The Shadow Of The Cat (1961)

Starring Andre Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas, Freda Jackson, Conrad Phillips
Directed by John Gilling
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An elderly woman's heirs scheme to murder her for her fortune, but once they've killed her off, they become paranoid that the lady's favored cat is after them for revenge.

One of the harder to find Hammer films, and it's credits don't mention the famed British studio, but from cast, to director, to the other men and women behind the camera, the involvement of Hammer veterans is unmistakable.  Arthur Grant is the cinematographer, the production design is by Bernard Robinson, Roy Ashton provides the makeup, Don Weeks is the production manager, and there are several other familiar names among the crew list.  Although IMDB credits The Rank Organization as the distributor, it also identifies the production having been filmed at Hammer's home and hearth, Bray Studios.  The cast is excellent, with Shelley particularly fetching, at her most beautiful in my opinion as lensed by the black-and-white photography.  Gilling builds some noteworthy suspense with a number of sequences where the heirs try to kill the cat in close quarters, and others where they chase after him, only to be quickly outmatched.  A technique is used, to create a "cat's eye view", where it looks like they have closed in or created a tighter view  of a shot from the daily rushes, but I really didn't care for this, and found it less than effective.  Nonetheless, this is worthwhile find from Hammer's archives, and an enjoyable one to watch, with a worthy score from Mikis Theodorakis and the actors certainly sell their fear of the cat well.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)

Starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Yvonne Mitchell, Donald Pleasence, Arnold Diamond
Directed by Rudolph Cartier
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a rebuilt society after an atomic war, a government worker risks his future by embarking on a forbidden affair with a lovely associate and seeking to join a rebellion against their leaders.

A powerful adaptation of George Orwell's landmark novel, this telefilm boasts a faithful script from writer Nigel Kneale, and excellent performances from all of its cast, including a showcased role for Peter Cushing that likely started him down a path to stardom.  Orwell's source material remains timely to this day, and despite the limitations of adapting it in the 1950s, the production still has the power to impress and horrify.  As Winston Smith, Orwell's beleaguered hero, who despises the controlling government of "The Party," and its ever present figurehead, "Big Brother," Cushing has our sympathy right from the start as a quiet unassuming type hungry for companionship.  When he attains that with Mitchell, who is also very good in projecting a wonderful vivaciousness, we feel his joy as we would ourselves.  When walls begin to close in around him, and Morell takes center stage in another compelling performance, the degradation Smith goes through and Cushing's reactions to it are quite literally heartbreaking.  With many long speeches, the film does drag a bit, and I couldn't help wishing that there were more of a score, rather than just snippets of music from John Hotchkiss as transitions between scenes.  Regardless, the picture is a masterwork in my opinion, and worthy of preserving for future generations.

The Giant Behemoth (1959)

Starring Gene Evans, Andre Morell, John Turner, Leigh Madison, Jack MacGowran
Directed by Douglas Hickox & Eugene Lourie
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The discovery of countless dead fish and a gruesome murder near a British port is investigated by atomic scientists, who discover a giant radioactive sea monster is to blame.

This British piece of sci-fi, very similar in form to Lourie's earlier picture, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, which showcased the stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen, is probably of most interest for effects work by Harryhausen's mentor, Willis O'Brien.  However, the creature in this film doesn't actually show up in animated form until about an hour into the picture, with earlier shots of the monster apparently accomplished via a puppet that is not animated.  Nevertheless, it's a more than effective film, with stalwart leads in Evans and Morell, inventive sound effects, and plenty of satisfying monster action.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

Starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, David Oxley
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Sherlock Holmes is engaged to protect the life of Sir Henry Baskerville and investigate the mystery behind the ghostly hound that haunts his ancestral estate.

Hammer Films reunites their horror stars Cushing and Lee and director Fisher for this adaptation of the classic novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Cushing is marvelous as Holmes, playing him as a more brusque and easily bored individual than in previous adaptations, while Lee for a change provides the romantic lead in the character of Sir Henry.  It's also among the more exciting adaptations, beginning with a flashback to the barbarism of Hugo Baskerville and his relentless chase of an innocent young maiden, and highlighted by a number of dramatic conflicts.  Although the novel provides the bulk of what's on screen, Hammer clearly tries to capitalize on their past horror successes by reusing some of James Bernard's score for Horror of Dracula and adding references to evil and the powers of darkness in Cushing's dialogue.  I prefer the 1939 version with Basil Rathbone for its eerie tone and well-paced suspense, but this is one of Hammer's better productions featuring a classic character Cushing was born to play.

The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

Starring Andre Morell, John Phillips, David Buck, Elizabeth Sellars, Maggie Kimberly
Directed by John Gilling
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After the body of an Egyptian prince and the mummy of the slave who protected him are reunited, the mummy is brought back to life to murder those that entered the prince's tomb.

Probably the second best of the series of "Mummy" pictures produced by Hammer Films, (with 1959's The Mummy being the best), this film follows the same formula as most of this type with the mummy hunting down the archaeologists who desecrated the tomb one by one, but benefits from a strong cast and good direction by Gilling, who also wrote the screenplay.  A standout character is an Egyptian fortune teller (played by Catherine Lacey) who cackles in delight when informing the mummy's victims they are going to die, but her ability to actually watch the other characters wherever they are in her crystal ball seems a bit far fetched.  Although again we have a mummy played by a stuntman who doesn't provide much depth to their role, all in all, it's an entertaining film, not the most suspenseful of Gilling's, but fun nonetheless.

The Plague Of The Zombies (1966)

Starring Andre Morell, Diane Clare, Brook Williams, Jacqueline Pearce, John Carson
Directed by John Gilling
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A professor of medicine looks into unexplained deaths in the village of Cornwall, and finds the bodies are mysteriously missing from their graves.

This is another fine effort from Britain's Hammer Films, quite distinctive among their horror output due to the zombie premise, and the atypical casting of the distinguished Andre Morell as the hero of this piece.  The film doesn't tie together neatly with many unanswered questions not addressed in the screenplay, but the direction by John Gilling is excellent, and Roy Ashton's zombie makeups are very effective.