Category Archives: Hammer Studios

The Ghost Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore

Posted on 11 March 2016 by

Regular visitors to this blog will know what a fan I am of the Hammer suspense thrillers. But in the 1960s, their greatest rivals at the British box office were Amicus, the company that specialised in anthology horror films, features … Continue reading →

Posted in Amicus, Anthology, Hammer Studios | 20 Comments

The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970)

Posted on 20 October 2015 by

Dagmar Lassander is a bored housewife who has been relying too much on drink to keep herself together. Her husband knows he has been neglecting her but his business (underwater diving equipment) is at a critical stage. One night she … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Noir, Giallo, Hammer Studios, Italy, Jimmy Sangster, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | 40 Comments

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1902) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Posted on 13 October 2015 by

Like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this is one of those books that may seem very familiar even to those who have never actually read it. But they really should because it holds up beautifully. It is certainly the single best known … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015 Vintage Mystery Challenge, Arthur Conan Doyle, England, Friday's Forgotten Book, Hammer Studios, Sherlock Holmes, Terence Fisher, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | Tagged , , | 53 Comments

Cash on Demand (1961) – Tuesday’s overlooked movie

Posted on 24 March 2015 by

This tense real-time thriller ultimately becomes, somewhat surprisingly, a variant on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Peter Cushing plays the austere and unyielding manager of the City & Colonial Bank in Haversham, disliked, with reason, by all his staff. Enter André … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Noir, Hammer Studios, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | Tagged , | 43 Comments

The Full Treatment (1960) – Tuesday’s overlooked film

Posted on 10 February 2015 by

This tale of psychological turmoil is fairly intriguing to start with but does get a bit bogged down before becoming thrillerish a bit too late in the game. It was the last in a run of popular films that writer-director … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Noir, France, Hammer Studios, Tuesday's Overlooked Film, Val Guest | Tagged | 18 Comments

Four Sided Triangle (1953) – Tuesday’s Overlooked Film

Posted on 7 October 2014 by

And now for a slight change of pace here at Fedora, featuring real-life femme fatale Barbara Payton. She plays the object of everybody’s affection in this off-kilter melodrama that was one of the first of Hammer Studios‘ excursions into the weird … Continue reading →

Posted in Hammer Studios, Science Fiction, Terence Fisher, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | Tagged , , | 34 Comments

Top 20 Amnesia Mystery Movies

Posted on 20 May 2014 by

Whether it’s the intrigue of Jason Bourne adventures or the farcical escapades of the Hangover films, memory loss remains a popular narrative device in fiction in general and at the cinema in particular. Here is a guide to my top 20 favourite … Continue reading →

Posted in 'Best of' lists, Alfred Hitchcock, Amnesia, Billy Wilder, Boileau-Narcejac, Charlie Chan, England, Eric Ambler, France, Greece, Hammer Studios, James Hilton, Jimmy Sangster, John Frankenheimer, Len Deighton, London, Los Angeles, LP Davies, New York, Orson Welles, San Francisco, Spain, Tuesday's Overlooked Film | Tagged | 85 Comments