The Hammer Story
The authorised history of Hammer films
by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes
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Book Presentation:
The revised and updated only authorised history of Hammer Films, the company, its leading figures, and a film-by-film analysis of the studio’s entire output up to 2023’s Doctor Jekyll.
Now with new imagery throughout and continuing the story as Hammer came back from the dead in 2007 and began producing new horror films for a modern audience.
Established in 1934, Hammer Films is one of the most renowned and prolific independent production companies in the world.
Hammer’s productions encompass almost every genre, but it remains best known for the groundbreaking reinvention of cinematic horror that was a phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1950s. The unique formula that became known as Hammer Horror was perfected in such classics as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959). Over the next 20 years numerous sequels and similarly acclaimed films such as The Devil Rides Out (1968) made Hammer one of the most recognisable filmmaking brands in the world.
The Hammer Story is the only authorised history of the company and was compiled with unlimited access to its archive. The book is lavishly illustrated with rare promotional material and previously unpublished photographs.
Now with an additional 32 pages continuing the story of Hammer as it came back from the dead in 2007 and began producing new horror films for a modern audience, including:
• Wake Wood (2009) – Hammer Films’ first theatrical release for 30 years
• Let Me In (2010) – directed by Matt Reeves
• The Resident (2011) – starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank and Hammer legend Sir Christopher Lee
• The Woman in Black (2012) – starring Daniel Radcliffe
• The Quiet Ones (2014) – starring Jared Harris
• The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2015) – starring Helen McCrory
• The Lodge (2019) – directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
About the authors:
Since beginning his career at Marvel Comics, Marcus Hearn has written for The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, as well as contributing to The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and numerous magazines. His books include authorised biographies of filmmakers George Lucas and Gerry Anderson, Saucy Postcards: The Bamforth Collection and Eight Days a Week, the story of The Beatles’ final world tour. The winner of three Rondo Awards, most recently for his feature-length documentary Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros Years, he is currently the Head of Library and Archive for Hammer Films.Alan Barnes is the author of Sherlock Holmes on Screen, and has co-written (with Marcus Hearn) volumes on the James Bond films and Quentin Tarantino. A former editor of both Doctor Who Magazine and the Judge Dredd Megazine, his fiction writing includes over forty full-cast audio dramas for Big Finish Productions, plus the script for CBBC’s animated Doctor Who adventure, The Infinite Quest. He was part of the dialogue team for Risen 2: Dark Waters, nominated for Best Videogame Script in the 2012 Writers’ Guild Awards. He is married with three children.
Press Reviews:
"If you have even a passing interest in British horror, studio history, or the cultural legacy of Hammer’s gothic cycle, this edition is the most complete and accessible entry point you’ll find. The archival material remains the book’s greatest strength — rare stills, promotional artwork and production keepsakes that genuinely illuminate how Hammer crafted its unmistakable aesthetic." —Game Informer
See the publisher website: Titan Books
> From the same authors:
For My Eyes Only (2015)
Directing the James Bond Films: The Autobiography of John Glen
by John Glen and Marcus Hearn
> On a related topic:
Hammer Goes to Hell (2024)
The House of Horror's Unmade Films
Hammer Complete (2023)
The Films, the Personnel, the Company
The Women of Hammer Horror (2021)
A Biographical Dictionary and Filmography
Rungs on a Ladder (2003)
Hammer Films Seen Through a Soft Gauze
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