The British studios, which filled screens with bloody fangs, gothic monsters and heaving bosoms, have been resurrected for the 21st century
Think of a classic horror film with an archetypal character such as Frankenstein or Dracula, or a movie with a name that does what it says on the tin, like Tales from the Crypt or Beyond the Grave, and the chances are you are thinking of a product by one of the “twins of evil”.
Hammer and Amicus were the studios that defined British horror cinema and bestrode the 1960s and 1970s, employing a wealth of British acting talent including Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Casts included names such as Michael Gough, Ralph Bates, Ingrid Pitt, Patrick Magee and Joan Collins.
Think of a classic horror film with an archetypal character such as Frankenstein or Dracula, or a movie with a name that does what it says on the tin, like Tales from the Crypt or Beyond the Grave, and the chances are you are thinking of a product by one of the “twins of evil”.
Hammer and Amicus were the studios that defined British horror cinema and bestrode the 1960s and 1970s, employing a wealth of British acting talent including Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Casts included names such as Michael Gough, Ralph Bates, Ingrid Pitt, Patrick Magee and Joan Collins.
- 10/29/2023
- by David Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
Probably the last creditable Dracula sequel and one of the better Hammer productions of the period, despite the fact that the vampire Count himself was a late addition to the mix. Ralph Bates as the fiendish Lord Courtley was intended to take over the reins from Christopher Lee as the continuing menace but the Us distributor insisted on Lee returning to star.
The post Taste the Blood of Dracula appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
The post Taste the Blood of Dracula appeared first on Trailers From Hell.
- 6/12/2020
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
When I was a kid, I somehow inherited an 8mm film projector and managed to convince my mom to buy me a handful of movies on the format. Now when I say “movies,” I mean these little spools of 8mm celluloid that basically took various motion pictures and condensed them down to silent 10-minute highlight reels, mostly in black and white.
They were in many ways the earliest precursor of home video, and one of the films I convinced my mom to purchase was Hammer Films’ Taste the Blood of Dracula. While the format really prevented me from making much sense of the narrative, certain imagery–Dracula’s face emerging from beneath a cracking caul of dust, two beautiful young women driving a stake into the heart of an older gentleman, a younger man drinking a cup of blood and choking as it poured out of his mouth–stayed firmly with me.
They were in many ways the earliest precursor of home video, and one of the films I convinced my mom to purchase was Hammer Films’ Taste the Blood of Dracula. While the format really prevented me from making much sense of the narrative, certain imagery–Dracula’s face emerging from beneath a cracking caul of dust, two beautiful young women driving a stake into the heart of an older gentleman, a younger man drinking a cup of blood and choking as it poured out of his mouth–stayed firmly with me.
- 6/8/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
It’s Hammer Time again, and I always feel like I’m playing gothic whack-a-mole; finish one and another pops up begging for my attention. This brings us to Lust for a Vampire (1971), the second film in the “Karnstein trilogy” of which I’ve now seen a total of one. I will see the rest, as is my sworn duty, and because I’ve heard this entertaining chapter to not be the best of the bunch.
That’s the word on the streets anyway, with top honours going to The Vampire Lovers (1970), the preceding effort based on the story Carmilla and enough of a hit to warrant a follow-up. (And a follow-up to this entitled Twins of Evil .) However the rest play out for this viewer, I can attest that despite some issues, Lust for a Vampire works as a decent Hammer and an effective take on vampiric eroticism.
Originally...
That’s the word on the streets anyway, with top honours going to The Vampire Lovers (1970), the preceding effort based on the story Carmilla and enough of a hit to warrant a follow-up. (And a follow-up to this entitled Twins of Evil .) However the rest play out for this viewer, I can attest that despite some issues, Lust for a Vampire works as a decent Hammer and an effective take on vampiric eroticism.
Originally...
- 9/14/2019
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
We’ve got a ton of great titles on the docket for this final week of home media releases in August. Michael Dougherty’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters is hitting various formats on Tuesday, and if you’re looking for some oddball entertainment, The Banana Splits Movie should undoubtedly do the trick. For all you sci-fi fans out there, the classic V miniseries is finally making its way to Blu, and Scream Factory is also giving both The Leech Woman and Fear in the Night the HD treatment as well.
