Our editor-in-chief Nate Yapp is proud to have contributed to the new book Hidden Horror: A Celebration of 101 Underrated and Overlooked Fright Flicks, edited by Aaron Christensen. Another contributors include Anthony Timpone, B.J. Colangelo, Dave Alexander, Classic-Horror.com's own Robert C. Ring and John W. Bowen. Pick up a copy today from Amazon.com!

Posts by Jenn Dlugos

Review: Taste of Fear (1961)

Scream of Fear poster

There are two types of movie suspense. The first is cinematic suspense which is simply designed to keep the audience interested in the picture. All movies, regardless of genre, use this brand of suspense. The second is fearful suspense. This is the type of suspense only used to induce fright. Hammer horror has traditionally used cinematic suspense, and does so quite masterfully. It keeps our eyes glued to the screen, however few actually find their movies actually scary, nor are they really intended to be scary in the traditional sense of the word. This is why Taste of Fear (released as Scream of Fear in the United States) is so significant to the Hammer repertoire.(read more...)

Review: The Cat and the Canary (1927)

Cat and the Canary 1927 poster

The opening credits roll. The audience sees a man immersed in a fortress of oversized medicine bottles, presumably on the brink of madness. An image of a cat is superimposed to the right of the screen. The man? He’s the canary awaiting slaughter. Most would assume that this scene could only be created by modern movie technology.(read more...)

Review: The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

Phantom of the Opera 1962 poster

Hammer’s The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most revered of all the Hammer horror films. Eerie? Check. Atmosphere? Right on. Over-rated? Absolutely. While The Phantom of the Opera is a welcome addition to the shelf of horror classics, when I hear Hammer experts talk about this film as director Terence Fisher’s “best” or Hammer’s “best”, I have to wonder what the hell they are talking about.(read more...)

Review: The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll

Of all of the lists of “classic movie monsters,” Dr Jekyll/Mr. Hyde is the monster most forgotten. Maybe because the plot is entirely too similar to the far superior Wolf Man, or perhaps because there is only so many ways you can rehash such a simplistic tale. Of the many versions of the tale, the only two that stand out as truly unique are both from HammerDr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, and The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is the far superior version, and could well possibly be the most emotional version of the story ever made.(read more...)

Review: Captain Clegg (1962)

Captain Clegg poster

When I put this movie in, I really thought I was going to craft a review very reminiscent of how one might review Plan 9 from Outer Space with plenty of “Who the hell did they think they were fooling?” comments. Within 15 minutes, I proved myself wrong. Captain Clegg, otherwise known as Night Creatures, is a Hammer Studios film on par with their well-known masterpieces.(read more...)

Review: Nightmare (1964)

Nightmare 1964 poster

I've argued in the past that Hammer Films can only seem to make an excellent horror movie when at least one of the Trifecta of Hammer Horror is involved: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, or Terence Fisher. They’ve made adequate films, even good films, without the trifecta, but only the trifecta is capable of making the masterpieces.

Apparently, I have lied to you people.

Nightmare, despite the absence of any member of the Hammer Trifecta, is a Hammer masterpiece. From the chilling beginning to the surprising conclusion, this film sets the bar for British suspense. Sharp, haunting, and absolutely timeless, Nightmare should already be on your video shelf.(read more...)

Review: Twins of Evil (1971)

Twins of Evil poster

By the 70s, Hammer didn’t have a whole lot left to give. Only a handful of films after 1970 lived up to the high standards Hammer set in its early years. Most of the ones that are remembered are only recalled because they are sequels to other successful Hammer movies, while the rest are relegated to cinematic obscurity. But there are some films from this age that were proof that Hammer still had some sense left. Twins of Evil, though a far cry from a Hammer masterpiece, manages to be one of the gems from this time.(read more...)

Review: Hands of the Ripper (1971)

Hands of the Ripper poster

One of the things that is so intriguing about Hammer Films is that they were never afraid to take risks or to deviate from the norm. Most of them times we damned them for it, but sometimes we praised their trailblazing. Hands of the Ripper is an example of one of their “deviations from the norm” that Hammer got oh so right.(read more...)

Review: The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)

Evil of Frankenstein poster

Superficially, The Evil of Frankenstein is a great addition to the legendary Hammer series. Superficially, the acting is sublime, the story is engrossing, and the film is action-packed. Superficially, this movie is a masterpiece not unlike its predecessors, The Curse of Frankenstein and The Revenge of Frankenstein. But I didn't get the title The Queen of Classic Horror for being superficial. And looking underneath the surface of the seemingly perfect The Evil of Frankenstein exposes a couple loose wires.(read more...)

Review: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935)

Mystery of the Mary Celeste (Phantom Ship) poster

Also going by the name The Phantom Ship, The Mystery of the Mary Celeste is one of the more sought-after, hard-to-find Hammer horror films. As one of the very first films by Hammer, and more importantly as the only time Bela Lugosi has been involved in a Hammer production, The Mystery of the Mary Celeste automatically sets itself a very high bar. While unforgivable flaws make this film fall well short of this bar, it proves to be not a bad way to spend an hour.
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