Beyond the Rave (3½ Stars)

This film is a significant release. It's the first film made by the legendary film studios Hammer since 1979, and their first horror film since 1976. In the 1980's Hammer made two tv series. Since 1986 they seemingly disappeared, but never closed down. They were earning enough from their old films to continue to exist, but they didn't have enough money to make a new film. Any other film company -- in fact any type of company at all -- would have shut down after 20 years of doing nothing. But not Hammer. As a symbol of the British film industry it wasn't allowed to die.

And now, finally, Hammer has raised its head again, thanks to an infusion of foreign capital. "Beyond the Rave" is the first new film to be made. It was released in an unusual way. 20 episodes of four minutes each were released free on YouTube before the DVD was released. A bold marketing strategy to get publicity for the revived studios. Does this mean the advent of a new category of films? We've had direct-to-video films for the last 25 years, and now we have direct-to-YouTube.

Having said all of this, I'm disappointed with this film. It lacks the sexuality of the classic Hammer films from the sixties and seventies. Hammer is famous for its gothic horror films, and the setting of a rave on a remote English farm doesn't have the same appeal as a castle in Transylvania. Still, it's early days. Hammer has promised to release three films per year from now on, so let's give them a chance.