The surprise success of Nosferatu means the timing couldn’t be better for Hammer Horror to stage a glorious resurrection. Gothic horror movies like the classic Universal Monsters or the output of Britain’s Hammer Films used to dominate the genre, once upon a time. Hammer franchises like the Christopher Lee Dracula movies or their Frankenstein series leaned into their Gothic origins, but the arrival of more modern, psychological chillers like Rosemary’s Baby left the genre very dated in later years.
Modern horror tends to be defined by the likes of A24, but the occasional Gothic horror effort like Crimson Peak or even The Fall of the House of Usher occasionally breaks through. That’s what makes the success of Robert Egger’s Nosferatu remake so exciting. On the surface, the movie’s retro feel and Gothic tone would have been considered offputting to modern viewers; instead, Nosferatu has grossed over $100 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and nabbed 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. This shows that contrary to popular wisdom, there is still an audience for these kinds of classic chillers.
Nosferatu’s Success Should Pave The Way For A Hammer Horror Comeback
Nosferatu was heavily inspired by Hammer’s output
Aside from the original film, Robert Eggers has admitted in many interviews (like The Standard) for Nosferatu that the remake’s tone and look were heavily inspired by Hammer Horror movies. From the lush, fog-laden visuals to the stylized dialogue, it couldn’t be more different from 2024’s other horror hits like A Quiet Place: Day One or The Substance. A quick scan of 2024’s other horror offerings shows there is a renewed leaning towards Gothic horror though, with The First Omen, Longlegs, and even Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice all containing elements of the genre. That’s why the stage is perfect for Hammer Horror’s return.
The company has been largely dormant since the 1970s, though in recent years a revived Hammer has produced films like Daniel Radcliffe’s The Woman in Black or the Let the Right One In remake Let Me In. However, the studio is said to be planning a major revival in the years ahead, and the success of Nosferatu is a positive sign that audiences are ready for their distinct brand of horror again.
Gothic horror movies have been out of favor for so long that they’ve started to feel oddly refreshing again, and Eggers’ Nosferatu injects a classic Gothic tale with a modern feel, which is why it connected with audiences. This would be the best template for Hammer to follow, where they find a fresh spin on their classic movies but retain the Gothic edge that made them so unique. It wouldn’t hurt to nab some name stars either, and given that it’s reviving a beloved franchise, it shouldn’t be too difficult to lure in some recognizable faces.
Why The Original Hammer Films Productions Folded During The 1970s
Hammer Studios got out of the horror game in 1976
Hammer was prolific throughout the 1950s and 1960s, though it was often a case of quanтιтy over quality. For every great movie like The Devil Rides Out or Quatermᴀss and the Pit, there were shoddier efforts like Scars of Dracula. Much of Hammer’s funding also came from America, but due to financial regulations that arrived during the late 1960s, overseas investments quickly dried up moving into the 1970s (via Hammer). There was also a new wave of grounded horror movies like The Exorcist that left Hammer’s Gothic offerings looking very pᴀssé.
By the time Hammer’s final horror movie To the Devil a Daughter arrived, the wheels had come off and it was clear audiences had moved on…
That’s why much of the studio’s output during the 1970s felt more experimental, with films like Dracula AD 1972 or Captain Kronos attempting to appeal to a younger audience. By the time their final horror movie To the Devil a Daughter arrived, the wheels had come off and it was clear audiences had moved on from their branding. In hindsight, their 1980 horror anthology TV series Hammer House of Horror almost felt like a farewell to loyal viewers.
Hammer Horror Could Become The Franchise The Dark Universe Failed To Be
Hammer Horror could deliver the monster mash Universal couldn’t
The success of the MCU saw most of the major studios trying to sтιтch together their own cinematic universes during the 2010s. Many of these attempts crashed and burned, with the most infamous being Universal’s Dark Universe. 2017’s The Mummy starring Tom Cruise was meant to kick off a shared run of movies, with Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man starring Johnny Depp meant to follow. The underwhelming performance of The Mummy killed the Dark Universe outright, but Hammer Horror could learn from Universal’s mistakes in this regard.
Tim Burton has labeled Hammer’s delightfully campy Dracula AD 1972 as one of his all-time favorite movies.
The biggest flaw with the Dark Universe was taking classic horror characters and trying to insert them into action blockbusters. This approach would have robbed these monsters of their idenтιтies, but Nosferatu has shown how to do a faithful, big-budget approach that doesn’t take away from the horror. Hammer also has famous iterations of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and The Mummy in the back catalog, so with a little planning, they could create the shared monster universe that Universal failed to.
It will be interesting to see how Hammer goes about its revival, but it feels like the best move would be to come strong out of the gate with one movie and develop from there. It wouldn’t hurt their chances to get a major filmmaker like Tim Burton (a self-professed Hammer fan) or Eggers himself behind it. Nosferatu feels about as close to Hammer Hammer as a modern film has gotten, so the company should strike while the iron is H๏τ.
Source: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, The Standard, Hammer
