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Yes, it’s Hammer’s grimy rags ‘n’ rock prehistoric saga, the notorious third caveman vs. dinosaurs spectacle that has no dinosaurs, leaving the ‘creatures’ of the title as a no-show. Director Don Chaffey does his best with a screenplay that Michael Carreras must have sketched on the back of a cocktail napkin. If you like rugged terrain and dusty dirty cavemen exposed to the elements — or you’re a Hammer completist — you’ve come to the right place.

Creatures the World Forgot

Region B Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1971 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 95 min. / Street Date July 25, 2022 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £18.99

Starring: Julie Ege, Tony Bonner, Robin John, Brian O’Shaughnessy, Sue Wilson, Rosalie Crutchley, Marcia Fox, Gerard Bonthuys, Hans Kiesouw, Josje Kiesouw, Beverly Blake, Doon Baide.

Cinematography: Vincent Cox

Production Designer: John Stoll

Special Effects: Sid Pearson (Sydney Pearson)

Film Editor: Chris Barnes

Original Music: Mario Nascimbene

Written and Produced by...

By the early 70s, England’s Hammer Film was going downhill with their horror film series which started back in 1958 with “Dracula” starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. On the other hand, Shaw Brothers Studio was riding high on their kung fu boom and for their last “Dracula” film series, Hammer decided to join forces with Shaw Brothers to film in Hong Kong and thereby introducing martial arts components into the horror genre.

on Amazon

Nonetheless, the story starts off in Transylvania in 1908 with a Chinese High Priest Kah (Chan Shen) who’s seeking the help of Count Dracula to regenerate his golden vampires back in China to their former glory. He arrives at Dracula’s castle, casually strolls into the crypt and kneels in front of a lone coffin marked with the letter “D”. Awaken from his slumber, the Prince of Darkness who somehow understands Mandarin,...

Why do crime caper films have so much appeal? Are we all closet criminals, eager to watch less timid souls risk life and limb to get the big payout and live happily ever after? Peter Yates’ stylish re-telling of England’s Great Train Robbery makes for an excitingly detailed, nonsense-free heist straight from real life, with a just-the-facts clarity. The show begins with an influential car chase — straight through the heart of London.

Robbery

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1967 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 110 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Stanley Baker, Joanna Pettet, James Booth, Frank Finlay, Barry Foster, William Marlowe, Clinton Greyn, George Sewell, Glynn Edwards, Julie Ege.

Cinematography: Douglas Slocombe

Film Editor: Reginald Beck

Original Music: Johnny Keating

Written by Edward Boyd, George Markstein, Peter Yates, from a story by Gerald Wilson

Produced by Stanley Baker, Michael Deeley

Directed by Peter Yates

I’d always heard about Peter Yates’ Robbery,...

One of Scream Factory's most exciting Blu-ray announcements at last year's San Diego Comic-Con was the Hammer horror film Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and they're kicking off 2019 with another Hammer horror movie Blu-ray announcement: The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (starring Peter Cushing). Here's a look at the official cover art, and additional release details, including the list of bonus features:

Los Angeles, CA – Black belt vs black magic. Scream Factory presents The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires on Blu-ray™ for the first time on April 9, 2019. Presented here for the first time in high definition is Hammer’s original uncut version. It was released in the Us in an edited version called The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula which is also included here in high definition as a bonus feature.

The complete list of bonus features also includes new interviews with actor David Chiang and Hong Kong film expert Rick Baker,...

One of Scream Factory's most exciting Blu-ray announcements at last year's San Diego Comic-Con was the Hammer horror film Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and they're kicking off 2019 with another Hammer horror movie Blu-ray announcement: The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (starring Peter Cushing).

From Scream Factory: "Happy New Year everyone! Starting 2019 on a high note: The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires - a highly-requested title from the Hammer Films catalog - kicks its way onto Blu-ray April 9th!

Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) and Count Dracula (John Forbes-Robinson) meet again in this spectacular kung fu horror thriller set in the village of Ping Kuei. After learning about the seven golden vampires of the village, Hsi Ching (David Chiang), Vanessa Buren (Julie Ege) and Mai Kwei (Szu Shih) offer to guide Van Helsing and his son to Ping Kuei to free it from the curse of Count Dracula.

By the early ‘70s, Hammer films was wheezing and sputtering just to stay alive. Their attempts to stay current with the changing tides of horror were often misbegotten and misdirected (Dracula A.D. 1972, anyone?) as the plots continued to recycle shopworn ideas when audiences were ready for more modern concerns, such as hulking maniacs with chainsaws. In essence, time was passing Hammer by, and they were willing to try anything. Hence we arrive at The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974), a delightful elixir of Dracula and…Kung Fu. This was the last gasp for Hammer’s beloved franchise, and it’s a very worthy burial.

Aka 7 Brothers Versus Dracula, 7 Brothers and a Sister Meet Dracula, 7 Golden Vampires, and Enter The Dracula (no, but who screwed up that marketing?), Legend was a co-production between Hammer and Shaw Brothers, the immortal Chinese martial arts film studio that would crank out 10, sometimes 15 films a year of kinetic,...

Craig Lines Oct 15, 2019

In the 1970s, Hammer joined forces with Shaw Brothers Studios, to try and inject fresh blood into the former's Dracula franchise...

