Marty Michaels

In this, the last horror movie related top ten for a while (I promise), we’ll be taking a look at the top ten Hammer horror movies. After the Universal monsters were ground down and made figures of fun by enduring endless meetings with Abbott and Costello, horror movies stagnated for a while, with science fiction ruling the roost. That is, of course, until a little British studio named Hammer teamed Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee up and cinema history was born. Known for their sex and gore content, the best of the Hammer movies rank as some of best horror movies of all time and with that in mind, let’s take a look at the look at the top ten Hammer horror movies. Onward!

10. DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE (1971)

This alternate take on the classic Jekyll and Hyde story was a vehicle for Ralph Bates, the young actor Hammer were grooming as the new Christopher Lee. As suggested by the title, the plot involves Ralph Bates’ Jekyll transmogrifying into Martine Beswick’s “Edwina” Hyde. Obvious opportunities for seventies Hammer nudity aside, the plot involves sister Hyde being responsible for the Jack the Ripper killings and also includes a Burke and Hare sideplot. Check it out for the transformation sequence which is one of the most brauva sequences in any Hammer movie.

9. THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961)

Compared to later werewolf films like The Howling and An American Werewolf in London, Hammer’s sole entry to the wolf man genre seems like a slow moving affair, and to be fair, it kinda is. The werewolf (my personal favorite movie werewolf) doesn’t show up until two thirds of the way through and we only get a good look at in in the last five minutes or so, but the plot in engaging enough to carry us through between shock scenes and Oliver Reed turns in a good performance as the haunted young lycanthrope. Kudos to Hammer for not resorting to the the tired old “keep off the moors” cliches and setting the story in 18th century Spain.

8. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

Hammer’s first colour movie (not to mention the first colour Frankenstein movie) and the film that kicked Hammer into high gear. Until The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer’s output had been restricted to creaky black and white movies that are almost unwatchable today. Curse was controversial at the time for it’s sex and gore which was shocking at the time, but today it amounts to little more than a bit of cleavage and a bit of blood on Frankenstein’s apron. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee became the (then) modern-day Karloff and Lugosi and the floodgates opened with versions of Dracula and The Mummy following close behind.

7. THE REPTILE (1966)

Not one of Hammer’s best known movies, but undoutedly one of their creepiest. A nice twist on the traditional werewolf here, with Jaqueline Pearce becoming a snake-woman. The film’s main flaw is that it plays like a mystery story but we, the audience, are fully aware what is going on, causing much shouting at the screen at characters who can’t seem to put two and two together. Nonetheless, the makeup job by Roy Ashton for the titualr monster is great and still unnerving to this day. Filmed back-to-back with The Plague of the Zombies, and sharing some of the same cast and sets, Plague is the better film, but The Reptile is still classic Hammer.

6. FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969)

Hammer’s fifth Frankenstein film was also their best with Peter Cushing reprising his role as the Baron and the always great Freddie Jones as his latest creation. Of all Hammer’s Frankenstein movies, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed shows the Baron at his most ruthless – in Curse and Revenge of Frankenstein he was a misguided scientist, in Evil of Frankenstein he was almost the hero of the peice and in Frankenstein Created Woman he was almost a father figure to his creation – but in …Destroyed, the Baron schemes, blackmails, murders and even rapes his way to the fufilment of his mad ideas. Both Peter Cushing and Veronica Carlson were against the scene where Frankenstein rapes Carlon’s character, but the scene was inserted at the insistence of the American distributors.

5. THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)

It’s only fair that Hammer’s take on Sherlock Holmes’ most famous case plays up the supernatural elements of the story and incorporates such horrific scenes as a tarantula attacking Christopher Lee and a cave-in in a tin mine, but despite several changes to the story, Hammer’s Hound is one of the – perhaps the very – best adaptation of the classic novel. Peter Cushing makes an excellent and somewhat prickly Holmes whilst Andre Morell’s performance as Watson was revolutionary in Holmesian cinema – taking the character away from the overweight bumbler of the Universal Holmes series and giving us a Watson more in line with the young, dynamic doctor of the books.

4. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968)

Based on a novel by Dennis Wheatley and adapted by Richard “I Am Legend” Matheson, The Devil Rides Out is Christopher Lee’s personal favorite Hammer film and it’s easy to see why. After playing Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Mummy, Fu Manchu and Rasputin, Lee was given a rare opportunity to play the hero, in this case the Duc de Richleau, master of the occult. Parts of the film – especially the Satanic “orgy” – are dated and a bit on the silly side, but when the film’s good, it’s really good. The materialisation of the black guy in the nappy (scarlier than it sounds) is really creepy and the build up the the apperance of the Angel of Death is well mounted (a pity the scene falls apart as soon as the Angel of Death appears). Charles Grey plays the evil Mocata, based on Aleister Crowley, and a worthy advisary to Lee’s Duc – interestingly both men played Sherlock Holmes’ brother Mycroft and also both played Bond villains.

3. THE PLAUGE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966)

Of all the countless films starring flesh eating, brain hungry zombies it’s sometimes nice to watch a movie where the zombies are less interested in eating people and more interested in mining tin. Yes, we’re in pre-Romero territory here and the zombies aren’t canabalistic deadites but rather undead slaves, brought back from the grave by voodoo. John Carson plays the wonderfully sleazy Squire Hamilton, who uses his knowledge of Haitian black magic to enslave the recently dead in his tin mine. Zombie cinema had been somewhat prosaic before Plague, which was the first film to show the undead rising from the grave in a still chilling four minute dream sequence featuring some genuinley creepy zombies. The classic zombie movie shot of the hand reaching through the earth? First seen in Plague of the Zombies.

2. THE MUMMY (1959)

After the sucess of their Frankenstein and Dracula movies, Hammer decided to keep milking the Univeral monsters cashcow and make their version of The Mummy. Taking their cue (wisely I feel) from the mummy sequels rather than the Karloff-starring original, The Mummy sees Christopher Lee under wraps as Kharis, the reanimated Egyptian priest, and Peter Cushing as archaologist John Banning who’s wife just so happens to be the spitting image of Kharis’ long lost love Princess Ananka. A bizzarley American police inspector teams up with Cushing to stop the Mummy, but, this being a horror film, the task of killing the undead is far from easy. Undoubtedly the best mummy movie ever made, The Mummy holds up better than a lot of the early Hammer movies and is essential viewing for genre fans.

1. HORROR OF DRACULA (1958)

Now, before anyone says anything, I know Horror of Dracula is the film’s American title and that it was titled simply Dracula in the UK, but Horror of Dracula looks better sitting on my shelf next to Curse of Frankenstein and, for my money, Horror of Dracula is a better title. Dracula is a 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi that was completley fang free and completley bloodless; Horror of Dracula is a 1958 film starring Christopher Lee that is cleavagetasistic and gory as hell. Well, for it’s day. The Horror… prefix let’s you know what you’re in for. Whatever you want to call it though, it’s a classic of its kind and quite possibly the best Dracula movie ever made. Christopher Lee is a dynamic and vigorous Count and Peter Cushing is at his best as a brilliant and energetic Van Helsing. As far removed from the stagey 1931 version as you can get, Hammer’s Dracula is as exciting and vibrant today as it was in 1958. A masterpeice.

Honorable mentions in no particular order to:
1. DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966)
2. THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958)
3. BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960)
4. THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970)
5. THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957)
6. SHE (1965)
7. FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL (1974)
8. SCARS OF DRACULA (1970)
9. THE GORGON (1964)
10. ONE MILLION YEARS, B.C. (1966)

From Dracula to Sherlock Holmes, from Frankenstein to zombies and Satan himself, the Hammer horror movies have a power and a presence that time has not diminished. Like the Universal and silent horror lists, if you’ve not seen these movies, they come strongly recommended and are readily available on DVD. Check them out if you haven’t seen them and, as always, leave any comments below. End transmission.

Tags: horror, monsters, movies, top ten, vampires