HAMMER HORROR 1961: (CURSE OF WEREWOLF, SCREAM OF FEAR, TERROR OF TONGS, SHADOW OF CAT)

THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) d. Terence Fisher (UK)
SCREAM OF FEAR (aka Taste of Fear) (1961) d. Seth Holt (UK)
THE TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961) d. Anthony Bushell (UK)
THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) d. John Gilling (UK)

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While Hammer Films is most often remembered for its Gothic reimaginings of Dracula, Frankenstein, and other classic monsters, the year 1961 showcased an adventurousness and willingness to experiment with different styles of horror and suspense. Our four films up for discussion demonstrate Hammer’s evolving state in the early 1960s to impressive effect.

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960): ENTER IF YOU DARE!!

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) d. Wolf Rilla (UK)
CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964) d. Anton Leader (UK)
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995) d. John Carpenter (USA)
THE MIDWICH CUCKOOS (2022) d. David Farr (UK)

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Get ready for a spine-chilling journey into Midwich, England, aka the VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) as we break down this brilliant sci-fi/horror classic’s eerie legacy. Based on John Wyndham’s 1957 source novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, and directed by stalwart Wolf Rilla who shared credit for the screenplay with Stirling Silliphant, future Oscar-winner for In the Heat of the Night (1967) and the TV series Route 66.

THE GORGON (1964) Movie Review

Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 12
Total First Time Views: 7
Amount raised for ALBANY PARK THEATER PROJECT: $583.80

The Gorgon (1964) d. Terence Fisher (UK) (83 min) (3rd viewing)

A series of strange and unexplained deaths plagues the rural town of Vandorf in the early 1900s, the latest victim being Sascha Cass (Toni Gilpin), lover of local artist Bruno Heitz (Jeremy Longhurst) (as in she is carrying his child, although I’m sure she’s fond of his painting as well). What makes the beautiful model’s demise so curious is she has been literally petrified to death, i.e. discovered having turned completely to stone. Inspector Karnoff (Patrick Troughton) conspires with Dr. Namaroff (Peter Cushing) and his assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley) to cover up the mystery, but when Bruno’s body is found in the forest hanging by the neck, the collective attentions of his professor father (Michael Goodliffe) and brother Paul (Richard Pasco) are raised, along with Paul’s colleague Professor Meister (Christopher Lee). In this dawning age of science and logic, could the spirit of Megaera, an ancient snake-haired monster of legend, be the culprit?

THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) Blu-ray Review

SCARE-A-THON Totals to Date:

Total Movies Watched: 22
Total First Time Views: 13
Amount raised for BOXVILLE: $1,657.04

The Shadow of the Cat (1961) d. John Gilling (UK) (79 min) (1st viewing)

Wealthy Ella Venable (Catherine Lacey) is brutally murdered by her manservant Andrew (Andrew Crawford) at the behest of her cold-blooded husband Walter (Andre Morell) and the two, along with long-suffering housekeeper Clara, conspire to bury the corpse in the forest; at the same time, they produce a brand-new will and testament that conveniently leaves Ella’s fortune to Walter. So far so good, as far as murders go. However, the one spanner in the works is that Ella’s beloved feline, Tabitha, has witnessed everything and is seemingly intent on driving the trio insane and/or into their own shallow graves. The battle lines are now drawn, with innocent (and disinherited) daughter Beth (Barbara Shelley) caught in the middle of a full-on war of wills where humans tumble down stairs, drown in quicksand, suffer heart attacks, or fall from parapets while cats purr with demonic delight.

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967) Blu-ray Review

Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth) (1967) d. Roy Ward Baker (UK) (97 min)

While working on an extension of the London Underground in Hobbs End, a construction crew comes upon fossil evidence of humanoid creatures. Anthropologists Dr. Roney (James Donald) and Barbara Judd (Barbara Shelley), as well as reluctant associates Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) and Col. Breen (Julian Glover), are brought in to investigate and speculate. Subsequent diggings unearth a mysterious vessel with an impenetrable surface; to everyone’s surprise, the spaceship (as it is eventually believed to be) begins to emit devastating sonic vibrations, resulting in mass violence among the neighboring London inhabitants.

DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966) Blu-ray review

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) d. Terence Fisher (UK) (90 min)

Following the triumph of Horror of Dracula, Christopher Lee avoided donning the fangs again for fear of typecasting (witness Bela Lugosi). He was eventually lured back into the cowl eight years (and a pile of guilt and cash) later for this rather predictable tale of two vacationing English couples (Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Barbara Shelley) who wander into the Count’s almost-but-not-quite deserted castle in search of a good stake dinner.