Customer Reviews

House of Horror: The Complete Hammer Films Story (Creation Cinema Collection)

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Stay clear of that one!

This is an updated (or so they have you believe) edition of a book that was originally published in the 1970s. The first edition didn't even carry an author's name and was more or less the first book length publication about Hammer movies ever. It was effectively just a rehash of two or three sentence summaries of all the films without any real film historical info. It did have a good number of pictures, mainly black and white and poorly reproduced. The first edition at least has historical value and a gallery of a dozen or so one page Hammer Glamour photos. The current edition here has decided to drop all Hammer Glamour pics (THE main reason most even remember the book) and to replace it with a general chapter on Vampire Cinema (written by Jack Hunter) that is neither here nor there. All the remaining chapter are pretty much identical to the 1970s book.

I have both of editions. The Glamour pics are now graced by autographs of some of the ladies. The newer edition I got as I foolishly thought it would add some info.... as opposed to actually offer *less* for the Hammer fan!

For Hammer completists only. If you really need to buy this, at least try and get the original version from the 1970s. If you need an introductory book full of info and decent pictures, go for Marcus Hearn's/Alan Barnes' HAMMER STORY instead.

This is a wonderful guide through Hammer's world of monsters, and should be of particular use to the newer initiate into the Hammer Cannon, yet still manages to provide enough bits for the seasoned veteran, such as the many photos (a good amount are color) and a chapter on the movie-almost-weres. It is a light read, and doesn't contain much critical commentary other than whether or not the film was successful. A few behind-the-scenes tidbits are mentioned, and a quick summary of each movie.

This was the first book of Hammer I bought, and I read through it in a night. It helped me base my opions on which film series I wished to pursue first (my favorite still being the Frankensteins), as well as lend a general knowledge to the company as a whole. Though it really is a scratch on the surface, it whet my appetite for more serious readings.

The only slight fault - and it's nothing to gripe about really - is that the movies are not listed in chronological order, which makes cross referencing between series somewhat awkward. However, on the other hand, if one is only interested in the Frankenstein Series (or whatever have you), the movies are laid out in one solid chapter, and therefore easier to reference to each other. So, a give and take, but essential nonetheless.

One of the best reference works on Hammer Horror. Lots of film making history and behind the scenes goings on plus some great interviews with the leading names. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the great British horror movie. It could also help you in choosing which Hammer films you would like to buy from Amazon or from Dr Blood's Video Vault (an Amazon.com affiliate)- www.drblood.co.uk.

I have been looking for a history and filmography of Hammer Studios films for awhile now. This book turned out to be very disappointing. Half the movie stills didn't have captions and the plot summaries had glaring errors.

This reference book provides excellent behind the scenes looks at not only the films in Hammer Studio's famous Dracula and Frankenstein series, but all their other horror films (e.g., "Quartermass and the Pit"). You will read about Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, of course, but also of Terence Fisher and some of the other directors the studio employed to lesser degrees of success. I especially like when Hunter talks about how the studio decided to approach the Dracula series (you know I have a soft spot in my heart for the undead). It is amazing how well I remember so many of these movies and I know I have not seen them for years. Fortunately, AMC has been running a lot of Hammer films on Friday night's this year. Not a scholarly work, "House of Horror" is a treat for fans, not academics.

One of the best reference works on Hammer Horror. Lots of film making history and behind the scenes goings on plus some great interviews with the leading names. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the great British horror movie. It could also help you in choosing which Hammer films you would like to buy from Amazon.