Terence Fisher

Director

About

Also Known As

T R Fisher

Birth Place

London, England, GB

Born

February 23, 1904

Died

June 18, 1980

Cause of Death

Cancer

Biography

Filmography

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974)

Director

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)

Director

The Devil's Bride (1968)

Director

Island of Terror (1967)

Director

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

Director

Island of the Burning Damned (1967)

Director

Photos & Videos

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Gorgon, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) They're Bringing The Body In Now

Gorgon, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) We Are Men Of Science

Biography

Leading British horror director of the 1950s and 60s who began his career as an editor and a director of romantic melodramas. Fisher joined Hammer Studios in 1952 and first hit his stride in 1957 with "Curse of Frankenstein." His subsequent output of low-budget B remakes of Univeral horror classics for Hammer including proficient chillers such as "Horror of Dracula" (1958) and "The Devil Rides Out" (1968) (alongside best-forgotten mishaps such as "Frankenstein Created Woman" 1967), is noted for its brash colors, liberal use of blood, and casting of has-been American former stars.

Filmography

Life Events

1929

Joined Merchant Marine Service; attained rank of junior officer with P. & O. Fleet

1930

Became window-dressor for a London department store

1930

Entered film industry at Shepherd's Bush Studios as clapper boy and runner

1933

Initial screen credit, as clapper boy on "Falling for You"

1935

First film as assistant editor, "Brown on Resolution/Born For Glory"

1936

Debut as a solo editor, "The Two of Us"

1947

Feature directorial debut, "Colonel Bogey"

1952

Joined Hammer Studios

1952

Directed episodes of "Robin Hood" TV series

Videos

Gorgon, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) They're Bringing The Body In Now After the murder of an artists’ model in some Carpathian forest, we meet Peter Cushing as the local scientist-doctor, Barbara Shelley his assistant, Patrick Troughton the policeman, and Jack Watson as Ratoff, then the weird discovery, early in Hammer Films’ The Gorgon, 1964.

Gorgon, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) We Are Men Of Science Increasingly emotional assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley) can’t see why doctor Namaroff (Peter Cushing) won’t discuss the spooky Greek-myth angle (i.e. corpses turned to stone) on the local murders, then a victim’s father (Michael Goodliffe), a former colleague, presses a similar point, in Hammer Films’ The Gorgon, 1964.

Gorgon, The (1964) -- (Movie Clip) It's Not A Pretty Sight His hair turned gray after his encounter with the title monster (whose dead victims turn to stone), Heitz (Richard Pasco) receives his mentor and family friend Meister (Christopher Lee) from Leipzig, while Namaroff (Peter Cushing) slices up an ex-patient, with his still-more remote assistant Carla (Barbara Shelley), in Hammer Films’ The Gorgon, 1964.

Devil's Bride, The (1968) -- (Movie Clip) They're Just For Decoration Old family friends De Richleau (Christopher Lee) and Van Ryn (Leon Greene) surmise that they've crashed a secret satanic ritual and Simon (Patrick Mower) needs rescuing, early in Hammer Films' The Devil's Bride, 1968.

Devil's Bride, The (1968) -- (Movie Clip) Don't Look At The Eyes! Apparently too late to interrupt a big satanic ritual at the new home of their wayward wealthy protegé, “Duc” Richleau (Christopher Lee) and friend Rex (Leon Greene) instead discover convincing evidence of evil, in Hammer Films’ The Devil’s Bride (a.k.a. The Devil Rides Out), 1968.

Devil's Bride, The (1968) -- (Movie Clip) The Goat Of Mendes Christopher Lee (as "De Richleau") and colleague Van Ryn (Leon Greene), stay composed when they recognize the guest, as Mocata (Charles Gray) leads satanic rites, Simon and Tanith (Patrick Mower, Nike Arrighi) the subjects, in Hammer Films' The Devil's Bride, 1968.

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) -- (Movie Clip) Twist That Anti-Clockwise Not altogether essential to the story but allowing for some philosophical commentary, Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) here has enlisted assistant Hertz (Thorley Walters) to enable the power source for the experiment referred-to in the title, cueing some excellent Hammer Films’ tech, in Frankenstein Created Woman, 1967.

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) -- (Movie Clip) Healthy Young Girl Formerly dead, brunette, disfigured and disabled, Christina (Susan Denberg) is switched on by Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and aide Hertz (Thorley Walters), and she has questions, in Hammer Films' Frankenstein Created Woman, 1967.

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) -- (Movie Clip) He Lives! Assistants Hans (Robert Morris) and Dr. Hartz (Thorley Walters) un-freeze Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) who explains he's getting into soul transplants, early in Hammer Films' Frankenstein Created Woman, 1967.

Dracula, Prince Of Darkness (1966) -- (Movie Clip) Luxury Of A Warm Posterior Some foreboding, as bothered Abbot Shandor (Andrew Keir) comes upon English tourists (Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, Charles Tingwell, Suzan Farmer) in a Carpathian pub, early in Hammer Films' Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, 1966.

Dracula, Prince Of Darkness (1966) -- (Movie Clip) The Obscene Cult Ominous narration from Hammer Films, recapping the previous vampire film Horror Of Dracula, in which Peter Cushing (as Van Helsing) kills off Dracula (Christopher Lee), opening Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, 1966.

Dracula, Prince Of Darkness -- (Movie Clip) Your Husband... Servant Klove (Philip Latham) sprinkles his master's ashes with the blood of a house-guest, fetches his wife Helen (Barbara Shelley) at which point the star (Christopher Lee) finally appears, in Hammer Films' Dracula, Prince Of Darkness, 1966.

Trailer

Stranglers of Bombay, The - (Original Trailer) It's the British East India Company vs. The Stranglers of Bombay (1960) presented in Stangloscope!

Mummy, The (1959) - (Original Trailer) A bandage-wrapped Christopher Lee stalks his victims in Hammer Film's version of The Mummy (1959).

Horror of Dracula - (Original Trailer) Christopher Lee takes the role of the bloodthirsty count versus Peter Cushing's Van Helsing in Hammer Films' Horror of Dracula (1958).

Gorgon, The - (Original Trailer) Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee battle the mythical creature that turns men into stone in Hammer Films' The Gorgon (1964).

Dark Tower, The - (Original Trailer) Herbert Lom (Inspector Dreyfuss in The Pink Panther movies) plays an evil hypnotist in The Dark Tower (1943).

Two Faces Of Dr. Jekyll, The - (Original Trailer) Dr. Jekyll drinks his formula and turns young and handsome, but still deadly in Hammer Films' re-imagining, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1961).

Sons of the Sea - (Original Trailer) A brave captain pilots the first steamboat line between England and the U.S. in Sons of the Sea (1942).

Flying Fortress - (Original Trailer) The B-17 is this star in this British-produced World War II aviation adventure.

Revenge of Frankenstein, The - (Original Trailer) Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) promises his dwarf assistant a new body but it's all part of The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958).