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Digital Dismemberment: The Howling Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Director: Joe Dante
Producers: Mike Finnel, Jack Conrad, Donald H. Blatt, Rob Bottin and Steven A. Lane
Special Effects: Doug Beswick, Roger George, Rob Bottin and Rick Baker
Cast: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski, Kevin McCarthy, John Carradine, Slim Pickens and Elisabeth Brooks
Released By: Shout!/Scream Factory
Release Date: 6/18/2013
The Premise: “From the director of Gremlins and Piranha comes the ultimate masterpiece of primal terror. Filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense, “genuine thrills [and] amazing special effects” (Us), this riveting werewolf tale sinks its teeth into your deepest fears and never lets go.
Severely shaken after a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace, E.T.) takes some much-needed time off. Hoping to conquer her inner demons, she heads for “the Colony”, a secluded retreat where her new neighbors are just a tad too eager to make her feel at home. Also, there seems to be a bizarre link between her would-be attacker and his supposedly safe haven. And when, after nights of being tormented by savage shrieks and unearthly cries, Karen ventures into the forest to find answers, she makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life… but for her very soul!”
Ahh, one of the true crown jewels of the werewolf genre! Joe Dante horror follow up to ’78’s Piranha, The Howling brought together a mass of talent including such names as Robert Picardo, Dick Miller, Forrest J. Ackerman and Roger Corman, as well as some of the most incredible transformation sequences (non digital) ever expressed to film. Originally, Rick Baker was doing the effects work for the film, but he left The Howling to work on An American Werewolf in London. Baker left the effects job to assistant Rob Bottin. Also, many of the set dressings for The Howling were hold-overs from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; most notably the corpse in the armchair seen in Walter Paisley’s bookstore. They were supplied by art director Robert A. Burns, who had worked on TCM.
*SPOILER ALERT*
The film begins with TV reporter Karen White on the trail of a serial killer. She has agreed to a meet-up with him while being under the watch of the police department, with the meeting being set up in a downtown porno shop. While following her leads, she meets him in one of the booths and is almost killed by the madman until two officers gun the lunatic down in the porno shop, but not before Karen thinks she sees a terrible transformation beginning to occur before eyes. However, she can’t confirm what she saw later. Terribly shaken, she keeps having nightmarish flashbacks to the event. After a breakdown on the air while trying to do a report about the event, she visits with Dr. George Waggner, who advises her to take time away with her husband to go to The Colony, a secluded retreat in the middle of nowhere. While they are there, they meet a wide variety of people. There seems to be an abundance of friendship and kindness amongst everybody, almost to the point of suspicion. Karen’s dreams persist at the camp, and she even begins to hear howling and something prowling around outside of their cabin. While Karen is at the camp, two other reporter friends of hers look into the guy that tried to kill her. Upon visiting the morgue, they find that his body is missing! Back at the camp, Karen is in group therapy and tries to recall the events of that night to no avail.
Walking back at night to the cabin, her husband is attacked and bitten in the woods but does not recall what attacked him. Karen calls her two reporter friends in the city, and they head up to The Colony as well, hoping to come up with a clue as to what is going on. Karen continues to have the weird dreams and visions. Meanwhile, her husband begins to act very strange, even having wild, half hairy werewolf sex with another member of the camp. The next day, the female reporter is looking at drawings that were done by Karen’s attacker and finds that they match up with locations at The Colony. She begins to explore the surrounding area and finds a cabin secluded in the woods — finding proof that he was indeed staying there. Upon her discovery, she is attacked by a werewolf, but manages to escape after hacking its arm off with a hatchet. As she attempts to call for help from Dr. Waggner’s office, she is found and bitten by another werewolf. Her boyfriend hears the death over the phone and goes to buy silver bullets. Karen finds her dead friend with her throat bitten out in the doctor’s office and is then attacked by the serial killer/werewolf from the beginning of the film. After he transforms, Karen throws acid in his face and tries to escape to The Colony, only to find out the whole place is full of werewolves. Does Karen escape and expose the truth to the world or does she become yet another victim? You are going to have to watch the film to find out…
Bonus Features:
Audio Commentary– (Track 1)- With Director Joe Dante, Actress Dee Wallace, Actors Christopher Stone and Robert Picardo. Ported over from the MGM The Howling Special Edition DVD released in 2003. (Track 2)- With Author Gary Brander. (New for this edition!)
