The Absolutely Diabolical Hammer Films Thread

[John Hodson]

Final details and cover art for Hammer's The Anniversary are up at the Anchor Bay website here; something of a bargain, with DVD Pacific selling it for £5.24 plus p&p here

[ought]

Just bought all those going out of print except Quatermass and the Pit. I can not find that. Grrrr...

[bibmcfeck]

Originally Posted by ought

Just bought all those going out of print except Quatermass and the Pit. I can not find that. Grrrr...

Are you talking about R1 or R2?

Which releases are going OOP?

[John Hodson]

Warners/Studio Canal Deal Ends; Get 'Em Before They're OOP...

[ought]

Is there anywhere I can get Quatermass? Please ;o)

[John Hodson]

Tip from the DVD Talk forum. This looks like a decent set from R4, for anyone who doesn't have these titles (actually I do and I still fancy it!): Hammer Horror Collection (The Vampire Circus, Hands of the Ripper, Twins Of Evil)

[jjpaul]

They should start grouping together the series. Frankestein set, Dracula set, Mummy set and a Quatermass set. I know they're all owned by different dvd co.s, but some (hopefully dedicated) outside interest could put them together I would have thought. I would be the first to get them if such an orderly release schedule started.

[John Hodson]

Originally Posted by jjpaul

They should start grouping together the series. Frankestein set, Dracula set, Mummy set and a Quatermass set. I know they're all owned by different dvd co.s, but some (hopefully dedicated) outside interest could put them together I would have thought. I would be the first to get them if such an orderly release schedule started.

Rights issues (sometimes quite complex) covering various countries will prevent that, unfortunately. There have been instances of one company loaning a title to another (Warners letting Fox have Blazing Saddles for their R1 Mel Brooks set for instance). But for all the various companies involved here to get their heads together is (because you never say never), shall we say, highly improbable.

Welcome to the forum, BTW.

[R-T-C]

Boxsets would be nice, but they would be unlikely to include any better prints than the ones we already have, and then you end up with the annoying questions like; does Brides of Dracula (1960) go in the Dracula collection, and what about Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)? Does Horror of Frankenstein (1970) go in the Frankenstein set?

Personally I prefer single disc releases, easier to put on the shelves, plus means you can pick and choose titles you need to upgrade. Although I did like Universal's 8-film set, much cheaper than buying them all individually.

[jjpaul]

Brides, and Horror of Frankenstein would go in the respective sets.... Maybe Golden Vampires is tricky but hey, include it. Universal had no problem with having Werewolf of London, or She-Wolf, on their Wolf Man set as it does tidy things up. Infact in that instance I bet there was some deciding to do when it got to the crossovers between the Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolf Man sequels. I would have like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on my Frankenstein set for example.

[John Hodson]

News from www.fangoria.com via Roobarbs. Has Anchor Bay come to some arrangement with Bill Lustig over rights to their former Hammer releases? This, from Fangoria's report on their recent 'Weekend of Horrors' meet, would suggest so:

After Fango publisher Norman Jacobs makes his usual humble appearance (garnering much applause), Tom Bambard of Anchor Bay Entertainment talks us through some DVD news for 2006. Titles mentioned include more MASTERS OF HORROR, THE SCORNED, IT WAITS, ROOM 6, CEMETERY MAN, TOOTH FAIRY, yet another EVIL DEAD rerelease (in a package shaped like the film’s infamous cabin this time!), new Divimax discs of HALLOWEEN 4 and 5, another possible HALLOWEEN special edition with the 25 YEARS OF TERROR documentary included and a remastered collection of Hammer films with new features (these are to be released in 2007).

See here.

[Nebiroth]

We can but hope; I don't think I'd be passionate enough to dip again, having snapped up many of the Hammers in a flurry upon the news that they were going OOP in r2 (and afaik Anchor Bay never had the rights to the one I didn't get, She), and the rest are more than adequate with the possible exception of Dracula, Prince of Darkness - not a brilliant transfer and not anamorphic either. The 7 Golden Vampires wasn't either but I'm not that anxious about that one! As I recall these were early releases; all the the later titles were anamorphic with good transfers. I'm not that big on extras so would not be tempted on the strength of just more of those.

One I'd be really keen on getting hold of would be The Satanic Rites of Dracula which I missed out on; I have to put up with the Platinum release (which is at least widescreen). I'd love to get the last film of the Lee/Dracula cycle.

Isn't it a pity that Universal, not AB, had the rights to the eight films stuffed into their boxset?

Of course, perhaps AB have something different in mind...a Blu-Ray/HD release perhaps?

[R-T-C]

Originally Posted by Nebiroth

Of course, perhaps AB have something different in mind...a Blu-Ray/HD release perhaps?

Apparently a few Hammer titles have been playing on Monsters HD recently in the USA. So lets hope they get DVD releases some time soon.

Alternatively, there are plenty of Hammer titles still not out on DVD that they could be releasing...

[Nebiroth]

Originally Posted by R-T-C

Alternatively, there are plenty of Hammer titles still not out on DVD that they could be releasing...

Yes, but it's unlikely that Anchor Bay would hold the rights - which are all over the place.

I think the 2007 releases will be new editions of the Hammers AB did before, but with new transfers and extras.

Let us hope that they don't stuff them all into a massive boxset - I'd be well gutted if that was the only way to get a decent copy of Satanic Rites !

[R-T-C]

6 new Hammer reviews at Mondo Esoterica!

A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967) - German E-M-S R2 DVD.
A good looking, entertaining film, just don't expect anything too clever.

The Devil-Ship Pirates (1964) - UK WB R2 DVD.
Another Hammer swashbuckler, simple script but good production.

The Lost Continent (1968) - German E-M-S R2 DVD.
One of Hammer's worst films, a terribly rushed plot and poor editing.

Men of Sherwood Forest (1954) - German E-M-S R2 DVD.
A good, but rather small scale film, worth a watch.

Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966) - ABUS R1 DVD.
A decent historical film with a stand-out Christopher Lee performance.

She (1965) - UK WB R2 DVD.
Hammer's attempt at an epic, looks good, especially the desert scenes, although the plot is a little thin.

Plus we have new cast/crew pages for Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Terence Fisher - plus a new Hammer Films page.

Enjoy!

[John Hodson]

That's a very useful Hammer resource you're developing there R-T-C.

[John Hodson]

DVD Drive-in review of Anchor Bay's new R1 of The Anniversary.

[Mike]

There are over 20 Hammer reviews on DVD Times.

You will find them here

[filmandtvman]

The German release of Dracula -Prince of Darkness is the best.
Anamorphic and with all Anchor Bay's R1 extras.
Columbia need to pul their finger out.
The only classic Gothic Hammer stuff unreleased is from them with The Gorgon and Two Faces of Dr.Jekyll.
But they have some rarities locked away too,like Never Take Sweets from a Stranger and Terror of the Tongs/Stranglers of Bombay .

[John Hodson]

Zeta Minor has added to its Hammer resource with a number of 'Top Ten Lists' which could prove useful for Hammer virgins (there's a gag in there somewhere, but for the life of me...)

See this page.