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[13-13]

my local indie dvd shop has started getting quite a few hammer dvds in, part of the hammer collection series and i've picked up a few (devil rides out, the nany, plague of zombies..etc) but was wondering what are the real gems to go for and what to avoid like the plague.

this is what they all look like(obviously with different picture and title and so on)



any suggestions would be most kind.

thx  

[Inspector Tanzi]

you can't go wrong with this boxset Amy

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=285;5;-1;-1;-1&sku=566620

[13-13]

don't....2 or 3 fucking times i had to return my hammer house of horror boxsets to hmv, and everytime the first disc was faulty..until they run out. and they were cheap. well annoyed.

already got out of the boxset
Demons of the Mind
The Devil Rides Out
Scars of Dracula
The Plague of the Zombies
The Nanny
Blood from the Mummies Tomb

well i think thats every hammer dvd ive got i think.

but that bloody cheap...hhmmm..

[R-T-C Tim]

You have to see the first three Hammer gothic horrors: Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula and The Mummy. All are available in the UK from WB, good pq but no extras.


For horror, I would also recommend:
Revenge of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed
Vampire Lovers

I believe these are all still available in the UK.

If you can play R1 discs, I would recommend Universal's 'Hammer Horror Series Boxset' which has 8 films, including the impressive 'Curse of the Werewolf' with Oliver Reed which is worth the asking price alone. You also get a couple of their black and white thrillers, an adventure film, sequels to Dracula and Frankenstein, plus Phantom of the Opera and Kiss of the Vampire - a very good vampire gothic horror, but without any links to the Dracula series.

Of course there is more to Hammer than just horror and their adventure films are certainly good fun - a four disc set came out in the US last year and I would recommend that too.

I've got reviews of 45 Hammer films, with DVD details, plus a background to the studio on my website: Hammer Films Guide.

[13-13]

thank you!
i'll have a read of your site when a get i nfrom work later.

always been curious about the other non-horror hammer films, altho i think i'll draw the line at the on the buses films.

[Jonny]

The 21 disc Hammer Box set is currently down to £26.97 

The Ultimate Hammer Collection (21 Disc Box Set) - Amazon.co.uk

A superb price and a great starting point to any Hammer collection.

[gaz1]

i saw this in hmv last week i'm sure its a tad cheaper in there,
i was tempted but haven't picked it up yet

[cannibal man]

The 21 disc Hammer Box set is currently down to £26.97 

The Ultimate Hammer Collection (21 Disc Box Set) - Amazon.co.uk

A superb price and a great starting point to any Hammer collection.

that is around 1 pound 20 per disc.
great value.
nice to see them released in a box set.

i just love the hammer films.
brit horror in general.

[Inspector Tanzi]

The 21 disc Hammer Box set is currently down to £26.97 

The Ultimate Hammer Collection (21 Disc Box Set) - Amazon.co.uk

A superb price and a great starting point to any Hammer collection.

£33.99 now but still a great price.

[cannibal man]

The 21 disc Hammer Box set is currently down to £26.97 

The Ultimate Hammer Collection (21 Disc Box Set) - Amazon.co.uk

A superb price and a great starting point to any Hammer collection.

£33.99 now but still a great price.

sure is mate.
not even an average of 2 quid per film.
and these hammer films remember are true classics.
some of the best films ive ever seen.

[cannibal man]

well i bought taste the bloof of dracula dor 3 quid last week.
not bad eh.

there  few more i will probably get.
like.
wicker man original for 6 quid i think it is.
dracula prince of darkness 3 quid.

[CJ]

You simply have to get the Warners DVD of Dracula Has Risen From the Grave, my favourite Hammer of all time and a good investment since I watch it about twice a year. Absolutely love it to bits. Seeing the Hammer films in their correct OAR and with DVD resolution has been an absolute revelation and you realise just how good these films are. Seeing Brides of Dracula on DVD was like seeing it for the first time - some of that primary colour lighting must surely have been an influence on Mario Bava and subsequently on Argento? Maybe the look of Italian cinema owes more of a debt to the talents of Terence Fisher than we realise..?

[broonage]

I'm a bit behind on what's what in Hammer (releases etc).

I have tons of them on DVD and maybe 3/4 on reissue VHS from the 2000s.
Not sure what is cut etc..and the best versions to get. I have a bunch of the boxsets from HMV too.

[CJ]

Most releases are uncut, or at least as uncut as they can be, some footage is probably lost forever ie: Vampire Circus.

The Warner releases of the early trio of classics, Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy, are the best currently available - but I really wish Warners had allowed the BFI to release their restored version of (Horror of) Dracula. Let's hope Warners revisits these titles for Blu-ray at some point. Word is also afoot that in a Japanese vault some of the long-lost footage for Dracula has been discovered and that Warners are being urged to approach them about it. Once Japan gets back on its feet, it'll be curious to see where this leads.

Some of the early Anchor Bay Hammer titles were a bit shoddy, but watchable - and at least Dracula - Prince of Darkness and The Satanic Rites of Dracula were uncut, even if they were non-anamorphic and somewhat poor in presentation. Satanic Rites is crying out for a decent release, but there's no sign of one yet, that I know of.

One gem worth getting hold of, and is another favourite of mine, is the unique Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Never before was a sex change so sexy!  

[imaginaryforces]

I would highly recommend Blood on Satans Claw and The Nanny. I only saw The Nanny recently but was really taken back by how great it is. It reminded me in some ways of early Polanski films like Repulsion. Very tense and dark.