Author Description

Hammer Horror! For the decades between 1930 and 1950, the undisputed masters of horror were Universal Pictures. From their early success with Dracula and Frankenstein to the later additions, such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal has created and popularized more memorable creature flicks than any other studio. But during the 1950s, they drifted away from the genre, leaving a hole in horror lovers' hearts. The torch quickly passed to Hammer Films. A small company that had been releasing small films since 1934, in the 50s had several successful science-fiction films (the Quatermass series) that featured monsters from space. One thing led to another, and they tried their hand at remaking the classic stories, "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," only this time in color with high production values. These two films were massive successes, catapulting Hammer into two decades of leadership in the genre. This book includes viewing synopses of 69 Hammer horror films, including all your favorite monsters, as well as a few gems that are rarely seen today. Each film has some trivia and commentary. By examining each film in chronological release order, we can quickly see how tastes, values, budgets, and even special effects grew through the two decades the Hammer made these films. Hammer stopped making horror films in the mid-70s but managed to stay afloat until 2008 when they started producing new horror films. This book includes all of these new films as well, up to and including 2019's "The Lodge." ALL the horror films are here. [Note: This is the updated 2nd Edition with better editing and new formatting (November 2022)]