My love for Hammer, Amicus and all camp 60s/70s horror

So, what cinematic delights do you have lined up for this Halloween? Me? How kind of you to ask. Well, this year I will be indulging in my horror movie passion.

I fell in love with the British horror movies of the 60s and 70s through television. In the late 70s and early 80s the BBC would show seasons of British horror movies every year, taking advantage of the long, cold, winter nights. So it was that on a Friday and/or Saturday evenings, that I would sit down with my gran (and avid horror fan) and watch the terror unfold. Films from Hammer dominated these seasons, but I was also exposed to those from their greatest rival of the time Amicus, and some other productions aiming to cash in on the popularity.

For me, these films were the perfect blend of horror, kitsch and sex. Some of the plots, indeed the entire premise of some were laughable, but they were truly great at the time and I think have aged well.

Here are some personal recommendations of my favourites from that time which you probably haven't seen. They have that heady mix of gore, sex and high camp which typifies the output at the time.

"The Ghoul"

The first horror film I remember was called "The Ghoul" and centred around two young couples who were out racing in their jalopies (the 1920s dontcha know) and found themselves lost in the mist. They come across an old house, wherein lies a horrendous beast hidden behind a locked door. Sustenance was supplied red and foaming in a bowl left on the floor outside the door. Room service hasn't changed a bit. The owner of the house was played by Peter Cushing and this was my first exposure to the type of eloquent, yet sinister character Cushing would portray for Hammer and the like during the 50s/60s and to a lesser extent, the 70s.

The film also starred Veronica Carlson, another Hammer stalwart and one of a line of scream queens (the others including Ingrid Pit, Yutte Stensgaard and the Collinson twins) who would act as precursors for the 80s versions (Linnea Quigley, Adrienne Barbeau and Barbara Crampton to name but three).

"Twins of Evil"

Twin sisters (played by the first Playboy twins to appear on the same centrefold, the Collinson Twins) go to stay with their aunt and puritanical uncle (Peter Cushing in full Witchfinder fury). One is wicked, the other virginal. The wicked one sneaks out one night and becomes embroiled with a vampire. Cue mix ups aplenty as the good girl is swapped for the vampiric twin to save her from a burning at the hands of her uncle. The only way she is found out is when she tries it on with the good girl's sexless boyfriend who smells a rat when they go to first base, and then has his suspicions confirmed when tossing his crucifix, leaves a burning shape on her left breast. The film is awash with sex, up to and including the good girl's kissing of the blessed cross when atop the pyre.

"The Beast Must Die"

A horror movie with a difference; a werewolf mystery.

A big game hunter/millionaire sets the scene to hunt the ultimate quarry: the werewolf. At his sprawling estate he assembles a group of people who have been linked to stories and legends surrounding the werewolf, believing that one of them must be the monster. Using high tech surveillance and tracking equipment, he begins his hunt and one by one, the guests and servants are brutally slain by the guest/werewolf. As the mystery unfolds, in true Agatha Christie all-suspects-assembled-in-a-room-for-the-big-reveal style, the film's greatest card is played: The Werewolf Break.

For the next 60 seconds, an analogue clock ticks down onscreen, superimposed over pictures of the suspects and the viewer is told they have this time to guess the identity of the perpetrator. Pure kitsch, but there is something so wonderfully fascinating and simple about it, it works.

As the culprit is revealed and the hunt comes to an end, the conclusion is particularly heart rending. A fitting end to a truly unique film.

"Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde"

A twist on the classic Robert Louis Stevenson tale as this time Dr Jeyll's potion transforms him into a woman. Yes, years before "Tootsie" and "All of Me", the perils of a cross gender were being explored but for horrific value. Cue lots of bodily exploration by the transformed Dr Jekyll, and other such "experimentation". The ongoing subplot of Jekyll and Hyde romancing the true brother and sister in their building is an interesting idea, as is the female being the killer. The ending is effective, but unfortunately falls down (almost literally) due to its depiction of the female half of the equation being weaker than the male. Entertaining stuff however.

"The Vampire Lovers"

An adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla, finds Ingrid Pitt as the titular vampire. The opening has a fearless vampire hunter tracking down the last of the vampiric Karnstein line and beheading her. Thinking they are all dead and gone he goes about his business. However, he reckons without Carmilla, who ingratiates herself into a well to do household, and proceeds to seduce not only the daughter, but various household members including the chauffeur. Not so much awash with lesbian undercurrents, as completely flooded and gasping for air, this film is one that I remembered seeing once and could never track it down.

"Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed"

Cushing's fifth appearance as the Baron, and possibly his most vicious portrayal. Frankenstein here is not the scientist, but the monster himself. He murders without compunction and acts like a God. As the gore rating is increased, and with it the level of violence both physical and mental, so is the emotional content. The latest creation is a man of science himself, transplanted into the body of a monster. The scene where he pleads to his wife to believe it is him beneath the hidesous shell is heartbreaking.

"Hammer House of Horror"

Not a film, but a series of one hour dramas with titles such as "The House That Bled to Death", "The Silent Scream" and "Witching Time". These were screened on ITV in the UK and all 13 episodes (you see what they did there?) are now available on DVD in one handy package. These shorts are excellent bite size pieces of Hammer schlock, featuring such stars as Cushing, Brian Cox, Patricia Quinn and Denholm Elliot.

"Theatre of Blood"

In the vein (aha) of the Hammer films, this stars the third of the triumvirate Vincent Price (the others being Cushing and Lee) as a Shakespearean actor, panned by a group of critics who then leaps to his death in the icy waters of the Thames. Some time later, one of the critics is found murdered. Another then bites the dust in a gruesome manner, and another. Before long its easy to see who is behind it, as Price's Edward Lionheart cuts a theatrical swathe through his victims, using twists on Shakespearean plays to exact his revenge (the best of which is the serving of gastronome Robert Morley's beloved poodles in a pie in a scene from Titus Andonicus). Superb fun, and camp throughout "Theatre of Blood" is a must see.

"Dr Terror's House of Horrors"

This anthology had a group of individuals sharing a train carriage with the titular Dr Terror, played by Peter Cushing, offering to read the tarot cards and by extension their futures. These tales are then recounted, all building up to the denouement and the obligatory twist. Other stars included Christopher Lee, Donald Sutherland, Bernard Lee (James Bond's 'M') and jazz-trumpeter-tap-dancer-record-breaker Roy Castle.

Amicus obviously thought the anthology format was a winner, as they produced many others such as "Tales from the Crypt", "Asylum" and "From Beyond the Grave" which again had Cushing as the link man, this time as the antique store owner whose wares are left out so people can steal them and ultimately befall a terrible fate.

And finally:

"Zoltan: Hound of Dracula"

The dark one's vampiric Doberman is freed from its eternal slumber to hunt down Dracula's only living relative and persuade him to turn to the blood sucking ways. Zoltan even went on a bit of a road trip to hunt his potential new master, and there may have been a vampire cat but perhaps my mind is playing tricks.

Zoltan even had a little doggie coffin. Ah, bless.

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