Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Hammer Horror

Hammer Horror studios was very prominent in the 1950s through to the 60s and early 70s. During this time they produced dozens of films that redefined the genre. One of the most famous stars of this era was Christopher Lee who took up the mantle of Bela Lugosi in playing Dracula. The studio bridged the gap between black and white films and technicolour. The films were groundbreaking and controversial in the amount of blood and gore that was shown on screen resulting in many of the films being heavily censored, or even banned.

In modern horror films the influences of Hammer are clear to see, from the camera shots to the music to the now classic clichés that have been used over the years. The studio recently released its first horror film for over 30 years after going bust in the 1980s.

In terms of Hammer's influence on our film and how it could be similair or different, Hammer films are generally overtly melodramatic. This aspect of style would be out of place in our teaser because we want to create a serious and genuinely frightening atmosphere, but the bold visual style of Hammer films could work for us because it would be ideal for us to show some blood and gore as they are so famous for doing so that the film can easily be identified as a conventional horror in that respect.

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