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| Company type | Production company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production Television production Theatrical production Publishing |
| Founded | November 5, 1934 |
| Founder | William Hinds James Carreras |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | John Gore (CEO and Chairman) |
| Owner | John Gore |
| Divisions | Exclusive Film Distribution |
| Website | Official website |
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time.[1] Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was, in part, due to its distribution partnerships with American companies United Artists, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, American International Pictures and Seven Arts Productions.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, the saturation of the horror film market by competitors and the loss of American funding forced changes to the previously lucrative Hammer formula with varying degrees of success. The company eventually ceased production in the mid-1980s. In 2000, the studio was bought by a consortium including advertising executive and art collector Charles Saatchi and publishing millionaires Neil Mendoza and William Sieghart.[2] The company announced plans to begin making films again, but none was produced.
In May 2007, the company name was sold to a consortium headed by Dutch media tycoon John de Mol, who announced plans to spend some $50 million (£25m) on new horror films. The new organization acquired the Hammer group's film library of 295 pictures. Simon Oakes, who took over as CEO of the new Hammer, said, "Hammer is a great British brand—we intend to take it back into production and develop its global potential. The brand is still alive but no one has invested in it for a long time."[3]
Since then, Hammer has produced several films, including Beyond the Rave (2008), Let Me In (2010), The Resident (2011), The Woman in Black (2012), The Quiet Ones (2014), and The Lodge (2019).
- ^ "Hammer Horror". Screenonline. BFI. 2 December 2017.
- ^ Flintoff, John-Paul (25 October 2009). "The horror, the horror". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
- ^ Fletcher, Richard (11 May 2007). "De Mol sinks fangs into Dracula". The Daily Telegraph. London. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2013.