The Hammer Story [Hardcover]

Marcus Hearn (Author), Alan Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 25, 2007

Fifty years ago, Hammer Films released The Curse of Frankenstein. The now-legendary British company went on to make such classics as Dracula (and its many sequels), making international stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, changing the face of horror cinema, and inspiring a generation of Hollywood filmmakers, including George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton.

Now, for the first time, Hammer have given their active backing to an authorised history of the company, and have provided unlimited access to their archives.

The Hammer Story provides a film-by-film dissection, dripping with rare promotional material and previously unpublished photographs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan Barnes has written features for Hammer Horror, as well as scripts for 2000AD.

Marcus Hearn was the editor of Hammer Horror magazine, and with co-author Alan Barnes, he has written Tarantino A-Zed, The Cinema of George Lucas and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books; Revised edition (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845761855
• ISBN-13: 978-1845761851
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.9 x 11.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The first Color Horror classics October 3, 2007

By R. Rosener VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

It's hard to believe that 50 years ago the small English film studio Hammer began the reincarnation of classic horror. It's even more odd that the studio which transformed horror and paved the way for more modern films rarely gets credit for saving and transforming the genre. Ask most horror fans today what Hammer studios was and you'll likely get a blank stare if they even look up from the 18th incarnation of SAW or another wretched remake of a psycho killer bloodfest.
Hammer studios launched the careers of Oliver Reed, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Raquel Welch just to name a few. Many books and periodicals have come and gone about the "Studio that dripped blood". Notably the book English Gothic and the U.S. periodical "Little Shoppe Of Horrors" by Richard Klemensen have done a fine job of looking in depth at Hammer's output and personalities.
And now we have a fine visual reference in the form of this book. The design and printing of this volume is top notch. Chris Lee is fittingly on the cover as Dracula. Hammer's cycle of films did more to sensualize the vampire myth than anything before them. It's fair to say that vampires just were not the same after Hammer and Chris Lee. There is a forward by Mr. Lee in the beginning, first written in 1997 for the first edition of this book. It's too bad they did not have Mr. Lee update that forward for this important revised edition.
But the casual Hammer fan will not be disappointed by the contents of this book. I dare say even the more knowledgable will find some photographs never before seen. The wonderful backstage shots alone make this worth owning. My favorite section is the Filmography with a plot synposis of every film made under the Hammer banner along with color repros of many of the original film posters.... There are some tantalizing posters of films never made, such as "Savage Jackboot" starring Peter Cushing as an SS commander in WWII! This book could easily have been twice as large, but it will still give you many evenings of enjoyment looking at rarely seen (and sometimes risque) photographs of your favorite Hammer films. The format allows one to flip casually through a section or two and then return later without missing a beat. There are some gems in the text as well, such as the admission that semi-nude scenes were indeed shot for many early hammer classics such as the Mummy. These were made for distribution in Japan and never seen in the west. This book would also be a great introduction to Hammer and it's atmospheric imagery to someone not acquainted with the studio and its importance to the history and evolution of the horror film genre. Let's hope that this book helps Hammer and it's hard working stars and crews finally get the credit they deserve for redeeming the horror genre from a swarm of giant bugs and drive-in cheapies made in the 50's. The US release of this book is timed perfectly for the Halloween season. So sneak some Halloween candy, put on your favorite hammer film, and read this one by candlelight on some dark October evening. Read more ›

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatness on every page October 13, 2007

By Bruce Joyner

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a Hammer Film fan who actually watched all the horror and sci-fi movies they put out originally...This book is a must have for Hammer Fans..I have most of their catalog of older movies too..this book talks at length about then and has some great photos i had never seen.Buy It Now!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Haunted House That Hammer Built November 18, 2008

By Michael R Gates VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn's THE HAMMER STORY is an exhaustive historical study of the horror films produced by Britain's Hammer Studios from the 1950s to the 1970s. For each film, the book offers a story synopsis, production history, and a discussion of critical and popular reaction. Also, the book includes a short history of the studio itself and information on those who helmed and shaped it over the years, and short biographies of some of the stars, screenwriters, and directors of various films are scattered throughout. All in all, THE HAMMER STORY is an outstanding scholarly look at the studio and its most well-known output, yet the writing style avoids the common stuffiness of scholarship and is accessible to both casual horror fans and serious students of horror cinema alike.

The only real weakness of the book is that it focuses primarily on the gothic horror films produced by Hammer but skims over some of studio's other notable output. Indeed, even the studio's horror-themed TV shows, HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR and HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE, receive only cursory attention. Yet in spite of its minor shortcomings, THE HAMMER STORY is, to date, the best published study of the studio that was almost single-handedly responsible for reviving the horror genre in the latter half of the 20th century, and anyone interested in horror cinema will find it both informative and enjoyable reading.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Stylish Yet Incomplete Survey of Hammer July 20, 2008

By Erich A. Scholz III

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, Titan Books should be commended for producing a very attractive, informative volume with lots of great photos concerning the history of Hammer Studios. The key films are discussed in depth, usually with two pages devoted to behind-the-scenes info regarding all your favorites. My one quibble would be with what the book isn't -- this is not a comprehensive survey of Hammer's entire output. The b&w thrillers are glossed over as are the comedies, the swashbucklers and the forgotten noirs. All well and good if you're only interested in the gothic horror films -- and let's face it, that's what most people signed up for, right?

I'm not really complaining. This book delivers the goods on Hammer's horror output. I bought it and I'm satisfied. But I'm still waiting for that all-encompassing tome devoted to this great and unique British film studio's entire history -- horror and all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Overview October 18, 2009

By William Alexander

Format:Hardcover

I am not normally a fan of "coffee table" books. But, in this case, I am happy to make an exception.

In this large volume, the editors essentially try to tell the story of Hammer Studios, the movie production company that went from obscurity to legend in the genre of horror and suspense. It is, as other reviews quite correctly point out, not complete, so it cannot be called a full history. But, I still give it five stars for superb editing, superior physical construction and layout, and the synposes of most of Hammer's offerings which candidly assess the merits and flaws of the most noteworthy Hammer films. The picures are lavish and generous (many rare and likely unpublished before), the criticism and commentary learned, and the complete filmography at the end of the book not to be missed, especially by the Hammer "completist." The foreward by Christopher Lee is warm and candid, and the reader also gets "glimpses" into the personalities and acting methods of some of the greatest of the Hammer stars like the not-to-be-replaced Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt. And the book's visual choices give a palpable sense of the lush, rich colors that were Hammer's trademark, as well as illustrating beautifully the commentary on "how" and "why" the legendary studio was unafraid to "push" both cinematic and social envelopes in its heyday.

So while the other reviews in this thread are excellent and should be read before purchase, I am going to take the "five star" rating for the reasons I outlined above.

Recommended, especially for the Hammer completist as well as the casual but appreciative fan.