Autumn of Terror: Top 5 Hammer Horror Films

By @hmsbeefnuts

If you like your Horror films with a massive spoonful of gothic, a healthy dose of sexiness and some of the finest British character actors ever produced, then you surely are in love with Hammer Horror films. I have loved these films for ever, they are responsible for my love of evil women in corsets, and they are fantastic examples of good old fashioned gothic horror. I have a large collection of these films on DVD, but my fondest memories of these films must be when I first caught them on the TV. I was at the right age, hormones raging, cleavage unbearably exciting, and the thought of a film called The Vampire Lovers was all a bit too much. Needless to say I tried to watch as much Hammer as possible, and although the chance of bear female flesh was initially the draw, I soon realised that the films were great too. So here, are my top 5 Hammer Horror films, I hope you enjoy…

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

This just happens to be one of my favourite films of all time. I love The Hound of The Baskervilles, and this version is my very favourite. Perhaps not a typical Hammer Horror, it definitely deserves it’s place on this list. Peter Cushing is the great detective, with Christopher Lee reduced to the smaller role of Sir Henry Baskerville. What we have here is a bit of a change of pace from our usual Hammer fare, there isn’t much sexiness going on here, but this film is all about atmosphere. Baskerville Manor is suitably dreary and gothic, and the moor is desolate and foreboding, and the howl of the Hound is heart stopping. I love the beginning, showing how the Curse of the Baskervilles came to be, and Hammer manage to add some occult overtones to the story. All in all, this is a sure fire hit for me, and I am bound to be slipping it in to my DVD player in the run up to Halloween.

CAPTAIN KRONOS VAMPIRE HUNTER

Not a success when first released, I had a few problems tracking this one down, but I have to say, this film is rather fantastic, and a whole lot of fun. Captain Kronos is a Vampire Hunter (obviously) but not really in line with Peter Cushing’s Van Helsing. He is more of a proto Hugh Jackman Van Helsing. In this film, Vampires suck the life out of victims, literally turning them into old haggard husks, when once they were beautiful women. As a former soldier, and ‘expert swordsman’ Kronos and his hunchback assistant travel the country dispatching vampires in a far more swashbuckling type manner than Professor Van Helsing, and this puts a unique spin on vampire hunting in the Hammer canon. Perhaps not for everyone, there are a distinct lack of Hammer Stars in this, however, the film, planned as the first of a franchise, deserves to be seen and appreciated. Highly recommended.

THE HORROR OF DRACULA

Hammer’s take on Bram Stoker’s original story, The Horror of Dracula is the daddy of Hammer Dracula films. We have Christopher Lee as the Count, perhaps the greatest person to ever play him, and his arch nemesis, Van Helsing, played by Peter ‘the man’ Cushing. This doesn’t quite match the original story, as Hammer took some liberties with the plot, but as a film, this is just fantastic. Seeing Cushing and Lee face off against each other is worth the price of the DVD alone, there simply aren’t many more Hammery Hammer Horror Films one can see.

COUNTESS DRACULA

OK I’ll admit it, this choice is based on Ingrid Pitt alone. She is one of the most devastatingly beautiful and downright sexy women ever to drain the blood from sexy virgin girls and bathe in it. The fact that I have also had a long fascination with Elisabeth Bathory, The Bloody Countess, which true story this film is based on, also helps a bit, but by all that is holy and innocent, Ingrid Pitt looks like a Goddess and could be forgiven for any crime, even the murder of a few hundred maids, as long as she looked that good. I feel at this point I must apologise, as this isn’t really a review as such, and I’m not really giving many reason why anyone should watch this film beyond ‘Ingrid Pitt is banging’. Well… does it help that Hercules himself, from Jason and the Argonauts, is in it? Or there is copious amounts of nudity? No? Well unlucky, Ingrid Pitt is hot as hell, and she is naked a lot in this film, and the story is fascinating, so, all in all, this movie is full of win.

CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF

The only werewolf film Hammer made, and quite a good entry in the genre. Werewolves are my favourite monster, and Universals The Wolf Man is one of my favourite movies of all time. Whilst Hammer’s take on the werewolf doesn’t quite reach the heady heights climbed by Lon Chaney Jnr, Oliver Reed gives a tragic performance as the man wolf. Hammer’s version of the monster is a mix between the Lon Chaney Wolf Man, and the earlier Universal film Werewolf of London, another film worth checking out Horror fans. There is quite a bit of werewolf myth going on here, particularly in the way werewolfism is passed on, or created. Set in Spain, this film is very atmospheric, and a perfect cap to any Hammer Horror Marathon.

SUMMER KNIGHTS: THE 5 BEST KNIGHTLY ACTORS

By @hmsbeefnuts

Batman is the Dark Knight, and as such, we here at All Geek To Me thought that perhaps, for our Summer Knights event, we could extend our remit beyond the realms of Gotham City, and geek out a bit about other Knightly characters. A blog about the best fictional knights is upcoming, but today, I thought I would write a little something about my favourite actors, who have been Knighted by the Queen, for their services to the country, by being awesome and better at acting than other people. I’m going to limit myself to five choices, for reasons of space and laziness. So lets bend the knee, and be ready to receive the sword of awesomeness on each shoulder, as we look at The 5 Best Actor Knights. Are they expected to come to our aid in times of great need though? Probably not…

SIR IAN McKELLAN

 

Gandalf! Magneto! That guy from The Da Vinci Code!! Sir Ian is a Shakespearian acting legend, and Gay Icon, turned go to actor for any geeky property worth it’s salt. Always put in a fantastic performance, often with a little wink and sparkle in his eye. If I had to choose a role of his, it would of course be Gandalf. I was obsessed with Lord of The Rings and he was the perfect embodiment of Gandalf. I can not wait for The Hobbit to begin this Christmas. We all love you Sir Ian, you are a legend.

SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS

 

Sir Tony. Welsh of course, and as a proud Welshman, how could I not include one of my nations finest acting exports in this list (remember kiddies, Batman in Welsh too, suck it). Brilliant in everything, but in recent times I have much enjoyed his performances in The Wolf Man and Thor. He is however, most famously Hannibal Lecter, and what a chilling performance he gave in Silence of the Lambs. My favourite Hopkins role is his freaky, off kilter father role in The Wolf Man remake. I love that film, and everything about it.

SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE

 

Oh Sir Christopher, legend of the screen. The nicest man to ever play evil on screen. I have loved is performances in films since before I could appreciate films, or knew what acting was. He embodied the role of Dracula, was the best Saruman anyone could be, and kicked everyone’s arse as Count Dooku. A Hammer film legend, along with Peter Cushin, Sir Chris is one of the greatest living British actors. Plus he reads Lord of The Rings once a year, so he’s a fellow geek too.

SIR MICHAEL CAINE

 

Perhaps my favourite actor on this list Sir Michael is brilliant in everything, even JAWS: The Revenge. Zulu is perhaps his most famous role, and the tale of a small British force coming up against a huge army of Zulu Warriors has been a favourite of mine since I was little, especially since these British Soldiers were mainly Welsh, Men of Harlech!!!! Anyway, Caine’s best role in my opinion is as Alfred in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. He is amazing as the loyal retainer, father figure and best friend of Bruce Wayne. He brings so much to a role that could easily be throw away. In The Dark Knight Rises he brings an emotional punch to the gut in 2 scenes in particular. I love Alfred, I want one, and I want Sir Michael Caine to be him forever.

SIR PATRICK STEWART

I don’t like Star Trek, so for me, Pat isn’t Jean Luc Picard, but Professor X, and that’s good enough for me. Another actor from the Shakespearian school, Sir Patrick is a bald headed eagle of acting awesomeness. Also able to poke fun at himself, his turns in Extras and American Dad are brilliant, and the guy likes to play video games, so not only a great actor, but a great geek too.