It’s 2023 and we’re looking at Hammer Horror movies. Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company that we all know for it’s casting: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and a slew of other well-knowns in horror. Check back every day in October for mini reviews on our favorites!
October 1 — The Quartermass Xperiment (1955)
When a professor’s mission to space goes awry, thoughts of mutations, murder, and an alien monster send the scientific team into chaos trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the flight crew. The Quartermass Xperiment (The Creeping Unknown in the US) is The Fly meets The Thing, with an alien lifeform taking over the body of one of the crew and going on a killing rampage, stealing the lifeforce from every plant, animal, and human it encounters. A cool tentacle monster and an ending with room for a sequel, this sci-fi spook is one to beat.
October 2 — The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The classic story of Frankenstein’s Monster – an amalgamation of stolen body parts and a brain put together and brought to life. Christopher Lee is the monster, looking rather different from the square, green Karloff physique we’re all used to. But no worries, The Curse of Frankenstein makes up for it in action and scare factor. Plus, Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein gives an amazing performance as well.
October 3 — Dracula (1958)
Forget the smooth Bela Lugosi character — Christopher Lee serves sex appeal and sadism as the new and improved Count Dracula! Again, this is the classic story of Jonathan Harker, Mina, Lucy, and Van Helsing trying to defeat the evil that is Dracula. There’s more horror and definitely more blood, something I greatly appreciate given the story is about vampires.
October 4 — The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
A ghost dog that has cursed the Baskerville family has once again shown up, now after the heir to the estate. It is up to Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson to investigate this mystery. In full color, almost-60s cinema greatness, Peter Cushing’s Sherlock Holmes leads us through a mystery like no other. While it’s not typically the sort of horror movie I’d watch, I did have a nice time nonetheless.
October 5 — The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)
We stan a transformation sequence!… too bad we don’t really get much of one here. This is not your typical Jekyll/Hyde story; with snakes and suicides and all-around debauchery, The Two Faces adds more to what we were already expecting. Movie was great, but it would have had just that much more wow with even one on-screen transformation.
October 6 — The Gorgon (1964)
Just know that the entire time, I was comparing this to Clash of the Titans. I do find it a little strange how such an ancient mythological monster that we all associate with Greece can be brought into early 1900s Central Europe, but it is what it is. The snake hair is kind of whatever and the storyline is the same. And again, nothing beats a Claymation Medusa! Overall not my favorite.
October 7 — Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
Number 3 in the Hammer Dracula series featuring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Dracula has been killed, but the fear of vampires still haunts the cities and towns. Four tourists see this firsthand and are sacrificed one by one to revive the titular Count. I will take castles and crypts any day, so this iteration is right up my alley. Blood and reincarnation fuels this horror classic. Amazing!
October 8 — Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
Basically the normal story of Jekyll/Hyde, except Hyde is a woman now. Female hormones are used to extend one’s life force through a magic serum, making Jekyll/Hyde need to kill young women for a constant supply. A funny twist for the time, it’s vaguely misogynistic and transphobic through 2023 lenses. Still, it’s an interesting spin and entertaining to say the least.
October 9 — Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
If you thought we were done retelling the Dracula story, you thought wrong! Made in “modern” time, descendants of Dracula and Helsing meet again and, well… you know the story. It’s always hilarious when timeless stories get modernized; here, we have airplanes and hippies. I much prefer 19th-century settings, but I did have a good laugh here.
October 10 — To the Devil a Daughter (1976)
A girl is raised in a Satanic cult and released just before her 18th birthday. Once out, she is intercepted by her estranged father, trying to save her. There is back and forth between the father and the cult, all fighting for the girl’s soul. While I did enjoy the ritual scenes – some of which were quite eye-catching – the rest of the movie was a bit of an annoyance. I feel the “Satanic Cult” schtick is a little overplayed and dumb, to be honest.
