The Kate Bush song inspired by Lon Chaney
Following her iconic debut album would always be a challenge for Kate Bush. Nevertheless, Lionheart delivered several noteworthy tracks, including ‘Wow’ and ‘Hammer Horror’. The album harnessed Bush’s distinctive style to illuminate the operatic landscape of her artistic vision, highlighting the creative platform she had already established. Within ‘Hammer Horror’, Bush delved deeper into the dichotomies of life, effortlessly conjuring a juxtaposition of shadows set against a backdrop of pristine Baroque pop.
As the third single from the album, ‘Hammer Horror’ explores the sombre depths of Bush’s repertoire. The narration details the story of two actor friends, one of which lands the lead role in a long-anticipated production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a character he’s been familiar with for his entire life. Tragically, he meets his demise during rehearsals, and his friend is summoned to step into the role to salvage his own career. However, the deceased actor returns as a haunting presence, driven by the belief that his friend is snatching away the only opportunity he ever had in his lifetime.
This inspiration stemmed from James Cagney’s portrayal of Lon Chaney as the hunchback in Chaney’s 1957 biographical film Man Of A Thousand Faces. Bush elaborated on this concept, stating in 1979 that Cagney was essentially an actor within an actor within an actor, akin to nested Chinese boxes, and this served as her creative vision.
Although the song’s title is seemingly derived from Hammer Films, a renowned British film production company known for its horror classics like The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy, Bush clarified that the song isn’t directly related to the film company. In fact, Hammer Films never produced an adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame during its history that spanned more than 80 years.
During a promotional tour in Australia, Bush choreographed the dance routine for the song in her Melbourne hotel room and later showcased her performance on the television show Countdown.
In the music video, Bush is seen dancing in a dimly lit room under the direction of her frequent collaborator Keith MacMillan (also known as Keef). Eventually, she is joined by a mysterious figure dressed in black who mirrors her movements.
Operating within the darker reaches of her record, the video has become iconic for its theatricality. Bush shared her thoughts on this experience in a 1979 newsletter for the Kate Bush Club: “Making the video of ‘Hammer Horror’ was the first time I had worked with a dancer. I wanted to do something different with it, using a dancer, and I was sitting in a hotel room in Australia when it suddenly came to me – the whole routine happened before my eyes – and the next morning at 9 am, the dancer turned up to start work.“
Adding: “We’d never met before, and in ten minutes, we were having to throw each other around. He was so inspiring that we did the video that same afternoon. I did it again in New Zealand when we arrived late, so I went straight into the routine with a dancer I’d never met before who had learnt it from the video. It was the strangest experience – I got to the chorus, and suddenly this total stranger appeared behind me, doing the routine perfectly. I just couldn’t stop laughing, and we had to do about three takes.“
