Reviews of movies by the Hammer Film production company.
Friday, April 11th 2008
Grade: D
Synopsis: A fanatical woman (Tallulah Bankhead) locks up her dead son’s ex-fiancé (Stefanie Powers) in order to purify her soul.
Fanatic (Die! Die! My Darling! in the USA) is a textbook example of a missed opportunity. The film’s premise, a fanatical woman kidnaps her dead son’s ex-fiancé, is perfect for either a serious horror film or a black comedy. Unfortunately, the filmmakers behind Fanatic deliver neither, opting instead for a mess that’s best described as boring.
The script by Richard Matheson takes a while to get going, although it’s clear from the get-go that Tallulah Bankhead’s character is nuts. Then, once she finally locks Stefanie Powers’ character up, Matheson seems to run out of ideas. Bankhead reads the bible, Powers tries a couple of lame escape attempts, but it quickly becomes uncomfortably clear that the story isn’t going anywhere. MORE »
Posted at 4:09 PM in Movie Reviews and Hammer Film.
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Monday, March 24th 2008
Grade: B
Synopsis: A wheelchair-bound woman (Susan Strasberg) doubts her sanity after repeatedly seeing her absent father’s corpse around his French Riviera home.
Taste of Fear (Scream of Fear in the US) is an oft-overlooked gem in the Hammer library.
Jimmy Sangster’s script is a mix of suspense, mystery, horror and film noir that blends well. Further, Sangster anticipates cynical audiences by having his characters quickly acknowledge the cliché plot-points, thus giving the story an air of freshness. Sure, there are some holes, but they’re reasonably easy to overlook, and Sangster more than makes up for them by delivering a knockout third act. MORE »
Posted at 4:37 PM in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee and Hammer Film.
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Thursday, March 6th 2008
Grade: C+
Synopsis: In 18th century England, a band of troops intent on investigating reports of smuggling arrives in a small coastal town led by the local vicar (Peter Cushing) only to discover that nothing is what it seems.
Captain Clegg (Night Creatures in the USA) is a well-done historical mystery from the Hammer Film production company.
Granted, the script by Hammer producer Anthony Hinds (credited to his pseudonym John Elder) operates on a plot that would be right at home in an episode of Scooby-Doo, but it also crafts a very entertaining anti-hero in Peter Cushing’s Reverend Doctor Blyss. Rather than paint the characters in black and white, Hinds uses shades of gray, and the film is better for it. MORE »
Posted at 3:11 PM in Movie Reviews, Hammer Film and Peter Cushing.
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Thursday, February 21st 2008
Grade: C+
Synopsis: Haunted by visions of her deranged mother, a young girl (Jennie Linden) slips slowly into madness.
Nightmare is worth watching. This may not be apparent from the film’s opening which, despite the great crisp black and white photography, quickly devolves into an exercise in patience with Jennie Linden.
Linden, who replaced Julie Christie at the last minute, is over the top from the very beginning, and her incessant screaming becomes something of an endurance test. Director Freddie Francis is clearly better suited directing the camera then the performers, as he’s unable or unwilling to reign Linden in, a mistake that nearly ruins the film. MORE »
Posted at 4:23 PM in Movie Reviews and Hammer Film.
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Wednesday, January 23rd 2008
Grade: C
Synopsis: After running out of petrol, a young couple on their honeymoon falls prey to a vampire cult.
The Kiss of the Vampire starts out with a funeral sequence dripping vintage Hammer atmosphere. As Clifford Evan’s character, Professor Zimmer, approaches the grave, the townspeople are visibly afraid and whisper amongst themselves that he’s probably drunk. Zimmer casts a haunted gaze down at the coffin and reaches, wordlessly, for the gravedigger’s spade, which he then hurls down into the coffin. A scream rings out as the camera cuts to the coffin spurting blood where the spade pierced the wood and the vampire corpse within. Cut to opening titles. MORE »
Posted at 2:07 PM in Movie Reviews, Hammer Film and Vampire Movies.
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