As those of you who pay attention to the videos I put up as part of Sunday Screen will no doubt be aware, it’s Hammer month this month. Usually I let Sunday Screen go by without comment, content in the knowledge that you’ll all realise that it’s just another film that I happen to love, but this month’s selection is themed, and it’s given me the opportunity to do a few drawings that I’ll be sharing with you over the next couple of weeks.

For those of you not familiar with the work of Hammer Studios, I would entreat you to make an exploration of their back catalogue. It’s a grand body of work, and while it is by no means all great, the best Hammer films happily stand alongside the best that cinema has to offer. I’ve been recently refilled with enthusiasm for Hammer films after getting the Ultimate Hammer Collection, a DVD boxed set of 21 of their films that I’ve been tearing through with relish. Full of wit and style, and a parade of fantastic British character actors, they display a peculiar sensibility that is hard to resist. Films such as The Devil Rides Out, Plague of the Zombies, The Witches and the famous procession of Dracula and Frankenstein movies are not only good films in their own right, but are also valuable records of society as it moved through the fifties and sixties. Again, see some, there’s a lot to like.

The other thing that has fired my enthusiasm is David Cairns’ recent run-through of the Frankenstein films that Terrence Fisher made for Hammer. You’ll find me in the comments section, making trouble. I’d advise you to join me there.

Anyway, here’s the first image of the bunch, it’s Julian Glover at the end of Quatermass and the Pit, as crispy as all get out. More tomorrow.

Regular readers will no doubt have seen me mention David Cairns’ phenomenal movie blog SHADOWPLAY on this site before. Why, there’s even a link to it in the sidebar at the right of the screen. Well, yesterday was my turn to be mentioned over there, as my story from Dan Lester’s Mickey Rourke anthology was posted in its entirety. Enjoy it, won’t you?

While you are there, you could do worse than take a look at Mr Cairns’ attempt to bring Julien Duvivier’s film LA FIN DU JOUR to a wider audience. Just follow the link to The Great Duvivier Giveaway and follow the instructions that you find there for a glorious gifting.

I was inspired to dig this up again after David Cairns’ brief mention of Shultz over at Shadowplay.  I always liked this joke, even if the spelling stops it working as perfectly as it might.