12 Days Of Hammer Horror

I know we're a bit late for the twelve days of Christmas, but sod it, this is my blog and I say The Twelve Days of Hammer Horror start now.

Hit the jump and bring it on:


On the first day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... Rasputin, The Mad Monk

It may not be the most obvious horror film, but Christopher Lee's portrayal of the legendary Russian dark sorcerer puts many horror villains to shame. It's not a bad film either...



On the second day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... Frankenstein Created Woman

Filled with guff about transporting the souls of the dead into the corpses of other dead people to re-animate them, this wannabe metaphysical horror is actually more a hilariously-bad treatise on the horror of a man's emasculation and revenge after being put in the body of his girlfriend. It's still great fun.



On the third day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... The Devil Rides Out

Better known as the one time Christopher Lee played a good guy, protecting his young friends from Satan's minions, this incredible film is creepy as hell. Watch this and then try and find the Omen remake scary, we dare you.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... She

The story of three soldiers' quest to find a hidden city ruled by a beautiful, mysterious, immortal woman who claims one of them is the re-incarnation of her husband; this epic fantasy, in the style of King Solomon's Mines, is complex, deep and lots of fun. Lovable characters, emotional punch, interesting plotting, conflicted romance, stunning women, this has got everything.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... Dracula

Christopher Lee's Dracula vs Peter Cushing's Van Helsing? What more could you want?



On the sixth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me... The Plague Of The Zombies

Zombies as they were meant to be done: lumbering voodoo-re-animated corpses. This film makes modern zombie films look shallow and uninspired.



On the seventh day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... The Reptile

Yes, the monster may look like a rejected villain from the original Star Trek, but it's all in the atmosphere, and this creepy what's-in-the-attic tale has it in spades.



On the eighth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... Quatermass and The Pit

Long known as the inspiration for Doctor Who, this Earthbound tale of an archaeologist investigating a foreboding spacecraft uncovered beneath a London tube station shows clear links to its descendent, and is equally entertaining.



On the ninth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... One Million Years B.C.

In my opinion, one of the worst films ever made, only good for fur-bikini faping material. Still, that is an accolade in itself...



On the tenth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... The Viking Queen

Completely reversing the merits of the above film, this is billed as "women in scanty clothes" and is, actually, a fairly-solid B-movie take on Boudica. It's not Shakespeare, but it's almost respectable.



On the eleventh day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me.... Dracula: Prince Of Darkness

No Peter Cushing, but a cracking yarn with some nice moments and an innovative fate for the Count when he turns up at the end.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Hammer Horror gave to me....  Let Me In

This incredibly unnecessary remake of Let The Right One In is incredibly unnecessary, but it does mean one thing: Hammer's back, baby! That cannot be a bad thing.