The HAMMER Collection: Part 2 of 3 (1966-68)

The HAMMER Collection:
DVD Box Set - Part 2 of 3 (1966-68)

A twenty-one disc DVD box set containing some of the best and worst films that the legendary HAMMER studio made before it succumbed to financial trouble and was forced to put away the costumes and close its doors.

I'm splitting the collection into three parts with seven films apiece and in chronological order.

That's not the order they're arranged in the box, but it makes sense to me, more so than the unusual order they're presented in the actual collection, and means that the post for each of the three parts will be roughly equal in size.

Thoughts on the second lot of seven films can be found below the cut. Part 1 of the collection can be found HERE, while Part 3 is HERE.

The Witches (1966)

Dir. Cyril Frankel | Release: 21st November 1966 (UK)

In Joan Fontaine's last big screen (i.e. non-TV) role she plays a school teacher named Gwen who, after a horrifying ordeal in Africa, dotters about a quaint English village trying to help the local kids achieve their full potential.

But, with just a few exceptions, when the community members and the schoolteacher don't see eye to eye, Gwen begins to suspect that there may be witchcraft afoot. Yikes!

The film is neither sinister enough, nor the psychological threads intriguing enough, to keep the drama high and it soon gets tiresome.

The oddball finale, which is somewhere between pantomime and avant-garde theatre, is kind of ridiculous, but also the most memorable part.

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

Dir. Terence Fisher | Release: 15th March (USA)

Baron Victor Frankenstein's (Peter Cushing) continued fascination for creating life boils down to ‘the soul is the goal’. In essence, he wants to understand the 'spark' of life.

So it was only a matter of time before he created something that had its bumps in all the correct places, but to HAMMER’s credit they did it in an unexpected way.

Ironically, one of the most powerful openings of the entire Frankenstein series may be part of the reason that many people dislike the fourth entry.

Pitching the story's emotional content so high at the beginning means it has little choice but to subsequently fall to lesser levels. They're furnished with a few unusual aspects, though, the most apparent being the court scene.

Beneath that there's commentary on what's typically perceived as beautiful versus that which isn't, even going so far as to make us wonder if any part of death itself can be equated with beauty.

Viking Queen (1967)

Dir. Don Chaffey | Release: 25th March (UK)

Taking much of its inspiration from the folk hero Boudicca, the story is set in Britain during the Roman occupation. The political sea change that's forced upon the country's native tribes results in an armed uprising led by Queen Salina, played by Finnish fashion model Carita Järvinen.

Amid the calls to war a romance blossoms, failing to add as much emotional conflict as it ought to have done. The blend of politics, religion, state, and family concerns is equally as underwhelming at times. I'm guessing the makers were aware of the failings, so added some cynical side-boob to spice it up.

Exterior scenes feel authentic, whereas many of the interior scenes have the usual stage-like HAMMER theatrics, the kind that I adore.

Prehistoric Women (1967)

aka Slave Girls (a heavily cut UK vers.) 

Dir. Michael Carreras | Release: 7th July (UK)

Rather than let the sets and costumes from their successful One Million Years B.C. (1966) film go to waste, HAMMER hastily made a follow-up, unrelated but again featuring Martine Beswick, now elevated to leading role status.

It has a campy kind of cave-girl charm, but the only truly memorable aspects are Martine as the cruel Queen Kari and, better still, the eldest of the male slaves (Dido Plumb).

Male protagonist David Marchent (Michael Latimer) might've earned my sympathies if he hadn't been introduced as a man who aids shit-bag big game hunters in killing animals.

The story is even more ridiculous when written down than it seems onscreen, so I'll say only that it's about a tribe of dark-haired women who make slaves out of fair-haired women, all of whom are living under the shadow of a white rhino legend, and unlike One Million Years B.C. it has actual English language dialogue.

Quatermass and the Pit (1967)

Dir. Roy Ward Baker | Release: 9th November (UK)

Routine construction work at Hobbs End (in the London Underground) unearths some unusual human-like fossils. Professor Bernard Quatermass is eventually called and soon finds himself at loggerheads with the military.

in addition to that, the application of scientific method in supernatural matters leaves the professor perturbed. Not to worry, because, while many of the FX are rubbish, there's some quality plot to keep him occupied.

Andrew Keir takes on the Professor's role. No disrespect to Brian Donlevy, but Keir's more likeable and sympathetic portrayal is a lot better suited to the character in this particular instance. Overall, it feels like a really good Classic era Doctor Who episode that's been given the HAMMER Studios treatment.

Vengeance of She (1968)

Dir. Cliff Owen | Release: 14th April (UK)

None of the major stars from the first SHE (1965) film return for the sequel, but given that it's now set in a more contemporary era it makes sense that they'd not be included.

The plot, however, is almost the same but reversed, so it's now a male ego-maniac waiting for his female companion (i.e. Ayesha) to be reborn and return to the hidden city of Kuma.

The unlucky lady in that scenario is Olinka Bérová. There's some guff about the astral plane, magic circles and robed mystics, none of which is much good, but it does at least allow Derek Godfrey (as Magi Men-Hari) to seem somewhat Mocata-like (see below); and extra credit to him for keeping a straight face during the ridiculous chanting scenes.

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

aka: The Devil's Bride

Dir. Terence Fisher | Release: 20th July (UK)

Based on a 1934 Dennis Wheatley novel of the same name, and adapted for the screen by author Richard Matheson, the film stars Christopher Lee as Duke de Richleau, a wealthy man driven by a moral need to save a close friend (Patrick Mower) from losing himself to the clutches of a satanic "astronomical" society.

The application of many of the rituals is pure hokum and the plot has some major holes, but taken as a whole it's a perfect example of the theatrical horror that the studio was famous for, with a tremendous aura of evil menace and dire immediacy present in its best scenes.

Richleau's opposite number is a man named Mocata, played by Charles Gray in what I consider to be one of his most defining roles (from what I've seen of his thus far).

Ultimately, it's an old fashioned good versus evil adventure and, despite what one might call a cop-out ending, is my personal favourite of the HAMMER Studio productions.