A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer [Hardcover]

Peter Cushing (Foreword), Denis Meikle (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810829592 | ISBN-13: 978-0810829596 | Publication Date: June 28, 1996 | Edition: First Edition

A History of Horrors traces the life and spirit of the 'House of Hammer' from its fledging days of the late 1940s, through its successes of the 1950s and 60s, to its decline in the 1970s. Through the eyes of many of the studio's key players, and through the works of film critics and historians, the book paints a vivid and fascinating picture of the rise and fall of a film empire, offering what author Denis Meikle refers to as 'the truth behind that legend.'

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviews of previous edition: Meikle has told the Hammer story like one of our best novels...Even though his work is research-based, it never reads like a stuffy, academic piece. In fact, this book's true greatness is in Meikle's eloquent, witty style that divulges his shrewd savvy and intelligence at work. Books about film studios do not get any better than this.... (Little Shoppe Of Horrors )

Reviews of previous edition ...not only the answer to every Hammer fan's dream but also one of the best books written about any film studio..... (Filmfax )

Reviews of previous edition: For his sanguine and fascinating biography of the best-known British studio of fantasy and macabre, Meikle opened some cinematic crypts. An indispensable and worthy addition to every film library, Meikle has unearthed well-buried facts and given them new life.... (Choice )

...unmatched in making a gripping story... (Sight & Sound )

.Reviews of previous edition ...is of much use to the avid Hammer fan....... (Samhain )

Reviews of previous edition: ...a labour of love for its author. Meikle has succeeded in digging up fine details about the making of the studio's classic chillers. Meikle's prose is enthusiastic and engaging... (Crimson )

Reviews of previous edition ...not only the answer to every Hammer fan's dream but also one of the best books written about any film studio. (Filmfax )

Reviews of previous edition: For his sanguine and fascinating biography of the best-known British studio of fantasy and macabre, Meikle opened some cinematic crypts. An indispensable and worthy addition to every film library, Meikle has unearthed well-buried facts and given them new life. (Choice )

Reviews of previous edition: A long time in the making, but the result more than compensates...compulsive reading...a fascinating, well-researched study which offers a unique insight into the company's key figures... (Dark Terrors )

.Reviews of previous edition ...is of much use to the avid Hammer fan... (Samhain )

Reviews of previous edition: ...a gripping read, painting a vivid portrait of the corporate horrors in which Hammer became increasingly mired as the years passed...Meikle deftly sketches in the profound social changes which occurred during Hammer's supremacy...splendid -- close to definitive... (Shivers )

.Reviews of previous edition: ..far and away the best book I've read about the business of making horror films...compulsively readable. (Video Watchdog )

Reviews of previous edition: Finally, a creditable author, with access to private files and previously hidden data, has taken the Hammer saga and distilled it into a superb book...[it] is, without reservation, the best film history book in at least a decade, a compulsively readable account of a dream factory whose fascinating output was unique in the world of cinema...[Meikle's] style--articulate, balanced, engaging --invites us into a world to which outsiders are denied access, and examines it with a skilled reporter's thoroughness. History of Horrors does what a great film book should: It makes you want to see the movie again. (Sarasota Herald-Tribune )

Reviews of previous edition ...a very solid book, dense information, good judgment, and an eye for foible. (Stage, Screen, & Radio )

Reviews of previous edition: Meikle has told the Hammer story like one of our best novels...Even though his work is research-based, it never reads like a stuffy, academic piece. In fact, this book's true greatness is in Meikle's eloquent, witty style that divulges his shrewd savvy and intelligence at work. Books about film studios do not get any better than this. (Little Shoppe Of Horrors )

Reviews of previous edition: ...undoubtedly THE book for the Hammer aficionado. (David Whitehead )

Reviews of previous edition: ..the Hammer tale is entertaining reading, as well as a valuable document. History of Horrors also does what a great film book should: It makes you want to see the movies again. (Sun Sentinel )