October 11 — Rasputin the Mad Monk (1966)
I don’t know why, but there’s something just so fascinating about Rasputin and the Romanov family. This is no Anastasia – Rasputin the Mad Monk is definitely all of the mystery and debauchery that is the real life Rasputin. Wild to watch because there are bits of truth, but still retaining the gothic aesthetic of Hammer Productions. Terrific movie and great break from the classic monsters!
October 12 — The Witches (1966)
I was expecting the normal witch fare here; instead I got something exciting and incredible! Forget the Wicked Witch of the West – The Witches blends The Serpent and the Rainbow with The Wicker Man in a fury of African witchdoctors and a town gone mad. The use of dolls and life-size effigies is not only fun to look at, but keeps you wanting more.
October 13 — The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Not terrible by any means, but unfortunately not so different from the hundreds of other werewolf movies in the world. Sure, it’s slightly different with a baby having a curse laid upon him, but uh, that’s about it. Costume is not the best – same with the transformation scenes. If you like movies set in Spain, it’s cool.
October 14 — The Shadow of the Cat (1961)
When a cat is the only witness to a murder, it kicks off a spree of lies, deception, and more murder all in the sake of getting an inheritance from the cat’s now-deceased owner. It’s a crazy story to watch, but interesting to see all of these supposed criminal masterminds be brought down by a tabby cat.
October 15 — The Mummy (1959)
I am a huge fan of Karloff’s 1932 Mummy, so already we’re working at a disadvantage here. That said, it’s nice to see this type of story told in color. Same story (reincarnated priest wants to bring back the love of his life), but acted in true Hammer fashion. I miss the sultry 30s vibe (it felt a lot closer to the real heyday of Egyptian exploration of the 20s), but I appreciate the effort in making the mummy scarier.
October 16 — The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
After Victor Frankenstein’s antics with deceased corpses, he is sentenced to death – escaping and assuming a new identity. He resumes his work on hunchback Karl, but the ways of switching brains between bodies proves to have its difficulties, causing havoc in the city once again. Peter Cushing is Frankenstein, played just as a deranged scientist would be. I truly enjoyed seeing the medical effects and lab work, even though the story didn’t provide much new to the series. Frankenstein? Yes. Revenge? Sort of, I guess.
October 17 — The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Take the famous 1925 movie and buff it up with kills and thrills for the 60s audience and you get this. While I did enjoy the ramped up horror (i.e., bodies flying in from the rafters), I rather miss the softness and love from the 20s version – the mask too. A good movie to have on in the background, at the very least.
October 18 — The Old Dark House (1963)
Alright, so this one was hard because I love the 1932 Old Dark House. When many strangers gather at a decrepit mansion during a rainstorm, people start dying. Directed by trickster moviemaker William Castle, The Old Dark House has many twists and turns that thrill and chill. Unfortunately, you can’t beat a classic, and for a William Castle flick, this pales in comparison to the others.
October 19 — The Abominable Snowman (1957)
I’m always up for a monster movie! Two teams – one scientific and one trappers – meet atop a mountain in the Himalayas when they encounter the infamous Yeti cryptid. This time, the Yeti is psychic, doing some Annihilation-type stunts that were a sight to see! Astonishingly, it has a sort of environmentalist ending that I wasn’t expecting from a movie of this time. I appreciated the setting on snow-covered mountains; it looked cool and was a nice change from “atomic desert” and “ethnic jungle.”
October 20 — The Mummy’s Shroud (1967)
Classic story of “ancient Egyptian dies, and is resurrected when some 1920s explorers decide not to heed burial warnings.” If you’ve seen one mummy movie, you’ve seen them all. If you’ve seen The Mummy, you don’t need to see this one. They tried though! It’s just nothing new.
October 21 — Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
Number 5 in the Hammer Dracula series, Taste the Blood of Dracula has the titular character rise again after his blood is drunk by his servant. Dracula seeks revenge on the men who killed him. This movie really shows how people can be monsters, just as bad as actual ones. Death, murder, Black Masses and blood-drinking – this has everything.
