Hobby Inspiration - Moving Pictures

I  want to take about something related to my Warm Ale and Mud project; Inspiration.


As gamers and modellers we almost all surely find inspiration for aspects of the hobby from here and there.

What sort of stuff inspires me?

Films, TV shows, Books and History mostly.

Other than Oldhammer my other great love are Hammer Horror films.
These are a source of inspiration for me in terms of names and personalities of the villagers, in terms of plots and storylines, but especially in terms of appearance.

The costumes and sets of some of the Hammer Horror films are outstanding, so much so than the multimillion dollar CGI slop we are served today.

Now, before I go on a ramble about Hammer Horror films I will list some of the films that I find inspire me.
Of course there are no Warhammer TM films, but many films can be viewed as such.
In some cases, just change the names of places in your head to those in the Old World and they work.
Other films require you to swap religions, instead of seeing Catholics and Protestants, pretend you are seeing Sigmarites and followers of Ulric.
If you can make this small change in your mind then many films are very Warhammery in feel.

Ok so on to some films I like with how I see them with some minor swaps of words in my head.






Flesh and Blood

This is about a group of Imperial mercenaries who set off to find their destiny after a corrupt priest believes them to be chosen by Sigmar.
They fight, war, and cross swords with a mad Tilean noble who loves inventions.
Oh and the plague is knocking people off.





The Last Valley

This is about a group of Imperial soldiers cut off from the main force who find themselves in a hidden valley, they decide to winter there as plague is sweeping the land and they seem to have found shelter and food.
There is however tension between them as they have both followers of Ulric and Sigmar and religious tensions start to come to the fore.
Also maybe there is some witchcraft afoot?




Season of the Witch

A ragtag band of criminals and warriors are tasked with transporting a witch to a sacred temple where the priests can properly try and interrogate the witch.
However she uses her magics to sow discord among her captors and all sorts of trouble occurs.




Solomon Kane

A story of a soldier with a terrible past seeks to rid the land of a chaos warrior and his sorceress helper.
Vowing to save the only survivor of sigmarite family he saw butchered he sets off to avenge them and save the girl.
Magic, mutants and dark grittiness abound.




Witchfinder General

The witch hunter and his lacky are off on jolly adventures burning all the pretty girls.
One soldier sets out to free his betrothed after she is captured and abused by the witch hunter.





Forbidden Kingdom

This is an odd film, it is a Russian/UK production I think and you can feel this.
It is essentially about an Englishman who finds himself in a cursed Russian village, beset by demons, mutants and witches.
It feels like I imagine Kislev would feel, right on the borders of the wastes.
It blends both horror, with fantasy and comedy.
Worth it for the visuals alone.







Now on to Hammer Films.


Hammer Horror films cover a broad time period up to contemporary, however I will focus on the ones whose setting fits more with the cultural and technical setting of The Empire:





Countess Dracula

The most awesome of all Hammer Horror films.
A recently widowed noblewoman discovers that blood can return her youthful appearance.
Smitten with a new handsome arrival at her castle she embarks on a spree of murdering young women to trick and trap the young man.
This is an amazing warhammer film.
The story is perfect, the costumes are great, the sets even better.
AND, Ingrid Pitt in the nude!!

It takes no imagination to see this is a film set in either Sylvania or Stirland.
The costumes, names, sets, language.
The supporting characters, everything about this film is a joy.

I think I had I planned my Warm Ale and Mud properly, then this film and village would be where my games were set instead.

I have seen this film many many times.




Vampire Circus

This is a great film, starts with villagers rising up and slaying a vampire only as he dies he curses them.
Years later the circus comes to town and the villagers start to feel the curse.
During this time there is plague in the village and they are cut off and can not send for help.
This has some great scenes, and some very solid special effects, particularly when the shape changer goes up the stairs and when the baddy catches the burning torch in his hand.

I like this film a lot and I am collecting models to make my own circus that will visit Heiligsheld due to this film.

Great stuff.




Twins of Evil

A great film about evil vampires, mad witch hunters and sexy twins.
Again peak Hammer Horror, some nice effects and acting, great sets and costumes.
And the vampire villain is superb.

The time setting of the film is a bit off in terms of costumes, but the sets look good and the whole thing feels very Sylvania/Stirland.




Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter

Rumoured to have been a pilot for a TV show.
Captain Kronos an ex soldier now vampire hunter and his faithful sidekick are summoned by a on old friend to help rid the area of unconventional vampires.
Along the way they kill some nobheads and pick up a sexy wench (Caroline Munro).
The setting is fine, though without wanting to sound like a dick, the evil woman lead is nowhere near as pretty as most Hammer Horror ladies, yet she is meant to be a stunner.
This woman’s mother is in fact way more attractive (my wife agrees).

Anyway, it could have made a great TV show, with Kronos and Grost wandering the countryside dispatching undead and monsters as they go.



Maybe an early Witcher inspiration?





Anyway, those are some of the films that I find have oldhammery Empire feels to them.
Many of which can be bought on DVD very cheaply second-hand from eBay etc.

Own Physical Media.