Hammer's 4K restoration of its 1958 classic 'Dracula' premieres this week in London, but Gore — who acquired the company in 2023 — is now looking to revisit its library of monsters with new productions In the credits for the “Paranormal Activity” stage play currently running on the West End before it heads off to Broadway next year, next to Blumhouse, which produced the original hit film franchise, sits the name of one of cinema’s most historic and iconic horror brands: Hammer. The British production company, founded in 1934, is famed for its Gothic reinventions of monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein and the Mummy starring horror titans such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Most of these movies released in the late 1950s, 60s and early 70s, influencing generations of noted filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, Tim Burton and John Carpenter, to name just a few.
Yet it had nothing to do with “Paranormal Activity.” But for John Gore, the British theater impresario who made a name in the U.S. through his John Gore Organization by backing the likes of “The Book of Mormon,” “Hamilton” and, now, “Paranormal Activity: A New Story,” he simply wanted to see the Hammer name — a shadow of what it was during the glory days — back in the spotlight alongside arguably the current reigning horror icons. The next step towards this leans into its vast library of classics, with a 4K restoration of its 1958 hit “Dracula” releasing in more than 144 U.K. cinemas this week and landing in the U.S. (as “Horror of Dracula”) later this month following a premiere at the Academy Museum in LA. Also at the museum, Hammer and John Gore Studios are supporting its recently launched exhibition “The Horror Show,” which in January will celebrate the history of Hammer.
Gore says his commitment to Hammer, his first major acquisition in the film world, is backed by a deeply personal connection, having adored its horrors while growing up in the late 60s and 70s. The fast-growing outfit is now producing upcoming titles such as period romp “The Return of Stanley Atwell,” starring Nicholas Galitzine and Ella Purnell and from “Hamnet” banner Hera Pictures, and the Wallis Simpson biopic “The Duchess,” starring Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini. But Hammer was a keystone.
It was also a major “leap of faith,” admits Gore, who acquired the company almost as a “blind purchase” when it was on the brink of financial collapse and due diligence would have “cost 10 times the amount of what it was to take it out of bankruptcy.” He says he wasn’t sure if he would “just end up owning a name,” with Hammer having co-produced so many of their titles with Hollywood studios — many of the majors funding them outright. Then, appreciating the importance of U.K. distribution, he bought KFilm, the parent company of Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment and Icon Film Distribution. Suddenly Hammer sat within a framework of entities — formally announced as John Gore Studios in early 2025 — that could give its dusty reels a makeover and get them out into the open.
First up was the home entertainment 4K release of one of Hammer’s lesser-known titles, “Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter,” followed by last year’s theatrical release of a 4K restoration of its classic “The Curse of Frankenstein,” one of six Frankenstein titles Hammer made starring Cushing as the monster-maker. Next up is possibly the most famous release of them all. Christopher Lee as Dracula was the definitive Dracula for me.” For the 4K restoration, undertaken by Silver Salt, Gore also worked closely with U.S. licence holder Warner Bros, who through the studio’s library historian George Feltenstein dug up something very special.
The famed, near-mythical, climax of “Dracula” saw Lee’s Count claw at his face as he disintegrated in the sunlight, pulling his skin away in agony as he rapidly decomposed into ash. It was an extended scene considered too gruesome by U.K. censors, who demanded cuts before giving the film an X rating. It was cut in the U.S. as well.
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