Cushing just nails the role here.

            Brides of Dracula - It's so wonderful to look at, the lead actress is easy on the eyes, and it's pretty much a blueprint for Hammer style. Plus Cushing.

            Dracula A.D. 1972 - Just crazy enough that it actually works. Plus it's my birth year. It's never dull. It's got Caroline Munro. Plus Cushing.


            I think I like their Vampire output best. But looking at my list, I feel guilty for not including Horror of Dracula, Plague of the Zombies, the Mummy, Curse of the Werewolf, Devil Rides Out, and numerous other Frankenstein and Dracula sequels. This was really hard!

            Comment

            • TrekStar
              Trek or Treat
              • Jan 20, 2011
              • 8354

              #7
              Well for me it's,

              1. The Mummy
              2. The Abominal Snowman
              3. Curse of Frankenstein
              4. Curse of the Werewolf
              5. Horror of Dracula

              Comment

              • hedrap
                Permanent Member
                • Feb 10, 2009
                • 4825

                #8
                How is Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll?

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                • Earth 2 Chris
                  Verbose Member
                  • Mar 7, 2004
                  • 32498

                  #9
                  ^It's...interesting. Very different. Lee is great in it as a slimy cad who is friends with Jekyll, and better friends with his wife. The switch to make Hyde a handsome ladies man is worth a watch, but the lead isn't to the level of Reed, Cushing or Lee.

                  Chris
                  sigpic

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                  • hedrap
                    Permanent Member
                    • Feb 10, 2009
                    • 4825

                    #10
                    ^I've always seen it as their biggest missed opportunity. They could have had Cushing as Jekyll, Reed as Hyde.

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                    • PNGwynne
                      Master of Fowl Play
                      • Jun 5, 2008
                      • 19444

                      #11
                      ^That's compelling. I think Hammer thought Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll would be sort of naughty and scary, but it falls flat for me. A handsome Hyde is prescient, though. But I'd rather watch The Man Who Could Cheat Death.
                      WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

                      Comment

                      • enyawd72
                        Maker of Monsters!
                        • Oct 1, 2009
                        • 7904

                        #12
                        Another few great ones worth mentioning are The Gorgon, Night Creatures AKA Captain Clegg, and Evil of Frankenstein.

                        One I still haven't seen to this day is Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell.

                        Comment

                        • hedrap
                          Permanent Member
                          • Feb 10, 2009
                          • 4825

                          #13
                          ^Monster From Hell is an oddity. I see it more as part of a seminal transition moment for British cinema, much like how Curse and Horror were in their day. It's Hammer's attempt to try and move past, well, the past! But without the proper design team, or budget, it's some fugly work.

                          Look at it this way. It's 1974. Hammer sat on Monster From Hell since 1972. Five months after they release it, Texas Chainsaw arrives and the classic monsters are officially swept out of cinemas.

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                          • Emgee
                            Member
                            • May 5, 2009
                            • 89

                            #14
                            MOON ZERO TWO!!! Surprised not mentioned. Trashy nonsense but great space suits (Almost like live action Major Matt Mason) Mad cartoon opening titles but groovy song by Julie Driscoll. Aside from that the usual stuff for me. Hammer doesn't always have to be a great film to be a GREAT film if you know what I mean.

                            Comment

                            • Jetjungle75
                              Career Member
                              • Jan 11, 2013
                              • 713

                              #15
                              For me:
                              The Devil Rides Out
                              To the Devil a Daughter
                              Brides of Dracula
                              The Mummy
                              Dracula

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