Gorgon, The (1964)

One of the finest Hammer Horror films, The Gorgon tweaks the formula and adds a shade more depth to the usual Hammer fare. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star, but their roles are reversed--instead of Lee as the heavy and Cushing as the kindly protagonist, Lee plays a kind of swaggering sleuth/professor and Cushing plays a jealous doctor protecting a dark secret at all costs. The German town of Vandorf has been plagued by a series of mysterious murders over the last five years that none of the townsfolk want to acknowledge. The victims are all found turned to stone. An investigation by unwelcome outsiders reveals that the spirit of a mythological Gorgon roams the surrounding forest, and they must discover how to destroy it. What gives the film its layer of depth though, is the way the relationships of the characters play out--an entire town colluding based on fear, two family deaths leaving one son left, a tragic romance. It's not that these are all deep threads within the film, but they add something to it, a bit of tragedy and ambiguity perhaps that is lacking in many of the ol' good vs evil romps that Hammer was known for. The medusa-head effects, infamously criticized by Christopher Lee, are pretty terrible, but that's really the only negative. The remainder of the production is very polished. A top-notch, enjoyable adventure from Hammer. If nothing else, watch it for Cushing and Lee together.

8/10

Quatermass II aka Enemy from Space (1957)

Professor Bernard Quatermass returns for the second of three films by Hammer, and it's a minor improvement over the first film. Not only is Donlevy's performance as Quatermass smoothed out, the production values and storyline are both refined. After nearly sixty years, the plot seems like a rather cliche variation on the body snatcher premise, but considering its contemporaries, I'd say Quatermass 2 does a fairly good job keeping it fresh. Quatermass encounters a woman rushing to the hospital after her boyfriend got burned from touching a meteorite. When he returns to his research base, he discovers that his aides have discovered a barrage of meteorites in the area. Further investigation reveals mind control, a government conspiracy, a mysterious factory base, and an alien plot to take over the world. Quatermass is not as rushed and forceful in this film as in the previous installment, but he still sticks out as the brazen American among an all-British supporting cast. He lacks the compassion of Andrew Keir's characterization of Quatermass, my personal favorite. Val Guest manages to keep the tension high and budget from showing. The special effects department pulled off some good work involving matte paintings, puppets, miniatures, and some almost undetectable composite-work for 1957. The film feels familiar because the plot structure doesn't differ whatsoever from the first (or the third film, really), but it's a slightly more involved and polished outing this second time around.

7/10

Horror Express aka Panico en el Transiberiano (1972)

Horror Express is fantastic mix of Euro-style horror, mixing elements of British Hammer Horror films with those of the more violent Spanish and Italian-style films of the 1970s. Horror Express makes me wonder how much of the film was intentional, because it's an uncanny mix of fun and horror, especially for '72. There's enough in this movie to please any B-movie fan including a prehistoric monster, crackpot science, alien possession, and zombies, not to mention other goofy elements like Russian cossacks (led by Telly Savalas!) and a Rasputin-esque mad monk (played excellently by Alberto de Mendoza). Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are at the center of the picture, lending the film as much credence as it can possibly have. What better pair to have by your side when having to swallow some of the worst "science" put to film? The characters are flat and the plot is nonsensical, but somehow it manages to pull you in. What really makes the movie, though, is the creepy little things that just snowball to the end like the drained pupil-less eyes of the victims, the red glowing eyes of the possessed, and the creepy autopsy scene. The film is essentially The Thing on a train done Euro-horror style and it's really damn fun. Horror Express is the kind of forgotten horror film that you can only dream of stumbling upon. On the surface, it's no better than any other derivative horror pic, but it's so silly, energetic, and gleefully earnest that you can't help having a good time.

8/10

Creeping Flesh, The (1973)

A surprisingly good B-horror film in the style of the Hammer flicks of the 60s and 70s. Peter Cushing plays a (rather terrible) scientist who stumbles upon the skeleton of a prehistoric man/beast while digging in New Guinea. His research suggests that his specimen is a prophesied demon--evil incarnate. He attempts to make a vaccination against evil using its blood cells after discovering it regenerates its flesh upon direct contact with water, then promptly experiments on a human being which predictably ends in terrible results. Christopher Lee plays his villainous half-brother, head of an insane asylum, and is not given nearly enough time on-screen. Lorna Heilbron plays Cushing's daughter, and pulls off a pretty impressive transformation from virginal to evil/slutty about halfway through. The writing is middling, and the pseudo-science that drives the picture is absolutely stupid, but the acting and the atmosphere are both excellent. So much so, that it holds the picture up from the ranks of other Hammer fare that often would sink into cliche or boredom. The creeping flesh special effect was fun for low-budget 70s and the monster unleashed at the end was quite creepy. One funny thing to note: For a significant portion of the picture, the only creeping flesh we see is on a giant digit of the monster's finger bone that Cushing hacks off. Because of the lack of definition the sculpting had, it looks like Cushing is waving around an enormous demon dildo.

