Terence Fisher brought the modern Gothic horror film to life in the second half of the twentieth century. As director John Carpenter (Halloween) notes in his introduction, "Terence Fisher and The Curse of Frankenstein was the beginning of it all for the modern horror film..."
Some critics in England and France have long maintained that British director Terence Fisher, whose films dominated world markets in the 1950s and 60s, was one of the greatest directors of fantasy films in history. Since his death in 1980, Fisher's reputation has grown from relative obscurity and his influence on the development of the modern horror film has been widely recognized. However, Fisher's importance should not be limited to the context of the fantasy and horror film genres. His films should also be recognized as expressions of his generalizations about human spirituality. This critical study of Fisher's films begins with an introduction that provides biographical information on his film career, summaries of all of the films he directed and examples of his impact on contemporary cinema. All of Fisher's films are analyzed in terms of their Christian and religious themes as well as their mythical sources. Chapters are devoted to Fisher's work on the subjects of Frankenstein, Dracula, curses (The Devil Rides Out), the ancient goddess (The Gorgon), the divided self (The Man Who Could Cheat Death) and the redeemer hero (The Stranglers of Bombay). The concluding chapter analyzes the role and influence of Biblical narratives in Fisher's films. Also included is a filmography; the work is fully indexed.
From The Curse of Frankenstein to The Horror of Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera to The Mummy, and The Curse of the Werewolf to The Devil Rides Out, Terence Fisher was Hammer's acclaimed Gothic specialist, and is celebrated across the globe for directing many of the greatest horror movies of all time. TERENCE FISHER: Master of Gothic Cinema is the result of five years of research and writing by renowned author Tony Dalton, a long-time friend of Terence Fisher and his family. This fully authorised biography includes an introduction written by Fisher's daughter Micky Harding.
This book traces the entire career of the British director Terence Fisher, best known for his Gothic horror films for Hammer such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958). Wheeler Winston Dixon covers not only his horror films, but also his film noirs, comedies, and early work to create a full picture of Fisher's life and work.
When Hammer Productions was formed in the 1920s, no one foresaw the impact this small, independent studio would have on the international film market. Christopher Lee's mesmerizing, animalistic, yet gentlemanly performance as Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Mummy were celebrated worldwide, and the Byronic qualities of Peter Cushing's Dr. Frankenstein, among his many other Hammer characters, proved impossible to forget. Hammer maintained consistent period settings, creating a timeless and enchanting aesthetic. Studying Hammer Horror treats Hammer as a quintessentially British product and through a study of its work investigates larger conceptions of national horror cinemas. The book examines genre, auteur theory, stardom, and representation within case studies of Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Twins of Evil (1971), and Hammer's latest film, Beyond the Rave (2008). Walden weighs Hammer's impact on the British film industry, past and present. Intended for students, fans, and general readers, this book transcends superficial preconceptions of Hammer horror in order to reach the essence of Hammer.
Interest in the ancient, the occult, and the "wyrd" is on the rise. The furrows of Robin Hardy (The Wicker Man), Piers Haggard (Blood on Satan's Claw), and Michael Reeves (Witchfinder General) have arisen again, most notably in the films of Ben Wheatley (Kill List), as has the Spirit of Dark of Lonely Water, Juganets, cursed Saxon crowns, spaceships hidden under ancient barrows, owls and flowers, time-warping stone circles, wicker men, the goat of Mendes, and malicious stone tapes. Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful And Things Strange charts the summoning of these esoteric arts within the latter half of the twentieth century and beyond, using theories of psychogeography, hauntology, and topography to delve into the genre's output in film, television, and multimedia as its "sacred demon of ungovernableness" rises yet again in the twenty-first century.
Endore's classic werewolf novel - now back in paperback for the first time in over forty years - helped define a genre and set a new standard in horror fiction The werewolf is one of the great iconic figures of horror in folklore, legend, film, and literature. And connoisseurs of horror fiction know that The Werewolf of Paris is a cornerstone work, a masterpiece of the genre that deservedly ranks with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Endore's classic novel has not only withstood the test of time since it was first published in 1933, but it boldly used and portrayed elements of sexual compulsion in ways that had never been seen before, at least not in horror literature. In this gripping work of historical fiction, Endore's werewolf, an outcast named Bertrand Caillet, travels across pre-Revolutionary France seeking to calm the beast within. Stunning in its sexual frankness and eerie, fog-enshrouded visions, this novel was decidedly influential for the generations of horror and science fiction authors who came afterward.
Terence Fisher is best known as the director who made most of the classic Hammer horrors – including The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out. But there is more to Terence Fisher than Hammer horror. In a busy twenty-five-year career, he directed fifty films, not just horrors but also thrillers, comedies, melodramas and science-fiction. This book offers an appreciation of all of Fisher's films and also gives a sense of his place in British film history. Looking at Fisher’s career as a whole not only underlines his importance as a film-maker but also casts a new, interesting light on the areas in which he worked – Gainsborough melodrama, the 1950s B film, 1960s science-fiction and, of course, Hammer, one of the most successful independent film companies in the history of British cinema.
An in-depth summary of the Horror Cinema of the 60s and 70s, with references to earlier and later films. The topics examined are: Fear and contamination, Gothic and horror movies before 1968, 1968, Rosemary's Baby: satanic and demonic cinema, Night of the Living Dead, Horror movies in the ‘70s, New frontiers: monsters, zombies and chain saws. The following films were then analysed: Faust, The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, Rosemary’s Baby, Night of the Living Dead, Repulsion, The Tenant, The Devil's Daughter, The Antichrist, The Exorcist, The Guardian, Twins of Evil, Lust for a Vampire, Taste the Blood of Dracula, Demons of the Mind, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?, The Legend of Hell House, It’s Alive, The Omen, The Brood, Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist III, Damien: Omen II, Rabid, Shivers, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Dawn of the Dead, The Crazies, Martin, Creepshow, Day of the Dead, Monkey Shines, Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Eaten Alive, Salem's Lot, The Funhouse, Poltergeist, The Mangler, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes. Of each film: technical cast, plot, criticism as well as the judgment of the Catholic church (Catholic evaluation). Finally, more than 120 images including posters and images taken from the films.
With more than 250 images, new information on international cinema—especially Polish, Chinese, Russian, Canadian, and Iranian filmmakers—an expanded section on African-American filmmakers, updated discussions of new works by major American directors, and a new section on the rise of comic book movies and computer generated special effects, this is the most up to date resource for film history courses in the twenty-first century.