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Post by Dr Strange on Oct 7, 2010 9:55:43 GMT
No doubt I am way behind the curve on this news, but just in case not - www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/29593There's a lot to take in there, but what my attention was most drawn to was the decision not to mention in the release that "Let Me In" is a remake of "Let The Right One In" (I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago somewhere). I feel a bit unsure about that project, but I really hope it turns out to be the right one for them. Publishing books that are novelizations of old Hammer films sounds like an interesting idea though... I know Vault members will want to read them (actually... there's probably a few who'd like to write them), but I assume their market research people are looking elsewhere too. |
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Post by David A. Riley on Oct 7, 2010 10:12:46 GMT
Novelisations of Hammer Films is nothing new - John Burke did some of these back in the 60s, plus there were others even earlier (of which I have copies) like The Revenge of Frankenstein and Camp on Blood Island. Still, nice to see the new Hammer is following in that tradition.
I have great hopes for Let Me In (the vampire girl is played by Hit Girl from the great Kick Ass movie). From the trailer it looks good. Of course the original was brilliant.
I recently watched the newly released DVD of Beyond the Rave, Hammer's first new venture, which I must admit I enjoyed much more than I expected, with some genuinely nasty and sometimes amusing characters. I could well imagine, if Hammer hadn't stopped production, that this was an example of the type of thing they would have been putting out now.
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Post by Dr Strange on Oct 7, 2010 10:31:27 GMT
Interesting if they are planning new novelizations of old Hammer films though. Maybe we should run another poll of the sort we had for the Wordsworths...
What old Hammer film would you like to see turned into a book?
Make it even more fun... Who would you like to write it?
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Post by David A. Riley on Oct 7, 2010 10:40:00 GMT
That does sound a bit of fun, Strange.
To kick it off, the old Hammer films I would like to see novelisations of would probably be the Peter Cushing Frankenstein movies. They make a good series and have more consistency than the other they did, despite a few lapses between films. John Burke already did mini-novelisations of the first two.
Of the later films they did, I do know there were novelisations of The Scars of Dracula, Hands of the Ripper, and Countess Dracula.
One person I think would probably be great at these would be Paul Finch.
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Thana Niveau
Devils Coach Horse
We who walk here walk alone.
Posts: 109
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Post by Thana Niveau on Oct 7, 2010 11:43:09 GMT
I could be wrong (and Lord P will obviously correct me if I am) but wasn't Hands of the Ripper a novel first? I can't find it on the shelf, so I can't check, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the film. I'd love to read a novelisation of the version that eventually made it to the screen. Written by Reggie Oliver.  |
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Post by David A. Riley on Oct 7, 2010 11:47:50 GMT
I could be wrong (and Lord P will obviously correct me if I am) but wasn't Hands of the Ripper a novel first? I can't find it on the shelf, so I can't check, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the film. I'd love to read a novelisation of the version that eventually made it to the screen. Written by Reggie Oliver. I have a copy at home. I'll check it later. I can't say whether the novel was any good or not, I've not got round to reading it yet. (Only had since it was first published to do that in!) Reggie Oliver? That's a writer I wouldn't automatically have associated with anything Hammer, but this one isn't bad for someone of his style of writing, I must admit. |
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Thana Niveau
Devils Coach Horse
We who walk here walk alone.
Posts: 109
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Post by Thana Niveau on Oct 7, 2010 12:33:49 GMT
I found the book, but it's not much help, as it's got a still from the film on its cover and was published the same year (1971). A quick online search informs me that the film was apparently based on a short story by E. Spencer Shew, though the book leaves off the E.
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Post by dem on Oct 7, 2010 13:46:46 GMT
Maybe we should run another poll of the sort we had for the Wordsworths... go with the poll, dr. strange! as far as Hands Of The Ripper goes, it looks like the film came first unless Sphere neglected to mention any earlier version? Hands Of The Ripper - E. Spencer Shew (Sphere, 1971)
It was an autumn of terror in the shadowy streets of Whitechapel .... for JACK THE RIPPER roamed abroad leaving a bloody trail behind him ...
But was the Ripper a man? Or were the hideous murders committed by a girl ... A girl possessed of the devil!the ones i most wished had been novelised are: Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde ( i think a Probert/ Niveau production would be particularly rewarding) The Mummy's Shroud (by Michel Parry who did such an excellent job on Countess Dracula) Horror Of Frankenstein: i think you'd have to drag in the very earliest version of Vault to do it justice. Mr. Marsh would be involved, definitely, and the man known to mortals as killercrab would provide illustrations/ title headings. Holiday On The Buses. Franklin Marsh and Steve Goodwin. Like anyone is going to disagree! i know John Burke already did Plague Of The Zombies, but a second version would be most appreciated, 'specially if it was written by Robert E. Lory. The Reptile by Pierce Nace. whoever gets to write them, one thing i'd hope wouldn't happen is that they make a mess of it as seems to have happened with the Carry On novelisations, written way after the event , which only alienated fans and reviewers alike. Hence my super handpicked hit squad. |
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Post by Dr Strange on Oct 7, 2010 14:02:39 GMT
Dem, that's a genius suggestion for Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde !
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Post by dem on Oct 7, 2010 14:11:14 GMT
.. and they only get the contract if they agree to put on a Corruption-style promotional event at the launch.
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Thana Niveau
Devils Coach Horse
We who walk here walk alone.
Posts: 109
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Post by Thana Niveau on Oct 7, 2010 14:32:56 GMT
Aww Dem, that's made my day!  Just the other day we were actually making a list of films to do 10-minute versions of and we knew we'd have to pick at least one Hammer film. Guess which one it was?  |
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Post by Johnlprobert on Oct 8, 2010 7:32:51 GMT
Seems to be some crossed threads - those last 3 would seem to be responses to the news that Roy Ward Baker has died? |
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Post by dem on Oct 8, 2010 8:47:44 GMT
Seems to be some crossed threads - those last 3 would seem to be responses to the news that Roy Ward Baker has died? ha! i just moved their sorry hides to the Roy Ward Baker thread! must be my settings or something because the new 'move posts' feature works - for me - in IE but not firefox. anyway, back on topic and another film i'd love to be given the novelisation treatment is The Monster Club. yeah, i know the RCH novel etc., blah blah, but the adaptation varies significantly from his original - i.e., The Shadmock bears little or no resemblance to Chetwynd-Hayes' storyl (praise be for that). much as i think the terrors of Probert Towers would be good for this one as well as Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde and Horror Of Frankenstein, we mustn't overwork them, so ... Anthony Horowitz! |
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Post by Jojo Lapin X on Oct 8, 2010 9:52:59 GMT
ha! i just moved their sorry hides to the Roy Ward Baker thread! I rather enjoyed the non sequitur nature of the whole thing. |
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Post by franklinmarsh on Oct 8, 2010 10:11:58 GMT
Horror Of Frankenstein: i think you'd have to drag in the very earliest version of Vault to do it justice. Mr. Marsh would be involved, definitely, and the man known to mortals as killercrab would provide illustrations/ title headings. Holiday On The Buses. Franklin Marsh and Steve Goodwin. Like anyone is going to disagree! I'd love to be involved in Horror Of Frankenstein. I'm sure the book could be even more hilarious. I saw Holiday On The Buses at the cinema, but would much rather leave that one to Steve and have a go at Mutiny On The Buses as it was set in my bailiwick and I have fond memories of Windsor Safari Park (now Legoland) - could perhaps throw in an Omen joke in hindsight. Of course, Love Thy Neighbour would be the ultimate test, if Man About The House were unavailable, and I'd be willing to dash off a Satanic Rites Of Dracula too. |
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