Greasepaint and Gore: The Hammer Monsters of Roy Ashton

by Bruce Sachs, R. Wall

When you hear the words Hammer Films, you instantly conjure up mental images of monsters and vampires. Behind the scenes was one man working flat out to produce those wonderful creatures. That man was Roy Ashton, and it was he who created all of the make-up effects for mummies, werewolves and Gothic horrors. Greasepaint and Gore takes a look into the props wardrobe and make up unit where Ashton, long before computer technology existed, created his own high standards of magical illusions. With an introduction from the late Peter Cushing OBE, who had the opportunity to watch Roy Ashton at work countless times (after all make-up can also make you look glamorous as well as horrific), this is a demonstration of a true professional at work. Greasepaint and Gore catalogues the largest single collection of Hammer production artefacts in existence, and is a must have for any horror. or indeed any film fan!

Genres: Film

167 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 1998

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy Ashton was the legendary makeup artist at Hammer Film Studios, and this book is devoted to his onscreen works of art. Whether it's the makeup for Dracula or the Mummy or the Werewolf, the behind-the-scenes unveiling is worth the purchase of this volume.

In fact, the author jams quite a bit of information into the book, including photographs, drawings, and interviews with the Hammer crews and actors. I think my favorite was discovering how he accomplished the incredible work he did for CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, which has never been equalled by any other wolfman movie.

All in all, this is great fun, especially for the fan of horror cinema.


Book Season = Year Round