The last I read in their blog is the 4k scan of Curse of Frankenstein has been completed and is being examined.

Special FX Catastrophe (2014, 4 mins): audio interview with assistant special effects artist Ian Scoones This limited Hardbox edition comes with unique artwork and 5 discs including an exclusive bonus disc.Hammer Film Productions, the venerable British studio behind some of horror's buzziest titles, was established in 1935 by comedian and entrepreneur William Hinds, who named the company after his own stage name, Will Hammer. Before it completely embraced the horror genre, Hammer produced some of the anodyne mystery thrillers starring Bela Lugosi that were popular at the time, as well as war pictures and the odd Oscar vehicle. (Hammer's first production, the since-lost 1935 film The Public Life of Henry the Ninth, was the first British film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.)

NEW 2 hour Directors cut of “The Flesh and The Fury: X-posing ‘Twins of Evil'” feature length documentary exploring Hammer’s “Karnstein Trilogy” from Ballyhoo Productions (2021) Of course sadness does begin to creep up and virtually takes centre stage near the end. The documentary is very good in describing how, despite often awkward attempts to keep up, Hammer’s brand of Gothic horror eventually found itself out of date as the genre became more horrifying and more set in the present day, and finishes rather wonderfully with footage from a reading of a script that was never shot called The Unquenchable Thirst Of Dracula. The whole thing is well structured and tight so I guess being selective about what is included has its bonuses as well even if I’m dubious as to the prevailing reason for so much being omitted. If you do decide that it’s worth the cost [bearing in mind how expensive import fees are now], I don’t think you’ll regret biting the bullet if you really do love your Hammer, and seeing as it played on my Blu-ray player without me having to change it to Region ‘A’, it seems to be Region Free too so fans living outside the USA and Canada should have no problem being able to view it. Here, he joins Bartok and his mysterious delegation to raise the spirit of an ancient demon for a once-in-a-lifetime ritual. Countess Dracula is an uneven film, but is ultimately driven by a terrific leading performance by Ingrid Pitt. The film borrows heavily from the exaggerated (and now considered mostly unsubstantiated) tales of serial murderer Countess Elizabeth Bathory in telling its story of a woman obsessed with her own youth and beauty, but with its own particular spin. Along with The Vampire Lovers, Countess Dracula essentially turned Ingrid Pitt into one of Hammer’s most beloved stars. This is most likely the same film source as was used in the Universal DVD box set. It would be a different transfer, again, as the earlier master fell victim to the studio fire. Unable to do much with the soft picture, the added resolution of Blu-ray mainly sharpens the grain. The only area of improvement on the Blu-ray is that it presents the film at 1:85:1 instead of the mysterious 2:00:1 used in the old Universal box.

Syndicate Collectibles Teases a Full Size Replica of Ash’s Chainsaw Hand from the ‘Evil Dead’ Movies!

For its new box set Hammer Films: The Ultimate Collection, Mill Creek Entertainment gathers twenty of the Columbia released titles (spread across ten discs), spanning the years 1957 – 1970, including: A very nice BD from Germany’s Anolis label is available, presented in 1:85:1. Some good extras, in English, as well. The Mossman Legacy (2014, 7 mins): Kinsey discusses the contributions of transport historian and collector George Mossman to Hammer productions What it does mean is we'll probably have to wait for titles like Vengeance of She and Viking Queen to be done before we may see something like Kiss of the Vampire. Sadly, Kiss just got a new release in the UK but DVD only.

NEW Satanic Decadence & The Legacy of Sheridan Le Fanu in Hammer’s Twins of Evil – A Visual Essay by Kat Ellinger (2021) The newly commissioned artwork comes to us from artist Mark Maddox. The reverse side of the wrap will feature the original theatrical artwork. Extras will be announced on a later date, but we can confirm that there will be a new HD transfer of the films and several extras.”The Actors of Hammer Film (8 minutes) is a short segment with film historian David Del Valle in which he shares interesting trivia about several performers in these pictures. Note about Frame Grabs: They were captured in the VLC media player program, and were not adjusted in any way except for size. They are not intended as anything more than a general example of some of the points I brought up. How these Blu-rays will look on your monitor in a home viewing environment can of course be significantly different. Gallery of Grotesqueries: A Brief History of Circus Horrors featurette with British author/film historian Philip Nutman Hammer’s Women: Molly Arbuthnot and Rosemary Burrows (2021, 14 mins): overview of the prolific Hammer wardrobe mistresses by film historian Josephine Botting

The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb Retrospective: A nearly eight-minute audio reflection over film clips by Author/Hammer Historian Richard Klemensen in which he breaks down the circumstances leading to The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb , gives anecdotes about production and the cast members, discusses the score and more. Of course, Studio Canal doesn't own the rights to every Hammer film. Companies such as Paramount, Warner Bros. and Universal also own the rights to certain Hammer titles. The general consensus is that this is the jewel in Hammer’s crown. Its influence was felt in genre films for decades, and it cemented all the elements of Hammer’s identity — writer, stars, director — making them the horror kings of the fifties and beyond. The film is so respected that the British Film Institute undertook a restoration, with Warners’ limited participation. Shortly after the restoration was completed, exciting news came that the legendary missing shots from the end disintegration of Dracula had been in found in a print stored in a Japanese archive. The print also had a more explicit vampiric seduction of Mina. The Hammer company leapt at the chance to obtain and restore this material… no small feat, considering it was in absolutely horrendous condition and would require expensive digital fixes. Hammer’s disc uses the BFI’s finished restoration as the source for their Blu-ray. Since it did not include the newly-found footage, the company inserted it in a separate, second version of the film on the three-disc set. Though 20-year-old Playboy playmates Mary and Madeleine Collison were chosen mostly for their beauty and their bodies, they actually turn in solid performances in what is a surprisingly strong effort by Hammer during this late run of films. Peter Cushing is excellent as always, but the enticement of the Collinson twins and their vampiric activities allow Twins of Evil to shine brightest among the films presented here. The third film in The Karnstein Trilogy (preceded by The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire), it’s also one of the sexiest and most compelling. All of the audio commentaries are highly informative, but there are three episodes of the show that, unfortunately, don’t have commentaries to accompany them. Grave Recollections features an interview with actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, who discusses her career, working for Hammer, her close relationship with Peter Sasdy, and her memories of Dark Shadows. Hammer Housekeeping features an interview with actress Mia Nadasi, who talks about working with her director husband, portraying a foreign villain outside of her home country, and her theater work. Also included is a widescreen version of the episode Guardian of the Abyss and a set of raw dailies from the filming of the episode Rude Awakening. The Image Gallery contains 272 promotional images from each episode’s pressbook, featuring promotional and behind-the-scenes photos. Missing from the Synapse Films Collector's Edition DVD set are optional introductions for each episode by Shane M. Dallman, and missing from the Network Region B Blu-ray set is a short set of commercial break stings.

Another Final Cut Entertainment U.K. release. Perfectly acceptable, if not impressive in a ‘bowl you over’ sense. A noticeable improvement over the DVD. Three years later and the group have returned to England, unawares of the nefarious consequences of their actions. A follower off the same Egyptian religion unleashes The Mummy to exact grisly revenge on the despoilers of the sacred past. As it edges nearer to exact its revenge, can anything save them from its relentlessly vicious and vengeful mission? Commentary with writer/producer Phoef Sutton, writer/film historian Mark Jordan Legan, and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner.