Thursday, August 16, 2012

HAMMER, HOUSE OF HORROR: BEHIND THE SCREAMS

HAMMER, HOUSE OF HORROR: Behind the Screams. Howard Maxford. Overlook Press; 1996.

This over-sized coffee table book loaded with photographs looks at the output from Hammer studios, beginning with the days when Enrique Carreras and William Hinds (and their respective sons, James and Anthony) formed the company that would be known as Hammer and which eventually concentrated on  handsomely produced color horror films. Like the studio, the book also concentrates on its horror output, although it does list and have notes on every film made by the studio, including TV spin-offs, comedies, dramas, crime films and the like.The book not only discusses in depth the more famous movies -- such as the ones featuring Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and Dracula (Christopher Lee) -- but also notable directors like Freddie Francis and Terence Fisher, and less notable ones such as Michael Carreras. An annotated appendix lists everyone who was anyone as far as Hammer was concerned, as well as every single production with a rating.

Verdict: Very informative and highly readable. ***1/2. 

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