7/10

Devil Rides Out, The (1968)

Christopher Lee stars in this enjoyable little witchcraft chiller. Lee plays Duc de Richelieu, an older man who discovers that a young friend of his has become involved with the black arts, his coven led by Mocata (Charles Gray between Bond films). He takes it upon himself to prevent this young man (Patrick Mower) and an associated young woman (the lovely Nike Arrighi) from their unholy Baptism into Satanism. Charles Gray plays a serviceable villain in this, while Christopher Lee excels as the dreadfully serious no-nonsense doomsayer and protector. The only other noteworthy member of the cast is Nike Arrighi as Tanith. She's one of the more irresistible actresses I've seen in a Hammer film--it's a shame she retired from acting so early. I wish I could figure out what kind of accent she has. With several fun sets considering the budget and a couple tense, exciting scenes involving magic, The Devil Rides Out is one of the better Hammer thrillers from the late 60s (although still not as excellent as Quatermass and the Pit). Definitely worth a watch. Good occult thrillers are not easy to come by.

7/10

A Note on the Restoration: The version I watched was the recent restoration in which Hammer chose to "fix" some of the effects left unfinished by either lack of funds or time. While the improvements are mostly unnoticeable to someone unfamiliar with the film and done tastefully (The only effect that was obviously digital a strike of lightning--don't they know lightning never looked like that in the 60s?), it does bring up the question of what level of alteration is acceptable if at all. I'm not sure I can provide a clear answer. The improvements didn't seem to be for stupid reasons like "to update the film to younger generations," or needlessly adding garbage to fulfill some delusional director's vision, but rather because they wanted to put a finishing touch on effects that were obviously unfinished due to circumstance. It's kind of like Harryhausen colorizing Merian C. Cooper's 1935 film She because their original intentions were to shoot in color, so he colorized it as a gesture of appreciation for the film. Does that justify the alterations? I'm not sure. Regardless, they should at least provide the original unaltered version for the purists.

Evil of Frankenstein, The (1964)

The Evil of Frankenstein is a serviceable Hammer Horror film that brings nothing new to their Frankenstein franchise. In typical Hammer fashion, the film is a slim 84 minutes and stars Peter Cushing as Dr Frankenstein. After a foiled experiment, Dr Frankenstein returns home to Karlstad where ten years previous his monster (Kiwi Kingston) was chased down and presumed dead. The film doesn't seem to be continuous with the film preceding it, The Revenge of Frankenstein. The production is polished and colorful with some atmospheric sets and special effects, and the creation sequences are notably ratcheted up employing both on-set electrical effects and animated lightning. Not even the grandiose effects sequences can save the picture, though. The film is the first in the series to employ the Universal-style "bucket head" monster, but despite this homage to the 30s films, the makeup work is absolutely horrible. It's short, so if you're a fan of Hammer Frankenstein, I'd watch it. Otherwise, skip it.

5/10

Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)

Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) is the first direct sequel to Horror of Dracula (1958), and it's an excellent one at that. Four innocent travelers get stranded by their coachman and are "invited" to stay in Castle Dracula (despite being warned not to) resulting in the resurrection of Dracula. Christopher Lee reprises his role as the Count, but this time he doesn't say a word which ratchets up the tension. Andrew Keir stars as Father Sandor, a badass vampire-killer monk with a Scottish accent. While the film has one egregiously bad moment of "holding two sticks together and calling it a crucifix," Dracula, Prince of Darkness is probably the most faithful to typical vampire rules. Garlic, crosses, sunlight, coffins with dirt in them, and running water are all present in the film. With a strong cast and good production values, Dracula, Prince of Darkness is a highly entertaining and solid thriller that should be counted among the best of the Hammer Horror films.

7/10

Vampire Lovers, The (1970)

From Hammer Horror comes the first installment of the Karnstein Trilogy, a trio of films revolving around lesbian vampires. Ingrid Pitt stars as the beautiful Carmilla, a vampire with a lust for young women. She exudes a kind of predatory evil over everyone she haunts in the film. The young women she seduces are both silly airheads who can't act (sometimes to a painful degree). Peter Cushing is in the film for a little while, but the film focuses on the events that happen while he's away. The plot is not all that original, but the twist of lesbianism makes it fun/interesting enough to keep watching. Sometimes the film teeters on the edge of softcore porn, but it never makes a complete step in that direction. What's most disturbing about Carmilla is that she can bring both men and women under her spell, effectively giving her the ability to control an entire household. The film establishes the family of Karnsteins as what I hope will be a very interesting spine for the other two films.

