Hammer is a British film and television production company founded in 1934 that specializes in horror films. It is headquartered in London and owned by Exclusive Media. Hammer found success in the 1950s with horror films adapted from science fiction stories that received an X rating for violence and gore. Some recent Hammer horror films include Let Me In from 2010 with box office revenues over $24 million, Wake Wood of unknown budget and box office, and The Quiet Ones from 2014 with box office revenues of nearly $18 million.

1. Kate Sutton

2. Hammer Background
Type
Production company
Industry
Film Production
Television Production
Theatre Production
Publishing
Founded
November 1934
Founders
William Hinds, James Carreras
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Key people
Simon Oakes
(CEO & President, Hammer)
Parent
Exclusive Media
(2007 – present)
Website
Official website

3. Hammer History
William Hinds (nick named William Hammer from his hometown Hammersmith in London)
established the company in 1934, starting off in a three room office suite in Imperial House,
Regent Street.
Almost immediately they started on their first film ‘The Public Life of Henry the Ninth’. However,
there was a dive in the British film industry in 1937 which forced Hammer into liquidation after
they filed for bankruptcy in the same year.
Exclusive survived and in July 1937 they bought a leasehold on Wardour Street and then
distributed films made by other companies rather than their own.
James Carreras decided to join Exclusive in 1938, at the start of the war out break (WWII) with
William Hinds’ son, Antony Hinds. Both men joined the armed forces to help out in the war, so
the distribution of films from Exclusive was slow, and there was a limited workforce.

4. The Birth of Hammer
Horror Hammer had its for recognisable success with the horror category when in 1955 they did an
adaption of The Quatermass Experiment; which name was then changed to The Quatermass
Xperiment which put emphasis on the new X certificate horror films.
Audrey Field, examiner - commented:
"Well, no one can say the customers won't have had their money's worth by now. In fact,
someone will almost certainly have been sick. We must have a great deal more restraint, and
much more done by onlookers' reactions instead of by shots of 'pulsating obscenity', hideous
scars, hideous sightless faces, etc, etc. It is keeping on and on in the same vein that makes this
script so outrageous. They must take it away and prune. Before they take it away, however, I think
the President [of the BBFC] should read it. I have a stronger stomach than the average (for
viewing purposes) and perhaps I ought to be reacting more strongly."

5. Some of Hammer
Horror’s Recent Films

6. Let Me In
Budget $20 million
Box office $24,145,613

7. Wake Wood
Budget Unknown
Box office Unknown

8. The Quiet Ones
Box office $17,834,867