Vinegar Syndrome is showing some love to Hell Comes to Frogtown this week, and the Warner Archive Collection is bringing home several of their films on DVD, including Wolfen, Of Unknown Origin, The Hand, and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Also, one of the more disturbing psychological thrillers I’ve seen in some time, Ladyworld, is being released on DVD on August 27th,...
Vinegar Syndrome is showing some love to Hell Comes to Frogtown this week, and the Warner Archive Collection is bringing home several of their films on DVD, including Wolfen, Of Unknown Origin, The Hand, and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Also, one of the more disturbing psychological thrillers I’ve seen in some time, Ladyworld, is being released on DVD on August 27th,...
- 8/27/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Courageous disc boutique Scream Factory takes on one of Hammer’s biggest embarrassments, that almost everyone connected to it would like to disown. I bailed from my first viewing around 1990 … yet this time around found it somewhat better than I expected. The girlie-show nudity is treated as a special effect, and the story at least hangs together. And like every Hammer horror, there’s a sizable, vocal cheering section out there that sings its praises.
Lust for a Vampire
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1971 / Color / 1:85 & 1:66 widescreen / 91 min. / Street Date July 30, 2019 / 27.99
Starring: Barbara Jefford, Ralph Bates, Suzanna Leigh, Yutte Stensgaard, Michael Johnson, Helen Christie, Mike Raven, Christopher Cunningham, Harvey Hall, Pippa Steel, David Healy, Jonathan Cecil.
Cinematography: David Muir
Film Editor: Spencer Reeve
Original Music: Harry Robinson
Written by Tudor Gates, based on characters by Sheridan Le Fanu
Produced by Harry Fine, Michael Style
Directed by Jimmy Sangster
What? This column...
Lust for a Vampire
Blu-ray
Scream Factory
1971 / Color / 1:85 & 1:66 widescreen / 91 min. / Street Date July 30, 2019 / 27.99
Starring: Barbara Jefford, Ralph Bates, Suzanna Leigh, Yutte Stensgaard, Michael Johnson, Helen Christie, Mike Raven, Christopher Cunningham, Harvey Hall, Pippa Steel, David Healy, Jonathan Cecil.
Cinematography: David Muir
Film Editor: Spencer Reeve
Original Music: Harry Robinson
Written by Tudor Gates, based on characters by Sheridan Le Fanu
Produced by Harry Fine, Michael Style
Directed by Jimmy Sangster
What? This column...
- 8/3/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Continuing in their tradition of adding Hammer Horror to their roster, the genre imprint of Shout! Factory (Scream Factory) releases Lust for a Vampire in North America on July 30. The new Blu-ray for this 1971 film was directed by Hammer stalwart Jimmy Sangster and a few of the other usual suspects, like actor Ralph Bates. The film takes place at a girl's school, which is funny, because the actresses are clearly all in their early 20s or past the usual college age. They also wear late '60s-style hair and make-up and parade around in see-through gowns during a dance sequence --- which a man is allowed to watch during the 1830s,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/29/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Every year, Scream Factory gives horror fans a bunch of new home media releases to look forward to at their annual Comic-Con panel, and this year is certainly no exception, as they've announced an exciting slate of horror Blu-rays on the horizon, including Collector's Editions for Silver Bullet, Big Trouble in Little China, Pet Sematary II, and My Bloody Valentine (1981), as well as The Fly Collection and new Neca figure collaborations for Night of the Demons (1988) and The Slumber Party Massacre.
Complete special features will be revealed at later dates, and we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are revealed. In the meantime, we have a look at Scream Factory's full announcement and images of their exclusive Neca figures for Night of the Demons and The Slumber Party Massacre. For more Comic-Con news, visit our online hub to catch up on all of our convention coverage!
Complete special features will be revealed at later dates, and we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are revealed. In the meantime, we have a look at Scream Factory's full announcement and images of their exclusive Neca figures for Night of the Demons and The Slumber Party Massacre. For more Comic-Con news, visit our online hub to catch up on all of our convention coverage!