The final film in Hammer's Dracula series is perhaps the least talked about, despite being the weirdest. By 1974, Hammer's star was fading. The seminal British studio struggled to keep up with the changing tastes of genre audiences and attempts to cram their gothic ghouls into modern film styles weren't working. While some experiments - like Dracula Ad 1972 or Satanic Rites Of Dracula - have a certain cult appeal now, they were poorly received at the time and drove their star Christopher Lee to quit the franchise for good.

Not to be dissuaded, Hammer decided to inject new blood into the Dracula franchise one last time by cashing in on the latest cinematic craze – kung fu.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers studios were prolifically exporting high-end...

Craig Lines Nov 2, 2016

In the 1970s, Hammer joined forces with Shaw Brothers Studios, to try and inject fresh blood into the former's Dracula franchise...

The final film in Hammer's Dracula series is perhaps the least talked about, despite being the weirdest. By 1974, Hammer's star was fading. The seminal British studio struggled to keep up with the changing tastes of genre audiences and attempts to cram their gothic ghouls into modern film styles weren't working. While some experiments - like the campy Dracula Ad 1972 or Satanic Rites Of Dracula - have a certain cult appeal now, they were poorly received at the time and drove their star Christopher Lee to quit the franchise for good.

Not to be dissuaded, Hammer decided to inject new blood into the Dracula franchise one last time by cashing in on the latest cinematic craze – kung fu.

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Shaw Brothers studios were prolifically...

Possibly everyone’s favorite animated sleuths have joined Funko’s Dorbz line. Eight items from Dorbz’s Scooby-Doo Series 1 and 2 are coming this June! Also in this round-up: a behind-the-scenes clip from Damien and details on the Hammer Films Collection – Volume 2 DVD.

Scooby-Doo Dorbz: From Funko: “Dorbz: Scooby-Doo Series 1 (the first three in the gallery)

Zoinks! Scooby-Doo is coming to Dorbz! When there’s a spooky mystery afoot, Shaggy and his pal Scooby-Doo are on the case! Just make sure they don’t split up so they can catch Werewolf in the act!

Coming in June!

Dorbz Ridez: Scooby-Doo – Mystery Machine

Jenkies! Mystery Machine Dorbz Ridez are coming, too!

Coming in June!

Dorbz: Scooby-Doo Series 2 (the last four in the gallery)

Coming this Summer!”

———

Damien: “Watch Glenn Mazzara, Executive Producer, and the rest of the staff talk about the ‘Omen Curse’ that occurred when filming Season 1 of #Damien.

The...

We know this is pretty late notice, but you West Coasters still have time to make it to the Grindhouse Film Festival at the New Beverly Cinema this Tuesday, April 10th, at 7:30 pm. Look at this unique lineup they've got for you.

Check out the Grindhouse Film Festival on Facebook and follow the Grindhouse Film Festival on Twitter (@GrindhouseFest) for current and future updates. Read on for the info on the latest show.

From the Press Release

The Grindhouse Film Festival returns to the New Beverly Cinema on Tuesday, April 10th, with two period films that'll first thrill you and then confuse you. First up is The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula (the American theatrical version of the Roy Ward Baker/Chang Cheh Dracula and Kung Fu classic The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires). Whether you prefer your vampires to be of the well-dressed Transylvanian type or the hopping Chinese-style,...

“My name is Bond - James Bond". That classic introduction to the cinema’s greatest secret agent is as famous as “I am Dracula, I bid you welcome.” When the box office success of Dr No (1962) turned the unknown Sean Connery into a movie legend, Hammer was never far away from the franchise. With their own films running parallel to the Bond series, Hammer and Eon Productions often made use of the same talent.

Dr No also marked the debuts of Bernard Lee (the first of 11 films as M) and Lois Maxwell (the first of 14 as Miss Moneypenny). Lee had a brief turn as Tarmut in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973) and despite never starring in a Hammer horror, Maxwell turned up in their early fifties thrillers Lady in the Fog (1953) and Mantrap (1954).

As doomed double-agent Professor Dent, Anthony Dawson is best known as the vile Marquis in Curse...

“Only a sick society could bear the hoardings, let alone the films.”

- Derek Hill (in regards to Hammer films and their output), Sight and Sound 1958-59

The above quote, which opens Marcus Hearn’s Hammer movie-poster book, The Art of Hammer, is indicative of the content contained within. Judging by the artwork Hearn has collected, it’s not hard to see how Hammer gained such a tawdry reputation. From half naked women to fully-nude women to ghouls, vampires, murderers, psychopaths, mummies and any other monster one could possibly imagine, the posters’ single aim seems to be at appealing to the most lurid and primal impulses. As such, I – of course – found myself quite taken with the collection.

The Art of Hammer focuses primarily on artwork produced from 1950 to 1979* for the production company; a majority of which are British or American in design with a sampling of Belgian, Italian and French posters as well.

For me, the only part of the Oscars worth watching every year is their tribute video, highlighting those in the movie industry that passed away in the previous year. It always puts a lump in my throat and often surprises me due to the passing of people I hadn’t heard about. And with the actors who were popular decades ago, it gives me a sense of melancholy nostalgia.

TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has put together their version of a tribute video which you can watch below, and it gave me the same feelings I just mentioned (I wasn’t aware they do one every year). It’s a beautiful video and very classy. They did miss a couple of people which I mention below.

I would suggest you watch the video before moving on to the list of names below it. It includes actors, directors, composers, screenwriters, animators, etc.