First, allow me to discuss the DVD presentation. The only extra features are: theatrical trailers and English subtitles for all four movies. We who are hearing impaired thank Sony for the subtitles. Commentaries would’ve been nice, especially for those who have a celebrated film in this collection. The restoration is suited and the audio is strong and obvious for all four features. “The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll” and “The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb” are presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1; “The Gorgon” and “Yowl of Anxiety” are presented in 1.66:1. Except for “Yowl of Scare,” all features are in pretty color. The unlit and white print is sure and attractive for “Bellow of Awe.” Too poor it wasn’t in color. Overall, the DVD presentation is very proper. Now for the review:
Buy,Download, Or Stream Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (2-disc)! Click Here
Hammer Film Productions was famed for their gothic fright films. This is a wonderful collection and introduction for anyone irregular with Hammer. Terror icon Christopher Lee (most illustrious for his role as Dracula) is in three of the films. Other panic legends include Peter Cushing, Barbara Shelly, Susan Strasberg, and Oliver Reed. All four movies involve monsters, primarily humans who have become monsters, whether physically or intellectually. Also, in these films, the viewer doesn’t know who the valid monster is. (The films are rife with betrayal.) A monster can be anyone. Sometimes they are normal in appearance. I promise you no region spoilers as I briefly picture the monster scenario in each of these highly rated classic gems.
“The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll” – Aging Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion and becomes a younger, more gorgeous man who wishes to be free of all responsibility for his amoral actions. (Don’t we all wish we could live like that? Isn’t there a monster in all of us? ) Masquerading as Dr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll learns that his fair wife and best friend (Lee) are traitorous monsters.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (2-disc)! Click Here
“The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb.” – Ra, the Egyptian Prince, has been resurrected by an sinister person who possesses an amulet. Who are they and why are they seeking to waste everyone around them? The proper monster is the one who is controlling the downhearted mummy.
“The Gorgon.” Both Lee and Cushing star as a doctor and a professor, respectively, who are seeking to demolish the monster who turns innocent villagers into stone with their peer. Unfortunately, the monster may actually be a respected member of the community.
“Bawl of Awe.” This “Hitchcock”-like thriller stars Susan Strasberg as a crippled young woman; for the first time in ten years, she is visiting her wealthy father who lives on the French Riviera. Someone in the household is a monster who is trying to drive her insane. Quite a obliging mystery with many surprises.
In fact, all four films are mysterious, dark, creepy, and monstrous. I’m surprised these haven’t already been released on DVD in America. They are truly profitable terror classics. I can’t boom you which one is my approved. For having been made in the 1960s, these films own violence that is surprisingly graphic and unsightly. Also, clear scenes in “The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll” had language and sexual innuendoes that were hilarious.
This collection is a must have for fans of gothic dread from Hammer Film Productions. I’m very satisfied I bought it. Try to seize it away from me and I’ll turn into a monster.
The packaging on this location is imperfect. The shroud shot looks as if somebody ran wild with (Adobe) Illustrator and Photoshop. It looked like the work of one of those labels whose ‘best available source material’ was a badly faded VHS tape. There are no special features except for the novel theatrical trailers. If it hadn’t been for the “Columbia” and “Sony” logos on the rear jacket this one would have stayed on the shelf.
But, that’s where the awful news ends. The films have been re-mastered in high definition. The images are pristine. The colour is vibrant. The audio tracks have been re-mastered to stereo. Even the trailers have been cleaned up. The menus are easy to navigate. The station features two gems and a pair of delicious films. The label works out to about six bucks per film.
This is a estimable region and a pleasant value.
Scream of Anxiety ****
This film evokes images of Hitchcock’s better work. Jimmy Sangster’s myth has plenty of twists and turns. The acting from the principle players is sterling. Susan Strasberg delivers a riveting performance. Ann Todd’s performance is wonderfully subtle. Christopher Lee shows the range that made him an icon of the genre. Ronald Lewis is both chilling and charming as the man sympathetic to Strasberg’s dilemma.
