The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy—all of Hammer's greatest horror films were all scripted by Jimmy Sangster. Sangster spent four decades at Hammer, working as a production manager, scriptwriter, producer, and director. Nobody knows more about the inner workings of Britain's most famous film studio. In this book, Sangster takes the reader inside the world of Hammer Studios in its heyday for the first time. Highlights include a foreword by Oscar-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis; previously unpublished extracts from early drafts of Sangster's scripts; Bury Him Darkly, a 1970 Sangster treatment for a Hammer Horror that was never made; and scores of previously unseen images from Sangster's private collection and the archives of Hammer Film Productions.
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This review is from: Inside Hammer: Behind the Scenes at the Legendary Film Studio (Paperback)
One gets the impression that the publishers of this book were solely reliant on the prospect of a few thousand die-hard fans going ga-ga and drooling over the opportunity to hear one of Hammer's great stalwarts reminisce about the studio's halcyon days. For it is certain that much of this book couldn't entertain anyone other than a starry-eyed follower of the House of Horror, one who hangs on any and every word uttered by one of the studio's greats. Much of the commentary is simply mind-numbing in its banality. Sangster's style is casual and colloquial, which becomes very irritating at points. One chapter begins, "This is my favourite film of all time. No. Let me rephrase that. It is the favourite one of MY films. There are many other films I have enjoyed more, but this is the favourite film that I have made." The book frequently sinks to this level of redundancy and dullness. On another occasion, he comments to the effect that a particular film is the greatest Hammer ever made, only to say at the end of the chapter something like, "Not the greatest, but nothing to be ashamed of." Comments about other people are often trite, and evidence that Sangster was stuck for words (typical would be comments like, "Terence Fisher. Nice guy. Very nice guy."). Did anyone bother to edit this book? On the other hand, if it had been edited down to what was useful, necessary or interesting, it would surely have been a very slim volume.Another problem with the book is that it is patently obvious that Sangster has considerably less regard for Hammer's gothic horrors (and, after all, that is what most of the fans want to hear about) compared to his enthusiasm for the psychological thrillers. His disinterest in, say, the Dracula and Frankenstein series shows. There are a few morsels to be savoured among an otherwise mediocre offering. There are some interesting stills, and many of the incidents and details Sangster recalls are fascinating. However, they are too few and far between to save a tediously pedestrian work.
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