Hammer on History

Five Hammer Studio films to explore the past, from the prehistoric to the 20th Century

Ellie Hendricks

One Million Years B.C (1966)

Dir. Don Chaffey

In the beginning… There were fur bikinis.

To kick off this list we have the cult classic and widely derided ‘One Million Years B.C.’, a non-stop action film starring Raquel Welch and John Richardson as a loved-up cave couple. The films tagline ‘This is the way it was’ couldn’t be further from the truth but it’s a fun enough watch that we can look past the farming, tools and dinosaur inaccuracies. One Million Years B.C. is notable for its fantastic stop motion by hero of film Ray Harryhausen, whose creatures and creepy crawlies bring the film to life.

The Viking Queen (1967)

Dir. Don Chaffey

One year on from One Million Years B.C, Don Chaffey’s back with another historical feature. VERY loosely based on Queen Boudica and her revolt against the Romans, ‘The Viking Queen’ stars Carita as protagonist Salina. Following the wishes of a dying father, Queen Salina agrees to rule in partnership with the Roman Justinian. Can the Druidic tribes and Roman conquerors work together? Or is the scene set for tragedy?

Wildly inaccurate and poorly received, there weren’t many at the time of release that sang the praises of ‘The Viking Queen’, however we’ll take whatever depictions of historic female leaders that we can get. It’s also worth mentioning that even the name for this one isn’t quite right, as the film has no Norse Vikings in it…

The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)

Dir. Val Guest

‘All the glory and splendour of stirring adventure!’

The first Hammer film in colour, ‘The Men of Sherwood Forest’ treads the familiar ground of Robin Hood, the legendary hero of English folktales.

It's 1194 and King Richard is taken captive on his third crusade, so it's up to our plucky hero Robin Hood and his merry men to save the day and rescue the King. While not the definitive film of Hood and his friends, it’s an enjoyable step into Sherwood Forest and beyond. Later forays into the Robin Hood legend include ‘Sword of Sherwood Forest’ (1960) and ‘A Challenge for Robin Hood’ (1967).

The Mummy (1959)

Dir. Terence Fisher

It’s 1959 and the Horror heroes are here in ‘The Mummy’, with Peter Cushing portraying the dashing archaeologist John Banning and Christopher Lee as the, not so dashing, mummified Kharis.

A simple story, Kharis is awakened by Banning Senior in 1895 Egypt after finding the tomb of Princess Ananka. Three years later, Kharis is on the hunt for those who dared disturb the tomb of his beloved Princess.

'The Mummy' is a classic horror staple and tales of the creature have been subject of great interest since the Victorian period, this film is an amalgamation of Universals 1932 ‘The Mummy’ and the other stories that came before it. Other Hammer’s featuring ‘The Mummy’ include ‘The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb’ (1964) and ‘The Mummy’s Shroud’ (1967).

The Gorgon (1964)

Dir. Terence Fisher

Creepy castle on a hill? Check. Young lovers that meet an untimely end? Check. Mythologically accurate monsters? Eh, close enough. Bringing together Hammer icons Terence Fisher, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, The Gorgon is a classic set up for a horror film.

The film is beautifully atmospheric, embracing the gothic scenery and setting of early 20thc Germany (even if the accents don’t suggest that). Peter Cushing does some fantastic work as the doctor trying to save the day, and Christopher Lee steals every scene with his glued on facial hair.

The Gorgon loosely uses Greek mythology as the foundation for its premise, with fury Megaera traded for the Gorgons, Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. With snakes for hair and a deadly stare that will turn the boldest adventurer to stone, ‘the Gorgon’ is a genuinely frightening concept and a fantastic watch.

You can see 'The Gorgon' at the Museum of Bath at Work on Tue 11th June.