The technical side of the represent is strong also. Director Seth Holt kept Sangster’s fable appealing at a brisk bolt. The cinematography and lighting are wonderful. The dismal and white photography is magnificent. The win, by Clifton Parker enhances the mood of the film extremely well.
This is an favorable portion of work.
The Gorgon ****
The Gorgon is a wonderfully crafted motion recount. Director Terrence Fisher regarded it as his finest or one of his finest works and he was probably correct. It’s right that the snakes on the Gorgon’s makeup spy terrible but the blame (likely) lies with the amount of money the crew had to work with. The rubber snakes aside, this film breathtakingly stunning to examine. The cinematography of Michael Reed is good. The develop of the production by Bernard Robinson is handsome. The lighting (which is uncredited) casts one glorious highlight after another. The colour (by Technicolor) is fair. J. Llewellyn Devine’s narrative, and John Gilling’s adaptation of it, gave the crew plenty to work with.
(Terrence) Fisher’s directing knits this web together perfectly. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee both give shapely performances. Barbara Shelley delivers an intriguing turn as Cushing’s assistant. Michael Goodliffe and Richard Pasco yelp strong characterizations. Even the Village Police Inspector played by Patrick Troughton avoids being a completely one-dimensional figure. There are a few backdrops that aren’t convincing and the aforementioned snakes’ heads contemplate a tiny laughable but those are limited complaints.
This is an example of the genre at its most poetic. It’s not to be missed.
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll **
The buy that writer Wolf Mankowitz gave to (Robert Louis) Stevenson’s classic is engaging enough but the myth never lives up to its novel promise. The narrative bogs down periodically and the characters are often former. Jekyll’ is overwrought and self-righteous. Hyde is an vivid version of pure deplorable who can be really dull. Jekyll’s wife is an unsympathetic character. Hyde’s lover seems hooked on her bear destruction. They’re all one-dimensional.
Terrence Fisher and the actors around him do what they can but that’s minute. Paul Masse does well with the roles of Jekyll and Hyde but he couldn’t do the impossible. ‘Hyde’ is animated enough but ‘Jekyll’ is flat. He spends most of his mask time acting as if he’d be a lot of fun at funerals. Dawn Addams never evokes any sympathy over being caught in a loveless marriage. Norma Marla does shapely well in the role of the women who falls in fancy with Hyde but she was little by the script. The only character that’s fleshed out thoroughly is the one played by Christopher Lee. He plays the allotment of an unprincipled leech brilliantly. It’s a credit to his talent that he could do so remarkable with petite material.
This isn’t a abominable film. The story-line is idea provoking and there are some suited moments. But, it’s inconsistent. And when it’s monotonous, it’s tedious.
The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb **
This film has plenty of faults. The makeup job on the Mummy is terrible. Its head looks like it’s made of soggy cardboard. The best parts of the script were borrowed from their first version of the tale. The characters are all stock. There’s an gallant academic who bores his girlfriend. There’s a bored girlfriend who falls for the charming gleaming. Of course there’s a charming quick-witted. There’s the obligatory Egyptian who warns about the dangers of ‘defiling the dead’ (who in Egypt always have curse ready for people who do that) . And, naturally, there’s a huckster in there. How could there not be?
But this crew does a decent job with it. Ronald Howard is wonderfully uninteresting as the academic who’d rather woo women with hieroglyphics than moonlight. Jeanne Roland is a perfect Doe-eyed ingénue. Her character isn’t the brightest bulb on the cloak but she bats her bonny browns deliciously. Terrence Morgan is slippery, suave, charming and contented to indicate her the poetry of life. And Fred Clark is delightfully dollar-happy as the promoter looking to do the Mummy under lights. Director and Writer Michael Carreras had the sense to throw in a few surprises. And he did it in ways that don’t seem contrived.
When the cardboard-headed Mummy finally does accelerate loose there are some chilling moments. The stride residence by Carreras is brisk one. His narrative, though not particularly unique, seldom drags. The cinematography and production get by Otto Heller and Bernard Robinson are kindly. The action scenes are convincing.
This isn’t a astronomical film (or even a particularly splendid one) but it has one thing going for it: it’s fun.
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