The Hammer treats keep on coming…

The new Hammer, under the stewardship of John Gore, a twenty-time Tony-winning and Emmy-nominated British entertainment producer known for his live theatre company the John Gore Organization, has treated fans to beautifully presented and remastered resurrections of some classic studio fare over the past few months. Nige Burton explores the range so far.

There’s an interview with some of the guys at Hammer in the next issue of Classic Monsters of the Movies, but in the meantime here’s a round-up of their fabulous releases so far.

CAPTAIN KRONOS VAMPIRE HUNTER LIMITED EDITION

What can I say about this one? I love Kronos, and have done since I was a kid. It was one of those later Hammers that I was around for and old enough to appreciate, so resonates well with me. And it’s just so bloody different from almost any other vampire movie there is, almost foreshadowing Buffy in a more mature way, and I loved that too. Whilst the supadupa mega collector’s edition is now long sold out, you can get the wonderfully restored blu-ray for £25, or 4K for £30, each containing plenty of extras and a lovely little booklet. Trust us, this is a must for any self-respecting Hammer fan, made yet more poignant by the untimely passing of its star Horst Janson in January this year. Order it here: https://hammerfilms.com/products/captain-kronos-vampire-hunter?variant=55203516154243

FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Our friends at Hammer really are spoiling us lately, with the release at the end of March of the studio’s gripping early sci-fi thriller, 1953’s Four Sided Triangle. Based on a novel by William F Temple and directed by Terence Fisher, the film combines themes of romance, morality and artificial life, grounding its outlandish premise (and the unorthodox triangle of the title) in relatable territory through the tangled interactions between three star-crossed friends. Starring Barbara Payton, James Hayter, Stephen Murray and John Van Eyssen, this has been a littleseen British gem – until now. I do urge you to discover it for yourself, especially in this collector’s edition, which comprises two discs in a stylish digipak, one UHD and one Blu-Ray, a rigid box featuring brand new artwork by UK illustrator Tommy Pocket, an extensive booklet containing new essays and reproduced material from the Hammer archives, and facsimile reproductions of the UK and US pressbooks and a double-sided poster. At just £35 it’s a snip. Pre-order / order (depending on when you’re reading this) it now at https://hammerfilms.com/products/four-sided-triangle-limited-collector-s-edition

DOCTOR JEKYLL LIMITED EDITION VINYL LP SOUNDTRACK & BLU-RAY BUNDLE

Divisive and fascinating, 2023’s take on the Jekyll and Hyde legend starred Eddie Izzard, Scott Chambers and Lindsay Duncan under the direction of Joe Stephenson in a twisty, knotty thriller laced with black humour and a couple of rather nasty surprises. It marked an exciting new chapter in Hammer’s story, channelling the oppressive and unpredictable ambience of the studio’s beloved sixties psycho-thrillers, and if you haven’t yet experienced it, we highly recommend it. Key to its atmosphere is the soundtrack by celebrated composer Blair Mowat; by turns terrifying and unexpectedly poignant, it’s the ideal accompaniment. You can now get your eager hands on a limited edition bundle featuring the film itself on Blu-ray, along with a coloured vinyl LP of the score, so take a leap into this strangely hypnotic world of possession and transformation by picking up a copy here while they’re still available: https://hammerfilms.com/products/dr-jekyll-blu-ray-soundtrack-bundle

SHATTER LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Gosh, Hammer are really pushing the boat out lately. This one is an absolutely gorgeous restoration of a latter-day curio, 1974’s globe-trotting, double-crossing, martial-artsing Shatter. It’s not golden age Hammer – though certainly worth exploring as an example of the studio’s later ventures into different genres – but the clincher here is the detail and quality of the whole package. Inside the chunky matt laminated slip case you’ll find a 4K restoration as well as two Blu-ray discs, a book packed with essays, stills and heaps of reproduced production materials, and a double-sided poster. It’s a collector’s dream, thoughtfully compiled and beautifully packaged. Somehow it doesn’t matter that it’s not a Hammer Horror classic – it’s still enough to make you do a little chef’s kiss. Get your copy at https://hammerfilms.com/products/shatter-limited-collectors-edition and you’ll see what I mean.

THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

This is another masterstroke from Hammer, and I love it. I mean, come on – this is the great sci-fi classic that put the studio on the map, so what’s not to love? These restorations are truly superb, and I’m thrilled that we’re getting a chance to own some of these hugely important works to add to our collections. They’re the ultimate editions we never knew we wanted, mainly because we never thought we’d get them. Created by Nigel Kneale and directed by Val Guest, The Quatermass Xperiment is available for the first time ever in 4K UHD and Blu-ray. Once more, there are no fewer than five discs in a stylish digipak, including two UHD and three Blu-ray, with the Hammer content duplicated across both formats. As a real bonus this stunning set includes the existing episodes from the original BBC television series. Packaged in a high-end, leather-feel slipcase with debossed red and silver titling, and a rigid inner box featuring new artwork by Graham Humphreys, this set also includes a double sided poster of original one-sheets, eight art cards featuring facsimiles of the original UK cinema lobby cards, a 180 page booklet featuring new and reprinted articles and reproductions of original publicity, and a 56-page comic featuring a reprint of the comic strip from The House of Hammer. This is a must-have for any self-respecting Hammer, horror or sci-fi fan, and is a snip at £60. Get yours at https://hammerfilms.com/products/the-quatermass-xperiment-limited-collectors-edition

QUATERMASS 2 LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

We’re nothing if not completists, and maybe a special yummy release of Quatermass and the Pit is not on the cards at the moment, but we can certainly content ourselves in the meantime with the stunning follow-up to The Quatermass Xperiment with this stunning box set of 1957’s Quatermass 2. Created by Nigel Kneale and directed by Val Guest, Quatermass 2 is presented for the first time ever in breathtaking 4K HDR, newly restored from original film elements. This limited collector’s edition comprises no fewer than five discs in a stylish digipak, including two UHD and three Blu-ray, with the Hammer content duplicated across both formats. The BBC content is presented in standard definition on region B formatted blu-ray disc. There are three iterations of Quatermass 2: the widescreen 1.66:1 UK theatrical version, the fullscreen 1.37:1 as-filmed version and the widescreen 1.85:1 US theatrical version re-titled Enemy from Space, with a brand-new 5.1 mix for all three versions alongside the original mono film soundtrack. It’s packaged in a high-end, leather-feel slipcase with debossed red and silver titling, and a rigid inner box featuring new artwork by cult favourite artist Graham Humphreys. There’s also a double-sided poster of original one-sheets for good measure, as well as eight art cards featuring facsimiles of the original US cinema lobby cards, and a 176-page booklet featuring new and reprinted articles and reproductions of original publicity. You’ll also find a 60-page comic featuring a reprint of the comic strip from legendary 1970s magazine The House of Hammer. There are far too many extras on the discs to list them all here, but trust us when we say you most definitely won’t be disappointed. Again, a snip at £60. Get yours at https://hammerfilms.com/products/quatermass-2-limited-collectors-edition

BLOOD ORANGE LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Here’s a nice little noir thriller that you may not have seen, and while some Hammer fans question the release of such niche films, we applaud it. It’s always great to get an opportunity to view these little heard of curios, especially in such beautifully restored editions. Hollywood favourite Tom Conway – famed for playing Sherlock Holmes, The Falcon, Bulldog Drummond and Simon Templar – stars in this sharp-edged crime thriller from director Terence Fisher. Co-starring Naomi Chance as a model hiding dangerous secrets and Richard Wattis as a grumbling police inspector, Blood Orange has been painstakingly restored by Hammer in 4K from the original film negatives. Awash with extras and a fab little booklet, this is an absolute snip at £35, and we urge you to get off the fence and add it to your collection before it vanishes into the mists of time again. You can pick up yours here: https://hammerfilms.com/products/blood-orange-limited-collector-s-edition

THE MAN IN BLACK LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Next up we have an early showing for the macabre side of Hammer’s output and a key entry in their run of successful radio adaptations for cinema, The Man in Black, which has been painstakingly restored by Hammer in 4K from the original film negatives. A huge radio hit through the wartime years and beyond, it mesmerised millions of listeners with his macabre tales, making Valentine Dyall a household name for his star turn as the sepulchral storyteller. Once more, you’ll find a whole host of delightful extras, and the obligatory booklet which no self-respecting special edition would be seen without. Another bargain at £35, The Man in Black is available to pre-order at https://hammerfilms.com/products/the-man-in-black-limited-collectors-edition

HAMMER: HEROES, LEGENDS AND MONSTERS

Last year’s Sky Arts documentary to celebrate Hammer’s 90th anniversary, directed by Benjamin Field, landed awkwardly with some Hammer aficionados and fans, but I’m not quite sure why. Sure, it was never going to suit everybody, and there are a couple of glaring omissions like Barbara Shelley and Michael Ripper, but generally I found it a very entertaining hour and a half detailing the Hammer story. Ok, we troopers are not going to learn anything new, but surely that’s not the point here. Included are some great contributions from a whole host of collaborators, and Field – not a Hammer fan before he embarked upon this, which I find may well be to its advantage as it’s possibly more objective – has done a pretty good job of pulling it all together. So if you haven’t seen it and want to take my advice, don’t listen to the naysayers – and we all know how arsey and pompous some of the entitled superfans can be – settle down with a bag of popcorn and enjoy this treat. Stuff like this is few and far between these days.