Howling’s Eternal– (Run time of 19 minutes) Interview and Behind-the-Scenes with Executive Producer Steven A. Lane, discussing the film and the others that followed in the series. (New for this edition!)
Cut to Shreds– (Run time of 11 minutes) Interview with Editor Mark Goldblatt. High point of interview is when he discusses the different elements of cutting as it pertained to the changing sequences. (New for this edition!)
Interview with Co-writer Terrence Winkless- (Run time of 12 minutes) Interview with Co-writer Terrence Winkless. Nice interview detailing his work on the film and some good stories about on the set.
Horror’s Hallowed Grounds: A Look at the Film’s Locations- (Run time of 12 minutes) Hosted by Sean Clark. He takes us around to the various locations used for The Howling and shows us what they are and look like today. (New for this edition!)
Making a Monster Movie: Inside The Howling- (Run time of 8 minutes) Different clips of various cast and crew members discussing the making of The Howling. (Ported over from the MGM The Howling Special Edition DVD released in 2003.)
Interview with Stop Motion Animator David Allen– (Run time of 9 minutes) Interview with Stop Motion Animator David Allen. Nice details on the movement of the werewolves instead of using actors in a suit.
Unleashing the Beast: Making of The Howling- (Run time of 48 minutes) Same multi-part documentary ported over from the MGM The Howling Special Edition DVD released in 2003.
Deleted Scenes with Film Audio
Deleted Scenes with Commentary
Outtakes
Theatrical Trailer
Poster & Still Gallery
Discs: 1
Format: NTSC
Color: Color
Rating: R
Aspect Ratio: 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.85:1)
Language: English
Shout!/Scream Factory once again shows why they are at the top of the food chain when it comes to releasing special editions of horror classics to the masses! While some older films do not handle the transfer from standard def to high def, Scream Factory more than makes sure that the film does not suffer any quality issues. The colors are nice and bold, the sound is rich and best of all, the FX work does not suffer going to a higher definition. The special features are a nice addition to the disc as well. While we get the original commentary, “Making a Monster Movie: Inside The Howling” and “Unleashing the Beast: Making of The Howling” from the 2003 MGM The Howling: Special Edition, we also get a brand new commentary from Author Gary Brander, Howling’s Eternal, Cut to Shreds and the Horror’s Hallowed Grounds as fresh material. With the inclusion of all of the special features, the Blu-Ray does not feel like the same tired retreads that we get from lots of DVD companies these days. A good buy for regular horror fans and a must buy for werewolf fans everywhere, make sure to pick up your copy of The Howling soon!
Movie Rating: 4 out of 5
Blu-Ray Rating: 10 out of 10
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Digital Dismemberment: Squirm Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Digital Dismemberment: Squirm Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Director- Jeff Lieberman
Producer- Joseph Beruh, Edgar Lansbury and George Manasse
Special FX- Don Farnsworth, Lee Howard and Bill Milling
Cast- Don Scardino, Patricia Pearcy, R.A. Dow, Jean Sullivan, Peter MacLean, Fran Higgins, William Newman, Barbara Quinn, Carl Dagenhart, Angel Sande, Carol Jean Owens, Kim Iocouvozzi and Walter Dimmick
Released By- Scream Factory
Release Date- October 28th, 2014
The Premise- When a powerful storm knocks Fly Creek, Georgia’s power lines down onto wet soil, the resulting surge of electricity drives large, bloodthirsty worms to the surface- and then out of their soil-tilling minds! Soon, the townspeople discover that their sleepy fishing village is overrun with worms that burrow right into their skins! Inundated by hundreds of thousands of carnivorous creatures, the terrorized locals race to find the cause of the rampage- before becoming tilled under themselves!
