While the Universal Monsters may have been the original film fiends, across the pond in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the little film company that could, Hammer, produced a bevy of movies that featured our familiar monsters, but in a much more graphic way. These films, featuring such sensational stars as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, brought an updated take on horror to a new generation of fans.
Your Planet 8 crew is joined by guests horror host extraordinaire Lord Blood-Rah and independent film-maker Tom Wyrsch to reminisce and discuss why we enjoy Hammer films so much. The studio had a very distinct style which is immediately recognizable, and there are certain things you can expect to see in a Hammer horror film - including bright red blood, and more than a little cleavage. We talk about which films are our favorites (and surprise, we all had different picks!), the actors and actresses we enjoyed, and some of the behind the scenes production stories.
We'll also discuss the upcoming Creatures Con, the San Francisco Bay Area's classic horror convention. Held on July 7th, it will feature the west coast premiere of the film, The House of the Gorgon by Josh Kennedy, a film that is very much an homage to Hammer films, and features Hammer film veterans Caroline Munro, Martine Beswick, and Veronica Carlson - Kennedy and Carlson will be at the show! The con will also have a monster movie quiz hosted by Lord Blood-Rah, which is certain to be a blast! They'll also have a special presentation on the film Plan 9 from Outer Space, to celebrate its 65th anniversary. All happening at the San Ramon Marriott -and the entire Planet 8 crew will be there, podcasting live! All this, for only $15 admission! What a bargain! Go to https://www.creaturescon.com/ for more information.
Don't forget to take a look at Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre for some fine entertainment.
As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts, so please share either here or at:
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Thanks for Listening!
Although I've not seen many of them (and Vampire Lovers was definitely one of them), I really like the Hammer horror movies - and really want to see more. So I really enjoyed the conversation, especially with such entertaining and knowledgeable guests.
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad The House of Gorgon was mentioned; I first heard about it last year (or before?) when there was still a Kickstarter or GoFundMe campaign to secure financing - I'm glad they reached their goals.
Also, I was a bit surprised that nobody mentioned the short-lived anthology series from 1980, Hammer House of Horror. I've watched a few episodes, and I can say that they're pretty good - creepy and often scary.
-Edo Bosnar
Hey Edo! Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts. You know I was interested in the Hammer Anthology series as I am a fan of a Hammer and also Night gallery, Twilight Zone and other anthology series relates to the genre. Based on your comments here I will check some of them out!
DeleteCheers my friend!
This was a delightful discussion!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard podcast hosts choose a Hammer monster to try and take down before - Planet 8 continues to provide content you just can't find anywhere else!
Great call out on The Devil Rides Out, Karen. Lee is reputed to have wanted to remake it wih updated production values (playing an older version of his Duke de Richleau character), and, in fact, the Shout Factory Blu Ray release does feature some subtly re-tweaked visual effects.
By the way, my vote for a modern film heavily influenced by hammer would have to be Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, even down to featuring Christopher Lee. It just drips with the Hammer vibe!
All-in-all, another great fun and informative listen - thanks Planet 8!
Thanks for the kind words and for your continued listening and support of our little podcast! Sorry for the delay in a reply, we were setting things up for our recording at the Creatures Con, which will air soon!
DeleteThis was an awesome episode my friends!
ReplyDeleteHearing this discussion of Hammer Horror films with You three, along with Tom and Lord Blood Rah broght back many fond memories (AGAIN!).
My first Hammer Horror experience as a kid, and Television nudity was Twins of Evil (Heh-heh!) on Creature Features. My second Hammer Film was The Curse of Frankenstein. I also LOVED The Wolfman 2010. Totally underated film, and what should have been the flagship movie of the re-imagined Universal Monster/Horrorverse, not that Tom Cruise Mummy fiasco.
Big Thanks to Karen, for bringing to light a movie I had never heard of before: The Devil Rides Out. I can barely wait to see this one.
Hope to see you all at Creatures Con at the end of this week. I will, of course be at my Kong's Cave of Collectibles tables all day with tons of Godzilla, and other Monster related goodies!
Hi Kev, good to hear from you and thanks for listening and supporting planet 8! I agree with you about the 2010 Wolfman, I really enjoyed the film. Take care and see you soon.
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