Hammer Films has acquired the complete literary works of Susan Hill, the British author best known for writing The Woman in Black, in a deal that hands the storied horror studio decades of unadapted ghost stories.
The acquisition was brokered through John Gore Studios, which has owned Hammer since 2023. It covers Hill’s entire catalogue, including The Woman in Black itself alongside lesser known chillers like The Man in the Picture, Dolly, The Small Hand, The Mist in the Mirror, and Printer’s Devil Court — a run of slim, atmospheric ghost stories that critics have long compared to the work of M.R. James.
“Susan Hill is one of Britain’s most distinctive literary voices,” said John Gore, founder and executive chairman of John Gore Studios, in a statement. He added that the company intends to approach her work with “care, craftsmanship and respect for character, suspense and atmosphere,” a cautious promise for a studio whose own history is built on excess.
“For any author, it’s heartening to see their stories continue to find new life,” added Hill, noting that Hammer has “a long and distinguished place in the history of British gothic storytelling.” She’ll stay on as an executive producer across whatever gets greenlit, with a hand in the development strategy for the whole slate.
The plan is to adapt the works for film, television, and theatre where rights allow, positioning Hill’s backlog as the foundation of a broader push to rebuild Hammer into a working studio rather than a brand that occasionally licenses its name. Gore has previously teased interest in reviving specific Hammer classics outright, though which titles those might be remains unconfirmed.
Hammer’s own history with The Woman in Black goes back decades: the studio produced the 1989 television adaptation before the property passed through other hands en route to the 2012 film starring Daniel Radcliffe.
No directors, writers, or release windows have been attached to any Hill adaptation yet.
