The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

This movie contains so many things that I love that I can't believe I hadn't managed to see it any sooner. Sherlock Holmes, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, a seemingly supernatural mystery, this film made me smile within the first few moments (standard upper class Hammer characters being horrendous to some standard Hammer peasants), and that smile just got bigger and bigger as the movie went on.

Cushing plays the famous Baker Street detective, and what a great performance it is. Is it Cushing's best performance? No. Is it the best version of Holmes I've ever seen? No. But, somehow, it's just wonderful enough to watch Cushing being Holmes, and it helps that he's given great support from Andre Morell in the role of Dr. Watson. Christopher Lee is Sir Henry, the man who may fall foul of the curse that has claimed others before him, death caused by a devil hound.

Director Terence Fisher does a great job here, of making both a fun Hammer movie and also a fun Sherlock Holmes movie (although, to be fair, this tale is one of the more Hammer-friendly tales that they could develop for the screen). Writer Peter Bryan takes the story (by Arthur Conan Doyle, of course) and does just enough to tailor the whole thing to the stars without changing too much of what is already a recipe for success.

In case you couldn't tell from my comments above, I think the casting is pretty much perfect. Cushing puts in yet another effortlessly graceful performance, portraying a character well suited to his personality, while Morell is actually one of the better Watsons I can think of. He's certainly in the top tier. Lee gets less to do, but acquits himself admirably, while Francis De Wolff, Marla Landi, Miles Malleson, Ewen Solon, John Le Mesurier and Helen Goss all do their bit to stand out from the other supporting players. De Wolff and Landi are the two who stand out, but nobody disappoints.

It's hard to present such a well-known tale in a way that seems fresh and completely entertaining, but this certainly tries hard, and largely succeeds, thanks to the writing, direction and the great casting of the lead roles. Get those things right and the end result is guaranteed to be enjoyable. That's elementary.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hound-Of-Baskervilles-DVD/dp/B0000C24HR/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1389278193&sr=8-3&keywords=the+hound+of+the+baskervilles

The Plague Of The Zombies (1966)

Perhaps my very favourite Hammer horror movie (certainly giving The Nanny a good run for its money), this features a crowd of the undead causing problems in a Cornish village. While it's far removed from the type of thing we horror fans have been given by the likes of Romero and Fulci, this still remains a great entry into the zombie movie subgenre and contains at least one quintessential zombie movie moment.

André Morell plays Sir James Forbes, a standard Hammer hero. He's elderly and wise and refined and ends up travelling with his daughter, Sylvia (Diane Clare) to visit his ex-pupil, Dr. Peter Thompson (Brook Williams). The doctor and his wife (Alice, played by the lovely Jacqueline Pearce) have been having a hard time of things lately. They have been living in the small Cornish village for about a year and the doctor has, unfortunately, seen about a dozen deaths in that time. All unexplained and rather mysterious. He would like to perform autopsies to help his investigation but the local squire (played by John Carson) has not allowed him. Meanwhile, there would seem to be far too many spaces in the graveyard that should have bodies inside.

Sharing some cast members, and it's set, with the movie that followed it (The Reptile), it's good to see that, despite the obvious cost-cutting measures brought about by filming two movies with shared resources, there are no corners cut here.

Director John Gilling (working from Peter Bryan's enjoyable script) creates a great atmosphere throughout. Yes, we have the usual fainting female and some overreaction dotted here and there but this movie manages to stay eerie and tense even during it's many daylight scenes (something often quite difficult to achieve in the genre). The acting is all adequate (Morell in particular makes for a good, noble lead, Carson is great and Michael Ripper gets a few decent moments), but what really gives this movie the edge is its portrayal of the zombies themselves and the ritual used to bring them about.

Throw in some amusing cads (aka rich, spoilt gits), a Hammer standard tavern scene and a finale that starts with a poorly executed fight scene but then moves on to some impressive fire damage and you have a film that moves along at a brisk pace while constantly entertaining.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Plague-The-Zombies-Blu-ray-DVD/dp/B006C19NQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368191408&sr=8-1&keywords=the+plague+of+the+zombies

The Brides Of Dracula (1960)

While this is the second movie from Hammer to use the Dracula name it doesn't actually feature Dracula himself. But we're still in Transylvania and there are still fanged threats around, mainly thanks to the dapper Baron Meinster (David Peel), and when a young travelling woman (the lovely, though not overly endowed with acting talent, Yvonne Monlaur) finds herself in trouble she is more than a little relieved to be given a helping hand by the great Dr. Van Helsing (played again by the great Peter Cushing). But things don't stop there and it's not long before Van Helsing realises that there is more than one vampiric beast he needs to lay to rest in Transylvania.

Directed by Terence Fisher, and written by a quartet of people, The Brides Of Dracula may not quite manage to make you forget that you wanted to see Christopher Lee appearing in the title role but it certainly manages to make its own mark thanks to a mix of great atmosphere, spooky imagery and moments of originality (Van Helsing dealing with a bite wound springs immediately to mind).

Cushing is as good as he always is, Monlaur is very pretty, Peel tries hard with the character he's given and Martita Hunt and Freda Jackson do very well with their screen time. There's also a very small role for Michael Ripper as a coachman and the beautiful Andree Melly makes a great impression as Gina but this is all about the dread and foreboding ladled over everything and it works very well in that respect.

The finale may not be quite as intense and exciting as some other releases from the studio but it again impresses with a bit of originality and I enjoyed the use of that Gothic horror staple - the creaky old windmill - immensely. There's really only one thing I can hold against it, but it's a biggie, and that's the fact that the title is a big, fat lie.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brides-Dracula-DVD-Martita-Hunt/dp/B000W22234/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350321904&sr=8-1