- 7/21/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Back in April, Scream Factory heated up their summer release schedule with a bunch of new Blu-ray announcements for July, and now they're adding even more must-see scares to the calendar with a new wave of August Blu-ray announcements, including Horror of Frankenstein, Fear in the Night, The Leech Woman, Isle of the Dead, a Collector's Edition of Vice Squad, and Steelbook releases of Forbidden World and Galaxy of Terror.
Vice Squad Collector's Edition Blu-ray: "Hollywood, cops, hookers and killer pimps! Director Gary Sherman’s 1982 “neon-slime” cult classic Vice Squad is finally coming to Blu-ray this Summer!. We’re so excited! And if you’re a fan of movies like Savage Streets, 10 to Midnight or Class of 1984, this is a must have. Here’s the early details we have a current time to share.
• Blu-ray debut!
• National street date for North America (Region A) is August 13th.
• This...
Vice Squad Collector's Edition Blu-ray: "Hollywood, cops, hookers and killer pimps! Director Gary Sherman’s 1982 “neon-slime” cult classic Vice Squad is finally coming to Blu-ray this Summer!. We’re so excited! And if you’re a fan of movies like Savage Streets, 10 to Midnight or Class of 1984, this is a must have. Here’s the early details we have a current time to share.
• Blu-ray debut!
• National street date for North America (Region A) is August 13th.
• This...
- 5/3/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Donald Pleasence, Joan Collins, and Caroline Munro co-star in The Devil Within Her, aka Sharon's Baby and I Don't Want to Be Born, a 1975 horror film featuring a violent baby that is coming to Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing.
Blu-ray.com reports that the folks at Scorpion Releasing are hard at work on a fresh 2K restoration of The Devil Within Her, and while an exact release date has yet to be revealed, the Blu-ray is expected to come out in early 2017.
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on special features announcements and release details. In the meantime, we have the official synopsis, trailer, and poster for the Peter Sasdy film:
Synopsis (via Blu-ray.com): "Hollywood legend Joan Collins teams up with cult stars Donald Pleasence and Caroline Munro in this terrifying tale of a demonic baby!
Lucy (Collins, Dynasty, Land Of The Pharoahs) is a former dancer, having moved...
Blu-ray.com reports that the folks at Scorpion Releasing are hard at work on a fresh 2K restoration of The Devil Within Her, and while an exact release date has yet to be revealed, the Blu-ray is expected to come out in early 2017.
We'll keep Daily Dead readers updated on special features announcements and release details. In the meantime, we have the official synopsis, trailer, and poster for the Peter Sasdy film:
Synopsis (via Blu-ray.com): "Hollywood legend Joan Collins teams up with cult stars Donald Pleasence and Caroline Munro in this terrifying tale of a demonic baby!
Lucy (Collins, Dynasty, Land Of The Pharoahs) is a former dancer, having moved...
- 9/20/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Probably the last creditable Dracula sequel and one of the better Hammer productions of the period, despite the fact that the vampire Count himself was a late addition to the mix. Ralph Bates as the fiendish Lord Courtley was intended to take over the reins from Christopher Lee as the continuing menace but the Us distributor insisted on Lee returning to star.
- 8/3/2016
- by TFH Team
- Trailers from Hell
Warners answers the call for Hammer horror with four nifty thrillers starring the great Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The transfers are immaculate -- Technicolor was never richer than this. The only drawback is that Chris Lee's Dracula has so few lines of dialogue. On hi-def, Cushing's Frankenstein movie is a major re-discovery as well. Horror Classics: Four Chilling Movies from Hammer Films Blu-ray The Mummy, Dracula has Risen from the Grave, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Taste the Blood of Dracula Warner Home Video 1959-1970 / Color / 1:66 - 1:78 widescreen / 376 min. / Street Date October 6, 2015 / 54.96 Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, George Pastell, Michael Ripper; Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Barbara Ewing, Barry Andrews, Ewan Hooper, Michael Ripper; Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Freddie Jones, Simon Ward, Thorley Walters, Maxine Audley; Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Linda Hayden, Isla Blair, John Carson, Ralph Bates, Roy Kinnear. <Cinematography Jack Asher; Arthur Grant; Arthur Grant; Arthur Grant.
