The World of Hammer

Meet the actor who, along with Christopher Lee, became the most recognizable and beloved of the Hammer Films family, bringing an unparalleled dramatic skill to his roles as Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Van Helsing, Baron Frankenstein and more.

Explore Hammer's greatest legacy with clips from such classic films as The Horror of Dracula, Brides of Dracula, Dracula - Prince of Darkness, Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, Scars of Dracula, Kiss of the Vampire and more.

The "Hammer Glamour" epics delivered their own singular vision of history, creating puberty's essential bridge between the thrill of cool monsters and the sensation of gorgeous women.

Through the years, Hammer's depiction of female vampires was consistently groundbreaking and always controversial, exploring the fine line between forbidden desire and the curse of the undead.

The Wicked Women of Hammer included such cult stars and screen legends as Bette Davis, Ingrid Pitt, Joan Fontaine, Martine Beswick, Tallulah Bankhead, Lizabeth Scott and more.

Hammer's war films covered controversial stories such as The Camp on Blood Island and The Steel Bayonet, comedies including I Only Arsked and Further Up the Creek and even a remake of the 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes. Films included: Break In The Circle (1955) / The Camp On Blood Island (1958) / Further Up the Creek (1958) / I Only Arsked (1958) / The Lady Vanishes (1979) / The Secret of Blood Island (1964) / Up the Creek (1958) / Ten Seconds To Hell (1959) / The Steel Bayonet (1957) / Yesterday's Enemy (1959)

Hammer's science-fiction films are a classic genre unto themselves. For nearly three decades, the studio presented fantastic tales of space travel, alien invasions, nuclear mutation, and more with a combination of rare intelligence and crowd-pleasing action. Even today, their adaptations of Nigel Kneale's Quatermass series remain provocative science fiction.

Over the course of three decades, Hammer Films redefined the classic legends of the mummy, the werewolf and the zombie. More than mere "monster movies," these films were frightening new takes on familiar tales, complete with chilling scares, startling violence and the one-of-a-kind visual style that became a worldwide Hammer trademark.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, and running alongside production of the gothic horror films, Hammer made a series of what were known as "mini-Hitchcocks" mostly scripted by Jimmy Sangster, and directed by Freddie Francis and Seth Holt. These low-budget suspense thrillers, often in black-and-white, typically had a twist at the end of the tale.

Based on Mary Shelley's novel, Hammer's startling cycle of Frankenstein films were equally as popular—and controversial—as their renowned Dracula series. In the studio's hands, the legend was reborn as explicit thrillers of gothic horror, all in gloriously gory colour. Portrayed by genre icon Peter Cushing, Baron Frankenstein emerged as a fascinating combination of visionary intelligence, heroic passion and diabolical obsession. As for Frankenstein's monsters, these are the creatures that changed the stitched-up face of horror forever.

Christopher Lee was one of Hammer's most famous stars. From his debut in The Curse of Frankenstein, he went on to make the role of Count Dracula his own starring in eight of Hammer's Dracula productions. Lee also starred in many other of the studio's films from The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959) to To the Devil a Daughter.

Hammer Films is one of the most famous independent British film production companies as well as one of the most successful. Its output continues to inspire many of the genre films made today and many of the cinema's foremost directors. This episode takes a general look across the various genres Hammer explored.

Films included: The Brigand Of Kandahar (1965) / A Challenge For Robin Hood (1967) / The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) / Dick Turpin Highwayman (1956) / The Pirates Of Blood River (1962) / The Scarlet Blade (1963) / The Stranglers Of Bombay (1959) / Sword Of Sherwood Forest (1960) / Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood (1969)