Pushing the Limits With Hammer Films

Hammer Films: A Modest Start

A trailer of The Curse of Frankenstein, the movie that took Hammer out of B features (5):

Hammer Films was started by Enrique Carreras (a cinema owner) and Will Hinds (a professional entertainer) as Exclusive films in 1935. It developed into a family business when James Carreras and Anthony Hinds joined. It was a small production, which made B-rated movies at first. Even when it expanded to a bigger production in 1949, most of the production decisions were dictated by Anthony Hinds. He was on the floor most of the time, working closely with the directors. James Carreras was the one to make the creative decisions, which were based widely off of the shows that were successful on the radio. It was hard for them to move out of B-featured movies because of lack of funding. (2) Their first break out film would not come until 1957, with The Curse of Frankenstein. It became such  a success because it was in color. This horrified audiences at the time, and they did not hesitate to flock to the theaters to see the blood and plunging necklines. (4) 

Hammer Films produced films that were different than the films produced at the time. They were not afraid to push the limits of what was normal, which would eventually lead to their success. The murder scenes were happening on screen for all to see and the movies were more sexually driven. (2) Hammer films was a catalyst for pushing the limits in horror films. Horror films were not very popular in Britain before the success of Hammer films, and were not highly regarded with critics at the time. They had more success with certain scenes staying within their movies in America. The BBFC were a little more strict when it came to what was allowed to be shown in movies. (4)

Dracula: Critics Hate It, But You'll Love It!

A movie poster when it was first released. (3)

The same writer that wrote The Curse Of Frankenstein, Jimmy Sangster, was set to the task of writing Dracula and Terrence Fisher, a director that had worked on plenty of films with Hammer, was to be the one to direct it. One task he was faced with was condensing a long novel, such as Dracula is, into a 90 page script. There was also a tight budget he needed to follow. Many of the iconic scenes in the book could not make the movie because of this. Another factor figured in was the fact that it needed to pass the censors. Already horrified with The Curse of Frankenstein, the BBFC sent a list of things that could not make the final cut, which included the stake being driven into Lucy (with all the horror that follows from that point on) and the disintegration of Dracula. Jimmy and Terrence worked together to make a film that would fit the budget, make money, and pass the censors. (4)

The board was not happy when Hammer films ignored some of their warnings when they sent a copy for approval. However, they did some of the cuts that were required of them. When the BBC was still not happy, James Carreras shot back to the board some of his own unhappiness with their restrictions. He pointed out that an 'X' rating would ban anyone who was too young from seeing it, so some of the restrictions they were asking for were ruining the movie. With a little back and forth, Hammer Films finally passed the censors. Even though critics hated it and found it repulsive, the general public loved it. (4) The movie was a huge hit and the rest is history for Hammer films, who made many more spin offs.

How We View Dracula Today: Not Exactly Stoker's Dracula...

A theatrical trailer of Horror of Dracula, which was a huge hit with viewers (6):


One reason why our ideas of what Dracula is today, and why it is different from what the novel tells us, is because of the success of these films. The movies tell us a different story than the novel because of several factors. The budget changed the way the story plays out for us. Also, the highly charged sexual scenes (more so than those in the book) were more of the style of Hammer films. They were trying to repeat the success of The Curse of Frankenstein, so some of the creative licenses taken were in the name of the great dollar. (4)



We cannot deny the impact Hammer Films had in the history of horror and in movie productions in general. They pushed the limits of what was allowed, and was met with success. Today, we know have movies and shows that would shock people of those earlier times. If you are interested in delving deeper into Hammer films, just follow this link (1) to their website, where Christopher Lee as Dracula is actually the background.



Work Cited:

1. Hammer. Hammer Films LTD, www.hammerfilms.com. Accessed 3 November 2018.

2. Harper, Sue and Porter, Vincent. British Cinema in the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press, 2003.

3. "Horror of Dracula." Lefthandhorror, 3 November 2018, https://lefthandhorror.com/2014/01/12/horror-of-dracula-1958-movie-review/horror-of-dracula-movie-poster/

4. Jones, Darryl, McCarthy, Elizabeth, and Murphy, Bernice. It Came From the 1950s!: Popular Culture, Popular Anxieties. Palgrave MacMillan Limited, 2011.

5. "The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) Official Trailer - Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee Horror Movie HD." YouTube, uploaded by Movieclips Classic Trailers 14 June 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxNVNGydx5U

6. "The Horror of Dracula (Theatrical Trailer)." YouTube, uploaded by Pedro Benetone 18 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y0UvD8albI