*'ZINEWATCH* - CLARET | AN UNOFFICIAL HAMMER MAGAZINE #1 & #2

TITLE - CLARET | AN UNOFFICAL HAMMER MAGAZINE 

ISSUE NUMBERS - #1 & #2

76 PAGES 

PRICE - £7.50 each 

BOTH ISSUES AVAILABLE NOW FROM - https://claretzine.com/

"Claret" is a relative newcomer to the 'zine scene, and a welcome one, taking as its subject everyone's favourite '60s and '70s British horror movie studio, Hammer Films.

Tapping a nostalgic vein (you're welcome), everyone of a certain age can remember their first time watching a Hammer film, and there is a very good chance that it was late on a Saturday night with a dodged bedtime a distant memory. It is also likely that the film in question was one of the nine movies examined in issue 1 of Claret, namely a Dracula tale starring that legend of the screen, Christopher Lee. The nine Dracula/vampire films made by Hammer between 1958 and 1974 are assessed by writers who are clearly fans, and there are also supporting articles about various vampire myths and tropes. All articles are written with a healthy dose of irreverence as well as intelligence, and the failures as well as the successes of these movies are looked at equally. 

Issue 2, entitled "Devil Women" and with Ingrid Pitt herself in full Vampire Lovers mode, takes a welcome serious look at the ladies of Hammer who were very often the selling points of the movies, fair of face and heaving of bosom. But they weren't always the landlord's (played by Michael Ripper, natch) nubile daughter; they were often much deadlier than the male in surprisingly progressive films such as Countess Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, She and Twins of Evil. This issue has pieces by both male and female writers. 

Articles are generally about 3-4 pages long. To avoid copyright infringement and no doubt to keep costs down, the zines contain no photographs, relying instead on excellent original drawings of actors and scenes from the films. The glorious covers are an indication of the quality to expect. This accentuates the DIY aspect of zines and the publication is all the better for it. Each issue comes with a postcard and bookmark with artwork matching the covers, and there are also very funny fake ads at the back of the magazine. An open invitation for submissions for issue 3 informs the reader that the subject next time will be Hammer's mad scientists, and their often unsuccessful experiments. The issues are perfect bound and display the same high production values of many zines that are currently available; if you read publications like "Black Dog" and "Hellborezine" you'll know what to expect from the size and quality of "Claret". 

This is a fanzine made with skill, by fans who know and love the subject. Meticulously researched, honest and unbiased, "Claret" is highly recommended for Hammer fans (that's basically everybody) and deserves support.