The Hound of the Baskervilles

Dir: Terence Fisher

1959

****

I adore Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and although The Hound of the Baskervilles is my least favourite book of his, I think it is the story that has being adapted best for the big screen, on more than one occasion. I've always been rather fond of Douglas Hickox's 1983 'Made for TV' version of the The Hound of the Baskervilles but you just can't beat Terence Fisher's 1959 Hammer Studios hit adaptation. There have been many wonderful variations of Conan Doyle's characters and many actors have played Sherlock Holmes brilliantly but for me Peter Cushing is up there as maybe the best and probably my favourite. Cushing was said to be a bit of an expert regarding the books and made many changes to the film himself, so it's not surprising he returned to the character nine years later for the BBC TV series. Andre Morell made for a great Doctor Watson and Christopher Lee is outstanding as Sir Henry Baskerville. The performances and chemistry between actors is great throughout and although the many changes from the novel are questionable, I have to say I rather liked them. It wouldn't be a Hammer film if there wasn't at least one ritual sacrifice, a tarantula or an abandoned mine shaft but I did like the part about the missing portrait and the webbed hands. It's a shame the Hounds weren't glow in the dark as they should have been but there is something a little bit more believable about this version, although only just and the higher body count went some ways towards making up for it. It's a British classic from a very British studio, one I love and grew up enjoying. You can't beat a Terence Fisher thriller/horror, he is by far the most underrated British director of all time.

The Curse of the Werewolf

Dir: Terence Fisher

1961

***

Terence Fisher's The Curse of the Werewolf is classic Hammer Horror. Based on Guy Endore's 1933 novel The Werewolf of Paris, the people at Hammer thought it best to make a few changes to the original story and 'Hammed' it up to suit their needs. The creation of the Werewolf in the original story is a bit odd, an adolescent girl is raped by a priest and bares a child who is born on Christmas Eve. Said child then grows up to suffer sadistic and sexual desires and has flashback dreams of being a wolf. In the 1961 Hammer adaptation, our Werewolf's mother is a big busted mute (their version of the perfect woman?) who is raped by an imprisoned beggar, which makes for a rather unfortunate swap from the original. The Werewolf child is born on Christmas day, a cursed day for a child born out of wedlock to be born on, and starts to eat the local livestock around his fifth birthday. The original Werewolf is evil and terrifying, a living representation of depravity, uncontrollable blood-thirst and force of chaos. Endore's Werewolf was actually a representation of the unsurpassed brutality of the capitalist system of the Franco-Prussian War in the Paris Commune of 1870. The 1961 Hammer version of the Werewolf is a rather clumsy sleepwalking fur-ball in comparison. The 'horror' scenes generally start with the wolf looking like a cat who is about to be sick and end with it looking like a dog who has just trashed your bedroom with a 'I didn't mean it' expression on his face. People don't love Hammer horrors because they're good though, we love them because they are so bad (in a good way). The beginning sequence is actually rather intriguing and Oliver Reed and Clifford Evans are both great in the lead roles and it is great to spot old favourites such as Warren Mitchell, Peter Sallis and Desmond Llewelyn in supporting roles. So not the best Werewolf film ever made but at least it has Alf Garnet, Q and Wallace (but no Gromit) in the cast!

The Curse of Frankenstein
Dir: Terence Fisher
1957
****
A classic Hammer horror from the late great Terence Fisher. Unlike many Frankenstein films this isn't all about the monster terrorising the village people (no, not that Village People) but more about Baron Victor Frankenstein's obsession and lack of morals and ethics. His ongoing relationship with his teacher and only real friend Paul Krempe is the core of the story and is what really makes the film tick. The dialogue is impressive, as is the relatively modern way of showing the monster was at the time. I still can't recognise Christopher Lee under all that make up though.

Horror of Dracula
Dir: Terence Fisher
1958
****
When you visualise the story of Dracula, this is the version that comes to most peoples minds and it still stands up today. Fans have varied reasons why this is a better film to those that came before and those that have come after but to me it is obvious. There are two reasons why it is superior, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. I also like the way that the film skips over the part everyone knows and concentrates on the good bits. It's also got the horror element right with a bit of impressive gore to finish off with. Ace.