Horror/Sci-Fi may have been their bread and butter and they had a good sideline in Thrillers but Hammer did indulge in a Genre they called “Prehistoric Adventures”.
Between 1965 and 1971 they made 8 of these motion pictures!
One now looms large in pop culture due to a certain “Miss fuzzy britches!”
"She" (1965)
Directed by Robert Day, Screenplay by David T. Chantler, Based on "She: A History of Adventure" by H. Rider Haggard, Produced by Michael Carreras, Music by James Bernard, Cinematography by Harry Waxman, Edited by James Needs & Eric Boyd-Perkins, Starring Ursula Andress, Peter Cushing, Bernard Cribbins, John Richardson, Rosenda Monteros & Christopher Lee.
Adaptation of H Rider Haggard's novel about an ancient immortal queen who seeks the reincarnation of her long-lost lover. While celebrating in Jerusalem at the end of World War I, a man is approached by a mysterious woman who offers him untold wealth if he will accompany her to a secret mountain city.
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Directed by Don Chaffey, Screenplay by Michael Carreras, Based on the 1940 film “One Million B.C.” by Mickell Novack, George Baker & Joseph Frickert, Produced by Michael Carreras, Music by Mario Nascimbene, Cinematography by Wilkie Cooper, Edited by Tom Simpson, Starring Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown & Martine Beswick.
A prehistoric man called Tumak is banished from his tribe before meeting a pretty woman called Loana. She belongs to a gentler coastal tribe, but he must fight caveman Payto to win her favours.
Famously a poster of Raquel Welch as her character in this film features prominently in
Frank Darabont’s 1994 box office flop “The Shawshank Redemption”
“The Viking Queen” (1967)
Directed by Don Chaffey, Screenplay by Clarke Reynolds, Story by John Temple-Smith, Produced by John Temple-Smith, Music by Gary Hughes, Cinematography by Stephen Dade, Edited by Peter Boita, Starring Don Murray, Carita, Donald Houston, Andrew Keir, Niall MacGinnis & Adrienne Corri.
Queen Salina shares the rule of Icena with Justinian, a fair and just Roman, displeasing bloodthirsty Druids and hard-line Romans alike. As Salina and Justinian fall in love, their enemies start to plot with blood soon staining the hills of Britain.
“Slave Girls” (1967) aka “Prehistoric Women” in America
(I assume they would be confused by the actual title)
Directed by Michael Carreras, Written by Henry Younger, Produced by Michael Carreras, Music by Carlo Martelli, Cinematography by Michael Reed, Edited by Roy Hyde, Starring Martine Beswick, Michael Latimer, Carol White & Steven Berkoff.
Jungle guide David Marchand is kidnapped by a tribe of natives who want to sacrifice him to their white rhino god. Just as he's about to be killed, however, he is thrown backwards in time to a kingdom of brunette women and their blonde slaves.
The Vengeance of She (1968)
Directed by Cliff Owen, Written by Peter O'Donnell, Based on characters created by H. Rider Haggard, Produced by Aida Young, Music by Mario Nascimbene, Cinematography by Wolf Suschitzky, Edited by James Needs, Starring John Richardson, Olinka Berova, Edward Judd, Noel Willman & Colin Blakely.
A beautiful young European girl, Carol, is possessed by the spirit of Ayesha - "She, who must be obeyed" - and led to the lost city of Kuma, where she is destined to become queen.
The Lost Continent (1968)
Directed by Michael Carreras, Written by Michael Carreras, Based on the novel “Uncharted Seas” by Dennis Wheatley, Produced by Michael Carreras, Score by Gerard Schurmann &
Songs by The Peddlers, Cinematography by Paul Beeson, Edited by James Needs,
Starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh & Tony Beckley.
The captain, crew, and passengers of an old freighter, all of them with dark secrets to keep, find themselves marooned on a misty sea, surrounded by killer seaweed, murderous crustaceans, and Spanish pirates.
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Directed by Val Guest, Written by Val Guest, Story by J. G. Ballard Produced by Aida Young, Music by Mario Nascimbene, Cinematography by Dick Bush, Edited by Peter Curran, Starring Victoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick Allen & Imogen Hassall.
In a fictional past!
Humans and dinosaurs co-exist, a tribe attempts to sacrifice the beautiful Sanna as an offering to their gods for protection from the carnivorous beasts. Tara, a fisherman from another tribe, rescues Sanna from the ritual and brings her to his home, enraging Tara's girlfriend, Ayak. Tara and Sanna struggle to survive with hungry monsters hunting them for food and Sanna's tribe out for revenge.
Creatures the World Forgot (1971)
Directed by Don Chaffey, Written by Michael Carreras, Produced by Michael Carreras, Music by Mario Nascimbene, Cinematography by Vincent Cox, Edited by Chris Barnes, Starring Julie Ege & Brian O'Shaughnessy.
A violent conflict erupts between cave-dwelling tribes when twin brothers fight for chieftainship and the affections of a beautiful woman.
For the most part these films are charming and Kitch and worth checking out, “Slave Girls” (1967) aka “Prehistoric Women” is a mixed bag it is fun but Michael Reed the cinematographer really seemed to drop the ball on that one... some scenes are just badly shot.
