I like Terence Fisher's films. The studio, Hammer, basically did cheap remakes of Universal horror films (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Werewolf, the Mummy) and their versions were good. They had the advantage of two good actors, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee who together brought atmosphere to the Dracula films. The initial Frankenstein films were less successful as they were not allowed to use the Boris Karloff Frankenstein makeup, so the Hammer Frankenstein looked very poor.
Terence Fisher did a lot of good stuff. His biog from imdb does sound familiar: "Fisher left school while still in his teens to join the Merchant Marine. By his own account, he soon discovered that a life at sea was not for him, so he left the service and tried his hand at various jobs landside. It was during this time that he discovered the cinema. Entering the film industry as "the oldest clapper boy in the business," he eventually worked his way up to film editor. Almost as a lark, he applied to Rank to become a film editor. Unexpectedly, he was accepted." Sounds just like Ken.
Iain
