On location for the new book from Peveril Publishing, 'HAMMER FILMS ON LOCATION'!

My review at STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING for a new book on the classic Hammer Horror films from the mid-50s to the mid-70s is online now!!

HAMMER FILMS ON LOCATION is a veritable bible for: Hammer fans; hardened hikers; trainee film location scouts; families looking for secret places to visit at the weekend; members of Hellfire clubs; film historians; amateur photographers and anyone who wishes to pretend they are Peter Cushing's Van Helsing running along the King's Road in DRACULA AD 1972 in 2012. Just keep clear of Scratchwood! You can buy the book direct from PEVERIL PUBLISHING..
http://peverilpublishing.co.uk/hammer-films-on-location/

..and my review for David Flint's 'Strange Things Are Happening' website can be discovered here:http://www.strangethingsarehappening.com/hammeronlocation.html

For this review I went out on location myself, to the Hellfire Caves (probable inspiration for the club featured in Taste the Blood of Dracula) and Dashwood Mausoleum (as featured in To the Devil a Daughter's climax) and the village of Hambleden (from Hammer's The Wiches). Beautiful, unspoilt English countryside and friendly places to visit, despite their Hammer Horror pedigree!

Some pics I took of Hambleden village include the old Butchers Shop that can be spotted in the film 'The Witches' as well as the village hall that doubled up as the school - and there's the wonderful pub too that had a brilliant BBQ in the beer garden when I visited, and is very friendly despite my playful mention of the side bar where only locals dare to tread, but that really does feel like a room straight out of a Hammer horror movie!

Then I headed down into the eerie Hellfire Caves in West Wycombe that you really should visit if you haven't yet, to see the inner chambers where Sir Francis and friends made merry. Above the caves, at the top of a hill, looking out upon miles and miles of land and villages all around is the dominating Dashwood Mausoleum that has to be visited to be believed, and where Christopher Lee and Nastassja Kinski once played cat and mouse as Richard Widmark tried to save a young girl from the evil Father Michael's secret ceremonies. Shiver!! If you are on your own up there, don't hang around too long. It's best to stay away when night falls and the Hellfire Club comes back to life...

Also at Strange Things, my review of the complete SAVED BY THE BELL TV series on DVD mixed in with a review of Dustin ' SCREECH' Diamond's autobiography, but I should probably keep that one quiet!

http://www.strangethingsarehappening.com/savedbythebell1.html


All pics copyright Mark Gordon Palmer/ 2012