Hammer Horror Podcast

The final instalment of Hammer's Mummy franchise ventured into a different direction and gave us Valerie Leon as Queen Tessa. Find out our views of the film in our latest podcast

The Hammer Horror podcast team continue their discussions of The Mummy franchise with The Mummy's Shroud. Time to unravel this classic British horror starring Andre Morell as Sir Basil Walden and the final movie to be made at Bray Studios for the company.

Hammer Productions would continue unveiling the horror monsters of the 30's and bestow a second outing for the bandaged menace, The Mummy.  The Hammer Horror podcast team venture into this sequel and unravel the remains to see if it still stands the test of time.

It was inevitable that Hammer Horror would continue in their success and following in Universal Horror’s footsteps. It all started with The Curse of Frankenstein, and then Dracula, before turning their attention to The Mummy. Once more, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee would reunite as was their winning formula. Cushing playing the hero again as heroic archaeologist, John Banning, and Lee would don the make-up to take on the monster of the piece, The Mummy. Hammer Films  were in their element and below is the Hammer Horror Podcast teams thoughts and views on the film.

If you look up Shane Briant, you’ll see that he is now a successful novelist. Believe it or not, this is not his day job. In acting and film circles he has carved a strong reputation amongst his peers and critics alike. Having emigrated to Australia in the 80s, he has cropped up in numerous TV and films over the years, but it is perhaps his first foray into the movie world that he is best remembered for – at least amongst the Hammer aficionado and would indeed craft a style of performance from him that would see him playing various evil incarnations throughout his career. This would also, lead him to release an autobiography, with a similar vein in mind, Always The Bad Guy.

The 7th and final chapter in the Frankenstein Franchise for Hammer sees them return to what had originally worked with its predecessors. Along with it comes the return of Cushing and Fisher. So we can be rest assured that we are in safe hands. Frankenstein is alive and well and living in a mental asylum, where there are no limits to the work that he can carry out. The lunatic has literally taken over the asylum. HHP cast our views on whether the last of the Frankenstein movies ends on the right note or does it merely go out with a whimper?

We are now into the 6th instalment of the Frankenstein Franchise as visioned by Hammer Productions. It’s first in the 70s and it definitely feels it. Out with the old and in with the new as they say, as Hammer tries to sex up the image of Frankenstein. Cushing is cast aside and in comes Ralph Bates to take on the titular character. At the time, Hammer were trying to mould Ralph Bates as the new face of Hammer Horror. But will this new approach take effect? And will the fact that Jimmy Sangster’s triple role of writer, producer and director limit the scope of Hammer’s new vision?

The 5th in the Frankenstein franchise and possibly its finest, sees Frankenstein once again portrayed by Peter Cushing, tackle brain surgery to save an associate who has gone mad. His motive though lies in a formula that he wishes to receive from the doctor, but to what extent

The fourth film in Hammer’s Frankenstein franchise and the return of Terence Fisher as director. In Frankenstein Created Woman, the Baron sheds his pursuit of the physical transference of the human body and focuses on the metaphysical. Is it possible to transfer the human soul into the body of another? HHP discuss the ramifications of this switch in story style

The 3rd instalment of the Frankenstein franchise sees the monster take on the more traditional look that audiences had become familiar with from the Universal Pictures classics. This was in part due to the collaboration Universal as part of a distribution deal, which allowed Hammer free reign to duplicate make-up and set elements. Before Hammer had been restricted to do so, but by keeping close to the look and feel of Hammers’ gothic film predecessors, do they in turn lose some of their identity?

It was inevitable with the success of Curse of Frankenstein that Hammer would revisit the Frankenstein franchise. (In fact they would do so again another 5 times throughout their history) So, a sequel was quickly rustled up with Cushing taking on the role of Frankenstein once more and Terence Fisher was once again called upon to take on directorial duties. But would they be able to pull off the winning formula that was established in its predecessor?

