Hammer, House of Horror: Behind the Screams [Hardcover]

Howard Maxford (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With its startling camera work and a company of actors that included Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, Hammer Films produced some of the most frightening and influential horror movies of all time. This book tells the story of Hammer, focusing particularly on the series of horror movies it made between 1955 and 1972. It includes summaries and reviews of each Hammer film, a chronology of the studio and biographies of the principal actors and filmmakers who worked for Hammer. Best of all, the book is lavishly, sometimes terrifyingly, illustrated with stills from the films themselves, many of them in full bloody color.

Review

Hammer, House Of Horror is a chronological, film-by-film history of Hammer Films from its beginnings in the 30s to the science fiction films of the 50s and the renowned horror cycle of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Hammer stars include Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed, Bette Davis, Ingrid Pitt, Ursula Andress, Raquel Welch, and Julie Ege. Directors and writers such as Terence Fisher and Jimmy Sangster crafted the special Hammer atmosphere. A complete filmography and credits for all Hammer Films, a Hammer chronology, and biographical sketches of leading Hammer stars and other key personnel are provided. Hammer, House Of Horror is a splendid addition to any film studies collection. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; 1st Amrican ed edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879516526
• ISBN-13: 978-0879516529
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Reference Book, April 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Hammer, House of Horror: Behind the Screams (Hardcover)

Mr. Maxford takes the reader through Hammer's history, from their beginnings as Exclusive to their 80's TV work. Contrary to the title, there is very little behind the scenes information. The book is mainly useful as a reference, offering plot details, cast and crew lists, and release information.

If you're looking for praise for Hammer's work, though, you need to look somewhere else. The author is complimentary to about four of Hammer's pictures, and trashes the rest. I have to wonder why he wrote this book; he doesn't seem to be much of a fan.

Although, if you can take his criticisms with a grain of salt, this book is a valuable "encyclopedia."

3.0 out of 5 stars Good pics and reference but this guy HATES the movies!, August 9, 2011

By 

Wayne M. Malin "Preppy" (Malden MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hammer, House of Horror: Behind the Screams (Hardcover)

A chronological listing of Hammer films--from the 1950s to the 1980s. He tells you who starred in what, the plot, why the film was made and how with a few interesting stories here and there. Also the selection of pics, some in color, are excellent. However author Howard Maxford comes down VERY hard on the Hammer films. He only picks out maybe two or three films that he considers classics and the rest are (in his estimation) junk. He's WAY too hard and judgmental on the films. That aside, this is well-written, quick and easy to read. But his trashing of most of thr Hammer output gets annoying real quick. I ended up wondering why he wrote a book on films he clearly seems to hate.