One of the things that made Hammer Films stand out was their music. Yes, we had the boobs, blood, and beasts, not to mention an array of incredibly talented actors and technicians that worked on them, but the amazing soundtrack coming through the speakers made the impact even deeper. How can you not hear the blasting opening cues of James Bernard’s score for Horror of Dracula and not immediately get into the mood for some horror! Or even Harry Robinson’s march for the opening of Twins of Evil? Makes you want to grab your cross and stakes and go hunt some vampires! That is the beauty of the music that Hammer layered throughout their films. And now, thanks to the fine folks of Silva Screen Records, you can have a taste of themes from 18 different films, that range from 1957 to 1974.
This is a name that might not be too familiar, but if you’re a Hammer fan, then you’ll know the face. Farmer appeared in several titles from Hammer, including two of their swashbuckling movies, The Crimson Blade (1963) and The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964). But it was mainly for her role in Dracula, Prince of Darkness when horror fans took note. She followed that film up immediately with Rasputin: The Mad Monk, once again coming up against the sizeable Christopher Lee. Another non-Hammer picture that she made that I remember fondly is Die, Monster, Die! (1965), starring alongside Boris Karloff. This was one that I saw in my youth and really made an impact with me. While she might not have been as glamorous or as known as some of the other Hammer starlets, her performances always stood out and are very memorable.
I must have missed when they mentioned this on their Facebook page, but Peveril Publishing is putting the finishing touches on their latest book, The Hammer Frankenstein Scrapbook. Just like their previous Dracula edition, it will cover all of the Frankenstein pictures that Hammer did from The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957 to Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell in 1974 and all the gooey bits in between!
This has been a rough year for horror fans, losing so many people that have given us so much pleasure over the years. And now, news of yet another one. Actress Valerie Gaunt passed away this last Tuesday the 27th. Now Gaunt only appeared in two films in her very short career, but those two made quite the impact in the horror world, not to mention the British film industry.
Hammer fans have lost another familiar face, that of actor John Carson. He may have only made three appearances in a Hammer Film, as well as one episode of their TV series, every time he came on the screen, he made his presence known. Of course, my personal favorite of Carson’s performances was as the evil squire, Clive Hamilton in John Gilling’s 1966 film The Plague of the Zombies, where he is slowly taking control over this small village. The evilness just oozes from him. With his James Mason-ish voice, his presence is always authoritative and imposing, as well as damn entertaining to watch.
Peveril Publishing’s latest must-have edition, The Hammer Dracula Scrapbook, is now available for order. Keep in mind, there are only 600 copies of this available so if you have ANY desire to order this, you might want to do it now. Once their books go out-of-print, the prices just get ridiculous.
Hammer Glamour
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