6/10

Quatermass and the Pit (1967) aka Five Million Years to Earth

One of the finest films to come out of Hammer Studios, Quatermass and the Pit is a little science-fiction film that thinks big--global proportions. Andrew Keir stars as the title character in a much more compassionate and human portrayal of Quatermass (see The Quatermass Xperiment). While digging in an abandoned underground railway tunnel, a crew discovers several prehistoric skeletons and an unidentifiable object that sets up the mystery of what it is and why it's there. Quatermass and an investigative team of scientists work toward an answer while having to fight with the petty political concerns of the government. The film was done on a low-medium budget (~$4-7 million adjusted for inflation), but the filmmakers manage to hide this for the most part. The excellent writing and thought-provoking story makes up for the film's flaws.

9/10

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968) is an enjoyable entry into the Hammer Dracula series, but it is not without its eccentricities. The story is a pretty typical vampire story. The twist is that it has greater focus on the involvement of the Church. The pace is brisk, with decent acting throughout. There were some really strange decisions made in terms of cinematography, tinting the edges of the frame different colors during different "horror" scenes and sets of the film. My biggest complaint were the idiosyncrasies in the vampire legend. The most offending parts: you see Dracula's reflection in the water, his coffin has no dirt in it, and somehow Dracula is killed by a "stake" made of metal! Weird.

7/10

Revenge of Frankenstein, The (1958)

The Revenge of Frankenstein is the first sequel in the Hammer Frankenstein series, and it's a great one. Dr Frankenstein has managed to escape the guillotine and starts up his medical practice in Germany, building a new body in his free time which eventually wreaks havoc on the town. The acting is top-notch. Peter Cushing plays Dr (Franken)stein as a driven, obsessed scientist with a hint of sympathy. While the monster isn't all that intimidating, instead of being just a lumbering brute, he is actually somewhat well-articulated until something goes wrong. The mood is really great in this one, evoking a more gothic feel through dim lighting and strategic shadows. Although the film only runs 86 minutes, it manages to add quite a few complex layers to the Frankenstein ethos.

8/10

Quatermass Xperiment, The (1955) aka The Creeping Unknown

The Quatermass Xperiment is a sci-fi film that is a cut above the typical 50s sci-fi fare. The film is a what-is-it-and-how-do-we-kill-it style alien invader movie that manages to build very effective suspense and has some really great special effects. Running only 78 minutes, the film is lean, wasting no time getting to the meat of the picture. My one problem was the character of Dr. Quatermass. He's callous and rude, boldly shoving people out of his way to get what he wants in the name of science. He doesn't seem to care about anything. On top of that, he's a hard-boiled American throwing his weight around in the land of the Brits. Does the man respect anything? More importantly, does he learn anything?

7/10

Brides of Dracula, The (1960)

The first sequel in the Hammer Horror Dracula series is a mediocre one. While running only 85 minutes, I felt the film had a significant amount of filler. Dracula is dead, but one of his previous victims begins to prey upon pretty girls and creates several brides. This vampire Baron looks ridiculous with his golden blonde hair and his pretty boy looks... not at all intimidating. The brides have ghoulish white makeup done on their faces that looks incredibly fake. The lead actress has a pretty thick French accent that gets pretty annoying. The cinematography, sets, art direction, and color are all great, and there is also a very effective staking sequence, but what saves this film from being a complete mess is the presence of Peter Cushing, who salvages about as much of the film as he can.

6/10

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1968)

Peter Cushing stars as Dr Frankenstein in the fifth outing of the Hammer Frankenstein series. Cushing plays a brute, contradicting his other somewhat sympathetic portrayals of Dr Frankenstein. The monster is not disfigured and speaks coherently. While it is commendable that the film tries to distance itself from the formulaic nature of Frankenstein films, it just detracted from my enjoyment of the picture. That and a very dissatisfying ending make this film a weak installment of the Hammer Horror Frankenstein franchise.

5/10

Dracula AD 1972 (1972)

Campy horror flick, but highly entertaining. Groovy teens looking for kicks get suckered by their friend Johnny Alucard (hello?!) into resurrecting Dracula. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee reprise their roles as [the ancestor of] Van Helsing and Dracula respectively. Good-looking young actors (look especially for Caroline Munro who went on to be a Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved Me), Cushing and Lee, a great jazzy disco-style score (with lots of gothic score elements still there), and an enormous helping of cheese make this a fun vampire flick. Ultimately, this is a hip installment of the Hammer Horror series that is an example of how silly teens and gothic horror should mix.

7/10