Universal Announces Hammer Horror set (1 Viewer)

[Mark Zimmer]

This is great news, even if the packaging won't be optimal. I'd thought Universal was just going to ignore these pictures forever.

I've had zero problem with the stuffed A&C sets and the M&P Kettle ones, even on my most temperamental player.

 

[Jim_K]

Wow! Eeeeexelent news!

8 Hammer titles & OAR to boot. Am I dreaming?

Hopefully the video presentation will be up to snuff.

 

[Justin_S]

The Lugosi set will only be one disc? DVDAnswers says so, but a post earlier in this thread says it'll be two discs. Which is it?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Wow, there's some GREAT news flooding this board today! First the SE for THE STING, and now the Hammer Horrors! And Universal's also releasing those Lugosi/Karloff classics!

Nice work, Universal - now that you're on the right track, don't go to sleep!

 

[Stephen PI]

Quote:
8 Hammer titles & OAR to boot.

OAR is what concerns me. For example, "Kiss of the Vampire" was definitely composed for 1.66:1. Alan Hume, the DP, told this information to a friend of mine. How is Universal going to handle this?
Except for "Paranoiac" and "Nightmare", the rest were shot for either 1.66 or 1.75.

 

[John Hodson]

Universal's specs says Kiss of trhe Vampire will be presented in 1.85:1. The rest of the ARs, as you can see, vary from 1.66:1 to 2.35:1.

 

[PatH]

Please some details about Sting-SE. Off topic, but someone mentioned it in this thread, so . . . .

Pat H.

 

[PhilipG]

Fantastic news to start my morning!


DraculaOD is definitely one of my favourites. As a general rule of thumb though, the absolute best Hammers are those with both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee starring. Cushing's Frankenstein movies are all pretty great, and Lee is excellent in The Devil Rides Out and The Hound of The Baskervilles.

 

[Stephen PI]

Quote:
Universal's specs says Kiss of the Vampire will be presented in 1.85:1. The rest of the ARs, as you can see, vary from 1.66:1 to 2.35:1.

So, according to these specs, "Phantom of the Opera" and "Captain Clegg" will both be presented in 2.00:1. That will be very interesting to see.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

This is pretty cool news. I was just thinking the other day (and I think I posted it in another thread) that Evil of Frankenstein was the only Hammer Frankenstein film not out on DVD yet. The Anchor Bay titles are out of print, but at least they were released at some point, though. It would be nice if AB would re-issue some of their Hammer films, rather than putting out 17 different incarnations of the Evil Dead series.

The Universal set is good news, though. Nice that we'll finally be getting a new Sting edition, too.

 

[BrettGallman]

Wow, this set looks great. Not too keen on the presentation, as it reminds me of Paramount's recent Friday the 13th Box Set. I don't know, but when multiple films like this are crammed onto one or two discs, it just feels sort of lazy and cheap. I make an exception for the Universal Legacy Sets, as I really did enjoy those discs all the way around.

But, I'm not going to complain too much. It's worth having some more Hammer horror on DVD.

Also, I know this isn't related to the subject, but this got me excited too:



It's about time.

 

[Mario Gauci]

You know, I hate symmetry, but I currently have 25 Hammer horrors on DVD and, with this latest announcement from Universal, it brings the list of Hammer horrors I've yet to acquire on DVD to...25!

I can't pronounce myself yet on the freezing issues people have encountered with Universal's Franchise Collections as the only one I've ordered so far is "The Gary Cooper Collection" and I've yet to receive it; it did have me concerned enough to dissuade me from picking up the 3 Abbott & Costello sets, though:frowning:!

Anyway, I hope and pray that these Hammer discs will work out fine (for me as well as everybody else, of course) because so far I've only watched half of the films contained within; I've been dying to watch BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960), as well as THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964) and NIGHTMARE (1964) - all of which, for various reasons, I've missed when they were shown on Italian TV - but CAPTAIN CLEGG (1962) is particulary welcome as it's never been shown over here or even available on PAL VHS.

Announcements like these certainly make our collective hysterical outcries in the past against the Studios' blatant laziness with issuing forth these gems on DVD as something out of The Twilight Zone...or The Stone Age! Now, all we need is for Columbia to wake up and put forth its own Hammer and Boris Karloff collections - as long as I get to watch/own TASTE OF FEAR (1961) and THE DAMNED (1963) sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, with all these Horror films coming up on DVD (not to mention those I've yet to pick up), I can already see myself postponing the purchase of more "artistic" fare like BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (1932), AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (1966), F FOR FAKE (1973) and L'ARGENT (1983) - to mention just some of my favorite directors' films I've yet to add to my collection - to make way for The Bela Lugosi Collection, The Hammer Horror Series Collection and THE INNOCENTS (1961). OR :frowning:? I'm sure this perplexity of mine will please Joe Karlosi no end. Anyway, I'm happy for him that one of his own all-time favorites, THE STING (1973), is being prepped up for a much-deserved 2-Disc SE, which I'll happily add to my own collection, naturally.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Whoa! The Universal-controlled Hammer horror mother load!!! It will most definitely be mine!

And, so as not to disappoint Paul Scott:

It's a great set, but where's SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961)?

 

[Mark Zimmer]

As I understand it, Blue Underground controls the rights to the Hammers that Anchor Bay put out (Bill Lustig sublicensed them to AB). They were going to put out their own editions but decided that AB's market penetration had been too good and shelved that idea, at least for the time being. Maybe as they get harder and harder to find BU will take them up again.

 

[Stephen PI]

Quote:
- as long as I get to watch/own TASTE OF FEAR (1961) and THE DAMNED (1963) sooner rather than later.

"TASTE OF FEAR" (1961) has been available in a boxset in Japan for about a year.
Sony Columbia has about 30 unreleased Hammer titles. Among them, besides the two mentioned above, "TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL", "STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY", "CAMP ON BLOOD ISLAND", "NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER" and many other comedies and dramas.

 

[AlanP]

Who owns "SHADOW OF THE CAT" ?? Warners, Columbia, or Universal ??

 

[Charlie O.]

does anyone know if Phantom of the opera will include the footage from the TV version or just the theatrical release?

 

[Stephen PI]

quote:
Who owns "SHADOW OF THE CAT" ?? Warners, Columbia, or Universal ??

I think "SHADOW OF THE CAT" is owned by Universal, but I don't think they realise it's link with Hammer. It was shot at Bray and used it's technicians and even went out in a double bill with "CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF", in England, but it does not use Hammer's name.

 

[Steve Phillips]

Very doubtful.

I'd love to see the alternate TV versions of THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, KISS OF THE VAMPIRE and PHANTOM offered, but it is not likely. Luckily I recorded them from TV back in the day so if I want to see that additional footage I can.

 

[Dick]

Sony/Columbia has a history of dribbling out their catalog titles one, two or three each month. They do not seem to be interested in "sets." The Three Stooges films are eeked out one every six months or so, the way they did their Harryhausen titles. Same with the William Castle collection. I suspect the Hammers will similarly emerge one at a time over a long time span. Sucks, but that's Sony!