The HAMMER Collection: Part 3 of 3 (1970-76)

The HAMMER Collection:

DVD Box Set - Part 3 of 3 (1970-76) 

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.

Part 1 can be found HERE, while Part 2 is HERE. Click on the text below for thoughts on the final seven films in the collection, including individual entries in three famous franchises:

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 HAMMER Collection: Part 1 of 3 (1965-66)

The HAMMER Collection:
DVD Box Set - Part 1 of 3 (1965-66)

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.

It's a tidy package that takes up very little space on a shelf. It's roughly about the size of a cube made from standard size CD jewel cases. The discs are housed securely in four multi-disc digi tray booklets. I dislike digi trays, usually, but they're better than crappy card wallets, which is what I feared the discs would be presented in.

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 means that the post for each of the three parts will be roughly equal in size (besides this one, which has a slightly longer intro). As for putting them in chronological order - it makes sense to me, more so than the unusual order they're presented in the actual box. Part 2 of the collection is HERE, while Part 3 is HERE.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

Dir. Terence Fisher

Peter Cushing played the role of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes many times on television but, alas, only once for HAMMER Studios. His ever-alert, energetic portrayal will surely annoy some folks but for me he’s the definitive film version.

So too is André Morell as Watson, a decent detective and a reliable friend, not the bumbling idiot of some other filmed versions.

It’s unmistakably HAMMER, the set-bound elegance is clear to see, and being adapted from a literary source as fine as their many horror works meant it was their equal in almost every way. The only downside is the depiction of the moor itself; it needed a more chilling, eerie mystery characterising it.

Tales From The Crypt (1972) + Vault of Horror (1973)

Tales From The Crypt (1972)
Vault of Horror (1973)

Dirs. Dir. Freddie Francis (TFtC) / Roy Ward Baker (VoH)

A Double Feature put out by Scream Factory that contains both Tales From The Crypt and its sequel, Vault of Horror (also known as Tales From The Crypt II in some regions).

I have issues with Scream Factory's price-hiking and shameless lack of integrity, but they licence some damn fine feature films.

Both are typical of the Amicus anthology format, each collecting five short stories set within a larger narrative framework. The locales for each story are different but all are set in the modern era (i.e. the 1970s).

The Studio even managed to lure some big name stars to appear in the works, such as Peter Cushing, Tom Baker, Denholm Elliott, Joan Collins and Sir Ralph Richardson.

Doctor Who: Peter Cushing (1965-66)

Doctor Who: Peter Cushing (1965-66)

Non-canon Doctor | 2 films, approx 83 mins each.

01. Director Gordon Flemyng's Doctor Who and the Daleks (1965) is the first feature-length outing for the time-hopping Time Lord, Doctor Who. Except, he's not a Time Lord yet because his Gallifreyan origins had yet to be invented or explored in 1965.

Peter Cushing stars as the titular traveller, his version of which is a dithering grandpa-type that I suspect may have been a high-school physics teacher at one point in his life, because how else could he build an actual working time machine in his spare room?

The script is based on a seven-part TV serial by Terry Nation and starring First Doctor William Hartnell, simply titled The Daleks in home media releases. [1]

HAMMER: Mummy Films (1959-71)

The Mummy (1959)

Dir. Terence Fisher

HAMMER had successfully set Lee against Cushing in Dracula (1958) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), so it made sense to have the pair return for a third year running with classic horror's third big hitter. But the franchise quickly ran out of steam, reaching only four films, in comparison to Dracula's nine and Frankenstein's seven.

Archaeologists (i.e., sophisticated thieves) forcibly enter the well-lit tomb of an Egyptian high priestess and in so doing invite the wrath of a centuries old curse upon their educated heads. Their transgression was in the name of education not profit, but the distinction is unobserved by certain parties, one of which is a very bandaged Christopher Lee who has every right to be pissed off.

HAMMER: Frankenstein Films (1957-74)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Dir. Terence Fisher

TCoF was a trio of firsts for HAMMER Studios: their first horror in colour, their first Frankenstein film and the first of their productions to feature Christopher Lee.

The story is a confessional flashback, meaning the Baron's evolution from cultivating an infectious curiosity to succumbing to an isolating obsession is paced by his own telling, working inexorably toward the creature's reveal. Universal forbade the use of their existing iconic image, so HAMMER had to make their own more gruesome version, sans neck-bolts.

It's privilege that enables the Baron to carry out his work. Meddling in pure science at the level he does is the exclusive preserve of the rich. If he'd been impecunious the creature would probably never have been born.

HAMMER: Dracula Films (1958-74)

Dracula (1958)

aka Horror of Dracula (in the US)

Dir. Terence Fisher

It took huge liberties with Bram Stoker's original story, but otherwise Hammer's first flirtation with the Dracula figure is the best vampire film they ever made.

The elaborate sets are beautifully lit. The creeping strings and timely crashing cymbals of James Bernard's score lift everything from routinely dramatic to legendary heights.

What gets the most attention, deservedly so, is the addition of Christopher Lee in the lead role and Peter Cushing as his nemesis, the pursuant Dr. Abraham Van Helsing. Pitting those two against each other is like having mountains collide amid a thunderstorm.

The ending is the most memorable of any vampire film I've ever seen.