Hammer’s first endeavor into the realms of television would lead them to explore the options of expanding the Frankenstein universe. Armed with a series of ideas for potential episodes (most of which would be used one way or another in future films) they teamed up with Columbia Pictures. Creative differences would however play a part in this collaboration and the series would never be picked up. All that remains is the pilot for the show and the team at HHP have reviewed it in keeping with our Frankenstein Edition podcast

As we begin our 3rd podcast season, it seems only fitting that we should divert our attention to the Frankenstein franchise. After all, it was the monster that created Hammer. Off the back of the success with Quatermass; Quatermass 2 and X: The Unknown, Hammer were primed to make their next move by adopting one of Universal’s much loved monsters, Frankenstein’s creation. The Curse of Frankenstein would make screen legends out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Combined with the directorial duties of Terence Fisher, the writing skills of Jimmy Sangster and with James Carreras at the helm, Hammer Productions would create a recipe that would result in movie history. Finally Gothic horror had a new home on the celluloid screen and it would be in glorious colour. A new wave of horror truly found a new home and would inspire and pave the way for many film directors and artists to come.

The second movie in our Double Bill sees Hammer take on the remake of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel, Let The Right One In. Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Grace Moritz would headline the cast as the star-crossed pair, struggling to find a way to fit into society. But how does Hammer’s version measure up

For our 8th instalment to the Vampire Tales Edition of the Hammer Horror Podcast, we head to more recent times with New Hammer films. The first of which is Beyond The Rave, a webseries launched on My Space to insert Hammer back into the popular culture main frame. This film is truly a whole new beast delivered in 20 parts, it certainly tries to pack a punch with a blend of old and new horror (Pitt, Frost and Noone) but does it deliver? Greer and I cast or views below

The seventh instalment of the Vampire Tales edition of the Hammer Horror podcast ventures for the final time into “Old Hammer” with a film called, Vampire Circus, which witnesses the demise of Count Mitterhaus, only for him to inflict a curse on the village with his dying words. The village then finds themselves plague ridden and a mysterious troupe arrive to entertain the villagers whilst slowly taking the children of those who slayed the Count in order to resurrect him from the dead. Myles Davies and I look further into this film and cast our thoughts

For the Hammer Horror podcast teams fourth instalment into The Vampire Tales, we see the return of the “Hammer Queen” Ingrid Pitt taking on the titular role, but can her presence alone provide the strength that this movie needs to become a staple part of the Hammer film franchise? Peter Sasdy struggles to inject the historical angle, being based on the infamous Countess Elizabeth Bathory, alongside the producers wish to keep as much gore and horror into the mix. Ben Skinner and I cast our thoughts over whether or not this internal struggle played a part on the films impact.

For the fifth instalment in the Vampire Tales edition, Meredith and I go old school, by casting ourselves back to 1963’s Kiss of the Vampire, marking Hammer’s traditional gothic horror tale of a stranded couple who come across an aristocratic family headed by Dr Ravna who aren’t all they appear to be. Can the slightly eccentric Professor Zimmer played by the amiable Clifford Evans be able to aid them in their darkest needs

Our fourth instalment sees OBE screenwriter Brian Clemens at the helm and Hammer Glamour star, Caroline Munro in the mix, but could Kronos stand out amongst its fellow Vampire Tale entries? The movie itself has become a cult phenomenon and strives with a different take on the vampire myth, but what do regular podcasters Antony Yee and I think of the attempt to twist the story behind this legend? Fortunately we are aided by Guest Podcaster, producer of The Tunnel and web series Event Zero, Enzo Tedeschi to guide us in the decision process

The final part of the Karnstein Trilogy marks the return of Peter Cushing, this time playing one of his finest on screen creations Gustav Weil. The film itself is probably best remembered for its central characters, Maria and Freida, played by twins and former playboy playmates, Mary and Madeleine Collinson as they are tempted by Count Karnstein and his demonic ways. Myles Davies and I cast our thoughts on the movie.

The second part of the Karnstein Trilogy would see the role of Carmilla played by Yutte Stensgaard, with her being resurrected and then entering a finishing school, where she starts to prey on the girls to satisfy her lust for blood. Some Hammer fans have declared this movie too camp, despite it reaching a somewhat camp status and despite Ralph Bates’ strong portrayal, can this movie really stand out in its own right in the trilogy. New blood podcaster Greer Nagle cast our thoughts.

