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Welcome to the Hammer Factory. This month we dissect Demons of the Mind (1972).

While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.

In late 2018, Shout Factory’s Scream Factory line began to focus on bringing Hammer’s titles to disc in the US, finally making many of the studio’s underseen gems available in packages that offered great...

Hammer Horror: the name rings so ubiquitously in the realms of cinema, and especially around Halloween. Hearing the name, you’re likely to picture one of a number of the British studio’s releases between the 1950s and early 1970s which boasted decadent set design and an intensity of fear and playfulness. A studio of progressive storytelling compared to other offerings of the time, in Hammer’s horror subdivision could be found Technicolor horror (and its subgenres), often sexually and socially provocative, taking classical source material and turning it on its head. Seen as vulgar to the critics, audiences loved the low-budget thrills of Hammer Horror as a refreshing alternative to Hollywood, with two actors in particular becoming distinct heroes of the cycle, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.But what are the sounds behind the horror? The wonder of movie soundtracks can be put on best display in the horror genre,...

Written and directed by Amelia Moses (Bloodthirsty), Bleed With Me stars Lee Marshall (“The Detectives”, “19-2”), Lauren Beatty (Bloodthirsty) and Aris Tyros (“In The Dark”).The DVD will be available for 27.97.

Here’s the trailer:

Now you can win the DVD of Bleed With Me.. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie with the word “Blood” (or “Bleed”) in the title is.is (I’d say Blood From The Mummy’S Tomb. It’s so easy!)

In Bleed With Me, Rowan, a vulnerable outsider, is thrilled when the seemingly perfect Emily invites her on a winter getaway to an isolated cabin in the woods. Trust soon turns to paranoia when Rowan wakes up with mysterious incisions on her arm. Haunted by dream-like visions, Rowan starts to suspect that her friend is drugging her and stealing her blood. She...

Lock the doors. Turn on the lights. Check under the bed. Crank up the volume. It’s time for another Halloween Parade!

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Click here, and be sure to indicate The Movies That Made Me in the note section so Josh can finally achieve his dream of showing Mandy to his wife!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Mandy (2018)

Carnival of Souls (1962) – Mary Lambert’s trailer commentary

Night Tide (1961) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

A Bucket Of Blood (1959) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s DVD review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dementia 13 (1963) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Region B Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s director’s cut Blu-ray review

The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

The Conversation (1974) – Josh Olson...

It kind of makes me sad to think of a film, particularly a horror one, as being “cursed”; this assignation of doom feels somewhat exploitative towards an unfortunate group of events. Having said that, I had no idea of the troubled production of Hammer Films’ Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) until after watching it, and I’m glad that I didn’t. First of all, you can’t tell by what’s on the screen, and secondly, it shelves the pall that would hang over the whole affair had I known beforehand. Sort of like I’m doing right now for those to whom this is new. Oops.

But we’re here, so I’ll pull the bandaid and move on: Peter Cushing completed one day of shooting before being informed his wife was gravely ill and left the production; director Seth Holt (The Nanny) died of a heart attack...

Now in its 12th annual year, Drive-In Super Monster-Rama is one of my favorite horror events of the year. Taking place in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, I always look forward to two nights of classic horror and sci-fi movies on the big screen, including vintage trailers, delicious drive-in food, special guests, and hundreds of horror fans.

While it's always been a treat to catch a Hammer horror movie at the drive-in, this year's event is an entire "Hammer Horror Weekend," featuring eight restored Dcp presentations. The Friday, September 7th lineup includes The Curse of the Werewolf, The Gorgon, One Million Years B.C., and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth. On Saturday, September 8th, they'll be screening Scars of Dracula (!!), The Horror of Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb.

Admission is $10 per person per night and, while you can drive up to the theater each night, they also...

New York's Quad Cinema got this summer off to a bloody good start with part 1 of their "Hammer's House of Horror" movie retrospective series featuring 32 films from the Hammer vault. On July 20th, the Quad Cinema team will continue the frights and fun with part 2 of their special Hammer horror screenings, and we've been provided with exclusive details on the second half of their retrospective series that's aptly titled "The Decadent Years."

From July 20th–August 2nd, Quad Cinema will screen a wide range of Hammer horror films from "The Decadent Years," including Dracula A.D. 1972, Countess Dracula, Twins of Evil, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, and many more! There will be 25 total titles shown (all of them from 1967–1976), with 20 of the films screened in glorious 35mm.

Below, we have the full list of titles screening as part of Hammer's House of Horror Part II, and to learn more about screening dates and times,...

