Lost Continent / Young and Eager (1968 / 1961) UK Double Crown Poster

One of Hammer’s maddest films (based on a Dennis Wheatley novel) the pivotal moment is when it shifts gear from a ship in peril (set adrift, Chinese cook goes insane) to carnivorous vegetation, (mad chef jumps overboard and is devoured) giant crab monsters, a ships’ graveyard, with balloons and snow shoes to get about. And to be honest, no one expected the Spanish Inquisition. Michael Carreras directed (took over from Leslie Norman - Barry's dad, whom he fired), as another attempt to broaden Hammer’s repertoire. Most of the company’s artistic triumphs and fascinating failures can be laid at his door.

Young and Eager has a young girl faithfully waiting for her soldier sweetheart to return, but gets a 'Dear Jane' letter instead and sets out to seduce and abandon the town's menfolk. Directed by Gordon Douglas, who'd done everything from Zombies on Broadway (1945) to Them! (1954), The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958), Skullduggery (1970) and Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973).

Artist: Unknown

Condition: VERY FINE / NEAR MINT

Cast: Eric Porter (the only one to keep a commendably straight face), Susanna Leigh, Tony Beckley, Hildegard Knef, the ever-dependable Victor Maddern and Michael Ripper, Jimmy Hanley (his final film) and a statuesque Dana Gillespie. / Diane McBain, Arthur Kennedy, Constance Ford, Claude Akins