Editorials
A Beginner’s Guide to Hammer Horror: 10 Essential Movies
Iconic British film studio Hammer Film Productions is well known and regarded for their gothic horror output that took off in the ‘50s and ‘60s, but the 1934-founded company has an extensive catalog of films and television series from all genres. Hammer first garnered a lot of attention for retooling the Universal classic horror films with their own gothic style in the ‘50s, and by the ‘70s their horror received some serious critical appraisal. But the ‘70s also marked a major shift in the horror landscape, and fans weren’t so interested in gothic tales anymore. Hammer attempted to branch out, but their reputation had been founded on their brand of gothic horror and so the attempts didn’t have the nearly the same impact.
If you’ve been paying close attention lately, you’ve likely spotted that iconic Hammer logo in the opening credits of recent releases. 2010’s Let Me In remake, 2012’s gothic redo The Woman in Black, the upcoming chiller The Lodge, and more all bear that trademark logo. After a couple of decades in the shadows, this iconic company is in the midst of a revival.
All of this to say that unless you’re already well versed in their extensive output it can be intimidating to know to start. Consider this your starter kit to Hammer Horror; these 10 horror movies make for a great introduction.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
Upon initial release, the critics hated this movie. Luckily that sentiment wasn’t shared by audiences, who turned this low budget horror experiment into a major success for Hammer. It paved the way for the Hammer Horror legacy that followed. Hammer’s first color film, this take on Mary Shelley’s classic tale is far more gruesome and bloodier, and far removed from the revered Universal classic iteration. Starring Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as The Creature, The Curse of Frankenstein is heavier on character work as well as body count.
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Released as Dracula, this one was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the 1931 film of the same name. A critical and commercial success, Horror of Dracula was the first to see Christopher Lee in the titular role Count Dracula. Peter Cushing played his nemesis Van Helsing. Extravagant production design, shocking blood and violence, and eroticism all solidified Hammer Horror as a definitive brand. It also marked the beginning of a series.
The Brides of Dracula (1960)
The sequel to Horror of Dracula followed Van Helsing (Cushing) returning to Transylvania to aid beautiful school teacher Marianne, who has fallen prey to the bloodthirsty Baron Meinster (David Peel). The Brides of Dracula expands the vampire lore without the aid of Dracula himself, and continued to up the ante on the sex appeal and horror. This played a direct influence on filmmaker Jess Franco.
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Based on the novel The Werewolf of Paris, this one stars Oliver Reed as Leon, the bastard son of a mute servant that was raped by a crazed beggar. That alone would give anyone deep-seated issues, but poor Leon also finds himself dealing with a hunger for flesh and excessive body hair. That’s right, he’s a werewolf. This one puts a unique spin on the werewolf tale with a riveting lead performance and beautiful cinematography. It helps that the werewolf transformation is pretty well done, too.
The Plague of the Zombies (1966)
Hammer’s spooky twist on the zombie movie saw a Cornish village being wiped out thanks to a mysterious epidemic. Doctor Tompson is stumped, so he seeks outside help from a friend, Sir James Forbes, and his daughter. In an attempt to investigate, the men find all the coffins of the deceased empty, and they soon encounter zombies. Two years prior to the release of George A. Romero’s game-changer, this zombie film centers on Haitian voodoo. Zombies may have changed dramatically since, but this was among the first to depict them rising from their graves.
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
Christopher Lee made his return as Count Dracula in this sequel, forever tying him to the iconic character. After a prologue that catches viewers up to speed from the original film, the main plot sees a resurrected Dracula hunting four unsuspecting visitors to his castle. Though Lee’s role in this one is limited, his menacing performance is now iconic. This sequel also helped set the standard Hammer Horror blueprint for future entries.
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Not all great Hammer movies worth seeking out exist solely in the realm of gothic horror, and this sci-fi/horror movie proves it. This one is the third entry in the Quatermass series, and the best entry by far. You don’t need to have seen the previous two to enjoy this one, either. The plot sees a strange artifact unearthed in London, and scientist Bernard Quatermass is called in to determine its origin and effects on humanity. Intelligent and introspecting, this film has been cited as a major influence on Stephen King and John Carpenter.
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Also known as The Devil’s Bride, this cult horror film really delves into the workings of a Satan-worshiping cult and sees said worshipers working to convert two new victims. Christopher Lee plays Nicholas, Duc de Richleau, an investigator that deduces his friend’s son may be one of the cult’s newest inductees. An epic battle of good versus evil, full of chills and adventure, The Devil Rides Out is one of Hammer horror’s best. It also seems to be one of the rarer instances in which Lee plays the good guy.
Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1970)
You know the story; a Victorian scientist develops a serum that causes him to turn into a monstrous mastermind. But what if he turns into a murderous seductress instead? That’s the concept behind this fun, sensual twist on a familiar classic. This one is pure over the top camp in the most entertaining way. Hammer Horror developed a name for gothic retellings of familiar classics, but the company doesn’t always get the credit it deserves for just how unique these retellings can be. This is a great example.
Captain Kronos- Vampire Hunter (1974)
With interest in gothic horror waning fast, Hammer attempted to launch a new franchise. One that gave vampires a different spin and added sword fighting adventure to the mix. Also, the focus was on the plucky swashbuckling hero Captain Kronos and his humpbacked sidekick, and less so the villains. A blend of multiple genres that also toes the line between tongue-in-cheek and serious, Captain Kronos is one of Hammer’s most fun films. It deserves a bigger audience.
Some movies are just so beloved that you can experience them through cultural osmosis without ever sitting down to actually watch them. From loving parodies to meticulous recreations of iconic scenes, memorable filmmaking lives on even after the curtains close on the silver screen. And when it comes to horror, few films can compete with the massive impact that Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining had on popular culture as a whole.
Whether or not you think the flick is a good adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal novel, 1980’s The Shining slowly but surely grew into one of the most influential genre movies ever made, inspiring everything from surprisingly heartfelt sequels to classic episodes of The Simpsons. However, not all The Shining references are created equal, and today I’d like to shine a light on six unexpected homages to Kubrick’s iconic film.
In this list, we’ll be focusing on references and Easter eggs that either came out of the blue or came from creators that you wouldn’t expect to be fans of this classic ghost story. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite references to the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. A Nightmare on FaceTime – South Park (2012)
Regardless of the brand’s iffy reputation among former employees, the death of Blockbuster Video was a serious blow to fans of physical media. Of course, some folks were more affected by this than others, and South Park’s Randy Marsh definitely took things a little too far in the twelfth episode of the show’s sixteenth season.
Titled A Nightmare on FaceTime, the main plot of this 2012 story is a surprisingly faithful recreation of The Shining where Randy purchases an empty Blockbuster store and begins to go mad once he realizes that his investment may not have been a very good idea due to the rise of streaming and the now-defunct RedBox storefronts.
4. The Overlook Hotel Level – Ready Player One (2018)
I was never really a fan of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, so I viewed Stephen Spielberg’s divisive adaptation of the novel as an improvement over the source material despite having its own narrative issues. In fact, I actually prefer how Spielberg changed the story by removing several references to his own work and replacing a lengthy Blade Runner detour with an over-the-top homage to The Shining.
A CGI-heavy recreation of the film’s most iconic moments that feels like a big-budget ghost train ride set within the Overlook Hotel, this intense sequence is more of a recreation of the freaky aesthetics of The Shining rather than its mind-bending narrative. However, it’s still fun to see Spielberg make a heartfelt tribute to a filmmaker that was once his close personal friend.
3. IKEA Singapore Halloween Ad (2014)
It makes sense that commercials don’t typically borrow from the horror genre, as it might be a bad idea to scare away potential customers, but some references are just too much fun to pass up.
That’s probably why the publicists behind this Ikea ad from Singapore were allowed to turn their commercial into a genuinely unsettling recreation of Danny’s tricycle scene from The Shining. After all, nobody cares if your store is haunted so long as it offers late-night shopping hours and a large selection of merchandise that you can become lost in forever and ever…
2. The End of ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’ – Community (2014)
Community is no stranger to recreating iconic movie moments within the show, and the series had previously tackled horror tropes in episodes like the fan-favorite Epidemiology. However, the most laugh-out-loud moment on this particular list comes from a brief gag towards the end of the season five episode ‘Bondage and Beta Male Sexuality’.
The majority of this episode has nothing to do with scary movies, but there’s a brief subplot involving supporting character Chang and a possible encounter with ghosts that leads him to question his own existence. This subplot culminates in the episode’s hilarious ending where the camera zooms in on a black-and-white photograph of Chang in period clothing at some kind of celebration, just like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining.
However, the picture’s subtitle eventually reveals that it’s merely a conveniently placed keepsake from the ‘Old Timey Photo Club’.
1. The Overlook Hedge Maze Sequence – Zootopia 2 (2025)
Disney movies are pretty far removed from both the gruesome horror of Stephen King and the heady filmmaking of Stanley Kubrick, so I don’t think anyone was expecting the climax of last year’s Zootopia sequel to take place in an animated version of the snowy hedge maze from The Shining.
In this unexpectedly intense sequence, friend-turned-villain Pawbert Lynxley (an unhinged lynx cat played by Andy Samberg) chases our protagonists through a creepy labyrinth in a loving recreation of Jack Nicholson’s icy demise outside the Overlook Hotel. The actual ending here might be a little more child-friendly than what’s being referenced, but it’s amazing that the filmmakers were able to push the horror elements as far as they did – especially since the scene doesn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the movie.
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