Seth Holt is an odd figure. An editor at first, his career spans classic Ealing comedies (The Lavender Hill Mob, 1951) and gritty kitchen sink drama (Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, 1960), while his overlapping career as producer saw him preside over the classic The Ladykillers (1955). On becoming a director, he worked mainly at Hammer, which made radically different content from Ealing but perhaps shared the same cozy atmosphere.Taste of Fear (a.k.a. Scream of Fear, 1961) is a zestful Diabolique knock-off, while The Nanny (1965) continued Bette Davis' career in horror. It's incredibly strong, beautifully made and quite ruthless: Bette referred to Holt as "a mountain of evil" and found him the most demanding director she'd encountered since William Wyler. During the daft but enjoyably peculiar Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971), Holt developed a persistent case of hiccups that turned the screening of rushes into hilarious occasions. Then he dropped dead of a heart attack,...

Gather your fright-loving family members, fill your cup to the brim with egg nog, and find a comfy spot around the TV (or computer) screen, because enough horror movies to fill Santa's sleigh are coming to the streaming service Shudder this December, including Rob Zombie's 31, Bob Clark's Black Christmas, and many more.

Press Release: This December, there’s oh so much under Shudder’s tree. But before you get unwrapping, let’s shake the boxes a bit… We have something special for everyone, inside.

Love clowns? Coming exclusively to Shudder is Rob Zombie’s latest, 31, a vicious and characteristically Zombie film. Which is to say it’s dirty, mean and, from the get, right up in your face.

Looking to stay in? We’ve got a very special Shudder exclusive in Shrew's Nest. Directed by Juanfer Andrés & Esteban Roel (and produced by Alex de la Iglesia), this elegant,...

Marc Buxton Oct 11, 2019

You can probably guess which Mummy movie Isn't on this list!

Throughout horror movie history, mummies have seemed like the forgotten classic monster. Lumbering around, covered in bandages, they don’t have the literary cache of Frankenstein’s Monster or the sexual appeal of Dracula. But mummies have a historical edge, a faded part of lost empires, angry at the modern world, desperately longing for the days of their past glories and lost loves.

Despite years of monstrous marginalization, mummies can be and in many cases have been really freakin’ scary and are worthy of recognition in horrordom. In fact, when Universal Studios tried (and failed...miserably) to relaunch its pantheon of monsters into a Marvel-inspired shared universe, they looked to The Mummy to kick it all off.

Allow us to celebrate the Mummy with the 13 greatest Mummy films ever produced. These are the films that...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

Today's film news is rugged yet sensitive

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• Fifty Shades: filming delayed by a month

• This week's quiz is on the evergreen horror franchise, Nightmare on Elm Street

• Video interview with Paulina García, the star of Gloria, the latest film from the suddenly-hot Chilean industry, about a fiftysomething woman looking for love in the bars and clubs

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As Sean Connery named the favourite British star of Us audiences, we've news on what else is coming up today, plus a look back over weekend highlights

On the site today

Jeremy Kay on the Us box office over the weekend, including The Counselor's flop and Jackass's triumph

Judi Dench and Stephen Frears talk Philomena on video

Our top 10 series tackles war movies

Meryl Streep, Milla Jovovich, Cameron Diaz tipped for "female Expendables"

Sean Connery is America's favourite British film star

Ben Affleck was "reluctant" to take Batman role and is planning to direct untitled geopolitical thriller

Andrew Pulver reports on Hitchcock collaborator Edith Head's costume designs getting Google-ised

And this evening Stuart Heritage will be liveblogging Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

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Always wondered what kind of art Sly Stallone makes?...

There's a gazillion horror-themed metal bands out there, and while they're usually enthusiastic and sincere, only a handful manage to distinguish themselves with both talent and originality. So it's always an exciting moment, especially on Halloween, to unearth a black diamond of musical horror in the genre. There are also dozens of indie labels out there specializing in horror music, but one of the more prominent names in the field is Razorback Records, who have discovered some intriguing artists of many modes, ranging from old-school giallo rock like Sweden's Anima Morte and analog electronics with an '80s slasher vibe, to straight-up splatter-metal nastiness. One of the label's latest metal acquisitions is the Louisiana-based outfit Orloff, who take their name from Nosferatu's legendary villain and drape their death, doom and black metal creations in a shroud of gothic atmosphere. After hearing a three-song demo titled Swamp of the Ravens (named...

Hi, Matt here with your weekly dose of Queer Cinema. With Halloween coming up, we turn our focus to horror.

Hammer Horror films are not truly part of the gay canon, and as a body of films they are conservative in their narrative arcs and messages. However, I've always been a huge fan. They are undeniably camp and always feature either subtle homoeroticism or full on Lesbian Vampires. For those unfamiliar with this horror subgenre, it is a collection of films produced by Hammer Film Studios from the late 50s to early 70s that mixed Gothic melodrama with exploitation horror. The studio was most famous for their vampire, mummy, Frankenstein, and cave girl pictures.

The vampire films stand head and shoulders above the rest. Hammer's Vampires went through two major cycles, the gothic Dracula films with Christopher Lee and the later sexploitation-y lesbian vampire films. The early Hammer films are the most respectable.