Hammer Films

[colinr0380]

And the next one after that is The Man in Black, a slight but entertaining proto mini-Hitchcock.

I wonder if The Man In Black is going to be in a larger faux-leather case or the slimmer version, because they seem to be alternating back and forth between 'thick' and 'thin' packaging releases. Since there has been some collaboration with the BBC on the Quatermass TV broadcasts being included in those sets, maybe we will get some episodes of the BBC's "Appointment with Fear" radio show with Valentine Dyall as the titular narrator. Apparently, according to Wikipedia, only four of the original Dyall episodes survive.

EDIT: Ah, I checked on the Hammer site and it will be one of the 'thin' releases, and there will be three episodes of the US "Suspense" radio show on there.

[What A Disgrace]

Curse of Frankenstein: Limited Edition

Somewhat alarming: only available to UK customers on their site.

[Orlac]

Curse of Frankenstein: Limited Edition

Somewhat alarming: only available to UK customers on their site.

Probably something to do with it still being owned by Warners in the US?

[What A Disgrace]

Almost certainly the reason. I wonder if Rarewaves or Diabolik will stock it.

[Finch]

Orbit have stocked their previous titles, including the most recent pre-order, so Curse of Frankenstein should be okay. I only hope that at least one of the boutique stores gets the regular edition too for $42. The tat at $80 is nuts, although, to be fair, the books are supposed to be pretty good.

[midnitedave]

Just confirmed with Orbit that they'll be stocking it, so worry not with exception to our wallets!

Edit: Diabolik also confirmed on their Instagram.

[dwk]

Curse of Frankenstein: Limited Edition

Somewhat alarming: only available to UK customers on their site.

Probably something to do with it still being owned by Warners in the US?

MifuneFan over at the Blu-ray forum asked Hammer and they confirmed that WAC will be releasing it on UHD in the US.

[Finch]

Depending on whether the idiotic executive order lifting the De Minimus Exception is allowed to stand on August 29 or not, the Warner edition of Curse may well be the only affordable option for US-based buyers. I'm grateful Warner are giving us the choice.

PS: Hammer have confirmed to users elsewhere that the entire UK set including the 4Ks will be region-locked at Warner's request.

[midnitedave]

Hammer Films have published a blog post regarding their Curse of Frankenstein release. Notably, they state that their UHDs will NOT be region locked:

HN: Are the UHD discs locked also?
SR: No. UHD discs are a region-free format and our UHDs are not locked, as per our previous releases.

[Matt]

Yes, the pre-order page now explicitly says "This release is a UK release only. US and ROW release available from The Warner Archive Collection. UHD discs by default are region free, Blu-Ray discs are Region B."

[Dr Amicus]

Both Men of Sherwood Forest and Wolfshead have recently been rated by the BBFC suggesting they’ll be coming soon, presumably together.

Combine with the Indicator release and you have a complete Hammer Robin Hood I think.

[domino harvey]

Men of Sherwood Forrest (with Wolfshead TV pilot) is indeed next, coming in November

[Derek Estes]

I was wondering if John Gore acquiring Hammer in 2023 has anything to do with the halt in the Indicator Hammer releases. They were starting to release the Universal/Hammer titles after the boxes containing the Columbia films. I’ve really been loving the care put into these Hammer editions, and have been picking them up even as expensive as they are for individual films.

[Dr Amicus]

The minor but quite fun Whispering Smith Hits London is the latest at the BBFC. Surely this can’t merit a £35 4k on its own? Maybe as a double bill (Yanks in Blighty) with the previously passed 36 Hours?

[domino harvey]

Somehow not related to the Alan Ladd western of the same name from only a few years prior— what an odd choice to name its character that

[What A Disgrace]

The big book on the Curse of Frankenstein set is entitled "The Books of Frankenstein Volume One", so I expect we'll be seeing more Frankenstein sets from Hammer.

[colinr0380]

It may also be significant to its importance that The Curse of Frankenstein was the first set I ordered directly from Hammer that turned up in a cardboard box which actually had the title of the film proudly printed on it in the same fluorescent green font as well!

And you are correct in your expectation What A Disgrace, as they have The Horror of Frankenstein up for pre-order right now! That's that rather unfairly maligned 1970 entry in the series, mostly because it has Ralph Bates playing Frankenstein and David Prowse (aka the body of Darth Vader and the Green Cross Code man!) as the creature instead of Cushing and Lee. Which makes it sort of occupy a similar position to the one that The Brides of Dracula does in that series.

[The Curious Sofa]

At least Brides of Dracula (probably my favourite Hammer movie) had Cushing.

[MichaelB]

I was wondering if John Gore acquiring Hammer in 2023 has anything to do with the halt in the Indicator Hammer releases. They were starting to release the Universal/Hammer titles after the boxes containing the Columbia films. I’ve really been loving the care put into these Hammer editions, and have been picking them up even as expensive as they are for individual films.

No connection at all. The sad fact is that the Hammer-owned titles were never available, neither were the Warner-owned ones, and the wellspring available to Indicator with regard to Columbia, StudioCanal and Universal (or at least the titles that they were willing to sub-license) had pretty much run dry.

Volume 6 didn't involve them "starting to release the Universal/Hammer titles", it was a one-off box comprising the Universal titles that were available to them. People got a little over-excited and rumours inevitably started spreading, but they never had any basis in fact.

It's no secret that a volume 7 devoted to Columbia-owned Hammer comedies has been on the drawing board for some time (comedy being the one major Hammer genre that Indicator has thus far neglected), and hopefully this will still happen, but right now there aren't enough high-definition masters available for a four-film box set and Sony doesn't allow third-party access to their 35mm vault materials. But that's the reason for the delay, not anything to do with Hammer.

[Tuppence]

I think that's just StudioCanal's upcoming version, rather than Hammer's own edition.

[colinr0380]

I think that's just StudioCanal's upcoming version, rather than Hammer's own edition.

Ah, sorry my mistake! Yes, it looks as if they have added that and the Studio Canal UHD of The Scars of Dracula to their store.

[Dr Amicus]

I think that's just StudioCanal's upcoming version, rather than Hammer's own edition.

Ah, sorry my mistake! Yes, it looks as if they have added that and the Studio Canal UHD of The Scars of Dracula to their store.

The weakest of the respective runs, although the Frankenstein was intended to start a new series with Ralph Bates replacing Cushing. To rub salt into the wounds, just compare and contrast the extra features for Hammer’s releases and these. I’ve been making my through the Quatermass sets and the B movies, and they have quantity and quality. Indicator’s releases also have excellent extras.

Apparently Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell, Fisher’s last film and a worthy, underrated one, is on the cards. Second Sight did a very nice blu a couple of years back, so I’d prefer Woman or Must be Destroyed, but those I think are with Studio Canal and Warners.

[What A Disgrace]

Whispering Smith Hits London is their December release.

[What A Disgrace]

And their end release is an early Terrence Fisher:

[MichaelB]

That'll be a phenomenal upgrade from the low-bitrate ropey print-sourced SD "bonus feature" that was how I saw it.

(To The Mummy, I think.)