Hammer And Beyond By Peter Hutchings

About the Book

The second edition of Peter Hutchingss landmark work on British horror cinema， featuring later writings by Hutchings and a new introduction by film historian Johnny Walker.

Book Synopsis

Peter Hutchingss Hammer and beyond remains a landmark work in British film criticism. This new， illustrated edition brings the book back into print for the first time in two decades. Featuring Hutchingss socially charged analyses of genre classics from Dead of Night (1945) and The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) to The Sorcerers (1967) and beyond， it also includes several of Hutchingss later essays on British horror， as well as a new critical introduction penned by film historian Johnny Walker and an afterword by Russ Hunter. Hammer and beyond deserves a spot on the bookshelf of anyone with a serious interest in the development of Britains contribution to the horror genre.

From the Back Cover

Few academics understand the balance between industry and artistry， history and heritage， and few can articulate the impact each has had on the other as well as Peter Hutchings. This new expanded edition is cause for celebration and should be placed beside your collection of Hammer films for immediate reference， constant study and eternal enjoyment.
Constantine Nasr， filmmaker and writer

This new edition of Hammer and beyond updates and extends Peter Hutchingss trailblazing work and his determination to take British horror cinema seriously. It will be an essential addition to any horror studies syllabus.
Helen Wheatley， author of Spectacular Television: Exploring Televisual Pleasure

Johnny Walkers new introduction and thoughtfully selected supplementary materials frame Hutchingss contributions alongside contemporary developments in scholarship and film production， making this an essential volume for the past， present and future of British horror studies.
Adam Lowenstein， author of Shocking Representation: Historical Trauma， National Cinema， and the Modern Horror Film

Peter Hutchings Hammer and beyond is a landmark work in British film criticism. First published in 1993， the book entered British horror into international discussions that were heavily weighted towards North American film production. Locating post-war British horror in relation to shifts and tendencies in British social history， the first edition showed how films produced by Hammer Films and other companies present a rich， fascinating and multifaceted response to life in Britain.

This new， illustrated edition reproduces the original in full， allowing readers to reacquaint themselves with， or experience for the first time， Hutchingss socially charged analyses of genre classics from Dead of Night (1945) to The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) to The Sorcerers (1967) and beyond. It also includes several of Hutchingss later essays on British horror and a new critical introduction penned by film historian Johnny Walker， which assesses the books impact and charts key developments in British horror film production since its publication. Hutchingss colleague and friend Russ Hunter provides an afterword.

Review Quotes

When Hammer and beyond first appeared， it immediately set new standards for the study of British horror and our understanding of genre through national cinema. This welcome new edition returns Peter Hutchings to the centre of these debates， where he will always belong. Johnny Walkers new introduction and thoughtfully selected supplementary materials frame Hutchingss contributions alongside contemporary developments in scholarship and film production， making this an essential volume for the past， present and future of British horror studies.
Adam Lowenstein， University of Pittsburgh， author of Shocking Representation: Historical Trauma， National Cinema， and the Modern Horror Film

Few academics understand the balance between industry and artistry， history and heritage， and few can articulate the impact each has had on the other as well as Peter Hutchings. When first published， Hammer and beyond was a turning point in the study of British horror and served as a liberation of ideas that began decades before. Hutchingss entire career served the genre， the films and the filmmakers he deeply loved， but it all started here. This new expanded edition is cause for celebration and， as required reading， should be placed beside your collection of Hammer films for immediate reference， constant study and eternal enjoyment.
Constantine Nasr， filmmaker/writer

This new edition of Hammer and beyond updates and extends Peter Hutchingss trailblazing work and his determination to take British horror cinema seriously. Johnny Walkers work on this volume is a testament to the great esteem in which Hutchings was held by the academic community: he is sorely missed as a critical voice in horror film studies and in the scholarship of British cinema. Walkers introduction to this volume insightfully places the new edition， and Hutchingss work in general， in its historical and intellectual context， mapping out the changes in British horror cinema since Hammer and beyond was first published. It will be an essential addition to any horror studies syllabus.
Helen Wheatley， University of Warwick， author of Spectacular Television: Exploring Televisual Pleasure

About the Author

Peter Hutchings (1961-2018) was Professor of Film Studies at Northumbria University
Johnny Walker is Senior Lecturer in Media at Northumbria University