10 Best 1950s Hammer Movies, Ranked By IMDb

Hammer horror came into its own in the 1950s with movies about Dracula, Frankenstein, and more. These are the movies that IMDb ranks highest.

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Hammer Film Productions got its start in 1947 as a company formerly called Exclusive Films. The early years of Hammer Films proved that the company had a great interest in reviving horror movies and it brought back the Universal Monsters for a new generation. The 1950s saw many of those monsters return to the big screen, including Dracula and Frankenstein.

The studio was a major hit at the time. Not only did they have classic monsters to promote, but they had some of the top actors of their generation with names like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Add in the use of vivid color amidst a gothic backdrop and there was nothing else that compared to Hammer Horror movies.

10 The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) – 6.3

The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a Hammer horror movie that remains an obscure release, but one that has a good pedigree. Terence Fisher, one of Hammer’s greatest directors, brought the story about a doctor who looked like a middle-aged man but was in fact much older to the big screen.

The movie is a mad scientist story about a man playing god, using his knowledge to extend his life via parathyroid gland transplants every 10 years. It remains lower-rated than many Hammer horror movies, with the biggest complaints generally around the fact that there is too much talking and not enough action.

9 The Abominable Snowman (1957) – 6.4

In 1957, Hammer Films created a movie based around the legend of the Yeti called The Abominable Snowman. This underseen Hammer horror movie features two scientists leading an expedition to the Himalayas to prove the existence of the Yeti. However, when they arrive, they learn there is more to the legend than just a monster in the mountains.

The movie lacks the horror aspects that many Hammer horror fans might want, but it replaces them with a survival horror theme, with the scientists realizing that knowledge isn’t always the most important thing. It also has some great set design and looks incredible.

8 The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) – 6.7

In 1955, Hammer released the science-fiction-horror movie, The Quatermass Xperiment. It was based on the BBC television show The Quatermass Experiment, but the title was changed as a way to promote the movie’s X-rating.

The Quatermass Xperiment told the story of three astronauts who went into space on a rocket designed by Professor Quatermass, but when it crashes, only one crewmember remained and he began to mutate into an alien life form. The movie has a post-war cynicism and a great ending that led to sequels in later years.

7 The Mummy (1959) – 6.7

While Hammer was best known for bringing back Frankenstein and Dracula, there was another Universal Horror Monster that the company revived after the success of the first two. This monster was The Mummy. Christopher Lee starred as the Mummy, Kharis, while Peter Cushing took on the role of archaeologist, John Banning.

Lee is solid in his role as Kharis, but his dialogue is mostly terrible. However, Cushing is great as the hero and helped raise the movie to one well worth watching for any Hammer horror fan.

6 The Snorkel (1958) – 6.8

One of Hammer Films’ more obscure horror movies in the 1950s was The Snorkel. The movie is a psychological horror movie about a man who kills his wife in what he believes to be a perfect crime. However, what he doesn’t count on is that his dead wife’s daughter, Candy, won’t let the crime go unsolved.

The movie is a very different Hammer horror release, neither a gothic picture nor a science-fiction horror. Instead, this is a murder thriller with Peter van Eyck great as the villain and Mandy Miller turning in a star-turning performance as the young girl.

5 The Revenge Of Frankenstein (1958) – 6.8

The Revenge of Frankenstein is the second movie in Hammer’s Frankenstein series, released one year after the original debut of the classic Universal Monster for the company. Victor escapes punishment for his actions in the first movie and goes on with his immoral experiments.

In this case, Frankenstein transplants the brain of his assistant, Karl, into another body, but things slowly begin to fall apart as the man loses control. The ending was a shock, setting up a sequel, and Peter Cushing really came into his own as the best Frankenstein.

4 Quatermass 2 (1957) – 6.9

After the success of The Quatermass Xperiment, Hammer moved forward with a sequel, simply titled Quatermass 2. Brian Donlevy returned for the role of Dr. Quatermass and the movie had him investigate meteorites that landed in the UK, only to learn of an alien invasion that had already begun.

The movie has a similar story to later movies like They Live and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with only Quatermass and his allies standing between the aliens and the collapse of the world’s most powerful governments. This is a Hammer horror movie for people who want something scary, but with a touch of James Bond.

3 The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959) – 7.0

In 1959, Hammer Films adapted a Sherlock Holmes detective story, albeit one that already had touches of horror in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle original novel. This was The Hound of the Baskervilles, which was one of the scariest Holmes’ cases, the story of people dying and others believing it is a ghost dog returning, thanks to a curse.

Peter Cushing is Sherlock Holmes in this adaptation with Christopher Lee starring as Sir Henry Baskerville. While a mystery, the movie still had the horror elements needed to keep the viewers wondering if there was something supernatural happening. This was the only Hammer Sherlock Holmes movie.

2 The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) – 7.1

In 1957, Hammer Films brought Frankenstein back to the big screen. The Curse of Frankenstein was the first Hammer movie to arrive in color and was also the first to revive a classic Universal Horror Monster for a new generation. This was also a big deal because Hammer let the blood flow, and being in color, it changed horror movies forever.

The movie is very different than the original story. Frankenstein brings the creature to life, not as a sympathetic and misunderstood monster, but as a brutal killing machine. Peter Cushing is Frankenstein and the true villain of the movie, while Christopher Lee stars as the creature. The acting and look of the movie solidified Hammer as the go-to for horror movies for the next two decades.

1 Horror Of Dracula (1958) – 7.3

While The Curse of Frankenstein was Hammer’s first foray into reviving classic horror movie monsters for a new generation, it was Horror of Dracula that proved they could enjoy huge success in the genre. With Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, the movie launched the most successful horror franchise for Hammer.

Much like Frankenstein’s revival, Hammer changed Dracula’s story too, making Jonathan Harker into a vampire hunter rather than a victim. This makes Dracula’s arrival to attack Mina and Lucy make more sense, as he sets out to turn Mina into his new vampire bride. Cushing was great as Van Helsing and Lee was terrifying as Dracula, carrying his menace throughout the movie despite barely appearing on screen.

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