You can’t talk about the history of horror without talking about Hammer Horror, with Hammer Film Productions over the years releasing countless classics including their own takes on iconic monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, and still pumping out new horror to this day with newer movies such as The Woman in Black and The Lodge.
If you’re a fan of Hammer Horror you’ll definitely want to keep tabs on our monthly column Hammer Factory, and you’ll also be happy to hear that more Hammer Horror is on the way!
Variety reports today that Hammer Films has joined forces with Network Distributing to form Hammer Studios Ltd., the latest evolution of the iconic British film production company.
Variety explains, “The new entity will manage and control Hammer’s interests in its vast library of content such as “The Woman in Black” (2012), “Let Me In” (2010), “Dracula” (1958), “The Abominable Snowman” (1957) and “The Quatermass Experiment” (1953).
“Hammer Studios will invest substantially both in restoration and new production development from both its owned and newly created IP.”
Network’s Tim Beddows said in a statement, “This partnership is a really exciting opportunity to merge Hammer’s amazing library with Network’s infrastructure. Whilst we work our way through restoring its entire back catalogue for future generations’ enjoyment, we’re equally excited about the development of new productions from the Hammer canon.”
Bloody Disgusting’s Paul Farrell provides a brief company overview in the opening of his aforementioned column Hammer Factory, “While Hammer Studios has been in business since 1934, it was between 1955 and 1979 that it towered as one of the premier sources of edgy, gothic horror. On top of ushering the famous monsters of Universal’s horror heyday back into the public eye, resurrecting the likes of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy in vivid color, the studio invited performers like Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Ingrid Pitt and so many more to step into the genre limelight. Spanning a library housing over 300 films, Hammer Studios is a key part of horror history that until recently has been far too difficult to track down.”