Favourite Hammer Horror Films

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With Halloween coming up, I thought it would be good to look at some horror films. Being something of a fan of older horror films (really, so few horror films released since the year 2000 have actually, you know, scared me), I was debating how I was going to do this. But a look through my DVD collection gave me this idea.

These are my favourite horror films from the Hammer Studio.


Now, Hammer were around from the 1930s to the 1970s, and have recently made a comeback. And, contrary to popular belief, they didn't just make horror films. They also made dramas and comedies; the reason I know this is one of my grandmas liked On The Buses and the VHS tapes indicate the films were made by Hammer. But this list will concentrate on the horror films.

I should also say I have not seen every Hammer film and I only own 20-odd of them. So if I do leave out your favourite, I apologise. But Hammer made a lot of consistently good horror films for a number of years, and their films were the first horror films I remember watching. They are a happy part of my childhood.

So, my favourites!
**The Curse of Frankenstein 1957

Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster
Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee**
It all started here. This was the first horror film Hammer did in colour, and it did so well that they went on to remake a number of classic movie monster properties. It is quite different to the Boris Karloff version because Universal's lawyers kept an eye on it, making this something all its own. It was also very gory for its time. It is a decent version of the Mary Shelley book and Lee is suitably impressive as the monster.
**The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Directed by Val Guest
Screenplay by Nigel Kneale
Starring Forrest Tucker & Peter Cushing**
Also known as The Abominable Snowman Of The Himalayas and based on Kneale's TV movie The Creature, this film is little known by modern horror fans, and yet has quite the cult following amongst older fans. Yetis are the main creature, there's a message about not taking things on face value, there's some waffle about mind control, but the film works well and it looks really good.
**Dracula (1958)

Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster
Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough & Melissa Stribling**
(Also known as Horror Of Dracula.) Full admission – this is my favourite Dracula movie. I like the Bela Lugosi film, but there is something about Lee as Dracula and the way he and Cushing play off one another that makes this film so glorious. And that final fight scene is just wonderful, especially Dracula turning to dust. Computer CGI just misses the mark when compared to really good practical effects. Great film. If you want to see real vampires, this is the film for you.
**The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961)

Directed by Terence Fisher
Written by John Elder
Starring Oliver Reed**
I am a sucker for werewolf movies and while this is not my favourite, it is still a decent outing. The wolf-man make-up is not too bad, the story is filled with lore, a lot of which has informed werewolf stories since, and the look is great. Now, I did not realise until 2004 that the version I had seen had been edited. It took me another couple of years to find an uncut version, and that is the version I like and recommend.
**The Phantom Of The Opera (1962)

Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by John Elder
Starring Herbert Lom, Heather Sears & Edward de Souza**
This is my second favourite version of the Gaston Leroux novel (the first is the silent version with Lon Chaney, and, yes, I don't mind the stage musical), and it sticks to the book okay, although the Persian is conspicuous by his absence. The sense of dread is well-done, and the adaptation works okay. I have been led to believe (through watching a YouTube video essay) it didn't do well at the box office, but I like it.
**The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb (1964)

Directed by Michael Carreras
Screenplay by Michael Carreras & Alvin Rakoff
Starring Terence Morgan, Fred Clark & Jeanne Roland**
The second of Hammer's Mummy films and my favourite of the lot. The Mummy make-up is quite good and while the story borrows from one of the Universal classic monster's sequels, it feels good because of the way the story is filmed. There is a great sense of atmosphere which is what makes this film for me. It is simple, but so very effective.
**The Gorgon (1964)

Directed by Terence Fisher
Screenplay by John Gilling & Anthony Nelson Keys
Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, & Barbara Shelley**
This is my favourite Hammer film! I remember seeing it as a child and, as someone already interested in Greek mythology, it had me. I didn't catch it again for over a decade, and then the next time I saw it was when I bought the DVD. The idea of a Gorgon being loose in contemporary times but it being like a curse, not a permanent thing is a great concept and it is atmospheric and really good.
**Quatermass And The Pit (1967)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Nigel Kneale
Starring James Donald, Andrew Keir, & Barbara Shelley**
Also known as Five Million Years To Earth, this is the third and final Quatermass film, and the best of the series. While it has a science fiction overview, the idea that Martians gave rise to the way early people depicted the Devil, and that they use mental manipulation is quite the horror concept. It is a little cheap in some of the special effects, even for the time, but the story is a well-written one.
**Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde (1971)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Written by Brian Clemens
Starring Ralph Bates & Martine Beswick**
We're going to call this a guilty pleasure film, but the idea behind it is rather intriguing. The potion turns the man into a beautiful woman. And they cast this really well – the woman does bear a resemblance to the man. I've seen a documentary where they explained how they did the practical effects to show the change. The ending is a little weird, there's Jack the Ripper allusions, and there are some stereotypical concepts, but it is a fun film.
**Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

Directed by Alan Gibson
Screenplay by Don Houghton
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing & Stephanie Beacham**
Critics hated this film on its release, and even now it is not looked upon fondly. But I think it works as a way of transferring the Dracula mythos to the modern setting, and the take-over of the granddaughter helps make this a film that fits in with the Dracula storyline that Hammer was going for over a long series of movies. Look, some of it is a little weird, but when you have Lee and Cushing sharing a movie, it can never be a bad film.
This was a tough list to keep down to ten. I was going to go the whole hog of 13 (for Halloween), but I think 10 is enough movies to give people a decent choice. And, yes, there is possibly some bias in my choices. Barbara Shelley appears in 2, Elder and Sangster and Neale all wrote two apiece, Christopher Lee appears in 4, Peter Cushing appears in 5 and Terence Fisher directed 5. So I guess the style of certain people attracts me to their work.

But for a Halloween movie binge, I think you are going to struggle to find a much better collection of classic horror movies than this list of ten. And while there is some gore, some semi-nudity, some subtle sexual undertones, these films are probably suitable for a modern teenaged audience as well.

Hope you enjoy them!
via GIPHY

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