History Film / HammerHorror

For horror with actual hammers, see DropTheHammer.

* ''[[Film/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles1959 The Hound Of The Baskervilles]]'' (1959)

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/Lifeforce1985'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, Literature/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. In fact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] that Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making its own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies, known informally as the "Bloodthirsty" trilogy (the first of which was ''Film/TheVampireDoll''). On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, Literature/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. In fact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] that Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making its own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies, known informally as the "Bloodthirsty" trilogy (the first of which was ''Film/TheVampireDoll''). On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.

* {{Uberwald}} / {{Ruritania}}: Even when it was stated to be Transylvania, the setting was just Generic Central Europe.

** Compare the sophisticated Count of Creator/BelaLugosi with the barely controlled feral madness of Lee's.

* AdaptationalBadass: Van Helsing is also a scholar, but also a vampire hunter. This expands to all the family.

** Dracula can't transform into bat, mist, fog and wolf in the Hammer movies. He is also killed in simpler ways (in the sequels) than the Universal's ones.

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, Literature/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. In fact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making its own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies known informally as the "Bloodthirsty" trilogy (the first of which was ''Film/TheVampireDoll''). On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.

The Hammer Horror films are a series of GothicHorror movies made by the British company Hammer Film Productions between the 1950s and the early '70s. The name is sometimes applied to similar films from the same era made by other small (often British) companies.

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, LightNovel/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. In fact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making its own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies known informally as the "Bloodthirsty" trilogy (the first of which was ''Film/TheVampireDoll''). On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.

The Hammer Horror films are a series of GothicHorror movies made by the British company Hammer Film Productions between the 1950s and the early '70s. The name is sometimes applied to similar films from the same era made by other small (often British) companies, such as Creator/AmicusProductions.

The Hammer Horror films are a series of GothicHorror movies made by the British company Hammer Film Productions between the 1950s and the early '70s. The name is sometimes applied to similar films from the same era made by other small (often British) companies, such as Amicus Productions.

The Hammer Horror films are a series of GothicHorror movies made by the British company Hammer Film Productions between the 1950s and the early '70s. The name is sometimes applied to similar films from the same era made by other small (often British) companies.

** Dracula can't transform into bat, mist, fog and wolf in the Hammer movies. He is also killed in simpler ways that the Universal's ones.

The Mummy (or mummies) were more like unstoppable undead. Kharis, while more agile, is easily killed by shotguns. The Universal Kharis is invulnerable to shots, or even fire. The most nearby character to a mummy-lich like Imhotep, is Queen Tera.

* AdaptationalWimp: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and [[Film/TheMummy1959 the Mummy]] are considerably weaker here than in their ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'' versions, where they are harder to kill. Dracula can't transform into bat, mist, fog and wolf in the Hammer movies; Frankenstein's Monster is vulnerable to normal weapons, also the Mummy. In the Universal's movies, Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy were more like unstoppable undead.

** Then we have ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'', a fantasy in which [[OneMillionBC prehistorical humans and dinosaurs coexist]]. It was the most expensive Hammer film ever produced.

* OneMillionBC: Hammer made a trilogy of films that may be the TropeCodifier, ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'' (a remake of a 1940 film), ''Film/WhenDinosaursRuledTheEarth,'' and ''Creatures the World Forgot.''

* AdaptationalWimp: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and [[''Film/TheMummy1959'' the Mummy]] are considerably weaker here than in their ''Franchise/UniversalHorror'' versions, where they are more harder to kill. Dracula can't transform into bat, mist, fog and wolf in the Hammer movies, Frankenstein's Monster is vulnerable to normal weapons, also the Mummy. In the Universal's movies, Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy were more like unstoppable undead.

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, LightNovel/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. Infact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making it's own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies known informally as the "Bloodthirsty" trilogy (The first of which was ''Film/TheVampireDoll''). On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.

* BottleEpisode: defined much of the studio's philosophy starting with ''Film/TheCurseOfFrankenstein'', which used a tiny cast and took place almost entirely in a single location, lacking even the traditional villagers with TorchesAndPitchforks because Hammer couldn't afford to build a village set or hire that many extras. Once they started making money they were able to get more ambitious but even then, most of their 1960s productions were designed to be very cheap and efficient, reusing the same sets, props, filming locations and a regular troupe of actors more consistently than some television shows do.

