Hammer Vampires

Abstract

Hammer Film Productions Ltd., more commonly known as Hammer Studios, is essentially synonymous with vampire cinema, and this chapter provides an overview of the 16 vampire films made by Hammer between 1958 and 1974. Starting with a brief history of Hammer to contextualize their vampiric output, it then discusses the Dracula films with which Hammer is so rightly associated, the Karnstein Trilogy of the early 1970s, and the four standalone vampire films made between 1963 and 1974. This survey identifies the continuities – both among the films and externally, in terms of cast, crew, and filming locations – within Hammer’s vampire corpus, the reception of the films, and relevant notable circumstances surrounding their production.