Reviews of previous edition: With this well-researched book, Meikle examines the studio from its early successes, through its porfitable years and finally during its decline after more than two decades in business. (Burlington County Times )

Reviews of previous edition: ...a well-researched book... (Bucks County Courier Times )

Reviews of previous edition ...endlessly fascinating. Anyone who has watched Hammer movies will like this...the major, and not so major, entries are covered in detail...it may be the best source ever on Hammer...footnotes are excellent and contain much that couldn't be shoehorned into the main text. Don't skip them. The illustrations are very good. (Movie Collector's World )

There are plenty of books about the rise and fall of the House of Hammer but non so all-encompassing as this authoritative 1996 overview....a keenly researched chronology, which vigorously explores the making of such classics as The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out, excavating a crypt load of fascinating facts and figures as it does so. Hammers' decline in the seventies was swift as its rise in the fifties, and all of this is grist to the tale told here, which is presented with an unswerving desire for the truth behind the legend. Film histories don't come much better than this. (Film Review )

College-level film studies collection will find this documentary a vivid survey of the changing British film industry, with chapters considering both major productions and industry trends. Film studies collections with a special focus on British film will find it a fine addition. (Paul Vogel Midwest Book Review )

About the Author

Denis Meikle, a former graphic designer and a one-time film critic, is now a full-time author.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; First Edition edition (June 28, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810829592
• ISBN-13: 978-0810829596
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,319,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening, to the point of ruining the magic, October 8, 2002

By 

Mike (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer (Hardcover)

The good news is that for more-than-casual Hammer horror fans, this is a meticulously researched studio history, written from the business perspective, that goes far deeper than the usual rehashes found in horror encyclopedias and video guides. Meikle does a great job of putting the British film industry into a larger 1950s and '60s context, and sheds the light on Hammer's spotty U.S. distribution history for those of us who grew up on this side of the pond as frustrated young monster magazine readers wondering why the movies in our monster magazines (especially in the later years) never came to theaters or only played grindhouses and drive-ins.
The bad news is that the author is so down on Hammer's output in general that you wonder how he ever mustered the enthusiasm to tackle the topic in the first place. It's one thing to flail the usual whipping posts (he calls "Scars of Dracula" "irredeemably tacky"). But the harsh tone extends to even the usually acknowledged classics, such as "The Mummy" and "Curse of Frankenstein." Maybe Meikle feels it goes without saying that Hammer often captured lighting in a bottle in spite of its own scripts and budgets that today wouldn't even measure up to first-run syndication TV such as "Hercules." You appreciate the clear-eyed approach, but Anchor Bay seems to have a better attitude with its "even the cheesy stuff has its charms" approach to the background materials on its DVD releases.
If anything, a Hammer fan goes away from the book feeling it's a miracle these films came out as good as they were, after the author unveils the cynicism and/or studio heads' lack of faith in the source material that U.S. fans always took for granted with our "The British do this stuff best" assumptions.

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Hammer Movies, September 11, 2010

By 

Sasha "Watch for me by moonlight" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer (Hardcover)

The history of Hammer Studios is full of ups and downs and when it ends it is so softly and it breaks the heart . If your a fan of Hammer movies read it . I read it some years ago when it first came out .
I have such fond memories of Hammer Horror films . And with dvds I own many . The history of that incredible company and the people who created the movies is apart of film history .
And Hammer Studios is Back ! Let Me In . Is the new Hammer film . You can now call Hammer the studio that wouldn't die .

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Film studies collections with a special focus on British film will find it a fine addition, May 8, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Horrors (Paperback)

Denis Meikle is a film critic and graphic designer turned author, and here provides a fine biography of some of the best-known British fantasy and horror films. College-level film studies collection will find this documentary a vivid survey of the changing British film industry, with chapters considering both major productions and industry trends. Film studies collections with a special focus on British film will find it a fine addition.