Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir, and comedies, and in later years, television series. During its most successful years, Hammer dominated the horror-film market, enjoying worldwide distribution and considerable financial success. This success was due, in part, to distribution partnerships with major United States studios such as Warner Bros.