Horror comes to Surrey with a Cinema Poster collection at Ewbank’s on May 5th.
The Cinema Poster Collection auction will offer a series of rare and colourful British posters for horror films including titles from the Hammer Dracula series starring Christopher Lee, among others.
From Hammer horror Dracula classics starring Christopher Lee to kitsch 1950s B movies, the market for film posters is booming, say Ewbank’s, whose May 5th Cinema Poster Collection auction is packed with fine examples.
Partner and head of Entertainment Memorabilia Alastair McCrea and his team have put together dozens of highly collectable posters for the sale, some with estimates running well into four figures. They include a large selection of horror titles, including the 1966 Hammer horror Dracula Prince of Darkness (estimate £700-1,000) and the 1954 sci-fi horror Devil Girl from Mars (estimate £400-600).
“These posters have amazing wall power and provide more bang for your buck than almost any other decorative collectable,” says McCrea. “At Ewbank’s we have sold over a million pounds’ worth of film posters over the past five years, with enduring favourites from the 007 James Bond series, rare original Star Wars designs from the 1970s and the cream of horror titles.”
Classics
In March Ewbank’s sold an original Dr No poster from the first James Bond film, released in 1962, for £22,750. And this time last year they sold an exceptionally rare British Quad poster for the 1953 film War of the Worlds for £22,100 – the first time this copy had ever been on the market after being consigned by someone who had owned it for nearly 70 years. “One of my favourites was the wonderful poster from the 1954 classic Creature from the Black Lagoon, which we sold for £22,000 in March 2020,” says McCrea.
Rarity, condition, design, colour and subject matter are all factors in collectability and value, he explains, with professionals helping to preserve posters over the years by backing them on linen and framing them using special glass that filters out ultraviolet light, which can fade the colours.
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“In this sale, outside of the horror films we have one of the most sought-after classic designs of all, the fantastic A. R. Thompson (1894-1979) and Sydney Wood design for The Man In The White Suit, the 1952 Ealing comedy starring Alec Guinness. As a graphic artwork, it would be hard to think of anything you could put on your wall for the same money. The estimate is £2,000-4,000.” The talented AR Thompson won the last gold medal for painting ever awarded as part of the Olympic games, in London in 1948.
Here is a selection of some of the best posters in Ewbank’s Cinema Poster Collection :
Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966) British Quad film poster, starring Christopher Lee, Hammer Film Production, Warner Pathé, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £700-1,000.
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) British Quad film poster, starring Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee, Hammer Productions, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £500-800.
The Curse of The Mummy’s Tomb (1964) British Quad film poster, Hammer Horror directed by Michael Carreras, linen backed, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £400-600.
Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969) British Quad film poster, Hammer Horror starring Christopher Lee as Dracula, artwork by Tom Chantrell, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Provenance: The collection of a retired Cinema Manager. Estimate £400-600.
Devil Girl from Mars (1954) British Quad film poster, Sci-Fi produced by The Danzigers, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £400-600.
Paranoiac (1963) British Quad film poster, Hammer Films Production starring Jeanette Scott, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £300-500.
City of The Living Dead (1980) British Quad film poster, directed by Lucio Fulci, rolled, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £300-500.
Phantom of the Opera (1962) British Quad film poster, Hammer Horror, artwork by Renato Fratini, starring Herbert Lom and Heather Sears, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £300-500.
Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) British Quad film poster, artwork by Graham Humphreys, cult horror film featuring Freddy Krueger, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £300-500.
Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960) British Quad film poster, Hammer Films Production, directed by Michael Carreras, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £200-400.
Gorgo (1961) British Quad film poster, starring Bill Travers and William Sylvester, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £200-400.
The House by the Cemetery (1981) British Quad film poster from Italian director Lucio Fulci, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £200-400.
The Evil Dead (1983) British Quad film poster directed by Sam Raimi starring Bruce Campbell, artwork by Graham Humphreys, folded, 29 x 38 inches. Estimate £200-400.
The Stranglers of Bombay (1959) British Quad film poster, Hammer Films Production, directed by Terence Fisher, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £200-400.
The Devil Rides Out (1968) British Quad film poster, Hammer Film Production starring Christopher Lee, artwork by Tom Chantrell, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £200-400.
Kiss of The Vampire (1963) British Quad film poster, directed by Don Sharp, Hammer Horror, artwork by Joseph Smith, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £150-250.
Tenebrae (1982) British Quad film poster, Italian giallo thriller film written & directed by Dario Argento, Anglo American, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £150-250.
Evil Dead II (1987) British Quad film poster, artwork by Graham Humphreys, Palace Pictures, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £150-250.
5 British Quad film posters, Poltergeist, Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5, Fright Night, Friday the 13th Part 3, Fright Night Part 2, folded, 30 x 40 inches (5). Estimate £100-150.
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973) British Quad film poster, Hammer Horror, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £100-150.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1974) British Quad film poster, Hammer Horror starring Christopher Lee, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £100-150.
Night of The Living Dead (1980) British Quad film poster, artwork by Tom Chantrell, by George A. Romero, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £100-150.
The Thing (1982) British Quad film poster, Horror directed by John Carpenter, Universal, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £100-150.
Day Of The Dead (1985) British Quad film poster, Horror directed by George A. Romero, United Film, rolled, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £80-120.
Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968) British Quad film poster, artwork by Tom Chantrell, Hammer Film Production starring Christopher Lee, folded, 30 x 40 inches. Estimate £80-120.
Live online bidding for is available via Ewbank’s website at www.ewbankauctions.co.uk
All images courtesy of Ewbank’s Auctioneers
