Hammer Film Productions
Hammer is a British film production company that was first established in 1934. While Hammer have made films in a variety of genres, they are most well known for their particular British brand of Gothic horror cinema, many of which are considered classics of the genre. Featuring classic (and more importantly out of copywrite) characters such as Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula, werewolves and zombies, Hammer pumped out many films in a very short period of time, often featuring big, bankable stars such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, as well as a rotating cast of young women such as Ingrid Pitt and Madeline Smith, typically playing supporting roles. Towards the end of the 60s and especially into the 70s, Hammer films came under stiff competition from more violent and original films from America. Hammer struggled to adapt, adding more comedy and erotic elements to their horror films, before they ceased production in the 1980s. Many years later, the studio found success with The Woman In White and a few other minor hits.
Hammer horror posters
In order to contextualise the poster to Kiss Of The Vampire (1964) properly, it is essential to explore other theatrical posters for Hammer horror films.
Check out this Guardian article from 2010, and make notes under the following bullet points
- What are the genre conventions of the gothic horror film?
- How did Hammer ensure such success for such a long period of time?
- In what ways is gender represented in these posters?
- In what ways is ethnicity represented in these posters?
- Can we problematise these posters? How?