As a forty-six year old English fan of all things horror, I was obviously raised on a diet of Hammer films. What makes Hammer so special? (See my previous article, Hammer – A History of Brilliance) Undoubtedly the period costumes, gothic settings and, of course, the ultimate horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, made the films so memorable for a period of over thirty years. But one equally important ingredient defined those films too; the Hammer glamour. A whole host of girls, some talented actresses, some not, but all of them stunning, contributed to the enduring popularity of Hammer.
In this retrospective I pay homage to the girls who made the formative years of a fledgling horror fan so utterly memorable and while not all get a mention, they are so numerous; you can bet they all passed through my mind as I wrote (one of them even follows me on Twitter and you can’t begin to imagine how excited that made me!) Here then, in no particular order, are the girls...
In this retrospective I pay homage to the girls who made the formative years of a fledgling horror fan so utterly memorable and while not all get a mention, they are so numerous; you can bet they all passed through my mind as I wrote (one of them even follows me on Twitter and you can’t begin to imagine how excited that made me!) Here then, in no particular order, are the girls...
1. INGRID PITT
Ingrid was born in Poland on 21st November 1937 and as a child during WWII was interned in a Nazi concentration camp. Surviving this she eventually grew up in East Berlin from where she escaped in 1962 by swimming across the River Spree. Initially appearing in low-budget films in Spain, Ingrid was cast in 1968 in Where Eagles Dare alongside Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Despite only appearing in two Hammer films during its ‘Golden Era’ (The Vampire Lovers and Countess Dracula) Ingrid is felt by many fans to be THE Hammer girl. Post-Hammer, Ingrid appeared in The Wicker Man and then worked as a writer. She died on 23rd November 2010 after suffering from a heart condition for several years.