What is the most popular Hammer Horror film?

[Widescreen]

I remember Hammer horror films making a regular appearance on late night television on the BBC around twenty years ago. I used to watch them with a load of friends and we all used to love them despite their faults. To this day we all argue about which was the best one to come out of the Bray studio. My own personal favourites were The Reptile, The Plague of the Zombies, The Vampire Lovers, The Abominable Snowman and On The Buses( purely for the length or rather lack of the clippies mini skirts!) I have always wanted to see The Gorgan but with little success!

[will.15]

I haven't seen the Gorgon in decades. My recollection it is a little unusual for a Hammer movie, little more like a Val Lewton, not much horror until the climax, but well done.

[Sgt Sunshine]

"The Gorgon" happens to be my next Hammer on my list........Still a few copies (DVD's) floating about on e-bay......

Very much looking forward to getting this one........

Sgt S

[Carl V]

The Gorgon was shown by the BBC in 2007 when it was screening a series of films under the heading of Summer Of British Films. It's great to see Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the same movie.



I'd be really hard pressed to pick a favourite Hammer film. I like pretty much any of them from the 50s and 60s.

[Gerald Lovell]

I too am a great fan of the early-to-middle-era Hammers. The R1 DVD of "The Gorgon" was the American print and curiously had the billings of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee the other way round, with Lee billed first.

[taffy1967]

I like them all and I actually appreciate watching Christopher Lee playing Count Dracula in many a Hammer classic (I know he got sick of it), than any newer predictable American slasher film.



But I think my favourites are the ones with a compendium of stories. Like 'The House That Dripped Blood, 'Asylum', 'Vault Of Horror', 'From Beyond The Grave' and even 'Monster Club'.

[GoggleboxUK]

The House That Dripped Blood, The Devil Rides Out and To the Devil a Daughter are my favourites although you'd have trouble getting my attention if any of them were playing (as my good lady will testify).

[Dave Rattigan]

The House That Dripped Blood is an Amicus film - but a classic, nevertheless.



As for the greatest Hammer film, for me it's a tie between Dracula (1958) and The Devil Rides Out (1968). In my opinion, these are the two films in which all the elements - cast, direction, photography, design, music etc - come together perfectly.



Other really fine Hammer horrors are too numerous to mention. A few that stand out are Quatermass and the Pit, The Kiss of the Vampire, The Reptile, The Curse of the Werewolf, Frankenstein Created Woman, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Dracula Prince of Darkness, The Nanny and The Gorgon.



How about the worst? Scars of Dracula and Lust for a Vampire are probably up there for me. They typify the campy, clumsy, tatty-looking fare that some folk think of instinctively when they hear the words "Hammer horror". Having said that, I'll watch (and love, in the way only a die-hard fan can love) anything that has the Hammer label attached.



Seems an appropriate time to pimp my website, by the way: Dictionary of Hammer Horror.

[jaycad]

'dracula'(1958) for me!

[torinfan]

I liked Christopher Lee in "Dracula", too.

[batman]

name='Dave Rattigan']

As for the greatest Hammer film, for me it's a tie between Dracula (1958) and The Devil Rides Out (1968). In my opinion, these are the two films in which all the elements - cast, direction, photography, design, music etc - come together perfectly. Other really fine Hammer horrors are too numerous to mention. A few that stand out are Quatermass and the Pit.

I would agree with those choices, although I have an affection for Dracula-Prince of Darkness, Brian Donlevy's Quatermass films and X-The Unknown.

[mrs_emma_peel]

My Hammer Horror favourites are …



The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)

The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Dracula (1958)

[Sgt Sunshine]

My top 5 Hammer Horrors...............

1. To The Devil a Daughter..........1976

2. Quatermass and the Pit.........1967

3. The Nanny............1965

4. Fanatic.............1965

5. The Devil Rides Out.......1967

Of the roughly 175 films made since 1933 (discounting series made in the 80's) I have only seen 25 or so......

Cheers

Sgt S

[quippy]

You easily can get The Gorgon, together with The Curse of The Mummy's Tomb, Scream of Fear and The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll on this region 1 double disc set.

[didi-5]

The Devil Rides Out is my favourite Hammer as well of those I've seen. It seems to be the same group of films which make it on to TV.

[Thibault]

For me it's got to be:

• Dracula (1958)
  
• The Mummy
  

I really like the Hammer Dracula films, mainly because Dracula is played in a way which gives him a "character" with emotions, rather than simply a card-board cut out blood sucking machine like earlier versions.



Admittedly the later films did not include enough of the title character, but the first one was, for me, the best Dracula film ever.



Christopher Lee as The Mummy managed to convey a range of emotions simply through body language and the eyes - a really excellent performance. The "Egyptian" settings were very good too. Hammer went to a lot of trouble to get an expert to advise on the Princess's burial scenes.

[SCARES]

VAMPIRE CIRCUS (1971) & TWINS OF EVIL (1971) get my vote!

[charliekane]

name='batman']I would agree with those choices, although I have an affection for Dracula-Prince of Darkness, Brian Donlevy's Quatermass films and X-The Unknown.

Particularly fond of Quatermass and the Pit -

Dracula - Prince of Darkness - always find the murder of Charles Tingwell by Philip Armstrongs' magnificently creepy Klove disturbingly brutal.

[scenesixty]

For me:



Dracula (1958)

Cash On Demand

Nightmare

Shadow Of The Cat

Paranoiac

Plague Of The Zombies

[Mandragora]

Over the years I spent a lot of time and money collecting the entire catalogue of Hammer Horror and despite one or two not so good films I regularly enjoy viewing them.

I can watch The Devil Rides Out ad infinitum and always enjoy it, even its little idiosyncrasies.

I have great respect for the manner in which various production crews, actors and actresses could produce films that still have a following, on limited budgets and within a very tight filming schedule. In many ways Hammer really developed the gothic horror genre with tried and tested formulas that have since been imitated by others.

I have a special fondness for Taste the Blood of Dracula. One of the strengths of Hammer was I think in employing some of our most talented character actors.

One of my teenage memories is of seeing a double bill of The Brides of Dracula and To the Devil a Daughter at a cinema in Cosham... Hammer on the big screen gives it a whole new dimension...