Hammer-Rama Drama Dilemma

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Hammer-Rama Drama Dilemma; What to do about the "Hammer Problem"?
Topic Started: Sep 13 2009, 12:58 PM (474 Views)
Laughing Gravy	Sep 13 2009, 12:58 PM Post #1
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Yes, it's that time again when I'm scheduling the features and shorts for a new season of FNF, and once again, I'm at a loss to figure out what to do about "The Hammer Problem" - a bunch of colorful, popular monster movies that nobody around my house seems to like very much (including me). Breaking down the films into categories... Quatermass The Quatermass Xperiment (1954, called The Creeping Unknown in the US) Quatermass 2 (1956, called Enemy from Space in the US) Quatermass and the Pit (1967) I haven't seen any of them. Frankenstein The Curse of Frankenstein (1956) The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) The Evil of Frankenstein (1963) Frankenstein Created Women (1966) Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1972) The only one of these we've seen on FNF since I moved to California ten years ago was the first one, and there was no enthusiasm for seeing another. I rather like "Evil" though. Dracula Horror of Dracula (1957) The Brides of Dracula (1960) Kiss of the Vampire (1962) Dracula Prince of Darkness (1964) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969) Scars of Dracula (1970) Dracula A.D. 1972 (1971) The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1972) Yeah, I know, technically "Kiss" isn't a Dracula movie, except that it was known as "Dracula 3" up until filming started, according to my book on Hammer. In any case, I'm lukewarm about these films up through 1969; I've never seen Satanic Rites but the other modern-day one is dreadful. "Brides" is one of my faves. We've seen "Horror" twice in the past 6 years, "Brides" three years ago, and "Prince of Darkness" last year with "Risen from the Grave" scheduled for this year. The Mummy The Mummy (1959) Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964) The Mummy's Shroud (1966) Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971) Alright, I know I should be pickier, but hey, I just LOVE mummy movies and like all of these, particularly the first one, probably my fave Hammer film of all of 'em. We haven't seen it on FNF in 8 years, so we'll be getting back to it soon. Other Remakes The Hound of the Baskervilles (1958) The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) Curse of the Werewolf (1961) The Phantom of the Opera (1961) The Old Dark House (1962) I don't care for "Phantom" very much and "Werewolf" (which, I know, technically isn't a remake of "The Wolf Man", but what th' hell) is one of my very favorite Hammers; the others I absolutely hate. Again, been a long time since we've seen "Werewolf" so I'll schedule it soon. Miscellaneous Horrors X the Unknown (1956) The Abominable Snowman (1957) The Man who could Cheat Death (1958) The Shadow of the Cat (1960) The Gorgon (1963) Rasputin the Mad Monk (1965) The Plague of the Zombies (1965) The Reptile (1965) The Witches (1966) The Devil Rides Out (1967) The Vampire Lovers (1970) Lust for a Vampire (1970) Countess Dracula (1970) Hands of the Ripper (1971) Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971) Twins of Evil (1971) Vampire Circus (1971) Captain Kronos Vampie Hunter (1972) To the Devil a Daughter (1975) I have seen a few of these; none of them struck me as particularly note-worthy except "Sister Hyde". I'm curious to see The Reptile again, and Shadow of the Cat. Psycho-Thrillers Never take Sweets [Candy] from a Stranger (1959) The Full Treatment (US: Stop Me Before I Kill) (1960) Taste of Fear (US: Scream of Fear) (1961) Maniac (1962) Paranoiac (1962) Nightmare (1962) Hysteria (1964) Fanatic (US: Die! Die! My Darling) (1964) The Nanny (1965) I have seen most of these and liked a few of them, including The Nanny, which we've shown on FNF, and Nightmare, which we haven't gotten to yet. Adventures She (1964) One Million Years B.C. (1965) The Viking Queen (1966) The Vengeance of She (1967) The Lost Continent (1967) When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1968) Moon Zero Two (1969) Creatures the World Forgot (1970) I like the "One Million" and "Dinosaurs", and we've seen both on FNF. What th' HELL?? The Damned (US: These are the Damned) (1961) Captain Clegg (US: Night Creatures) (1961) Crescendo (1969) Demons of the Mind (1971) Fear in the Night (1971) No idea. Anybody want to make a case for any of these as being "must-see" FNF TV???



