Richard Burton Matheson was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres.
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horror and franchise films. Lee was knighted for services to drama and charity in 2009, received the BAFTA Fellowship in 2011 and received the BFI Fellowship in 2013.
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classic horror characters such as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Count Dracula, and the Mummy, which Hammer reintroduced to audiences by filming them in vivid colour for the first time. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies, as well as, in later years, television series.
Black magic traditionally refers to the use of magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes.
Dennis Yates Wheatley was a British writer whose prolific output of thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors from the 1930s through to the 1960s.
John Keith Patrick Allen was a British actor.
Terence Fisher was a British film director best known for his work for Hammer Films.
The Forbidden Territory is a novel by British writer Dennis Wheatley, published by Hutchinson in 1933. His first published novel, it was an instant success and was translated into a number of languages. Alfred Hitchcock quickly bought the film rights.
Dracula A.D. 1972 is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Don Houghton and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham. Unlike earlier films in Hammer's Dracula series, Dracula A.D. 1972 had a contemporary setting in an attempt to update the Dracula story for modern audiences. Dracula is brought back to life in modern London and preys on a group of young partygoers that includes the descendant of his nemesis, Van Helsing.
To the Devil a Daughter, sometimes stylised as To the Devil... a Daughter, is a 1976 supernatural horror film directed by Peter Sykes and starring Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee, Honor Blackman, Nastassja Kinski, and Denholm Elliott. Based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Dennis Wheatley, it follows an American occult researcher in England who attempts to save a young girl preyed upon by a Satanic cult led by a fallen Catholic priest.
The Witches is a 1966 British horror film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Joan Fontaine, Alec McCowen, Kay Walsh, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting and Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies. Made by Hammer Films, it was adapted by Nigel Kneale from the 1960 novel The Devil's Own by Norah Lofts.
To the Devil — a Diva! is a 2004 horror novel by English author, Paul Magrs. It is an homage to classic British horror, such as the films of Hammer Film Productions.
The Devil Rides Out, is a 1968 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Niké Arrighi and Leon Greene. It was written by Richard Matheson based on the 1934 novel of the same title by Dennis Wheatley.
Clive Barker's A-Z of Horror was a six-part documentary series first broadcast on BBC2 on 4 October 1997. It was written and hosted by Clive Barker and explored the history of horror, from the cinema to art. Subjects included are the influence of the Grand Guignol, the literary works of Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft, the real life serial killer Ed Gein, the horror make-up effects of Tom Savini and director George A. Romero, as well as works of artist Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and the horror film icon Freddy Krueger. A tie-in book was released featuring art work by Barker and film reviews by Stephen Jones.
The Duke de Richleau is a fictional character created by Dennis Wheatley who appeared in 11 novels published between 1933 and 1970.
The Satanist is a black magic/horror novel by Dennis Wheatley. Published in 1960, it is characterized by an anti-communist spy theme. The novel was one of the popular novels of the 1960s, popularizing the tabloid notion of a black mass.
Occult rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the late 1960s to early 1970s, pioneered by bands such as Coven and Black Widow.
Dracula is a British horror film series produced by Hammer Film Productions. The films are centered on Count Dracula, bringing with him a plague of vampirism, and the ensuing efforts of the heroic Van Helsing family to stop him. The original series of films consisted of nine installments, which starred iconic horror actors Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing, respectively. The series is part of the larger Hammer horror oeuvre.
Folk horror is a subgenre of horror film and horror fiction that uses elements of folklore to invoke fear and foreboding. Typical elements include a rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of nature. Although related to supernatural horror film, folk horror usually focuses on the beliefs and actions of people rather than the supernatural, and often deals with naïve outsiders coming up against these. The British films Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), The Wicker Man (1973) and Witchfinder General (1968) are regarded as pioneers of the genre, while The Witch (2015) and Midsommar (2019) sparked renewed interest in folk horror. Southeast Asian cinema also commonly features folk horror.
