SANGSTER DIRECTS HAMMER: Watch a Conversation with Severin's David Gregory and Author / Filmmaker Marcus Hearn
My first encounter with Jimmy Sangster came long before I ever heard his name.
As my father flipped through channels one lazy Saturday afternoon, I suddenly begged him to stop, as some guy I later found was Van Helsing and another guy who I later found out was Count Dracula fought to the death. The moment was courtesy of a local TV station’s midday afternoon movie program, and even though I only caught the end of the film, I have never forgotten that first glimpse into the hallowed halls of Hammer, or the first of many viewings of The Horror of Dracula (1958).
Sangster, of course, not only wrote the screenplay for that film, but for Hammer’s previous horror blockbuster, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). Even if he had never been involved in another film, he would still be able to claim responsibility as a primary architect of what became one of the most successful independent film studios of all time. and the movement of Universal Studios now-cherished monster icons into the modern horror canon.
But he did direct other films, including three films for Hammer.and this box set collects them all together for the first time. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Fear in the Night (1972) have been lovingly restored in 4K, with hours of extras features, multiple commentaries, and a whopping 312-page book, all housed in a gorgeous hard box featuring three 4K UHD discs and four Blu-rays.
Critics have long ignored or outright derided Sangster’s directorial output for Hammer, and even claimed that his earlier writing contributions were simply signs that his talent diminished over time. One of the great things about this box set is the inclusion of the documentary, Hammer and Beyond: The Jimmy Sangster Legacy, which details a long and distinguished career in film and television across a wide variety of genres. Sangster did outstanding work at every stage.
David Gregory and Marcus Hearn, the leading authority on Hammer history, who appears extensively in the special features of this set, take extraordinary care to place Sangster back on a much deserved pedestal, giving him the visibility and historical context he deserves. Not only have many come to see Sangster as a key, if not the key, of Hammer’s movement toward the gothic, but he was also a prescient voice, constantly trying to steer Hammer towards leading trends.
The three films he directed for Hammer, long regarded as curiosities at best, emerge as far more interesting works here, imbued with satirical edge and an appreciation for what had been Hammer’s glorious past and Sangster hoped could propel the studio into the future.
Please enjoy this conversation David Gregory and Marcus Hearn, which you can find below.
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