Formed in 1934, Hammer Film Productions were by the early 1950’s, a struggling British film company specialising mainly in low budget crime thrillers.

After the success of their film version of Nigel Kneale’s BBC television science fiction series ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’, Hammer turned their attention to the horror market. Post war, gothic horror films had experienced a decline in popularity.

The black and white Universal films of the 1930’s and 40’s, as brilliant as some were, now seemed quite tame for modern cinema audiences.

Hammers first venture into what would become a lucrative market for the company was a retelling of Mary Shelleys classic novel ‘Frankenstein’, this time though in colour with blood and gore pushed to the limit the censors would allow.

After his acclaimed performance as Winston Smith in a BBC television adaptation of George Orwells ‘1984’, Peter Cushing was chosen to play Victor Frankenstein, whilst Christopher Lee was cast as the creature.

Terence Fishers film opens with Frankenstein confessing his crimes to a priest from his prison cell on the eve of his execution. As the story unfolds in flashback we learn how a man, who at first was driven by the noblest of intentions in the pursuit of knowledge and in the name of science, rapidly descends into psychotic obsession. Cushings portrayal of the scientist, unlike that of Colin Clive in the earlier films, is that of a sadistic and immoral man, prepared even to kill for the sake of his work. The real monster here is not Lee’s creature but Cushing’s creator.

Hammers first Frankenstein film was a huge international hit and spawned several sequels of varying quality throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Next up for Terence Fisher and Hammer though was Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, this time with Cushing on the side of good as Professor Van Helsing and Lee as the Count.

Hammer Films would go on to become not just synonymous with successful British business, receiving the Queens Award for British Industry in 1968, but also for somehow managing to produce often quite lavish looking films on fairly modest budgets. Cited as an influence on their work by directors as renowned as Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton, ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ remains a milestone in horror cinema.