AndyFish	Sep 13 2009, 05:03 PM Post #2
Movie Watcha Foist Class Posts: 201 Group: Members Member #224 Joined: June 11, 2007	I've been having a Hammerfest around my studio lately-- maybe it accounts for the feelings of depression and urge to kill myself I've had lately. I find all of them boring-- Horror Of Dracula being probably the best one of the bunch. Dracula AD 1972 held my interest. Curse of Frankenstein has some good moments, as does Evil of Frankenstein-- as for the rest, I'd give a half hearted thumbs up to Abominable Snowman, otherwise I wish you better luck than I've had slugging through these. I agree on The Mummy (1958)-- I think that's the best Hammer film I've seen.
	www.hebsandfish.com


Frank Hale	Sep 13 2009, 05:50 PM Post #3
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 828 Group: Members Member #59 Joined: October 6, 2005	I saw Stranglers of Bombay a while back, which I thought was pretty good for a Hammer film. Glenn Erickson seems to like it a lot, also. But perhaps it�s a bit grisly for your crowd. Leaving that aside, however, and not having a copy of the FNF by-laws in hand, I�m not quite grasping why you feel you need to show a Hammer film if no one likes them.



panzer the great & terrible	Sep 13 2009, 06:49 PM Post #4
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	The Devil Rides Out and Vampire Circus are the only two I like that you haven't mentioned. Devil is in the vein of Curse of the Demon: a deadly Satanist cult menaces a group of aristocrats in one of Richard Matheson's best screenplays. Production values are sensational. Some scenes are shot in a real English manor house, and the Edwardian costumes are splendid. This picture has more energy than other Hammers. Though Terence Fisher directed, there's none of his usual Victorian heaviness, and no heaving cleavage to speak of; the story is the star. Alas, there is one scene with people splayed out on the floor inside a pentagram that you can't help giggling at, but the rest is suspenseful, and how many Hammers can you say that about?. Chris Lee is the hero, a French nobleman who arrives in time to battle the wicked Mocata (scary performance by Charles Grey), who wants to sacrifice Lee's niece on the devil's altar. I don't always like Lee's acting, but he's perfectly cast here as a guy who's fiercely passionate but austere at the same time. I don't understand how this movie fell between the cracks -- it's good. Vampire Circus belongs in the silly department. I couldn't begin to synopsize the plot -- kept losing my concentration reading the IMDb synopsis, but suffice it to say that it's about The Circus of Night, which comes to a plague-ridden village to avenge the death of a vampire relative. The film's zippy, with several monsters including a Panther Dude and a lady who dances with nothing but tiger stripes on (OK for kids though). There really isn't another movie like it: you never know what's coming next. There's an aura of menace throughout, but no scares and no gore. Some images I haven't forgotten in forty years, and that's one test of a good movie. It's not on a par with Devil, but no other Hammer is either. Warning! Give any Hammer with a screenplay by Jimmy Sangster a wide berth. One of the most inept writers in film history, he did a string of Homicidal imitations, each one worse than the last. He is the poster child for smarmy. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Sep 13 2009, 08:19 PM.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Ignatz Ratzkywatzky	Sep 13 2009, 06:49 PM Post #5
Charter Member Posts: 749 Group: Members Member #28 Joined: September 5, 2005	If you haven't seen Quatermass & the Pit, I'd put that at the top of the list. It's an intelligent and influential sci-fi film with touches of horror. It's sort of like an above-average Dr. Who episode that explores some of the same themes later touched upon in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Another one that I'd say is essential is The Devil Rides Out--a solid occult thriller. Otherwise, my favorites are the Frankensteins. Curse of Frankenstein got the series off to a slow start. It's plodding and takes itself too seriously. However, the Terence Fisher/Peter Cushing collaborations that followed are loads of fun. Revenge and Must Be Destroyed are my personal faves. I can't speak for the Frankensteins not directed by Fisher (Evil and Horror), as I've never seen them. Finally, while Captain Kronos isn't exactly a good movie, it is a fun movie. There are good ideas in it, from The Avengers creator Brian Clemens, but it does suffer from its low budget. It would have been interesting if the Cap'n would have become a series character, as originally intended.
	Read reviews, news, and features from the world of soused cinema at "Booze Movies: The 100 Proof Film Guide." http://boozemovies.com/


panzer the great & terrible	Sep 13 2009, 06:56 PM Post #6
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	I agree that Captain Kronos is fun, but it makes even less sense than Vampire Circus. Speaking of that, I was speaking to an old pal who found me on FaceBook -- he's reading a book on the human brain, and said something along the lines of: we all know bazillions of songs and gazillions of images too. Isn't the human brain a marvel? Isn't it amazing that we remember some piece of crap movie we saw decades ago? We be cooler than we think!
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Vornoff	Sep 13 2009, 07:33 PM Post #7
Charter Member Posts: 483 Group: Members Member #54 Joined: September 16, 2005	I second Ignatz' emotion. Quatermass and the Pit is simply excellent, classic sci-fi. The other two Quatermasses are also fun. For horror, I really liked Twins of Evil with the Collinson twins. Oh my. Keep the kiddies away, though.
	"Doctor of nothing!"