Our first venture into the Vampire Tales sees the Hammer Horror Podcast team delve into the Karnstein Trilogy. New blood podcaster, Ben Skinner and I look at the first in the trilogy, The Vampire Lovers, which to some was dubbed the ‘lesbian vampire movie’. It also saw Ingrid Pitt take on the mantle of queen of horror, as it not only made a star of her in Hammer circles but on the horror film circuit too. But what do we make of the movie that branched Hammer into a whole new direction.

Our final instalment of the Dracula franchise sees Hammer team up with the Shaw Brothers with a blend of kung fu and horror. Van Helsing returns played once more by the amiable Peter Cushing and despite Dracula returning to the scene, Christopher Lee this time does not don the cape. Instead the role is taken up by John Forbes Robertson. Does he measure up and what are the views of the podcasters? Join us as we venture further through the Q Station.

For our final podcast instalment on the Hammer Horror Dracula franchise, we thought that we’d give you, the listeners, a special treat and thanks to the management at Q Station in Manly, we were able to bring you the podcast, recorded live from grounds. So we have set up this page slightly differently to previous posts. In the first part we talk about The Satanic Rites of Dracula . Additionally, we have also recorded our thoughts and reactions as we navigated our way through the Quarantine Station complex and its various haunted spots, ably guided by our Q Station host, Jake. Needless to say, we got a lot more than we bargained for as we experienced an extremely active night

It’s 1972 and Hammer have started to shift their celluloid output into a different direction, with more blood and more cleavage but what of its style and how would this impact on the beloved Dracula franchise? Meredith and I discuss the 7th instalment, which reunites Dracula against his old foe, Van Helsing both played by Hammer regulars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Fittingly we have released this podcast edition to coincide with Mr Cushing’s Centenary.  What will the podcasters make of the revamped Dracula?

The sixth instalment of the Hammer Horror Dracula franchise, Scars of Dracula once more bears witness to Christopher Lee taking on the titular role for his fifth turn. With a bloodier, gorier version than has laid before, Hammer start to up the ante, casting the notorious Patrick Troughton as Klove and….ahem…Dennis Waterman….and…err…bats. Still, Myles Davies and I set about casting our views. To check out our thoughts, click on the links below and listen to the latest podcast.

2 Years has passed since the last Dracula instalment and for the first time, has a new director at the helm, Freddie Francis. Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, ventures into new territory, visually and therefore offers a whole new slant on the Hammer franchise.

Like Dracula himself, the Hammer Horror podcast team have resurrected ourselves for the third instalment of the Dracula franchise; Dracula: Prince of Darkness. By now Hammer productions have truly established themselves in the film industry with notable movies along the way, providing great success for the company. In this instance we see Christopher Lee return to the titular role along with notable players, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir providing strength in the acting department combined with a script and formula that is now truly cemented, it appears that Hammer can not be faulted, but what are the opinions of myself and fellow podcaster Antony Yee? Click the links below to find out.

Since the release of Dracula, Hammer Productions had a mixture of success, with a return to another monster franchise with Revenge of Frankenstein and a huge hit with The Mummy, by which stage Hammer had established ‘ a gift of harnessing talents to achieve a harmony of purpose’ The movie Dracula had reportedly saved Hammer Productions from bankruptcy and business was doing well globally with success particularly high in Britain, Japan and the States. Hammer were eager to repeat the performance with a sequel. After a few redrafts of Jimmy Sangster’s original script, The Brides of Dracula soon went into production with Peter Cushing reprising his role of Van Helsing. This time however the villainous duties would fall upon David Peel as Baron Meinster, Christopher Lee allegedly turning down the chance to don Dracula’s cape at least this time around. Fellow podcaster, Myles Davies and I discuss the second Dracula instalment that Hammer delivered. Does it stand up next to it’s predecessor or should it be staked through its celluloid heart? Listen to the audio links below to find out our thoughts.

On 22 May 1958, Hammer Film Productions release what would be the first in a number of Dracula movies, following on from the successful release of Curse of Frankenstein. Dracula would be a loose re-imagination of the Bram Stoker novel, utilising the same tools and methods that had made Frankenstein such a success. The following is a podcast in which I endeavour to look at the movie in some detail and how it stands up today, with the assistance of my co-host, Antony Yee. Now, we are in no way experts or gurus in the name of Hammer, just fans of their work and the horror genre, so hopefully this will show in our discussions. So feel free to listen below and please add any thoughts or comments to our conversations