Dracula Prince of Darkness DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Paul Arnette]

Hi all.

A search of HTF produced no answers, so could someone tell me if Anchor Bay Entertainment's Dracula Prince of Darkness came with an insert or not? The DVD I opened tonight did not include one.

Thanks.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Yes, Anchor Bay's Dracula - Prince of Darkness has an insert. It's a two-sided card that has Chapter Stops on one side and a reproduction of the British quad movie poster on the other.

 

[Paul Arnette]

Thanks. I figured as much, I guess I need to get in touch with Anchor Bay.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I'm resureccting this thread (pun intended) because I finally got around to picking up the WB Hammer Horror Collection this past week and after seeing many of these films for the first time, despite much of the camp value, enjoyed them quite a bit.

I was just wondering whether "Dracula: Rrince Of Darkness" or "Scars Of Dracula" were going to be revisited anytime soon with new anamorphic transfers, since both are quite dated in terms of DVD releases and both appear to be currently out of print.

Also, I was wondering if anybody could offer their opinions on whether or not these films are any good being later entires in the Hammer Dracula catalogue? Are they worth owning on DVD? Do they measure up to the quality of films presented in the WB set?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Bob Graham]

A re-release seems unlikely anytime soon. AB's rights to the Hammer titles have expired. The rights are currently held by Blue Underground whos has gone on record as saying they aren't interested in re-releasing them.

As to whether or not they're worth owning, that's a matter of personal choice (and what it would cost to pick them up). Neither is as good as HORROR OF DRACULA (but then again, what is?) but I find them worth owning. A big plus for me is the bonus disc that comes with the AB SCARS OF DRACULA which features a great interview with Lee (his remarks about Peter Cushing and Vincent Price are genuinely touching) and some Lee music videos which are bizarre (but very entertaining)

 

[John Hodson]

A big plus for me is the bonus disc that comes with the AB SCARS OF DRACULA which features a great interview with Lee (his remarks about Peter Cushing and Vincent Price are genuinely touching) and some Lee music videos which are bizarre (but very entertaining)

I quite like SoD, but as you say Bob the extras are well worth having. It is anamorphic BTW, and still available at some etailers including DVD Pacific where it's listed as being 'in stock' here.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Thanks guys!

Is Scars the better of the two productions?

This one was a follow-up to POD, right?

 

[John Hodson]

Marco, all you need to know about Hammer on DVD is here

 

[JulianK]

Thanks for the plug, John!

Most Hammer fans would agree that ...Prince of Darkness is a vastly superior film to Scars.... It's a bit unfair to compare them, though, since they were made nearly a decade apart, and the genre had evolved quite significantly in that time.

Prince is a fine film in the Grand Guignol tradition that made Hammer's reputation.

Scars is a more brutal, more visceral film, lacking the charm - and the artistry - of the late fifties and early sixties Hammer movies.

Both are worth having, of course!

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Thanks guys!!

I'll be ordering both discs from DVDPacific this week!

 

[John Stell]

... since they were made nearly a decade apart...

?? PofD was released 1966, Scars 1970. But it's interesting to see how much changed in 4 years.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Does everyone agree that 'Satanic Rites' was a stinker?

That seems to be the general consensus from all yje reviews I've read, inclusing Amazon's ratings...

 

[Matt Stieg]

So why is Blue Underground not interested in releasing the Hammer films?

 

[JulianK]

PofD was released 1966, Scars 1970. But it's interesting to see how much changed in 4 years.

PofD and Scars were made almost exactly five years apart. Yeah, not quite a decade!

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

I see SCARS OF DRACULA at DVDPacific, but no DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS... :frowning:

 

[CameronMcC]

dracula prince of darkness/satanic rites had been going for hefty OOP prices a while back. I still see it at borders from time to time.

 

[Jeff_HR]

My edition has an insert. One side has the Chapter Stops & the other side is a small version of a lobby poster. Does this help?

 

[walter o]

yeah, I saw one at my local borders too. Did they re-pressed it?

 

[Paul Arnette]

Walter,

Whether you are referring to the Dracula Prince of Darkness stand-alone release or the Dracula Price of Darkness/Satanic Rites of Dracula double-feature, I'm certain that the answer to your question is the same either way: No Anchor Bay did not repress these discs, not recently anyway. As mentioned above, the rights to some of Anchor Bay's Hammer films, including the two mentioned here, transitioned to Blue Underground sometime back.

Border's can be a bit of a timewarp for out-of-print DVDs. I suspect that their high prices and somewhat ecletic selection has something to do with that. However, if you are interested in purchasing these, I would recommend you do so sooner rather than later as they are most likely still cheaper than you will be able to find on the secondhand market, and Blue Underground has said they do not plan to release any of Hammer films they now have rights to anytime soon, much to my disappointment.

 

[Paul Arnette]

Jeff_HR,

LOL. Thanks for answering the question that I posed almost two and a half years ago, while I certainly appreciate it, I have long since addressed the issue with Anchor Bay.

Suffice it to say this thread has taken on a life of its own. It is undead!