hammer horror

In November Hammer Films announced they had their sights set on an adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 ghost story, The Woman in Black. Hammer President and CEO Simon Oakes announced yesterday that everything is official. We already reported that Jane Goldman, who worked on Neil Gaiman's Stardust and most recently the potty-mouthed Kick-Ass, will be writing the screenplay and now the film has a director. James Watkins (Eden Lake, Methuselah) will be directing the classic, Gothic tale that takes place in a small English town.

Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer, is ordered to travel to a remote village to take care of a recently deceased client's papers. He works alone in the client's isolated house and begins to uncover tragic secrets, leading to the sighting a mysterious woman dressed in black. The locals are hush-hush about things, forcing Kipps to investigate solo--racing to desperately learn the true identity of the mysterious woman.

It was originally reported that The Woman in Black would be released in 3D, but nothing was confirmed in Hammer's recent announcement. I don't normally equate British ghost stories with 3D technology (under Hammer's name even!) but stranger things have happened. As a huge fan of Gothic horror, I'm looking forward to seeing this one on the big screen. It feels like a great throwback to the heyday of iconic Hammer horror films.

In my experience, fellow Hammer horror fans either absolutely adore Dracula A.D. 1972 or despise it. The studio was obviously cashing in on the British mod craze and certainly the film's title dates itself in an unsavory way, but in general it's still a good trip for me. As a Hammer film however, it fails miserably. The great Christopher Lee has been relegated to what feels like a supporting role and Peter Cushing dashes around posing like he's in some uber stylized action movie (Yes, this is kind of awesome). There's even a really groovy Starsky & Hutch style score to help set the mood (I actually like it). What should be authentic comes across as cheddar. The cast is unbelievable as a group of young hipsters and instead plays out like a 30-something Austin Powers party. Hammer's attempt to update the Dracula story for contemporary audiences is nothing like the sleazy pussycat parade I want it to be, but it does have one thing going for it: a bag full of Hammer babes.

There's a vixen for every type in this movie. Stephanie Beacham stars as Jessica, the smart yet naive type who falls prey to the bloodthirsty Count because of her legendary namesake, Van Helsing. Marsha Hunt is Gaynor, the comely kitten who is lured into the vampiric clutches of one sneer-tastic villain, Johnny Alucard (Christopher Neame). And last but certainly not least is Caroline Munro who plays Laura, the foxy lady who offers herself as the delicious sacrifice during the groovy gang's Satanic shenanigans.

In what seems as a long overdue gesture of appreciation for one of the most seminal horror actors in the history of the genre, Count Dracula himself, Christopher Lee, can now have the ever-impressive "Sir" appended to the front of his name.

Joining a number of others, including musician Joe Brown and cyclist Nicole Cook, BBC News reports that the veteran actor, who also starred as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Lord Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, has been knighted by the Prince of Wales for "services to drama and to charity."

Through it all, Sir Christopher Lee remained as humble as ever, jokingly citing not Hammer but his success in The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars as his big break: "I've done a lot of films that have become iconic, not necessarily because of me...a whole new career opened up for me when I was in Lords Of The Rings and Star Wars.

This isn't the first honor to bestowed upon Dracula. In 2001 Queen Elizabeth appointed him Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2005 named the 'Most Marketable Star' for his performances in three of the top films in 2005 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which garnered $640 million combined.

Production company Hammer Films, known for its production of now-classic gothic horror films like Dracula, The Mummy and The Curse of Frankenstein, is venturing into the world of publishing after joining forces with the literary agency PFD. The UK-based agency will work with Hammer Films to seek out book deals centered around the work of the iconic film company.

According to Variety, the goal of this collaboration will be to seek out partnerships with other publishers to bring on a new group of contemporary authors to write tales based on the classic Hammer line-up. According to PFD CEO Caroline Michel, "Hammer is an iconic household name with a loyal fanbase and the raft of forthcoming initiatives will create a whole new generation of devotees."

Back in the realm of film, Hammer is hard at work on Let Me In, the remake of the immensely popular Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In being directed by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves. Beyond this are another fifteen films currently in development, including The Resident, a thriller starring Hammer Horror veteran Christopher Lee alongside Hilary Swank and Jeffery Dean Morgan.