The first horror film in Writer/Producer/Director Jeff Lieberman’s quirky and stylistic library of films, Squirm was the result of experiments with his brother in the back yard when Jeff was younger, using a train transformer and the electricity it produced to drive worms out of the ground. The film includes the early work FX work of Rick Baker with the addition of almost a million Glycera worms (which wiped out the supply of worms in New England for almost a year!). Some of the early casting ideas included Kim Basinger (as Geri Sanders), Sylvester Stallone (Roger Grimes) and Martin Sheen (Mick)! Not a creature feature in the sense of mutations or science gone wrong, the film instead trends towards an accident displacing millions of worms from the ground due to storms and electric current flowing through the ground. More of a wrong place, wrong time type of deal, Jeff manages to make the small country locations and gives it a sense of isolation once the worms begin flowing and eating the townspeople. Authentic looking and sounding due to using locations in Port Wentworth, GA and the use of many locals, you believe the surroundings and circumstances. Capable acting, camera work and FX makes this film worth watching, all while watching nature run amok. The soundtrack has a way of pleasing the ears as well and fits the general tone of the film to a T. A under-rated film that is finally getting its just due…
The film opens with a narrative telling us about a storm that hits Fly Creek, Ga in 1975, sending thousands of volts of electricity into the ground. The intensity of the storm rocks the small town, with widespread damage being done to the town and the electrical wires. The next day, we see Geri (Patricia Pearcy) showering, getting ready to pick up her friend Mick (Don Scardino). Roger (R.A. Dow) is outside cleaning up after the storm for Geri’s mother. The power and water is out at the house, and the mother expresses concern over whether Mick can make it. Geri asks to borrow Roger’s truck to pick up Mick. Roger is reluctant, but relents and tells her to be careful as he has a shipment of worms in the back. Mick’s bus can’t make it into town, so he hops off of the bus and walks into town. After trudging through the woods, Mick and Geri meet up and head back to the house. Geri runs into the local store for ice as Mick goes to the local restaurant to get an egg crème and water. As Mick drinks it, he is shocked to find a worm in it and spills it. As he argues about it with the waitress, the Sheriff (Peter MacLean) interjects himself and runs him off. They get back to the house and meets her family, including her sister Alma (Fran Higgins). As they head out to see someone, Roger stops them and yells at Geri about his shipment of worms being missing from the back of the truck. Geri apologizes and she and Mick continue on. When they arrive, Mr. Beardsley does not answer. They search the property for him and find a skeleton in the back yard. They rush off to find the Sheriff, but when they get back, the skeleton is missing. The Sheriff get irate, thinking they are pulling a prank on him. Mick changes clothes at the house and smokes a joint with Alma, where she gives him some details about the town and people.
They head to Quigley’s bar to find Beardsley, but he has not been seen. They run into Roger, and they all agree to go fishing. They go to meet Roger at his house, but he is not home. They check the shed in the yard and find the skeleton that went missing earlier. They later run into him at the dock and they go fishing. Mick is bitten by one of the worms and goes back to shore, scheming to get the skull as evidence, and Alma winds up seeing it as well. Geri goes back to fishing with Roger, but he tries to get rough with her on the boat. She struggles with him and pushes him down in the boat. The worms attack and burrow into his face and he falls out of the boast and runs away. She gets back to house later and lies to her mother about what happened. Alma and Mick break into the dentist’s office and he compares the teeth x-rays to the skull. They are shocked to find out that the skull matches the x-rays of the missing man Beardsley. When they get back, Geri tells Mick about the worms attacking Roger. They head to the worm farm to try and find him, but Mick finds Roger’s father, his torso eaten away by worms. They rush to find the Sheriff again, but he is having dinner with his mistress. He refuses to believe their story and they leave, unsure of what to do next other than to head back to Beardsley’s house to search for clues. They head back to the house for dinner, and while eating, a huge tree falls on the house. They find tons of worms under the roots and plan to burn them, but the sunlight drives the worms back underground. Mick runs out to get wood to seal up the house, but is attack by Roger in the woods and is left for dead. As night falls, the worms start showing up around town and devouring anyone in their path, including the Sheriff. Mick makes it back to the house, only to find it worm infested and with Roger waiting. Do Mick, Geri and Alma survive the onslaught of worms and Roger’s jealous rampage or do they face the same fate as others in the town? You are going to have to watch to find out…
Bonus Features
Digging In: The Making of Squirm- (Run Time of 33 Minutes) Excellent retrospective interview with Jeff Lieberman (Writer and Director) and Don Scardino (Mick in the film) discussing how the concept for the film came about, the cast and crew, the locations, Rick Baker’s FX work, problems on set and the creative ways they fixed them, audience reactions and of course, the worms! Really a wealth of information on every aspect of the film, including the distribution end.
Eureka! With Jeff Lieberman- (Run Time of 7 Minutes) Jeff Lieberman takes on a tour of his old house where the idea of Squirm came from. He shows us an old Lionel train transformer and talks about how his brother showed him how to run the electricity into the ground to draw the worms up, and even shows us one of the last prop worms from the film!
Original Theatrical Trailer- 1 Minute 55 Second Theatrical Trailer
TV Spot- 55 Second Alternate Footage Trailer
Radio Spot- 1 Minute Radio Trailer
Still Gallery
More From Scream Factory- Trailers (un-retouched) for other Scream Factory releases, including Pumpkinhead, Motel Hell and The Beast Within
Discs: 1
Format: NTSC
Color: Color
Rating: Unrated
Aspect Ratio: 1080p High Definition Widescreen (1.85:1)
Language: English
Shout!/Scream Factory has once again brought to us a 70’s classic horror film that is more than deserving of the Blu-Ray upgrade! This version far superior to the MGM/UA Triple Feature DVD Release (that also included Swamp Thing and Return of the Living Dead released in 2011) and the MGM/UA single disc DVD release (released in 2003) in every way. The clarity of the film is amazing, barely retaining and scratches or grain. The sound is also vastly superior and rich. As with most Scream Factory titles, the delight is in the Special Features. The Digging In: The Making of Squirm feature is highly informative and Jeff does an outstanding job detailing the issues on the set and how he came about with the concept of the film. The Eureka! With Jeff Lieberman feature was cool as well, taking us back to the house where he grew up and giving us the back story on how he and his brother used a train conductor and electricity to drive worms from the ground. The definitive version of this film, you will find fewer examples of a well put together Blu-Ray release. Special mention also goes to the unique cover art Scream Factory put together for this release as well! Once again, this release is the perfect example of why Shout!/Scream Factory is the standard bearer for Blu-Ray horror releases!
Movie Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Blu-Ray Rating: 7 out of 10
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Digital Dismemberment: Pumpkinhead Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Digital Dismemberment: Pumpkinhead Collector’s Edition Blu-Ray Review
Director: Stan Winston
Producers: Bill Blake, Alex De Benedetti, Howard Smith and Richard Weinman
Special Effects: Tom Woodruff, Jr, Grant Arndt, Howard Berger, Larry Carr and Emilio Gonzalez
Cast: Lance Henriksen, Jeff East, John D’Aquino, Kimberly Ross, Joel Hoffman, Cynthia Bain, Kerry Remsen, Florence Schauffer, Brian Bremer and Buck Flowers
Released By: Scream Factory
Release Date: 7/9/14
The Premise
When a group of teenagers inadvertently kill his only son, Ed Harley (Lance Hendriksen, Aliens) seeks the powers of a backwoods witch to bring the child back to life. But instead, she invokes “the Pumpkinhead” — a monstrously clawed demon which, once reborn, answers only to Ed’s bloodlust. But as the creature wreaks its slow, unspeakable tortures on the teens, Ed confronts a horrifying secret about his connection to the beast and realizes that he must find a way to stop its deadly mission before he becomes one with the creature forever.
