Tag Archives: Wayne Kinsey

House that Hammer Built Coming Soon!

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That’s right folks, start gathering those pennies because the latest book coming from Peveril Publishing is coming soon! And as a fan of Hammer Studios, this is one you’re going to want for your library. The House that Hammer Built: The Complete Hinds/Carreras Years (1934-1979) Vol. 1: 1934-1949 will “hopefully” be on sale late November, according to Peveril boss Wayne Kinsey. The best way to be notified when it is ready is to subscribe to their website (just click HERE). But beware, these are not cheap and sell out fast. But every single edition I’ve bought from them has been well worth it. Not only are they incredibly well made and designed, but they are also filled to the brim with facts about one of our favorite film studios.

This series of books, which will be in 3 volumes, is Kinsey’s “definitive work on Hammer”. On the Peveril site, he states that he’ll be “taking a chronological look at all Hammer’s films (in production order) including all the early Exclusive pictures for the first time as well as Hammer’s many un-filmed projects. I’ll be amalgamating all my research from previous books with all new research and return to the oral history approach, so we can hear many of the stories from the mouths of those who worked at Hammer, many sadly no longer with us.”

If you love historical information about Hammer Studios and their films, this series is going to be a must for your library.

Peveril Publishing Releases Vol 4 of Fantastic Films

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If you’re a fan of Peveril Publishing and have already picked up their first 3 volumes in their Fantastic Films of the Decades series, then you probably already know this, but volume 4, which deals with films from 1944 through 1949, has arrived from the printers and will be going on sale very soon on the Peveril site. The titles from Peveril go pretty quickly once they are announced so the best way to know about it when it does become available is to sign up for their newsletter on the site.

I have the first 3 volumes and definitely plan on adding this one to the library. Like all their other books, they are beautifully laid out, tons of great graphics and interesting information. For all the details, head over to their site HERE.

Need More Books?

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Of course you do! And these are ones to definitely add to your library.

The first one is from our good friend Troy Howarth, published by BearManor Media, this time covering a movie that not only is one that doesn’t get much attention, it is one well worth your attention. The film is Alfred Sole’s 1976 film Alice, Sweet Alice, and the book is entitled Unholy Communion: Alice, Sweet Alice from Script to Screen.

Within the 300+ pages, Howarth goes through the history of this little film that was made outside of the Hollywood system, as well as background information on Sole. It “explores the genesis, production, and reception of one of the key horror films of the 1970s.” We get a brand new in-depth interview with Sole, going through his entire career, as well as reproducing the original shooting script, and plenty of analysis of not only the film, but the genre at the time as well.

Howarth has written several books, such as a 3-book series on giallo films, as well as one on Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Mario Bava, Paul Naschy, and more. Like all of his titles, I can only assume it will be a must read. You can order this directly from BearManor Media or through Amazon. It is available in both hardcover ($39.95) and softcover ($29.95).

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Peveril Publishing Update – More Hammer!

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First news is that their latest book, The Hammer Vampire Scrapbook, is now available to order. There are only 700 copies being printed so when those are gone, it’s gone! So make sure you order your copy now if you’re interested. Yes, they are a bit pricy, especially if you’re having them mailed over here to the States. But since I have copies of all of their books in my own library, I can honestly say they are worth every penny spent. They are lavishly produced and look amazing, not to mention all the incredible content within the pages. Really a must for any serious Hammer fan. Just click HERE to order your copy now.

But wait! There’s more! While Mr. Kinsey stated that the next entry in their Scrapbook series will be on the Karnstein films, he is also working on the next volume in his Fantastic Films of the Decades series, Vol. 4 – 1940s Part 2: 1944-1949, he stated in his last email update that he is working on a 3 volume set called The House that Hammer Built, which will cover the complete Carreras years, from 1935 to 1979. According to Kinsey, this will be “my own personal definitive Hammer work, a chronological journey through Hammer’s history looking at all of their films during this period, so will be finally covering the early Exclusive films as well as Journey to the Unknown and un-filmed projects, with new research and bringing together info from my previous Hammer books.”

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Opinions, Opinions, and More Opinions

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There is a new book that just came out called 40s Universal Monsters: A Critical Commentary, covering all of the monster films that Universal put out during that decade. Author John T. Soister had published a similar book back in 2001 covering the Universal films of the 30s, entitled Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal’s Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939. Now, along with contributors Henry Nicolella, Harry H. Long, & Dario Lavia, they take on the ’40s, covering 66 titles from The Invisible Man Returns to Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.

But what does have to do with opinions? Hear me out. Looking through my own library, I have several books that deal with the early days of cinema. If we’re talking about the silent era, we have Silent Screams by Steve Haberman, or Wayne Kinsey’s entry in his incredible Fantastic Films of the Decades series, as well as Troy Howarth’s own series, Tome of Terror, who has covered the decade of the ’30s as well. Kinsey is already up to halfway through the ’40s with his ongoing series. But then I also have Universal Horrors by Tom Weaver, Michael and John Brunas, Soister’s aforementioned Of Gods and Monsters, Mank’s Hollywood Cauldron, Senn’s Golden Horrors, and even a few others titles. Then we move into the ’50s and beyond with multiple titles in each of those as well.