** The classic image from Hammer horror was Peter Cushing’s Professor Van Helsing battling Christopher Lee’s Dracula in Victorian-era Europe, but that particular combination occurred only twice (out of sixteen vampire movies the studio produced), in ''Film/HorrorOfDracula'' and briefly at the beginning of ''Film/DraculaAD1972''. For the rest of the latter movie, and its sequel, ''Film/TheSatanicRitesOfDracula'', Cushing plays Van Helsing’s 70s-era IdenticalGrandson, Lorrimer. Other films had one or the other character, or sometimes neither. (''Film/TheLegendOfThe7GoldenVampires'' was the only movie to have one of the two characters ''not'' played by those actors; Cushing’s Van Helsing fought a Dracula played by John Forbes-Robertson.)

** Compare The sophisticated Count of Creator/BelaLugosi with the barely controlled feral madness of Lee's.

* WhamLine: ''Scream of Fear.''([[spoiler: "Mrs. Appleby, surely you must know your stepdaughter Miss Penelope Appleby committed suicide three weeks ago in Switzerland."]])

In 2012, they released ''Film/TheWomanInBlack'', starring Creator/DanielRadcliffe. Other projects from the new Hammer include ''Film/TheResident'' (which features Hammer alumnus Creator/ChristopherLee in a supporting role) and ''Film/WakeWood''. In 2014, they produced ''Film/TheQuietOnes.''

* KillEmAll: Almost nobody makes it to the end of ''The Viking Queen'' or ''Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed'' alive.

* ArtisticLicensePaleontology: Dinosaurs and man alongside each other in ''Film/OneMillionYearsBC'' and ''Film/WhenDinosaursRuledTheEarth''. ''Creatures the World Forgot'' shows why the trope is [[EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs necessary]] -- if you think being slightly more realistic makes it better than the others, seek medication.

Creator/TerryPratchett's love of Hammer films was a source of much inspiration for the Literature/{{Discworld}} country of {{Uberwald}}, where every count is a vampire, every baron a werewolf, and every doctor is a MadScientist, and each of them is served by a specimen of TheIgor clan. You can also see many of the old clichés lovingly spoofed in Aardman's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{Wallace and Gromit Curse of the Were Rabbit}}''. One of the most fondly regarded periods of ''Series/DoctorWho'' is the "[[GothicHorror gothic]]" period of Season 12-14 (with Creator/TomBaker), which swiped Hammer Horror tropes and monsters and Doctorised them. Creator/TobeHooper's vampire flick ''Film/{{Lifeforce}}'' was dreamed up as a "70mm Hammer Film" and Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' is basically an American equivalent, even featuring Christopher Lee and Creator/MichaelGough. ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'' pays loving tribute to Hammer the way ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' did the Universal films, and the ''Film/FrightNight1985'' films are more serious, though still tongue-in-cheek homages with Creator/RoddyMcDowall as an extremely Peter Cushing-esque vampire hunter. Creator/GuillermoDelToro is a lifelong Hammer fan and admitted to styling his gothic ghost films ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' and especially ''Film/CrimsonPeak'' as [[GenreThrowback throwbacks]]. Creator/SteveCoogan, a horror nerd, created the ''Series/DrTerriblesHouseOfHorrible'' to {{Pastiche}} Hammer films, as well as similar ones by their rival Creator/AmicusProductions. Meanwhile in Japan, LightNovel/VampireHunterD and Franchise/{{Castlevania}} draw strong influence from Hammer's stylings and traditions. Infact, Hammer Horror was ''so'' [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff popular in Japan]] Creator/{{Toho}} ended up making it's own Hammer Horror derivative series of Vampire movies known informally as the "Bloodthirst" trilogy. On the other hand, ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' was essentially made as an anti-Hammer film, deliberately shying away from onscreen gore or stereotypical gothic scenery despite featuring Hammer regulars Christopher Lee and Ingrid Pitt.