Back in the 1960s and early 1970s, Hammer Films knew exactly how to promote a film. Sure, the title, the poster and even the story might be important, and we should never forget the importance of main stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee too… but Hammer knew that what would get them guaranteed coverage in the tabloids and men’s magazines were photos of attractive young ladies, in varying states of undress. Sometimes, these press shots had a vague connection to the film’s actual content but quite often, they were entirely gratuitous and sometimes, they didn’t even feature the actresses that appeared in the actual movie. This was very much of its time – you certainly can’t imagine this kind of exploitative and sexually provocative publicity material being produced by film companies today. Yet just as the Bond Girls were an intrinsic part of the promotion of that series, so Hammer Glamour became as much a part of the company’s style as anything else – when not being sneered at by idiots for being ‘camp’, Hammer Horror is known for its full-blooded approach to the gothic – pumping blood and heaving bosoms being equally important. It’s perhaps why modern reincarnations of Hammer have seemed so inauthentic – while modernising is all well and good, it seems that if you want to trade on the legend of the past, you can’t then just throw all that past out.
Here is an extensive – but certainly not exhaustive – collection of Hammer Glamour. We’ll be adding to this as and when new material comes out way. The more delicate reader should be informed that a few of these photos contain nipples. Smelling salts at the ready…
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