Hammer Films resurrects ‘7 Golden Vampires’

According to horror web site Bloody Disgusting, LA-based production company Spitfire Pictures is producing a remake of THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES, the campy 1974 kung fu-horror co-production from Hammer Films and Shaw Brothers.

Lending credence to this news is the fact that Spitfire Pictures is on board to produce several horror films annually for UK-based Hammer Films which was recently acquired, along with rights to 300 of the studio’s classic films, and re-launched by Dutch producer John De Mol. While some new horror films are in the works it was inevitable that Hammer Films’ sizable library would eventually be mined for remakes at some point.

THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES was an attempt by the struggling Hammer Films studio to tap into the popularity of the kung fu movie genre in the 1970s. Peter Cushing reprised his role from DRACULA (1958) as famed vampire slayer Dr. Van Helsing, who while lecturing in China, comes to the aid of villagers cursed by six Chinese vampires led by Dracula himself.

The film featured Shaw stars David Chiang and Shih Szu in co-starring roles, along with action choreography from the studio’s top action directers, Lau Kar-leung and Tang Chia.

I’m as tired as everyone else of all this remake nonsense but if ever there was a Hammer Films movie in need of a facelift, 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES is it. The original concept of mixing Hammer-style gothic horror with kung fu was sound but never fully exploited by the original film. Hopefully, we’ll get something along the lines of Guy Ritchie’s upcoming SHERLOCK HOLMES reboot and not another VAN HELSING with kung fu added.

Source: Bloody Disgusting