JonA
05-11-2007, 10:44 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6644203.stm
Hammer horror films set to return
Cult Hammer horror films will return to the big screen after the company behind the movies was sold to a group headed by Big Brother creator John de Mol.
At least $50m (£25m) will be spent on new horror films after British company Hammer Film Productions was sold to Dutch consortium Cyrte Investments.
The new owners have also acquired the Hammer group's back catalogue.
It includes almost 300 titles such as the famous Dracula series, which made actor Christopher Lee a household name.
The company was bought for an undisclosed sum.
Mobile phones
Other famous Hammer films include The Curse of Frankenstein and The Mummy.
Simon Oakes, head of the management team for the consortium, described Hammer as "a great British brand" and said the group wanted to develop Hammer's "global potential".
The team has plans to target "a new generation of horror lovers" via mobile phones and the internet, he said.
The film company was founded in the 1930s but it was not until the 1950s that its name became synonymous with the horror genre. The company produced other genres including science fiction and comedies.
It is the second time Hammer Film Productions has been sold to private equity investors.
It was bought in February 2000 by a consortium including advertising guru and art collector Charles Saatchi, but no films have been produced since.
I fondly remember watching Hammer Horror films late at night with my dad when I was a teen as he was a bit of Horror film afficionado. Particularly those made in the fifties and sixties. So I am not entirely sure I want to see a modern Hammer Films. I think that the class of some of Hammer's better films will be lost in this modern age of CGI etc.
Although I doubt they're going to make many films for £25 million. I suppose they'd make a couple and hope they're good enough to draw in more investors.
Hammer horror films set to return
Cult Hammer horror films will return to the big screen after the company behind the movies was sold to a group headed by Big Brother creator John de Mol.
At least $50m (£25m) will be spent on new horror films after British company Hammer Film Productions was sold to Dutch consortium Cyrte Investments.
The new owners have also acquired the Hammer group's back catalogue.
It includes almost 300 titles such as the famous Dracula series, which made actor Christopher Lee a household name.
The company was bought for an undisclosed sum.
Mobile phones
Other famous Hammer films include The Curse of Frankenstein and The Mummy.
Simon Oakes, head of the management team for the consortium, described Hammer as "a great British brand" and said the group wanted to develop Hammer's "global potential".
The team has plans to target "a new generation of horror lovers" via mobile phones and the internet, he said.
The film company was founded in the 1930s but it was not until the 1950s that its name became synonymous with the horror genre. The company produced other genres including science fiction and comedies.
It is the second time Hammer Film Productions has been sold to private equity investors.
It was bought in February 2000 by a consortium including advertising guru and art collector Charles Saatchi, but no films have been produced since.
I fondly remember watching Hammer Horror films late at night with my dad when I was a teen as he was a bit of Horror film afficionado. Particularly those made in the fifties and sixties. So I am not entirely sure I want to see a modern Hammer Films. I think that the class of some of Hammer's better films will be lost in this modern age of CGI etc.
Although I doubt they're going to make many films for £25 million. I suppose they'd make a couple and hope they're good enough to draw in more investors.