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More Hammer Scrapbooks from Peveril Publishing!

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If you have any of the amazing volumes put out by Peveril Publishing, then you know how simply amazing they are. Yes, they are a bit pricy, especially when you’re getting them shipped over here to the US, but they are worth every single penny. So start saving those now because (hopefully) this summer, they will be unleashing the Hammer Vampire Scrapbook!

This volume will be covering the following films: Brides of Dracula (1960), Kiss of the Vampire (1963), Vampire Circus (1972), and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974). This is just a possible cover image right now and may change, but what we do know that inside whatever cover they do decide on, it will be filled with the usual array of amazing facts and photos about our favorite Studio That Dripped Blood!

And don’t freak out because they didn’t mention any of the Karnstein films, like Vampire Lovers (1970), because that is getting it’s own volume! Wait… isn’t Captain Kronos part of the Karnstein series…. ?

Nonetheless, you can also look forward to Fantastic Films of the Decades Vol. 4 which is expected to be out at the end of the year, or early next year.

Head over to their website HERE for all the latest info. Or even better, sign up for their newsletter!

So again, start saving those pennies! 

Book News! Start Saving!

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For those book lovers in your life, here are more than a few gift ideas for the upcoming holidays, or just because you want to support the print industry! I know each and every one of these titles will be added to my own personal library in the very near future! But these are a few that we’ve recently come across that sound pretty amazing.

Darkening the Italian Screen: Interviews with Genre and Exploitation Directors Who Debuted in the 1950s and 1960s by Eugenio Ercolani is a collection of interviews with names that might not be as familiar with most fans, but yet have had a huge impact on the Italian exploitation cinema. There are some of the usual suspects like actor George Hilton and director Sergio Martino, but then we’ll also get to hear from the likes of Uberto Lenzi, Alberto De Martino, Enzo G. Castellari, Franco Rossetti, among others. I can’t wait to hear some of their stories and tales from the trenches of getting some of their films made and released. Continue reading →

Fantastic Films of the Decades – Vol. 3

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Fantastic Films of the Decades vol 3Coming out next month, Peveril Publishing will be unleashing the latest edition of their incredible series, Fantastic Films of the Decades – Volume 3: The 40s Part 1! We have many of Peveril’s books and they truly are works of art. Just beautiful to page through and look at the incredible layouts and photos. Of course, the information in them is just as good! And now, you can add the latest edition to your own library.

With another limited release of only 500 copies,  you don’t want to be left out. There are a few copies left of the first two volumes, so you still have a chance to get caught up, which I would highly recommend.

For more information on the release, head over to their website HERE.

 

 

 

Peveril Goes Inside Bray Studios

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Inside Bray StudiosAny Hammer fan worth their weight in blood knows of the infamous Bray Studios, where the they unleashed countless horrors onto the willing masses. But now with it being gone forever, we can be thankful that Peveril Publishing will be immortalizing it in their new book, Inside Bray Studios, coming early next month.

By Hammer authority Wayne Kinsey, we get a virtual tour of the studio, both inside and out, as well as the history of the place once Hammer took over. We’ll get to see how Hammer used the cramped space in the studio to create some of the most unbelievable movie sets, making these period pictures come to life and jump off the screen.

There is also three separate chapters on the “Bray Days”, back in 1998, 1999, and 2007, where the studio opened its doors to both fans as well as a ton of Hammer alumni, with a ton of photos. I wish I could have made it to even one of those events.

At 344 color pages, this hardcover edition will be another must-have for any fan of this famous British Studio. The price is set at £35 plus postage, but it really is an investment, since most of Peveril’s books go out-of-print quickly and their prices skyrocket shortly there after. So don’t be left out!

Head over to Peveril’s website HERE and sign up for their newsletter so you’ll know when the pre-orders start.

 

Movie Review: Hammer Horror – The Warner Bros. Years

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Hammer Horror Warner Bros YearsHammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years (2018)
Directed by Marcus Hearn
Starring Veronica Carlson, John Carson, Steve Chibnall, Joe Dante, Jonathan Rigby, Peter Sasdy, Madeline Smith, Caroline Munro, Christopher Frayling, Wayne Kinsey, Denis Meikle

So…a new documentary on Hammer Studios? I’m there. Simple as that. Add to the fact that when the producers of this documentary started a Kickstarter fund to get this project off the ground, I immediately signed up. Honestly, I don’t remember which level I put in for, but I did get a nice poster print as well as the Blu-ray. Being a huge fan of this famous British studio, this review might be a little jaded, but I will try to be as honest and straight forward as I can.

If you ever wondered just what happened to Hammer Studios, as to why they went under, then this feature length documentary will either answer that, or at least give you some very strong contributing factors that might have caused it. Even though this studio was very successful in the late ’50s and ’60s, by the time the ’60s were coming to a close, things were starting to change. Not with just the audiences, but the ratings boards, other movies the studios were releasing, as well as where Hammer was getting their funding from.

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