Hammer Horror Blu-ray Releases

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

I’m not sure why you would guess that, as both The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula were previously released in the UK by Hammer/Lionsgate/Icon, and for Curse they got scans from WB.

Warner loaned the/an IP, they did their own scan of it. It wasn’t ideal and I can never forget their flawed insistence the OAR was 1.37:1. Kudos to them for being the first to restore the eyeball shot though, missing from the Warner materials.

The new Warner 4K restoration is far superior and I hope they license it as the basis for a 4K disc.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Warner loaned the/an IP, they did their own scan of it. It wasn’t ideal and I can never forget their flawed insistence the OAR was 1.37:1. Kudos to them for being the first to restore the eyeball shot though, missing from the Warner materials.

The new Warner 4K restoration is far superior and I hope they license it as the basis for a 4K disc.

I prefer the 1.37:1 AR, regardless of its accuracy to how it was originally projected, and am damned glad WB included all three ARs instead of only the too tight 1.85:1 AR. And yeah, I agree, WB’s 4K restoration is vastly superior and hopefully Hammer can put that bad boy out in a vastly superior deluxe edition with all three AR choices, the wonderful Frankenstein Reborn and Life With Sir documentaries, the World of Hammer episode, the Tales of Frankenstein pilot (remastered from film instead of that ancient video master) and the Marcus Hearn/Jonathan Rigby commentary from the Lionsgate/Icon Blu ported over, as well as the Steve Haberman/Constantine Nasr commentary and the four featurettes and theatrical trailer from the WB Blu.

[Hammerlover]

Gotta say I'm glad Kino didn't release the first Hammer 4K; it's only right that Hammer themselves did it; and what a stunning release CAPTAIN KRONOS is. Bravo!

[ste71]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

Gotta say I'm glad Kino didn't release the first Hammer 4K; it's only right that Hammer themselves did it; and what a stunning release CAPTAIN KRONOS is. Bravo!

Hammer 4K certainly hit the ground running with the Captain Kronos release.

[Seasnake30]

Do I need to watch The Brides of Dracula before Dracula: Prince of darkness?

[ste71]

Originally Posted by Seasnake30

Do I need to watch The Brides of Dracula before Dracula: Prince of darkness?

Personally speaking, no.

[bonddm]

From the latest email…

“More Quatermass 2 products coming very soon…“

[wabrit]

Originally Posted by Seasnake30

Do I need to watch The Brides of Dracula before Dracula: Prince of darkness?

No - BOD is very much a standalone Dracula-free entry in the series, DPOD is the direct sequel to the 1958 film. Not that you shouldn't watch BOD of course, it's one of Hammer's very best.

[oddbox83]

BOD has Helsing so it’s still part of the loose continuity. No need to watch in order though. DPOD through Taste the Blood are the only that directly follow on IIRC.

[pnaschy]

Originally Posted by bonddm

From the latest email…

“More Quatermass 2 products coming very soon…“

Quatermass 2 4k as the next release.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by pnaschy

Quatermass 2 4k as the next release.

Was hoping for a classic gothic but this will certainly suffice.

[wabrit]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

BOD has Helsing so it’s still part of the loose continuity. No need to watch in order though. DPOD through Taste the Blood are the only that directly follow on IIRC.

You could watch the "Van Helsing" series in its own right of course, taking in D, BOD, DAD72, TSROD and finishing up with Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.

You're right - Scars of Dracula abandoned the strong through line of continuity that lasted up to TTBOD. It was something of a reboot.

[wabrit]

Originally Posted by pnaschy

Quatermass 2 4k as the next release.

There's a school of thought that the Hammer Quatermass series is almost unique amongst film trilogies in that each film was better than the one before. It's a fun parlour game to propose some other examples!

[SMOOT]

Originally Posted by Seasnake30

Do I need to watch The Brides of Dracula before Dracula: Prince of darkness?

As others stated, no, you do not.

With that said, Brides of Dracula is a sequel to Horror of Dracula (aka Dracula), but with Van Helsing continuing on while "Count Dracula is dead" and before the Count is returned in Dracula: Prince of Darkness.

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by wabrit

There's a school of thought that the Hammer Quatermass series is almost unique amongst film trilogies in that each film was better than the one before. It's a fun parlour game to propose some other examples!

Same as the BBC originals. They built and Pit is the masterpiece. Still beats the Hammer version too IMO, even if the Hammer Pit is great.

For the first 2 Hammer versions, I side with Kneale himself in thinking Donlevy was horribly miscast but I still enjoy those films in general.

[wabrit]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

For the first 2 Hammer versions, I side with Kneale himself in thinking Donlevy was horribly miscast but I still enjoy those films in general.

Yes the first 2 succeed despite Donleavy, who was presumably cast with one eye on American sales.

[Number 28]

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

Was hoping for a classic gothic but this will certainly suffice.

As much as I would love Quatermass 2 to be the next release and it would make sense to follow on from The Quatermass Xperiment, I consider it would be best for variety and interest for a classic gothic to appear now as the next big box set. Or would Quatermass 2 be released, even though I think it should be a £60 box set, as a smaller box set like The Four Sided Triangle and Shatter, if going by the pattern of one big box set followed by 2 smaller ones?

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Same as the BBC originals. They built and Pit is the masterpiece. Still beats the Hammer version too IMO, even if the Hammer Pit is great.

For the first 2 Hammer versions, I side with Kneale himself in thinking Donlevy was horribly miscast but I still enjoy those films in general.

THANK YOU. If Peter Cushing had played Quatermass in the first two films instead of Brian Donlevy, they would be two of the greatest sci-fi/horror films ever made. Andre Morell would have been ideal as well. As they are, they come frustratingly close but are helplessly hamstrung by Donlevy’s performances, especially the first film, yikes. In The Quatermass Xperiment, Donlevy manages to make the sympathetic intelligent British scientist Quatermass one of the most thoroughly unsympathetic, unintelligent, unlikable, unreasonable, and unscientific British scientists in the history of cinema, not to mention the most American British scientist in the history of cinema. He softens his character a bit in the second film, thank Zeus, making him almost human. Happily, Quatermass and the Pit IS one of the greatest sci-fi/horror films ever made, because we’ve got the extremely dependable Andrew Keir as Quatermass this time, who absolutely nails the character good and proper. He’s right up there with Andre Morell. As for QatP serial vs film, I love them both for different reasons, and don’t think I could choose one over the other. They’re both absolutely essential. I hope the other two Quatermass films get similar deluxe treatment to the first one, also including their BBC serial precursors and associated extras. I’m in for all of them.

[Hammerlover]

Originally Posted by Number 28

As much as I would love Quatermass 2 to be the next release and it would make sense to follow on from The Quatermass Xperiment, I consider it would be best for variety and interest for a classic gothic to appear now as the next big box set. Or would Quatermass 2 be released, even though I think it should be a £60 box set, as a smaller box set like The Four Sided Triangle and Shatter, if going by the pattern of one big box set followed by 2 smaller ones?

For my wallet's sake I hope it will be a smaller, less expensive set a la TRIANGLE and SHATTER. But I am all in for this series and will buy whatever they release. With a username like mine, I pretty much have to!

[Hammerlover]

My Spidey sense is telling me that Hammer MAY have a deal with StudioCanal.