- 10/6/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Glenda Jackson: Actress and former Labour MP. Two-time Oscar winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson returns to acting Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson set aside her acting career after becoming a Labour Party MP in 1992. Four years ago, Jackson, who represented the Greater London constituency of Hampstead and Highgate, announced that she would stand down the 2015 general election – which, somewhat controversially, was won by right-wing prime minister David Cameron's Conservative party.[1] The silver lining: following a two-decade-plus break, Glenda Jackson is returning to acting. Now, Jackson isn't – for the time being – returning to acting in front of the camera. The 79-year-old is to be featured in the Radio 4 series Emile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money, described on their website as a “mash-up” adaptation of 20 Emile Zola novels collectively known as "Les Rougon-Macquart."[2] Part 1 of the three-part Radio 4 series will be broadcast daily during an...
- 7/2/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Want to hear Skye Edwards of Morcheeba sing "White Christmas" with electronic/movie music producer Fall On Your Sword? How about for charity? FoYS has prepped the release of its annual Christmas single, and HitFix has the exclusive first-listen. Proceeds from the sales go toward The Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, founded by FoYS mastermind Will Bates. “We wanted to create a really lush and dreamy rendition of ‘White Christmas’ and Skye just has the perfect voice for this. I’m so thrilled that she was able to do it," Bates said in a statement. "When I said it was in aid of my dad’s cancer charity, she didn’t even hesitate. “ Check out a portion of "White Christmas" below and use your imagination for the B-side -- a rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" co-created with horror director Larry Fessenden ("Last Winter," "ABCs of Death...
- 12/15/2014
- by Katie Hasty
- Hitfix
The title suggests a feminist take on the Robert Louis Stevenson story but director Roy Ward Baker’s 1971 thriller turns out to be a Victorian version of Roger Corman’s "The Wasp Woman." Poker-faced Ralph Bates stars as Dr. Jekyll who feeds on the blood of young women in order to transform into “Mrs.” Hyde, embodied by the intensely alluring Martine Beswicke. Brian Clemen’s ambitious script makes room for appearances by real-life ghouls Burke and Hare and even Jack the Ripper figures into the complex plot.
- 10/27/2014
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
Marc Buxton Oct 21, 2019
Hammer Films produced plenty of amazing horror Movies, but we take a look at the ones the studio abandoned.
Redder than red blood, international ingénues with deep cleavage, lush settings, elaborate costumes and sets, these are just some of the aspects people think of when they remember Hammer Films and the horrors the studio constructed.
Filmed in eye popping color, Hammer’s horror movies brought the Universal pantheon of monsters to life like never before, adding elements of sensual eroticism and (for the age) intense violence to truly update the clunky creatures of yore. Christopher Lee, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Ingrid Pitt, Valerie Leon, David Prowse, and Patrick Troughton filled filmgoers with loathing and desire in Hammer’s world famous gothic films. Hammer often produced massive scale features on shoestring budgets, relying on recycled costumes and sets and the skill of their players to bring...
Hammer Films produced plenty of amazing horror Movies, but we take a look at the ones the studio abandoned.
Redder than red blood, international ingénues with deep cleavage, lush settings, elaborate costumes and sets, these are just some of the aspects people think of when they remember Hammer Films and the horrors the studio constructed.
Filmed in eye popping color, Hammer’s horror movies brought the Universal pantheon of monsters to life like never before, adding elements of sensual eroticism and (for the age) intense violence to truly update the clunky creatures of yore. Christopher Lee, Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Ingrid Pitt, Valerie Leon, David Prowse, and Patrick Troughton filled filmgoers with loathing and desire in Hammer’s world famous gothic films. Hammer often produced massive scale features on shoestring budgets, relying on recycled costumes and sets and the skill of their players to bring...
- 10/14/2014
- Den of Geek
1976 saw the publication of John Brosnan’s excellent book The Horror People. Written during the summer of 1975, it makes interesting reading 40 years down the line. Those who feature prominently in the book – Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Jack Arnold, Michael Carreras, Sam Arkoff, Roy Ward Baker, Freddie Francis, Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson and Milton Subotsky – were still alive, as were Ralph Bates, Mario Bava, Jimmy Carreras, John Carradine, Dan Curtis, John Gilling, Robert Fuest, Michael Gough, Val Guest, Ray Milland, Robert Quarry and Michael Ripper, all of whom were given a mention. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Junior, Michael Reeves and James H Nicholson were not long dead. Hammer, Amicus and American International Pictures were still in existence. George A Romero had yet to achieve his prominence and Stephen King wasn’t even heard of!
