I can see that.

I remember being underwhelmed by SATANIC RITES, but, yes, it does make more of an effort to bring Dracula into the modern world, practically turning him into a Bond villain. Even though some boring motorcycle hoodlums seem to get more screen time than Dracula!

A couple of contenders:

THEATER OF BLOOD, which I believe was also a British production, is great, and comes with Diana Rigg as well. And can boast the immortal line: “It must be Lionhart. Only he would have the temerity to rewrite Shakespeare.”

Plus, a sword fight on trampolines!

Meanwhile, I read somewhere that Hammer wanted Price to play…

Cool. That’s one of my favorite Syfy channel monster flicks.

Perhaps, but it does seem strange that they kinda throw away the whole “Dracula in 1972” premise by keeping Lee confined to that crumbling Victorian chapel and graveyard the whole movie, waiting for victims to come to him.. It’s as though Hammer wanted to update their formula, but couldn’t quite wrap their heads…

And who knew you could use dead frogs to track vampires?

I confess: I love THE BEAST MUST DIE and have watched it several times.

You did WARBIRDS? I really liked that movie.

Which I have actually never seen, despite having read the book back in the day.

Meanwhile, as far as I know, Vincent Price never appeared in a Hammer movie. (I don’t think they could afford him.)

Easy mistake to make. A British horror movie, directed by Freddie Francis, featuring Peter Cushing . . . sure looks and sounds like a Hammer movie.

In fact, there were a couple of different film companies trying to jump on the British horror bandwagon back in the day: Amicus, Tigon, etc. See also movies like HORROR…

And that Richard Matheson had written more Hammer movies. :)

THE CREEPING FLESH was not actually a Hammer Film either, even though one could be forgiven for thinking it was, since it was made around same time and involved some of the same people.

It’s funny. Hammer seems to get credit for EVERY British horror movie of that era . . . even the ones they didn’t produce. :)

RKO’s horror division worked pretty much the same way back in the 1940s. They’d test-market some catchy titles, see what clicked, then have Val Lewton and his crew make movies to fit the titles.

Which gave us THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, THE LEOPARD MAN, and other genuinely great movies.

Works for me!

Trivia: As far as I know, Lee is the only actor to play Sherlock, Mycroft, AND Sir Henry Baskerville in different movies!

PHIBES was not a Hammer film. It was an American production.

Despite Cushing’s presence, ISLAND OF TERROR was not actually a Hammer film. It was made by another British film company, around the same time. Creeped me out as a kid, though.

They actually had an actress cast, who did some publicity shots in the costume, but that’s as far as things went.

More unmade Hammer Films.