Hammer strikes back

Between the Fifties and the Seventies, Hammer Films carried the banner for British horror. Now, more than a quarter of a century after the company was last active, Hammer seems set for a successful resurrection under new management.

After tipping its toes back in the water with two American productions, The Resident and Let Me In, the next phase looks to have true Brit written all over it.

Being readied for release next year is Daniel Radcliffe's first post-Potter starrer, The Woman in Black (pictured) , based on the hugely successful stage chiller by Susan Black, while company boss Simon Oakes also confirmed in the latest edition of MovieScope that a remake of the sci-fi classic The Quatermass Experiment was also on the cards.

As for other projects in the pipeline he remained tightlipped, only adding, "Hammer must always make sure its output has a British slant. On the other hand, film is a global medium; to be specifically British is a mistake. If a property comes along and we think it can work under the Hammer ethos, you'd be crazy not to do things."