Also starring Jeff East (Deadly Blessing), Joel Hoffman (Slumber Party Massacre II) and Kerry Remsen (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge), this “atmospheric, moralistic tale” (TV Guide) delivers demonic horror at its blood-drenched best.
While known primarily as one of the greatest Make-Up and Special FX Artists of all time, Stan Winston delivers in his directorial debut about a father’s loss, lust for revenge and redemption. Based on a poem by Ed Justin, Winston brings the characters and story together with great locations and a bevy of actors (especially Lance Henriksen in a powerful role) that hit all of the emotional marks that few horror films ever achieve.
Henriksen put lots of personal detail into his character by having a unique set of dentures made and providing most of his own props, including his hat, shotgun and the silver dollars he used to pay Haggis. His emotional and physical connection to the creature is played out through the film, and the rest of the cast plays off of this to the hilt. The amazing set locations give the impression of being miles away from “civilization” and really create a sense of isolation and hopelessness. With being so busy with the behind the camera work, Winston left the creature designs to his more than capable FX crew that managed to create an iconic monster that is fondly remembered to this day. While the film only garnered a limited release due to the bankruptcy the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, it has since moved on to become a beloved cult classic in the genre. Bringing a modern, iconic new creature is no easy feat, but the inclusion of a great story, acting and amazing FX work make Pumpkinhead the basis for creature features to this day.
*SPOILER ALERT*
As a small child in 1957, Ed Harley is witness to his Father denying a neighbor admittance into their house during a terrible thunderstorm. Through the windows and the flashing storm, he sees a horrible creature mangling the neighbor until his death. In the present day, Ed runs a small supply shop with him young son and their dog. Three young couples are away for a weekend vacation and stop at Ed’s store for supplies. While there, the men down a few beers while the ladies have an encounter with some local townsfolk. While teasing one of their younger siblings, everyone hears the story of Pumpkinhead. The young men decide to ride their dirt bikes in the area around the store. Ed goes off for a delivery and leaves his son behind at the store. The dog runs outside, and the young boy follows. He narrowly avoids being hit by one biker, but gets struck and mortally wounded. In a panic, Joel (who hit the boy) and his girlfriend flee the scene of the accident and head to their cabin. One of the men stays behind to tell Ed what happened while the rest leave to try and find a phone to call for help. Ed comes back to find his son dead in the field while the man tries to explain what happened. He tries to help Ed, but he glares the young man off. The other couples get back to the cabin, but Joel refuses to let them call for help and holds them all hostage in the house. Ed goes to visit a local family to drop off their supplies and to inquire about an old lady named Haggis, a local healer/witch. Wallace does not want to tell him and does everything to dissuade him, but Wallace’s grandson tells him where to find her. He arrives at her hut and brings his dead son in with him, explaining what happened. She informs him that she can’t raise his son and asks him what he wants. He wants vengeance, and she sends him to a graveyard to dig up the withered remains of a certain corpse. He brings it back to her and she performs an arcane ritual that resurrects the spirit of Pumpkinhead.
