Halloween Treats – Hammer Films
Article by Ray Schillaci
Fall is in the air, leaves are turning colors and a dark figure lurks in the shadows. Yes, it’s that time of year when we welcome fear. October brings out the beast in many of us looking for a good scare or some nostalgic horrors waiting to be unearthed. This month I will not be delivering my top ten screams. Instead, I will pepper the site throughout the month with some of my favorite tidbits of terror.
With so much to choose from, it’s hard to put the first nail in the coffin. But, time and time again one word cries out from the factory of ghastly frights…HAMMER. A bit of history first about the studio that clawed its way to the top of the cinema food chain. Just when Universal was considered the king of chills and thrills with their series of monsters of the ’30s and ’40s (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Creature From the Black Lagoon) along came the British studio upstart daring to give a gothic twist with a dash of bloodletting to the monsters of the big U that made them cinematically famous.
Hammer Studios had been around since 1935, the same year Universal put out The Bride of Frankenstein. But, the British studio worked primarily in the mystery/crime/thriller market and did not dip their toes into the frightful flicks until 1953 with their science fiction entry directed by Terence Fisher, Four Sided Triangle. Remember that director’s name, because he would go on to launch many terrifying treats for the studio including Horror of Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Mummy to name just a few.
Along with Fisher, the studio had an impressive line up of talent. The artists behind the camera would go on to direct and write the studio’s popular creature features and make Hammer a big name in horror. That list included writer/director Val Guest (The Quartermass Xperiment, The Abominable Snowman), writer Jimmy Sangster (Horror of Dracula, The Horror of Frankenstein, The Mummy), writer Nigel Kneale (First Men in the Moon, The Witches, Quartermass and the Pit) writer/director Don Sharp (The Kiss of the Vampire, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Face of Fu Manchu) and director Seth Holt, famous for The Ladykillers, Scream of Fear and The Nanny, another creepfest starring Bette Davis. Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb would be Holt’s last film.
Hammer’s monster/thriller roster also helped establish many stars including Peter Cushing who would play Doctor Van Helsing to Christopher Lee’s Dracula, Oliver Reed (The Curse of the Werewolf) and Raquel Welch donning only an animal fur bikini in One Million Years B.C. The studio also gave a variety of up-and-coming and faded stars their chance at the big screen: Donald Sutherland (Fanatic), Pierce Brosnan (Hammer House of Horror), Joan Fontaine (The Witches), Bette Davis (The Nanny). In fact, silent/talkie star Tallulah Bankhead, who was ailing at 63 put up her own salary for Die, Die, My Darling to guarantee she could complete the film.
Hammer Studios has an impressive library of horror, mysteries and thrillers for your entertainment. To pick one particular movie as number one is far too difficult. But, actually capturing the flavor of what they have to offer is a far easier task. Looking back, one of the lesser known Hammer films, Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb has all the earmarks of the studio: gothic style, cheeky exploitation and just a splash of gore. Set aside that the title has little to do with the story itself, with no bandaged creature rumbling around, the film still succeeds as both a killer joy to horror fans and very eerie in its presentation largely due to the talent behind it.
This a filmed adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1903 novel, The Jewel of Seven Stars. Professor Fuchs and company discover the long lost tomb of the evil Egyptian queen, Tera. It is said that a secret sect of priests drugged the queen and placed her in suspended animation. The professor takes the queen, the sarcophagus and some of the precious artifacts and recreates the tomb in his basement. Yeah, that’s not creepy enough.
Now the real weird part (oh yes, it gets weirder) is that the professor’s daughter, Margaret, was born at the same time that he recited the queen’s name on his discovery. Fast forward, the professor’s daughter is all grown up now and looks remarkably like the queen. She’s also having nightmares of what the queen went through in the burial proceedings. Just before Margaret’s birthday, her father gives her the ring that belonged to the queen and tells her never to take it off.
Margaret and the queen become more than just a psychic connection. Margaret becomes feared by the professor’s colleagues who joined him on the expedition and had in their possession significant artifacts. Suddenly, a mysterious killer comes into play, ripping apart the throats of some of the professor’s colleagues.
With the film’s embattled history it’s amazing that the movie is as fun and good as it is. The seasoned writer, Christopher Wicking (Scream and Scream Again, Murders in the Rue Morgue (’71) , Absolute Beginners) and producer/co-founder of Hammer James Carreras went to battle over the title alone. Wicking wanted to keep Stoker’s original title, but Carreras prevailed with his more lurid choice. Then Wicking began working on the script with beloved director, Seth Holt. When there was a gap in production, Wicking got into it with another producer of the film and was banned from the set. But, continued to work with Holt secretively.
Peter Cushing was originally cast as the female lead’s father and shot one day when his wife took ill and he had to bow out. Andrew Keir (Rob Roy, Quatermass and the Pit), an actor with a very distinctive voice, was called in at the last minute to replace Cushing. Five weeks into a six week shoot, Holt dies of a heart attack in one of the actresses’ arms.
Producer James Carreras gets his son Michael to finish the film. An established director with a short history with Hammer. Needless to say the styles collided. What we get is an unusual hodge-podge of Hammer horror with glimpses of what might have been a great film with the talent that was behind it. Although, to this day Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb is still an enjoyable watch during the Halloween season. Plus, we get the beautiful Valerie Leon as both the innocent Margaret and the evil Egyptian queen, Tera. Leon is best known as being a Bond girl twice (The Spy Who Loved Me, Never Say Never Again) and making over half a dozen appearances in the British Carry On comedies.
The supplements on the Blu include include a new commentary by author/film historian Steve Haberman, new interviews with the sound recordist and camera operator, two segments involving what some believe was a curse on the production and the usual trailers, TV and radio spots. Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb from Shout Factory belongs in any horror fan’s library. Those that are not looking to own, may find the film streaming on several platforms for free, but with commercials, and some may not have the best quality. On the other hand, Prime, VUDU and Roku offer the film at a small price to rent in HD.
Happy Horrific Viewing!
Visit Ray’s blog at themonsterinmyhead.com
