Hammer Films: The Ultimate Collection

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Hammer Films: The Ultimate Collection

Hammer Films: The Ultimate Collection

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The company’s direct sequel to Horror of Dracula has never fared very well on home video. Anchor Bay’s early DVD was dull, with muddy colors and fading on the edges of the frame. Subsequent U.K. and Italian releases were a little better but had issues of their own. This was the first Blu-ray release from the new Hammer company (unless we count Quatermass and the Pit; it’s unclear if that was completely under their banner). Most fans give it an unenthusiastic passing grade, but for my taste it’s one of the least watchable Hammer BDs. This is due to the green /yellow- hued color grading. I have seen several early theatrical screenings of DPOD from good quality prints, as well as numerous TV broadcasts through the years. While it was never going to match the sumptuous look of either of the first two entries in the Hammer Dracula series, it still had a ‘normal’ color palate. In the 1960’s, inspired by the success of PSYCHO, the legendary Hammer House of Horror produced a number of psychological thrillers scripted by screenwriter Jimmy Sangster.Sangster’s ultimate puzzle picture, PARANOIAC!, told the disturbing tale of the Ashby siblings gathering to claim their late parent’s inheritance. The appearance of a long dead brother, a decade after his apparent suicide, unearths a history of obsessive and sadomasochistic relationships… and quite possibly murder!Showcasing an early, explosive performance from Oliver Reed and boasting countless plot twists to keep horror fans guessing until the final frame, PARANOIAC! stands proudly as one of Hammer’s darkest and most sinister thrillers.But, let’s leave the final word to The New York Mirror: “Idiotically entertaining, provided, of course, that you can find entertainment in blood, gore and lunacy.” The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is wildly absurd in the best ways, a feat of exploitation filmmaking that is astonishing for existing in the first place, all the more so because it works so well. The Shaw brothers were initially unhappy with the film delivered by Roy Ward Baker, so they hired Chang Cheh, a favored director of theirs, to spice up the fight scenes. While evidently a vision of two separate artists, Golden Vampires is staged at such an operatic level that you can excuse any inconsistency in the presentation. The martial arts sequences are gorgeously handled in majestic wide shots; an early battle in an open field brings to mind the acrobatics in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The vampires don't disappoint either, and Cushing commits admirably to his part as he always does. It's only a shame that he doesn't engage in much kung fu…

The video and audio presentations of these films have all been apparently sourced from the same masters used for the individual Synapse Films Blu-ray releases, though there are sometimes obvious differences. The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb Retrospective (8 minutes) features an audio essay with Hammer historian Richard Klemense discussing the production of the film. This limited Hardbox edition comes with unique artwork and 5 discs including an exclusive bonus disc. For Twins of Evil, the differences are not as obvious. The Synapse presentation is cooler with pinker flesh tones and, once again, a slightly more narrow aspect ratio. The Imprint presentation is not as bright, though only by several degrees. Which is the more favorable is difficult to say as being darker benefits certain shots, yet slightly hampers others. The same level of detail and grain are on display, the latter much more moderate and even than the previous two presentations. It’s also the cleanest presentation thus far. As far as which is superior, it’s a toss up, though I tend to prefer Synapse’s cooler color palette overall.

Hammer Horror Merchandise

Alternative TV cut (99 mins): extended version with unique scenes, presented open matte in Standard Definition The last I read in their blog is the 4k scan of Curse of Frankenstein has been completed and is being examined.

Hammer had an unprecedented run of success through the end of the 1970s, before closing up shop in the wake of decreasing interest in their trademark Gothic horror melodramas, and the proliferation of increasingly violent films coming out of mainstream Hollywood that detracted from Hammer's bloodthirsty demographic. Over a 44-year period, Hammer produced nearly 166 films in addition to three anthology series for television, including Journey Into the Unknown and Hammer House of Horror. Presented on Blu-ray, this film has been upscaled to deliver the best possible visual presentation of this documentary.

About Glenn Erickson

It has since been released by Exclusive Media Group (which owns the new Hammer company) in the U.S. Not surprisingly it’s the same master. This is an example of when producing a Blu-ray release might not be the best idea if you can’t find good film source material. This Final Cut disc caught a lot of flak for looking objectionably grainy and soft. Once again the original negative for this film is most likely unserviceable, and this appears to be possibly transferred from a YCM ‘recombine.’ Without getting into the technical weeds, what is involved in a recombine is a process similar to the old Technicolor 3-strip negatives. Namely, three different strips of film, each containing one of the color matrices, are optically printed together to create a ‘new’ negative. There are a number of potential problems, however — overall softness and a buildup of dirt and grain. Color fringing occurs, much like the older rear screen televisions when the three color guns were slightly out of alignment. Perhaps that’s a simple way to explain recombining separations, but the relevant aspect is that it’s very possible to end up with a less than ideal element to use for an HD transfer. Terrance Fisher’s acclaimed, seminal horror The Mummy (1958) starring screen icon Peter Cushing (Star Wars, The Curse of Frankenstein, The Hound of The Baskervilles) has been unearthed from its tomb, and now the spellbinding horror cult classic is set for the Limited Edition treatment on Blu-ray, with a vast array of special features courtesy of Second Sight Films on 29th August 2022.



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