Saturday 26 June 2010

Programming a rare Hammer season

If you were programming a six-film season of rare, non-horror Hammer intended to showcase the diversity of the studio's output, what would you show?

The films need to be of decent quality able to appeal to a general audience, so the 1970s sitcom adaptations are out, though something like Up the Creek or Further up the Creek may not be.

I'm currently thinking of six from this lot, probably the starred ones:

Yesterday’s Enemy*
Hell is a City*
Taste of Fear
The Damned*
Never Take Candy from a Stranger*
Cash on Demand*
Night Creatures*
The Nanny
The Lost Continent
Moon Zero Two
Straight on Till Morning

3 comments:

nineacre said...

Rare non horror Hammer sounds interesting.

Well myself I'd have to have The Anniversary in there. Bet Davis at her bitchiest best.

I agree with The Damned, & Hell is a City. Both fine films showing the diversity of the studio.

But I would put one of their early film noirs in there to showcase where they came from - probably Blackout as I think its one of the best of these.

Then Stranglers of Bombay - not the most PC of films but not shown often and showcases their adventure flicks and finally go for Yesterday's Enemy as I've not seen that yet :-)

Anonymous said...

I would show Taste of Fear and Paranoiac, or at least one of Jimmy Sangster's "Mini-Psychos". (Or do you think these count as "horrors"?)

Fanatic is another good one in the aging actress "Baby Jane" mode.

Yesterday’s Enemy, Hell is a City, Cash on Demand and Night Creatures are all good choices, but I was disappointed with Never Take Candy... and think that The Damned is an oddity that might not appeal to a general audience.

Cinefantastique said...

I'll vote for THE DAMNED and STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY, too.

ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.is likely to bring in an audience.

And it would be nice to include one of their pirate movies, probably DEVIL SHIP PIRATES.