The World of Hammer

For over two decades, Peter Cushing brought an unparalleled dignity, grace and dramatic skill to his roles as Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing, Baron Frankenstein and more, in dozens of classic movies. Whether stoically heroic or sadistically diabolical, Cushing truly became the heart and soul of the Hammer Films dynasty. Films included: The Abominable Snowman (1957) / The Brides of Dracula (1960) / The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) / Dracula (1958) / The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) / Fear in the Night (1972) / Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974) / The Mummy (1959) / SHE (1965) / Twins of Evil (1971).

For generations of audiences, Hammer Films defined the legend of Count Dracula. As portrayed by Christopher Lee, the Count was brilliantly reborn as a seductive icon of forbidden desire and everlasting evil. Later, the studio would broaden their bloody palette of the undead to further redefine the entire vampire genre. Today, these movies remain among the most visually stunning and thematically provocative vampire films in all of cinematic history. Films included: The Brides of Dracula (1960) / Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1972) / Dracula (1958) / Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) / Kiss of the Vampire (1962) / The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974) / Scars of Dracula (1970) / Vampire Circus (1972).

Few films had a greater impact on the '60s than the unforgettable genre known as 'Hammer Glamours' epics that delivered their own singular vision of history—and especially pre-history—with liberal doses of both flesh and fantasy. With special effects as eye-popping as the actresses, these films created puberty's essential bridge between the thrill of cool monsters and the sensation of gorgeous women. Films included: Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) / Creatures the World Forgot (1971) / The Lost Continent (1968) / One Million Years B.C. (1966) / SHE (1965) / The Vengeance of SHE (1968) / The Viking Queen (1967).

Through the years, Hammer's depiction of female vampires was consistently groundbreaking and always controversial. In exploring the fine line between forbidden desire and the curse of the undead, Hammer's vamps shocked critics and delighted audiences worldwide with explicit eroticism and stylish decadence. Films included: The Brides of Dracula (1960) / Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1972) / Dracula (1958) / Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) / Kiss of the Vampire (1962) / Lust for a Vampire (1970) / Twins Of Evil (1971) / The Vampire Lovers (1970).

The Wicked Women of Hammer included such cult icons and screen legends as Bette Davis, Ingrid Pitt, Joan Fontaine, Martine Beswick, Tallulah Bankhead, Lizabeth Scott, and more. From savage horror to tense drama to high camp, these deadly dames delivered some of the most surprising and shocking performances of their entire careers in some of Hammer's most infamous films. Films included: The Anniversary (1968) / Black Widow (1951) / Countess Dracula (1970) / Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) / Fanatic (1965) / The Nanny (1965) / Stolen Face (1952) / The Witches (1966).

Hammer's war films covered controversial stories such as The Camp on Blood Island and The Steel Bayonet, comedies including I Only Arsked and Further Up the Creek, and even a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes. Films included: Break in the Circle (1955) / The Camp on Blood Island (1958) / Further Up the Creek (1958) / I Only Arsked (1958) / The Lady Vanishes (1979) / The Secret of Blood Island (1964) / Up the Creek (1958) / Ten Seconds to Hell (1959) / The Steel Bayonet (1957) / Yesterday's Enemy (1959).