The second of my articles about British horror is now available to view on the Sci Fi channel website. This time it's about Hammer films, and it may be a tad harsh...
You can see it here: http://www.scifi.co.uk/articles/2008/11/-as-a-fan-when.php
Tuesday 4 November 2008
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2 comments:
Great article Chris...my two pennys worth if you will indulge me:
The problem as I see it is that Hammer died a naturel death,it got smaller and smaller until there was nothing left.
It shrank into nothing because it had lived out it's lifespan.
With things like Dr.Who there is still a long way to go because his appeal can be transferd to another generation. Hammer got tierd and old twards the late seventies and despite brief sparks in the 80's with Hammer house of Horror the poor O.A.P Hammer snuffed it's lungs.
I am afraid no amount of hammerish names or style will help things as Hammer is nothing more than a reanimated corpse.
In my eyes whoever took over Hammer missed a trick and should have brought up Amicus.
The portmanteau horror film really has legs after such an absence and they could chuck the odd sci-fi in too.
You pretty much said all that needs to be said. The new Hammer really needs to focus on what people want (if the internet's any indication, they want Zeppelin vs. Pterodactyls and they want it now). I don't claim to represent 'the people' in any way, but I want Satanic cultists performing the black arts in forests, vampire hunting swashbucklers, and women with big tits. They need to grab some Dennis Wheatley books, keep the titles, jettison the right-wing snobbery, and go nuts. In other words, pick up right where they left off, but maybe with more big tits.
About the only thing The Wake Wood seems to have gotten right is having Timothy Spall in it. There's an actor who was just made for Hammer. Also, surely it can't be too hard to talk Bill Nighy into a cravat and frock coat, right? It's not like they're going to let him play Doctor Who any time soon.
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