Starting a Legacy of Horror - Hammer, A Brief Introduction
When thinking of horror, we're instantly transported to the memories of films we watched growing up. The times we'd sneak into the cinema, or lie about our date of birth to see, or sitting on the stairs and peering through the banisters, just to catch a glimpse of something that always held the caveat, 'you're too young to watch it'.
Many film studios and companies can say they've contributed to audience's memories at different times in history, but few hold the prestigious candle across several generations. Few can say, they were there providing thrills & chills for parents/grandparents and continue to deliver new thrills & chills for their children/grandchildren.
Laying the Foundations
90 years ago, in 1934, a small studio came to be by the name of Hammer Productions Ltd. Created by businessman, William 'Will Hammer' Hinds, the newly founded production company began their journey into cinema with their own original productions until falling into bankruptcy and eventual liquidation in 1937. To no fault of their own, the British film industry was hit by ever increasing expenditure and miscalculated risk to actively compete with the increasingly expanding US market. It is documented, that of the 600+ British production companies registered between 1925-1936, only 20 were still in operation and active moving into 1937-38.
Films released from inception to liquidation include:
The Public Life of Henry the Ninth (1935, Wainwaring) The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935, Clift)
Sporting Love (1936, Wills)
Song of Freedom (1936, Wills)
The Bank Messenger Mystery (1936, Huntington)
Like a popular character in Hammer's future films, the production company didn't stay 'dead' for long. Hammer continued operation by distributing films created by other labels under the title Exclusive Films. Exclusive films had initially been formed in 1935, in collaboration with Enrique Carreras, as an extension of Hammer Film Productions' film distribution company.
The First of Many Returns
The original founding fathers of Hammer's sons, James Carreras and Anthony Hinds rejoined the company after the war effort and eventually worked to revive the production side of Exclusive Films, Hammer Film Productions Ltd.
It is pertinent to note, in Britain, the Cinematograph Films Act 1927 was passed via UK Parliament and eventually came into effect in 1928. It was later amended by the Cinematograph Films Act 1938 and eventually repealed by the Films Act 1960. These Acts are a example of Government supports / control of exhibition, supporting the opportunities of British films by setting financial support structures and eventual quotas / restrictions. All this, to counter the perceived 'American threat' from Hollywood's conveyer-belt process to filmmaking.
This initial Act presented a cheaper and easily exploitable method for British productions to quickly produce and exhibit their work, with a guaranteed place in the market. Thus, the name 'quota-quickies'; and films meeting that criteria, became a norm - flooding the domestic market - influencing the repeal in 1960. There is ongoing debate as to whether this was a positive, or negative, for the British Film Industry - but we're digressing.
Carreras and Hinds began development on a new line of multimedia releases including, 'quota-quickie' films, radio shows and; eventually, television programming.
Such productions include:
Dick Barton: Special Agent (1948, Raikes)
Meet Simon Cherry (1949, Grayson)
Someone at the Door (1950, Searle)
The Dark Light (1951, Sewell)
Lady in the Fog (1952, Newfield)
36 Hours (1953, Tully)
The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954, Guest)
A total of 50+ features films and 80+ shorts & featurettes released at this time.
These productions, alongside a relocation from Wardour Street Exclusive Offices (also known as Hammer House) to Bray Studios, are sometimes overlooked, due to the biggest shift in the companies history following soon thereafter.
Xperimenting with Horror
The undeniable start of the transition to becoming one of the most influential production studios for horror cinema, Hammer created an unexpected hit that would lay the framework for future releases. The film in question was an adaptation of an existing serial IP and Hammer devised an ingenuous marketing ploy to capture the attention of audiences, just by reading its title, The Quatermass Xperiment (1955, Guest).
Hammer used the newly developed X rating from the British Board of Film Classification (previously categorised as H [horrific]), to act as both a warning and an invitation to view the taboo. X, now replaced with the current 18 rating, informed audiences, that the film's content was unsuitable for those under the age of 16 prior to a revision in 1970, extending the restriction to those under the age of 18. This criteria would accurately detail any inclusion of sexual depictions and violence.
The success of Quatermass, as well as its cultural impact on British horror is undeniable. Although having problems with the censors for earlier releases, Hammer appropriated an informal agreement with the BBFC to review the script to provide guidance - both ensure the production wouldn't endure expensive cuts during post-production and that the film met the criteria for the certificate - in this instance, for the X Rating.
This practice would continue with future developments being sent to the BBFC and ongoing conversations regarding guidance, to ensure the films were both; reaching its target audience and financial stability. Comically, the BBFC would later coin the phrase, Sangster Cocktail, to describe the violent or grotesque content detailed in future scripts.
Hammer's horror legacy would only continue from the release of The Quatermass Xperiment and its subsequent sequels, building a catalogue of influential horror films that continued to push the boundaries on both classification and audience perceptions.
Films, such as, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957, Fisher), Dracula (1958, Fisher) and The Mummy (1959, Fisher), would pave the way for a new generation of horror, not seen since Universal Pictures undeniably successful push into the genre in the 1930s.
From 1955, to the mid 1970s, Hammer had a hold of audiences seeking chills & thrills from their cinema; and later to home / television, experience. Each subsequent release delivered on an unwritten expectation for Hammer films, ensuring that each instalment gave the dedicated audiences their moneys worth and more.
Not the End
Although Hammer would close its doors in the 1980s, the company has changed ownership several times over the last few decades and now sits in the passionate hands of John Gore. With the incentive to bring the extensive catalogue of Hammer back to fans, old & new, whilst continuing to build on the impressive legacy, this is not the end.
There's a plethora of content available for those wanting to continue their exploration into the wonderful world of Hammer and their archive of work, listed below. For those wishing to continue the conversation and explore with us at Hooked on Horror, we've just announced our 6-part Podcast, Hooked on Hammer, releasing January 2025.
Remember, this is just a brief overview. In the words of Baron Frankenstein, "We've just opened the door, nows the time to walk through it..." together.
Further exploration:
Cook, Pam (1996) Fashioning the Nation: Costume and Identity in British Cinema
Dickinson, et al (1985) Cinema and the State: The Film Industry and the British Government
Kinsey, Wayne (2005) Hammer Films: The Bray Studios Years
McKay, Sinclair (2007) A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films
Meikle, Dennis (1996) A History of Horrors - The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer
Murphy, Robert (2001) British Cinema Book, 2nd Edition
Rigby, Jonathan (2000) English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema
Parliament UK (Cinematograph Act): https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldselect/ldcomuni/37/3705.htm
Hammer Films official website: https://hammerfilms.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorB-KIVVCV04ck96eYooWP8lOW45wl8t3V4Xc6mWWetUQcus4On
BBFC official website: https://www.bbfc.co.uk/
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