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
Brosnan devoted a chapter to a new British company called Tyburn Films. Founded by the charismatic and ambitious Kevin Francis,...
- 7/4/2014
- Shadowlocked
DVD Release Date: Jan. 28, 2014
Price: DVD $59.99
Studio: Acorn
The Agatha Christie Hour: Complete Collection collects ten tales of intrigue and romance from renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie, produced by England’s Thames Television back in 1982-83 and broadcast in the U.S. on PBS’s Mystery!
In these suspenseful stories set in Art Deco-era, lesser-known Christie protagonists—including “happiness expert” Parker Pyne—find themselves embroiled in illicit love affairs, supernatural mysteries, false accusations, life-changing encounters, and murder.
The ensemble casts feature names that are very familiar to fans of British television. They include John Nettles (Midsomer Murders), Amanda Redman (New Tricks), Christopher Cazenove (The Duchess of Duke Street), Ralph Bates (Poldark), Cherie Lunghi (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Maurice Denham (All Passion Spent), James Grout (Inspector Morse), and Stephanie Cole (Doc Martin).
The four-disc, 10-hour-long collection includes the following ten mysteries:
-The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife
-In...
Price: DVD $59.99
Studio: Acorn
The Agatha Christie Hour: Complete Collection collects ten tales of intrigue and romance from renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie, produced by England’s Thames Television back in 1982-83 and broadcast in the U.S. on PBS’s Mystery!
In these suspenseful stories set in Art Deco-era, lesser-known Christie protagonists—including “happiness expert” Parker Pyne—find themselves embroiled in illicit love affairs, supernatural mysteries, false accusations, life-changing encounters, and murder.
The ensemble casts feature names that are very familiar to fans of British television. They include John Nettles (Midsomer Murders), Amanda Redman (New Tricks), Christopher Cazenove (The Duchess of Duke Street), Ralph Bates (Poldark), Cherie Lunghi (Secret Diary of a Call Girl), Maurice Denham (All Passion Spent), James Grout (Inspector Morse), and Stephanie Cole (Doc Martin).
The four-disc, 10-hour-long collection includes the following ten mysteries:
-The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife
-In...
- 1/24/2014
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
November on Horror Channel sees network premieres for a memorable collection of strange cult oddities and forgotten British horror classics, kicking off with the network premiere of Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, starring David Bowie. Joining Bowie in the realm of the weird and wonderful is Roy Boulting’s psychological ground-breaker Twisted Nerve, Michael Powell’s controversial (and classic) Peeping Tom, Robert Fuest’s Hitchcockian And Soon the Darkness and Jimmy Sangster’s Hammer classic Fear in the Night.
Also, there are UK TV premieres for Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt’s directorial feature film debut Before Dawn, Lulu Jarmen’s disturbing Bad Meat (review) and Padraig Reynold’s festival favourite Rites of Spring (review).
The line up in full:
Fri 1 Nov @ 22:55 – The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this cult classic stars David Bowies (in...
Also, there are UK TV premieres for Emmerdale actor Dominic Brunt’s directorial feature film debut Before Dawn, Lulu Jarmen’s disturbing Bad Meat (review) and Padraig Reynold’s festival favourite Rites of Spring (review).
The line up in full:
Fri 1 Nov @ 22:55 – The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976)
Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this cult classic stars David Bowies (in...
- 10/18/2013
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Christopher Lee Halloween! week begins at Trailers from Hell with director and Tfh creator Joe Dante introducing the R-rated "Taste the Blood of Dracula," which may be "the last creditable 'Dracula' sequel." Probably the last creditable Dracula sequel and one of the better Hammer productions of the period, despite the fact that the vampire Count himself was a late addition to the mix. Ralph Bates as the fiendish Lord Courtley was intended to take over the reins from Christopher Lee as the continuing menace but the Us distributor insisted on Lee returning to star.
- 10/29/2012
- by Trailers From Hell
- Thompson on Hollywood
On October 8, way back in 1970, Hammer Films released a double bill of The Horror of Frankenstein and Scars of Dracula.
