Hammer Horror: A Fan's Guide

The Hammer production company defined the British horror film genre with a series of boundary-breaking movies which shocked and thrilled in equal measure, and have today earned cult status.

Although famous for its blood-curdling creations, which brought Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, zombies and The Mummy to the silver screen, Hammer was responsible for a massive variety of movies, including One Million Years BC, featuring Raquel Welch in that iconic fur-lined bikini!

This fascinating programmer explores the turbulent history of Hammer, and counts down 10 of the most famous, most popular and most terrifying of its creations. Our guides on this journey include legendary Hammer directors, producers and writers Roy Ward Baker, Brian Clemens and Jimmy Sangster, key members of the Hammer story who reveal the truth behind the on-screen myth. Fans learn about the rows over the daring content of The Vampire Lovers, are shown the original storyboard sketches of Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter and find out why the famous Whitby shipwreck of Bram Stoker's Dracula novel didn't make it to the screen in Hammer's film adaptation.

We are also joined by Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn, authors of The Hammer Story, horror expert and English Gothic author Jonathan Rigby and Hammer webmaster Robert Simpson, whose contributions are complemented by a wealth of rare behind-the-scenes photos from some of the most famous films.

Discover the secrets behind some of the most memorable features in British film history, movies which launched screen legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, brought the likes of Ingrid Pitt, Veronica Carlson and Caroline Munro to global attention and featured many actors who are today household names.