For decades, British horror cinema was synonymous with a very specific aesthetic, one that leaned heavily on castles, crypts, and cleavage—and there was one big reason why: Hammer horror.
The London-based production house was founded in 1934, but it wasn’t until the late 1950s when Hammer truly hit its stride, gaining international popularity with vivid color adaptations of many of the same classic monster tales that Universal was known for in the States, including Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy.
Hammer would go on to make genre superstars of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, in addition to launching the careers of many of the era’s most beloved starlets with their signature “Hammer glamour” vibes—think beautiful women haunting crumbling Gothic castles in cleavage-revealing outfits.
But Hammer horror is no mere relic of the past: In the twenty-first century, Hammer lives on as one of the foremost purveyors of all things scary and stylish, with the recently revitalized company set to celebrate its 90th birthday in November 2024.
While August has already seen the U.S. release of Hammer’s hotly anticipated Eddie Izzard-starring adaptation of Doctor Jekyll, fans can also look forward to the premiere of the comprehensive new documentary Hammer: Heroes, Legends & Monsters later in the fall.
Ready to step foot inside the Hammer house of horror, but unsure of where to start? Look no further—here are ten of their most intriguing titles.
Horror of Dracula (1958)
It was a seismic shift for cinematic bloodsuckers when Christopher Lee debuted his take on The Count. His interpretation gave the role some much-needed menace, coupled with a sinister, brooding sexiness; his Drac also had something very crucial that Bela Lugosi’s 1931 version lacked—fangs.
Lee would go on to play Dracula six more times for Hammer. Fellow horror icon Peter Cushing provides the perfect antidote to all that alluring evil as the OG slayer, Doctor Van Helsing. Interestingly, the two had already shared the screen in 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein, with Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Lee as his Creature.
The Gorgon (1964)
Lee and Cushing return in this unique tale of an unfortunate woman who becomes possessed by a murderous Gorgon—a creature, like Medusa, who turns her victims to stone with a glance—during the full moon.
Based on a story submitted by a fan, The Gorgon is notable both for its roots in Greek mythology, and for the elegantly eerie performance of former ballerina Prudence Hyman as the monster, with her snake-wreathed face and flowing green gown.
The Witches (1966)
Also known as The Devil’s Own, Joan Fontaine stars as a high-strung former missionary who fled her post in Africa and is now seeking solitude from those pesky heathens in the nice, Christian English countryside—or so she thinks.
In reality, the entire village is part of a secret witchcraft coven, and it’s up to her to foil their diabolical pagan plans.
This is not the most culturally sensitive film—the protagonist’s attitude toward Africa (and, for that matter, non-Christian religions) has definitely not aged well—but for fans of British folk horror it’s still notable as an early entry in the subgenre, predating 1973’s notorious The Wicker Man by more than half a decade.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Christopher Lee often remarked sadly on the fact that he almost always played villains on screen; whether it be due to his considerable height or his booming voice, the man couldn’t help but cut an intimidating figure.
But in this adaptation of Dennis Wheatley’s novel of black magic and Satanic panic (well before that was even a thing!), Lee finally gets to play the good guy: A handsome, educated, and morally upstanding man who has to battle the forces of hell to save a friend’s son from a cult of devil worshippers.
Lee himself stated that this was his personal favorite of his own films.
The Karnstein trilogy
Beginning with 1970’s The Vampire Lovers and concluding the following year with Lust for a Vampire and Twins of Evil, this sexy trio of sapphic vampire films—considered quite racy at the time—truly put the “glamour” in Hammer glamour.
Some of the most iconic women in all of Hammer history were immortalized in these films, including Ingrid Pitt in The Vampire Lovers, based on J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s vamp-lit classic Carmilla, and Mary and Madeleine Collinson, real-life identical twin sisters who gained notoriety in fan-favorite Twins of Evil.
Countess Dracula (1971)
Ingrid Pitt followed up her Hammer debut the very next year with this thinly veiled take on Hungarian serial killer Elizabeth Bathory, a noblewoman infamous for murdering hundreds of young women between 1590 and 1610 and bathing in their blood to preserve her own youth and beauty.
Films about Bathory are surprisingly scarce, and Pitt’s interpretation is indelible: Like Lee, she is equal parts sinister and sexy. Sadly, this would be her final film for the studio.
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Widely maligned upon its release as instantly dated and overly cheesy, this ultra-groovy tale of a group of hippies who decide to resurrect Dracula in swingin’ London has become a cult favorite in recent years thanks to its delightfully campy dialogue, absolutely fabulous outfits, and a knee-weakeningly attractive cast.
It also marks the second-to-last time Christopher Lee would ever play the Count for Hammer.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Proving that Hammer’s still got it some forty years later, Daniel Radcliffe stars in this atmospheric and deeply creepy ghost story based on Susan Hill’s novella. Radcliffe plays a young man forced to confront a vengeful female phantom at Eel Marsh House, an isolated estate that becomes cut off from the mainland every time the high tide rolls in.
A sequel, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, followed in 2015. Fans of slow-burn supernatural tales like The Others and The Orphanage will have a ghoulish good time.