October 22 — Countess Dracula (1971)
Do you know the story of alleged Hungarian serial killer, Elizabeth Báthory? Welp, Countess Dracula takes her story of a noblewoman looking to extend her youth, bathing in the blood of her many virgin girl victims. While I was expecting a Sister Hyde twist in the classic Dracula story, I was glad to see a somewhat historic level to it. Sure, it’s still very Hammer in look and feel, but it’s certainly not a boring redo of a story we’ve heard a million times.
October 23 — Hands of the Ripper (1971)
When the daughter of Jack the Ripper becomes possessed by her late father, she goes on a murder spree without remembering it at all. A psychiatrist vows to help her – with great consequence. Here, we’re taking a historical figure and adding a touch of the fantastical to it. It’s a bit jarring how an innocent girl could do such horrors, but I suppose that’s the point! I think I would have enjoyed a movie on Jack himself more, but this wasn’t bad.
October 24 — The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Here we go again – Satanic Panic. A secret service agent stumbles upon a cult performing Satanic rituals and hires Professor Van Helsing to destroy a particular vampire: Dracula. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, you know the drill. In the background we have some talk of destroying humanity with a plague, but the most fun parts involve vampires, of course.
October 25 — Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
The last in Hammer’s Frankenstein saga. Frankenstein, though locked away in an asylum, still finds time to continue his work making abominations from murdered victims. The latest creation – a monster-like inmate with cobbled-together body parts and a brain – seeks revenge. At this point, I’m wondering why they don’t just kill Frankenstein because he clearly doesn’t know when to stop his experiments. The monster is looking a little worse for wear, similar to the Twilight Zone plane gremlin. I appreciate the monsters getting more and more monstrous with each iteration, but at the same time, I miss the more human aspects. There are pros and cons.
October 26 — Vampire Circus (1972)
A 19th-century woman helps a vampire Count kill young villagers, but is caught. She vows to find his cousin amongst the “Circus of Night” to help her as a curse ravages the town and the sinister carnival terrorizes the villagers. I loved this! It’s like a mix of all sorts of horror movies: Dracula, Cat People, Carnival of Souls, Freaks, and more! A brilliant combo of vampires and circuses, it’s a welcome reprieve from Hammer’s normal fare, which at this point is starting to blend all together.
October 27 — The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964)
Egyptologists once again ravage a cursed tomb and pay dearly for it. Not much different from the other Egypt-based movies on this list. However, I will say that, for being a mid-60s movie, I appreciated the better use of time period and aesthetic.
October 28 — The Reptile (1966)
When mysterious deaths plague a small English town, a newlywed couple that moves in is blamed. Little do they know, there is a reptilian monster preying upon the townsfolk. If you like the b-movie style of monster, you’ll want to watch The Reptile. It’s a little racist, having the monster be a product of a Malaysian snake cult, but uh… yeah. A little Taking of Deborah Logan, a little mystery crime thriller. Good for a Sunday matinee.
October 29 — The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)
A doctor who has been having secret parathyroid gland transplants to stay young (in his hundreds, with the appearance of a 30-something) has begun murdering others to keep his secret. Having missed an operation and in danger of rapidly aging and dying, he sets out to find a doctor who can keep the process going. While I understand the want to stay young and not die, it’s a little funny seeing a man try this hard to do so. It’s not like he was breaking the law like Frankenstein or Jekyll. Kooky is how I would describe this movie.
October 30 — The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Sequel to the 1958 Dracula (Horror of Dracula), the titular vampire doesn’t even appear in this film. Instead, a Baroness and her son — themselves transformed into vampires — go about their village killing indiscriminately. Queue Van Helsing to the rescue. A little misleading since one of the main vampires is a man, it still has that Hammer Dracula feel.
31 October — Dracula has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Number 4 in the Dracula series. As a priest goes to exorcise a church under the literal shadow of Dracula’s castle, he is injured, his blood dripping down a frozen stream and into Dracukla’s mouth. Guess what happens next. This takes the cake of Dracula revival methods, much like the lightning strike in Friday the 13th: Part VI. The best part of this series is always Christopher Lee, who plays just as cool and cunning of a vampire as ever.