Horror of Frankenstein is one of many Hammer frankenfilms and falls into the mon-com category (monster comedy). Co-written and directed by Jimmy Sangster, Horror of Frankenstein stars Ralph Bates as Victor Frankenstein. Bates was cast to give the movie “youth appeal” and is portrayed as the young, sexy-pants version of the old standard. Kate O’Mara of Hammer’s The Vampire Killers, plays his housekeeper/bed warmer. David Prowse who is best known as Darth Vader in Star Wars portrays the square-headed, muscle-bound monster, who could easily be a WWF star today. He played Frankenstein for Hammer one more time, in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.
The general gist of the story is when Victor Frankenstein isn’t killing neighbors to piece together his monster, he’s frolicking with his maid.
Horror of Frankenstein is one of many Hammer frankenfilms and falls into the mon-com category (monster comedy). Co-written and directed by Jimmy Sangster, Horror of Frankenstein stars Ralph Bates as Victor Frankenstein. Bates was cast to give the movie “youth appeal” and is portrayed as the young, sexy-pants version of the old standard. Kate O’Mara of Hammer’s The Vampire Killers, plays his housekeeper/bed warmer. David Prowse who is best known as Darth Vader in Star Wars portrays the square-headed, muscle-bound monster, who could easily be a WWF star today. He played Frankenstein for Hammer one more time, in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.
The general gist of the story is when Victor Frankenstein isn’t killing neighbors to piece together his monster, he’s frolicking with his maid.
- 10/8/2012
- by Sara Castillo
- FEARnet
By Lee Pfeiffer
The Scorpion DVD label has released the notorious 1976 British horror flick I Don't Want to Be Born under its American title, The Devil Within Her (It was also known as Sharon's Baby). It's easy to see why this cult movie has gained its reputation, as its a real hoot. Joan Collins stars as Lucy, a one-time London stripper who gives up her wild lifestyle in favor of a more sedate life. She marries a successful Italian businessman, Gino (Ralph Bates) and finds herself pregnant immediately after their wedding night. Trouble is, she suspects the real father is actually her sleazy ex-boyfriend Tommy (John Steiner), who she slept with the night before her wedding in order to have one final fling. Things are moving along swimmingly with the happy couple living the good life in a tony section of London. However, when Lucy goes into labor, the process...
The Scorpion DVD label has released the notorious 1976 British horror flick I Don't Want to Be Born under its American title, The Devil Within Her (It was also known as Sharon's Baby). It's easy to see why this cult movie has gained its reputation, as its a real hoot. Joan Collins stars as Lucy, a one-time London stripper who gives up her wild lifestyle in favor of a more sedate life. She marries a successful Italian businessman, Gino (Ralph Bates) and finds herself pregnant immediately after their wedding night. Trouble is, she suspects the real father is actually her sleazy ex-boyfriend Tommy (John Steiner), who she slept with the night before her wedding in order to have one final fling. Things are moving along swimmingly with the happy couple living the good life in a tony section of London. However, when Lucy goes into labor, the process...
- 1/16/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
As our second annual 31 Days of Horror spectacle is now well and truly underway, check out WhatCulture!’s ten best Hammer Horror picks!
They were one of Britain’s most successful film studios throughout their heyday from the late 1950s to mid 1970s and within that time they produced some of the most memorable horror films ever to be made here. After disbanding in the late 1970s, after a slew of commercial flops, today Hammer Picture Productions is a fully-fledged, working company once again. With their production of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, eagerly awaited in cinemas next year and in celebration of our 31 Days of Horror spectacular, it’s time to get nostalgic and remember the 10 Best Hammer Horrors! So dim the lights, grab a cushion…you’re in for some sheer terror!!
10. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
This has to be one of Hammer’s greatest films from the advertising campaign alone!
They were one of Britain’s most successful film studios throughout their heyday from the late 1950s to mid 1970s and within that time they produced some of the most memorable horror films ever to be made here. After disbanding in the late 1970s, after a slew of commercial flops, today Hammer Picture Productions is a fully-fledged, working company once again. With their production of The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, eagerly awaited in cinemas next year and in celebration of our 31 Days of Horror spectacular, it’s time to get nostalgic and remember the 10 Best Hammer Horrors! So dim the lights, grab a cushion…you’re in for some sheer terror!!
10. Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
This has to be one of Hammer’s greatest films from the advertising campaign alone!
- 10/5/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
With the much anticipated release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in theatres today, WhatCulture! were challenged with coming up with our 10 best British ensemble casts. With Tinker’s all star British cast – including the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch – it was a bloody hard challenge to come up with ten that could even come close to rivalling such a solid cast!
Read on to discover what we came up with!
10. Gosford Park (2001)
The murder mystery genre is always one that employs a vast and impressive ensemble cast and Gosford Park is a prime example of how effective a film can be when this is done proficiently. A range of talented British stars fill the screen, disclosing the everyday workings of a 1930s mansion house from the privileged inhabitants and their wealthy guests, right down to the most invisible of servants.
Read on to discover what we came up with!
10. Gosford Park (2001)
The murder mystery genre is always one that employs a vast and impressive ensemble cast and Gosford Park is a prime example of how effective a film can be when this is done proficiently. A range of talented British stars fill the screen, disclosing the everyday workings of a 1930s mansion house from the privileged inhabitants and their wealthy guests, right down to the most invisible of servants.
- 9/16/2011
- by Stuart Cummins
- Obsessed with Film
A merchant witnesses the death of Dracula and scoops up some of his remains, his cloak and an amulet for safe keeping. Years later a trio of respectable gentlemen who are fed up of their bourgeois lifestyle decide to indulge in a bit of black arts.
They meet up with Lord Courtley, one of Dracula’s disciples and together they set about resurrecting the Count. But during the ceremony the gentlemen lose their nerve and bottle it but are unaware that Count Dracula has been brought back to life anyway. Dracula sets out to get revenge on them by targeting their children.
The late 60′s and early 70′s was a testing time for Hammer. With 1968′s Night of the Living Dead bringing a more realistic and downright scary approach to horror, The Exorcist just around the corner and their own films becoming stagnant after hardly changing their formula since the late 50′s,...
They meet up with Lord Courtley, one of Dracula’s disciples and together they set about resurrecting the Count. But during the ceremony the gentlemen lose their nerve and bottle it but are unaware that Count Dracula has been brought back to life anyway. Dracula sets out to get revenge on them by targeting their children.
The late 60′s and early 70′s was a testing time for Hammer. With 1968′s Night of the Living Dead bringing a more realistic and downright scary approach to horror, The Exorcist just around the corner and their own films becoming stagnant after hardly changing their formula since the late 50′s,...
- 8/21/2011
- by Andrew Smith
- DailyDead
A trailer for Hammer Productions’ The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe has arrived like a sudden mist on an October morning, bringing with it that wonderful sense of dread only a Victorian setting can provide.
Playing young solicitor Arthur Kipps, Radcliffe’s recently bereaved single father travels from London to a cursed village in the East Coast, its marshes haunted by sightings of a ‘woman in black’. The film, like the novel by Susan Hill and stage play of the same name, is set during an undetermined period in the 1800s. By the looks of Keith Madden’s classic, traditionally English themed costumes, probably towards the end of the century.
What little we can actually see of the costume design is centred almost entirely on Kipps. He strides, seemingly on arrival in the village, wearing a grey with fine block stripe waistcoat, matching high-waist trousers and frock coat, over...
Playing young solicitor Arthur Kipps, Radcliffe’s recently bereaved single father travels from London to a cursed village in the East Coast, its marshes haunted by sightings of a ‘woman in black’. The film, like the novel by Susan Hill and stage play of the same name, is set during an undetermined period in the 1800s. By the looks of Keith Madden’s classic, traditionally English themed costumes, probably towards the end of the century.
What little we can actually see of the costume design is centred almost entirely on Kipps. He strides, seemingly on arrival in the village, wearing a grey with fine block stripe waistcoat, matching high-waist trousers and frock coat, over...
- 8/19/2011
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
For those familiar with Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula, the character of Dr Van Helsing is a strange, almost unintelligible, elderly eccentric who practically speaks Double-Dutch! After reading the book one wonders how someone as formidable as Count Dracula could ever be defeated by this rather odd and seemingly ineffectual little Dutchman.