It shambles off into the night to seek Ed’s vengeance. Joel continues to hold everyone at their cabin with a rifle as they continue to talk about what they should do. Ed buries his son next to his dead wife in the cemetery. One of the couples goes off into the woods and the man is savagely attacked by Pumpkinhead. During the attack, Ed is gripped with horrific visions of the man’s death. The other two men go out to look for their friend while the women arm themselves inside of the house. They rush out of the house to find their friend, but one of the young ladies is waylaid by Pumpkinhead and carried off. He begins to claw and tear at her face. Ed is at his house and overwhelmed by the visions of her death. He drives back to the witch’s house to try and get her to stop what is happening, but she tells him that there is nothing she can do to stop it and let it run its course. He runs out, determined to stop the monster and the visions in his head. The two remaining couples retreat back to the cabin, where Pumpkinhead continues to attack and torture them. It drags one of the ladies up into a tree and drops her at their feet, killing her. Ed arrives at their cabin and surveys the gruesome carnage inside. The three survivors try everything to escape, but are turned away by local townsfolk. Joel is eventually grabbed and impaled by Pumpkinhead with his own rifle, leaving the last couple to flee into the woods. Will Ed be able to save the last couple and at the same time save his soul, or has damnation set in? You are going to have to watch to find out…
Bonus Features
Audio Commentary- with Co-Screenwriter Gary Gerani, Creature and FX Creators Tom Woodruff Jr and Alec Gillis. Moderated by Filmmaker Scott Spiegel
Pumpkinhead Unearthed (1 Hour 4 Minutes)– A fantastic behind the scenes look at Pumpkinhead broken into 6 chaptered featurettes: Evolution of a Demon, The Cursed and the Damned, The Tortured Soul of Ed Harley, Constructing Vengeance, Razorback Holler and Stan. Each takes a different look at all of the aspects of the film (location, cast, crew, FX, general life on set) and Stan Winston with new interview segments from the cast and crew. There are also nods to members of the cast and crew who are no longer with us. The exhaustive wealth of information covered, as well as scenes and stills from the movie make this Special Feature alone worth the price of owning.
Behind The Scenes (7 Minutes)- Footage of the FX crew discussing and testing out various make-ups and costume designs for the creature in Pumpkinhead. A really nice look at the development of the creature and how the FX artists put it all together.
Night of the Demon (16 Minutes)- Interview with Producer Richard Weinman about how he became involved with the film and how it all came together. Nice background info and helps to show how concepts and ideas change in the production end.
The Redemption of Joel (14 Minutes)- Interview with Actor Joe D’Aquino about his character Joel, how he got involved in film and how he got along with the rest of the cast. Great insight into his character and his motivations.
The Boy With the Glasses (14 Minutes)- Interview with Actor Matthew Hurley talks about how he became a part of the film, his early TV work and the connection between him and Lance Henriksen during the film. A really nice and heartfelt interview.
Demonic Toys (5 Minutes)- Really neat interview with Sculptor Jean St. Jean about the creation of the SOTA 20” Pumpkinhead collectible.
Remembering The Monster Kid: A Tribute to Stan Winston (49 Minutes)- Stan Winston is fondly remembered for all of his amazing FX work over the years from his peers and crew members. Just an amazing amount of praise is rightfully placed on Winston and his work. Everyone involved talks about their first experiences on a set with Stan and works that they would go on to do with him in the future. This piece really gives you a feel of what he meant to not only the film industry, but to the many people he worked with in life. Tons of great pictures, stories and behind the scenes footage flow across the screen and really paint of picture of a great person and a visionary.
Still Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
More From Scream Factory- Trailers from other films released by Scream Factory including Motel Hell, Squirm and Without Warning.
Discs: 1
Format: NTSC
Color: Color
Rating: R
Aspect Ratio: 1080p High Definition Widescreen (1.85:1)
Language: English
Shout!/Scream Factory has once again brought to us a classic horror film that is more than deserving of the Blu-Ray upgrade, and Pumpkinhead delivers the goods! There have been several editions of this film, including four from MGM/UA’s vaults (2000 trailer only release, 2009’s Collector’s Edition and 2011’s multi-disc releases), but this particular edition blows everything away. The inclusion of the Special Features from the 2009 Collector’s Edition while skillfully blending in new features such as Night of the Demon, The Redemption of Joel and The Boy With the Glasses. Anything and everything you could ever want to know about this film is contained on this disc. The Remembering The Monster Kid: A Tribute to Stan Winston is one of the best features Scream Factory has put together, and I hope they continue to do features like this. I also really like the new artwork for the cover (which is reversible) as well. The transfer is bold and rich once again, and the film really booms over a decent system. With the inclusion of the still gallery and the Behind The Scenes footage, there is no stone unturned! The addition of other Scream Factory trailers is nice as well and gives a glimpse of the other great films in their portfolio.
