Synopsis
No company in the history of cinema did more to legitimize the horror film than Hammer Films―the small British independent, which operated out of its tiny Bray Studios on the banks of the River Thames. From the Gothic elegance of The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula to the violent sexploitation of The Vampire Lovers and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, the Hammer name stood for one thing to a generation of films fans as the term "Hammer Horror" became a part of the language. This revised and updated edition of A History of Horrors traces the life and "spirit" of Hammer, from its fledgling days in the late 1940s through its successes of the 1950s and '60s to its decline and eventual liquidation in the late 1970s. With the exclusive participation of all of the personnel who were key to Hammer's success, Denis Meikle paints a vivid and fascinating picture of the rise and fall of a film empire, offering new and revealing insights into "the truth behind the legend." Much has been written about Hammer's films, but this is the only book to tell the story of the company itself from the perspective of those who ran it in its heyday and who helped to turn it into a universal byword for terror on the screen. This definitive history also includes cast and credits listings for the "Hammer Horrors" and a complete filmography of all of Hammer's feature productions.
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About the Author
Denis Meikle is the author of several books on film, including Vincent Price: The Art of Fear (2003), Johnny Depp: A Kind of Illusion (2004), The Ring Companion (2005), and Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out (2006).
From the Back Cover
The story begins in the late 1940s when the little-known British film studio was struggling to survive. That all changed in 1957 with the overwhelming success of The Curse of Frankenstein and continued through the 1960s and well into the 1970s. During those years, Hammer Film Productions produced more than sixty films that transported cinema-goers from a world facing the threat of nuclear war and the demise of the planet to a dark, Gothic fantasyland peopled with vampires and virgins, madmen and mummies. While film critics might not always have responded favorably, audiences loved them. A History of Horrors traces the history of the House of Hammer in rich and highly readable detail, providing a unique perspective on the creative spirit that built the studio into one of the most successful British film companies of its time and on the changing world that brought about the studio's downfall. With the aid of many of Hammer's key players - including actors Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed, and Christopher Lee; producers Anthony Hinds and Kenneth Hyman; and studio head Michael Carreras - Denis Meikle paints a compelling picture of a bygone era in filmmaking.
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A History Of Horrors: The Rise And Fall Of The House Of Hammer: Revised Edition (signed & dated by the author)
Published by
The Scarecrow Press: USA, 2009
ISBN 10: 0810863537
ISBN 13: 9780810863538
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: COLD TONNAGE BOOKS, Colyton, DEVON, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Oversize hardcover. First edition thus (& 1st printing). 294 pages: foreword by Peter Cushing. : Much revised and expanded (and larger format) from the 1996 Scarecrow Press edition. .SIGNED AND DATED AT TIME OF PUBLICATION (21.3.2009) BY THE AUTHOR. Front bottom corner tip shows minor bruising, else a fine copy in pictorial boards, as issued without dustjacket (as new). Seller Inventory # 37231