Laughing Gravy	Sep 13 2009, 07:45 PM Post #8
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Thanks, guys. And Mr. Hale asks a good question: why watch them? I'm glad somebody asked that. Part of the whole FNF thing is to introduce young people to the entire scope of "old movies", and that certainly includes Hammer, a studio that has influenced some of the films they've seen on their own. All kids know who Christopher Lee is from the Lord of the Rings films and whatever Star Wars movie he was in (I didn't see it) so damn it, I want them to know they guy was to Dracula in the 1960s what Sean Connery was to 007. AND... the movies we watch are overwhelmingly in black and white, and I like to mix in color films occasionally just for aesthetic purposes. You know me. Since most of our films are from pre-1970, that pretty much leaves the Corman Poe thrillers and the Hammer films as color/colour offerings. AND... we like series films, and enjoy seeing characters return and whatnot. AND... we're huge fans of the Universal monsters, so following up Kharis in The Mummy's Tomb with Kharis in The Mummy makes perfect sense, don't it? AND... Come on, we watch about 35-50 old movies a year, and have for 24 years, 10 years here in California. We have a big schedule to fill, Mr. Hale.



panzer the great & terrible	Sep 13 2009, 08:04 PM Post #9
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	Good answer!
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Laughing Gravy	Sep 13 2009, 09:36 PM Post #10
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Just for fun, I looked back over our schedule for the last three seasons... a total of 110 feature films. American-International Pictures films: 15 Universal horror films: 12 (Not counting Sherlock Holmes or Maria Montez films, another 4 or 5 total of those) Hammer films: 4 (Horror of Dracula, The Nanny, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Dracula Prince of Darkness) I'm pretty sure we saw as many Astor Pictures offerings as we saw Hammer. I guess what I had in mind asking the question is the same as I did with the Warner Bros. cartoons question: trying to find some "hidden gems" to watch, so we see so few Hammers.



CliffClaven	Sep 13 2009, 10:37 PM Post #11
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 229 Group: Members Member #712 Joined: March 30, 2009	Just for the hell of it, how about Captain Clegg (aka Night Creatures) on a double bill with Disney's Dr. Syn (the feature version of the Scarecrow TV episodes)? Surprisingly -- or perhaps unsurprisingly, since Disney lawyers were involved -- there's almost no overlap between these two stories based on the same source material, aside from secondary character names. In fact, it's hard to compare them since their respective virtues are so different.



Frank Hale	Sep 14 2009, 12:23 PM Post #12
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 828 Group: Members Member #59 Joined: October 6, 2005	You make it sound like Hammer Films are more chore than pleasure, Gravy, which is not a good thing. I�ve always been a bit puzzled why you stick to the drive-in fare, when there are so many old-time kids� adventure classics available. And not just crap like National Velvet, but genuinely fun films like Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Beau Geste, Union Pacific, Prisoner of Zenda, Errol Flynn westerns, Captains Courageous etc etc. Didn�t you show Robin Hood once? Would certainly solve your scheduling problems, but I take it this stuff is irredeemably square for today�s kids.



panzer the great & terrible	Sep 14 2009, 12:57 PM Post #13
Mouth Breather Posts: 10,326 Group: Members Member #13 Joined: September 3, 2005	My grandkids love those movies, Frank, and Prisoner of Zenda is a particularly good choice, but I think Gravy is trying to re-create the neighborhood theater for his audience, and those theaters didn't show A pictures as a rule.
	We Wear Short Shorts Flying Purple People Eater


Frank Hale	Sep 14 2009, 01:29 PM Post #14
Balcony Gang, Foist Class Posts: 828 Group: Members Member #59 Joined: October 6, 2005	Yeah, but �Part of the whole FNF thing is to introduce young people to the entire scope of "old movies"�.



Laughing Gravy	Sep 14 2009, 01:29 PM Post #15
Revered in the UK Posts: 11,069 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: August 31, 2005	Not only that, but because we show so many short subjects, A movies make for a looooong evening. They did love Robin Hood and 3 Godfathers, but some of the other pictures of that type, including the popular-around-here Thief of Baghdad, Captain Blood, and Angels with Dirty Faces, were not well-liked at all. When I go for an "A" movie, then, it is generally a classic comedy.


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