My Favorite Hammer Movie Acting Performances--Female

 

This is a follow-up to my last post, in which I listed my ten favorite Hammer movie male acting performances. Now it's time for the Hammer Ladies, which might cause some snickering. As soon as you mention "Hammer Ladies", one immediately thinks of well-endowed young women cavorting about in nightgowns instead of any measure of acting talent. 

Nevertheless, Hammer's horror & science-fiction features did give a number of actresses a chance to show their dramatic abilities, although it has to be admitted the average female role in a Hammer production wasn't written with too much depth or characterization. If you were a lady in Hammer feature, you were probably going to get chased by a monster or wind up being the monster. The "Damsel in Distress" part doesn't have a lot of room for originality to it, but some of the Hammer Ladies were able to go beyond the generic restrictions. 

As in the Male Performances list, each actress can only be listed once--if I didn't do that here Barbara Shelley would absolutely dominate this chart. The list is not in any particular order, but I do start off with a special favorite. 

Ingrid Pitt as Carmilla Karnstein in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS

The most famous female performance in Hammer history? Probably so, and one that continues to resonate today. Most people assume that Ingrid was in about a dozen Hammer films, but she was actually only in two (this one and COUNTESS DRACULA). Pitt was really too old to have played the vampiric Carmilla, but her screen presence more than made up for that. And yes, Pitt was an extraordinarily sexy woman--and if it bothers you that factor was important on this list......oh well. 

Veronica Carlson as Anna Spengler in FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED 

Veronica's Anna is one of the most put-upon women in Hammer history, so much so that it's hard for anyone who knew Carlson personally to watch FMBD at times. Carlson didn't have a lot of acting experience when she got the role of Anna, but when one considers what the character went through, and all the various reactions and emotions she has to show, it's hard to believe a more experienced performer could have done a better job. 

Barbara Shelley as Helen Kent in DRACULA--PRINCE OF DARKNESS

I could have put Shelley on this list a half-dozen different ways, but this is the role that stands out. Her haughty Helen is transformed from a staid married Englishwoman to a seductive bloodsucker, and Shelley plays it effectively and chillingly, Barbara Shelley was Hammer's true female star. 

Jennifer Daniel as Marianne Harcourt in THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE 

This is one example of the "Damsel in Distress" role being more than it usually is. Daniel is so appealing and believable as the kind, loving English wife that her forced conversion into a vampire cult has a major impact. (When the hypnotized Marianne spits into her own husband's face, it's a huge shock.) Daniel basically repeated this role in THE REPTILE, but her decent manner added much to that movie as well. 

Freda Jackson as Greta in THE BRIDES OF DRACULA 

Jackson's scene-stealing performance as the cackling maid to Martita Hunt's Baroness Meinster is one of the many great pleasures of BRIDES, and her revelatory monologue about the true nature of the Baroness' son is one of Hammer's great overall moments. (Martita Hunt was a prime candidate to be on this list as well for her role.) 

Marla Landi as Cecile Stapleton in THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 

Landi's sultry and devious Cecile almost seduces Christopher Lee's Henry Baskerville to his death, and the movie's climax--where she goes off the rails--is a highlight. Landi's anger during her big scene is so palpable, she even dominates Lee!

Martine Beswicke as Sister Hyde in DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE

This film could have come off as a joke--Dr. Jekyll turns into a sexy woman--but Martine elevates the material with her wonderfully cunning portrayal of Ralph Bates' stronger side. Beswicke is another name that is constantly associated with Hammer, but the truth is the company didn't use her enough. 

Jacqueline Pearce as Anna Franklyn in THE REPTILE 

Pearce plays the title role in THE REPTILE, which means that technically she is the monster--but she's also a sensitive young woman who has been dealt a horrible fate, through no fault of her own. Pearce's underlying sadness as Anna makes an impression on the viewer. 

Valerie Gaunt as Justine in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN 

I was going back and forth on whether I should pick this role played by Gaunt, or her memorable vampire in HORROR OF DRACULA. I chose her portrayal as Baron Frankenstein's maid (and mistress) due to the fact that it was shown first, and it set a pattern that a number of Hammer actresses would follow. 

Yvonne Monlaur as Marianne Danielle in THE BRIDES OF DRACULA 

This choice is more of a personal preference. I have a personal fan-theory that Monlaur's Marianne went on to marry Prof. Van Helsing (he had to have descendants somehow, what with the modern Hammer Dracula films of the early 1970s). Marianne wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but Monlaur did have probably the most expressive eyes in English Gothic history, and just about every Classic Monster Kid would want to go out of their way to to save her from the undead.