In cinematic terms, the character is unactable on screen. Peter Cushing remains the definitive Van Helsing because he’s (thankfully) furthest from the book. His Van Helsing was portrayed as an intelligent and resourceful action hero; the prototype for Hugh Jackman’s later interpretation.
With the exception of Cushing, Jackman and Edward Van Sloan (who played the part in the thirties), the other movie Van Helsings have been pretty dire, and the better the actor, the worse he is in the role. Let’s have a look at the ten really bad ones.
An established horror name with great screen presence,...
In cinematic terms, the character is unactable on screen. Peter Cushing remains the definitive Van Helsing because he’s (thankfully) furthest from the book. His Van Helsing was portrayed as an intelligent and resourceful action hero; the prototype for Hugh Jackman’s later interpretation.
With the exception of Cushing, Jackman and Edward Van Sloan (who played the part in the thirties), the other movie Van Helsings have been pretty dire, and the better the actor, the worse he is in the role. Let’s have a look at the ten really bad ones.
An established horror name with great screen presence,...
- 1/14/2011
- Shadowlocked
DVD Playhouse December 2010
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
- 12/20/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
For nearly half of the previous century, Hammer Films productions was one of the most well known movies for science fiction, thrillers, film noirs and comedies. Many Hammer’s films featured well known actors like Ralph Bates, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. With its recent release of “Let Me in,” Hammer Films is currently in production of “The Woman in Black” with actor Daniel Radcliffe and plans to possibly revive its horror classics like “Quatermass” and “Dracula.” Check out the following news video from the United Kingdom about Hammer Films and a behind the scenes look of “The Woman in Black.” Gig Patta’s Take: I’ve seen a few of Hammer’s films including “Dracula,” “The Mummy,” and even “The Gorgon.” They weren’t too bad, especially for films made about 50 years ago. Remakes and updates to these Hammer Films are probably not a bad idea to introduce the movies to a new generation.
- 11/6/2010
- LRMonline.com
Marilyn Monroe, Don't Bother to Knock Roy Ward Baker, best known for directing Marilyn Monroe in her first dramatic lead, Don’t Bother to Knock (1952), for the 1958 Titanic drama A Night to Remember, and for handling an eyepatched Bette Davis in The Anniversary (1968), died on Oct. 5. Ward Baker (born on Dec. 16, 1914, in London) was 93. Among the filmmaker's other efforts — many of which for Hammer — are the sci-fier Quatermass and the Pit / Five Million Years to Earth (1967), with Andrew Keir as Professor Quatermass; Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971), in which Ralph Bates is turned into Martine Beswick; and the omnibus horror/sci-fier Asylum (1972), with an all-star cast that included Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland, Barbara Parkins, Charlotte Rampling, Herbert Lom, Richard Todd, and Sylvia Syms. On television, Ward Baker directed episodes for some of the best known British series, including The Saint and [...]...
- 10/8/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Why do so many decent British actors slum it in effects movies? It may look like a sweet gig but there are hidden dangers, warns John Patterson
Paul Bettany is an actor worthy of our admiration and respect, given his work in Darwin, Gangster No 1, Master And Commander and others. But Legion – in which he's a rebel angel saving humanity from God's rage at a gas station in the Mojave Desert – is one of those movies where he's the best thing in it, and everything going on around him is nonsense. This drearily blood-soaked piece of drive-in ephemera, which lacks the courage of its B-movie convictions, and certainly doesn't deserve him, displays all the dread symptoms of the contemporary horror movie: noise, incoherence, effects that look dated by release day, and British actors pissing away their talent. Does Bettany really have to save Dennis Quaid, as he must in Legion?...
Paul Bettany is an actor worthy of our admiration and respect, given his work in Darwin, Gangster No 1, Master And Commander and others. But Legion – in which he's a rebel angel saving humanity from God's rage at a gas station in the Mojave Desert – is one of those movies where he's the best thing in it, and everything going on around him is nonsense. This drearily blood-soaked piece of drive-in ephemera, which lacks the courage of its B-movie convictions, and certainly doesn't deserve him, displays all the dread symptoms of the contemporary horror movie: noise, incoherence, effects that look dated by release day, and British actors pissing away their talent. Does Bettany really have to save Dennis Quaid, as he must in Legion?...
- 2/27/2010
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
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