The Lurid Classic Sci-Fi Posters Of Hammer Films, A Study In Vintage Sexy
One of the greatest producers of horror films ever was Hammer Film Studios. At the peak of their productivity and popularity from the 1950s to the 1970s, the British production house churned out high quantities of Gothic horror and “adventure” films that dominated and defined B-movie aesthetics for decades. The posters they created to sell those movies were a big component of the studio’s success.
Many starred Christopher Lee and/or Peter Cushing, along with bevies of busty, beautiful, scantily-clad ladies. Remember those iconic images of Racquel Welsh in her fur bikini or Ursula Andress in that nearly sheer white dress? Those are from the Hammer Studios films One Million Years B.C. (1966) and She (1965).
Hammer films always had amazing, schlocky posters. In the late 1950s, Hammer Horror began its ascent to cult status with films like The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Horror of Dracula (1958). The posters for these early films were characterized by their vibrant colors and sensationalist approach.
They often featured lurid, hand-painted images of the monsters, scantily-clad damsels, and the heroic protagonists, designed to attract attention and provoke curiosity.
The 1960s saw Hammer Horror continuing to innovate both in filmmaking and poster art. This era introduced more complex and artistic designs. The posters from this period, such as those for The Brides of Dracula (1960) and The Plague of the Zombies (1966), showcased a blend of vivid colors, bold typography, and dramatic imagery.
The artwork was often detailed and moody, reflecting the films’ gothic atmosphere. The Plague of the Zombies, poster seems to be designed to sell the movie as a zombie flick set in the Middle Ages.
In addition to the requisite Frankenstein and Dracula posters (Hammer made absurd numbers of Frankenstein and Dracula films), some of their posters were for movies with more sci-fi plots centered on zombies, time travel, and space travel. One of the best is the poster for Moon Zero Two.
During the 1970s, Hammer began experimenting with more contemporary styles in their movies, such as in The Vampire Lovers (1970) and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973). The posters from this era mirrored this shift, showcasing a blend of traditional gothic elements with modern, sometimes psychedelic, design influences. These posters were often more suggestive and provocative, in line with the era’s evolving social norms and cinematic trends.
By the late 1970s, the studio’s classic sexy gothic formula began to wane in popularity, facing competition from new horror trends and struggling with financial challenges. Despite a period of dormancy, Hammer experienced a revival in the 2000s, returning to its horror roots while adapting to contemporary tastes, exemplified by films like Let Me In (2010) and The Woman in Black (2012).
But the posters for those films never duplicated the lurid greatness of the company’s previous poster work.
Hammer Film Productions is still around and moving forward. On August 31, 2023, Hammer Film Productions, a storied British film studio celebrated for its influential role in the horror genre, was acquired by John Gore, a distinguished figure in the British theatre scene.
