Films From Beyond's house has been transformed into the House of Hammer for Halloween. To paraphrase an old saying, "When all you have is a Hammer, everything looks like a horror movie."
So, what's your favorite Hammer horror?
Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
"What evil hath science wrought?"
Horror of Dracula (1958)
"The chill of the tomb won't leave your blood for hours... after you come face-to-face with DRACULA!"
The Mummy (1959)
"Torn from the tomb to terrify the world!"
The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
"Only The Lord Of The Dead Could Unleash Them!"
The Reptile (1966)
"What strange power made her half woman - half snake?"
Happy halloween, Brian! I don't know if I have a personal favorite Hammer horror tagline, but out of the ones you listed, the reptile entertains and amuses me!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great Halloween John! If you haven't seen The Reptile, it's well worth checking out.
DeleteI rather like The Reptile the best of this lot.
ReplyDeleteIt's a very underrated Hammer horror.
DeleteI choose Horror of Dracula. I first saw it on TV in the '60s with my little brother (who is now 60). He made a cross out of cardboard and put it under his pillow without telling anyone. My mom found it when she was making the bed.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I came up Anonymous, but I posted that last entry. I'm a long time fan of this site!
ReplyDeleteHi Bill! I can definitely see Horror of Dracula having that effect on a kid. My first exposure to Hammer was Dracula: Prince of Darkness. The scene in which Dracula is revived with the blood of one of the unwary travelers made quite an impression on me! (I was about 10.)
DeleteNot exactly horror, but Quatermass and the Pit is my all-time favorite Hammer film. For pure horror, it's tough to beat Curse of Frankenstein.
ReplyDeleteI heartily agree with your estimation of Quatermass and the Pit. I first saw it (as Five Million Years to Earth) at a comiccon in the early '70s, and was bowled over by it. It has a definite horror vibe to it, and several scenes are as creepy (or more creepy) than anything in Hammer's "pure" horror catalog!
DeleteThe Reptile is a fun film; almost a companion piece to The Gorgon, both being about monstrous, preying females. Plague of the Zombies is really good, I think kind of overlooked today; maybe because it came out just 2 years before Night of the Living Dead changed the Zombie film genre. It must look pretty tame by today's zombie standards!
ReplyDeleteThe Reptile and the Gorgon are indeed sister monsters at heart, with John Gilling in common (director of the former and co-writer of the latter). I greatly appreciate the emphasis on atmosphere over shock effects in films like Plague. I avoid contemporary zombies like the plague (pun intended), but every time I see a promo for a new Walking Dead series, I keep telling myself, it's not for you, don't be that guy who begrudges people their pleasures... 😅
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