Movie Rating: 4 out of 5
Blu-Ray Rating: 10 out of 10
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DIGITAL DISMEMBERMENT: DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAY REVIEW
DIGITAL DISMEMBERMENT: DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS COLLECTOR’S EDITION BLU-RAY REVIEW
Director: Terence Fisher
Producer: Anthony Nelson Keys
Special FX: Les Bowie
Cast: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Thorley Walters, Walter Brown, Philip Latham, George Woodbridge, Philip Ray, Joyce Hemson, John Maxim and Peter Cushing
Released By: Scream Factory
Release Date: 12/18/2018
THE PREMISE: “Dracula: Prince of Darkness, more than any of the Hammer Draculas, embodies the recurrent image of sexual repression threatening … to tear Victorian society apart …” – Moria Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
Four English tourists find themselves stranded in the mysterious village of Karlsbad, a sinister and remote place with a deadly, dark legend. Their journey leads them to an abandoned castle where a nightmarish destiny awaits them: an evil in need of resurrection, a blood-craving beast known only as Count Dracula, Prince of Darkness (Christopher Lee, The Lord Of The Rings films, Wicker Man). Released in 1966, this film presents the legendary Lee’s second outing as Dracula, with Hammer Films pushing the cinematic boundaries of graphic gore and terror.
Director Terence Fisher was either a mad genius or the luckiest man alive when he started down the road of telling the story of Dracula in Hammer horror films. The ball got rolling in 1958 with Christopher Lee in the title role and was quickly followed up in 1960 with The Brides of Dracula (strangely without Lee or the Dracula character. It was the return of all three in 1966 when Dracula, Prince Of Darkness was released and the new standard for Hammer Studios and Dracula as a character was born. This is typically the film that most people speak of when they refer to the Hammer vampire films and for good reason. This release was considered to be one of the goriest of its time and even had a different theatrical cut elsewhere than it did in its home country, not to mention the fact that it did very little to hide lesbian overtures in a time when it was considered to be extremely taboo. Many of the tropes that we associate with modern day vampires are on display here, but if you keep in mind the time period in which this film was made, they actually come across as refreshing and still manage to spellbind you…
There are a few other things that stand out and separate it from many other Dracula films. The actual resurrection of Dracula is extremely dramatic and as mentioned before very gory for its time period. The other aspect that stands out is his death. It is quite common knowledge that being staked through the heart, sunlight and even decapitation and fire are all quite common methods to kill a vampire, but this would be the first time that a vampire was dispatched by drowning! Fisher’s direction is quite capable and I feel he gets the best out of his actors, in particular Lee in the starring role. Out of all the films that he played Dracula in, this is his most powerful presence. Very few actors can really immerse themselves in a role like this and no one has played it better since. There is a certain masculinity that he oozes, a confidence that he IS the Prince of Darkness and a willpower of absolute steel that will never be broken. The set pieces and locations are quite striking as well and certainly serve as a character all on their own…
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As the film starts, we see the final scenes from Dracula (1958) where we see Van Helsing (played by Peter Cushing) destroy Count Dracula with sunlight and eliminating his cult of followers so that only the memory of Dracula’s evil reign remains. We later see Father Sandor preventing the local authorities from disposing of a young woman’s body as if it were a vampire. Sandor talks with the head priest for spreading the fear of vampirism to the surrounding town and its people while reminding him that Dracula and his evil cult was destroyed ten years ago. Sandor visits the local inn and warns an English family named the Kents to not visit the village of Karlsbad, but they foolishly ignore his advice and go anyway. As it starts to get dark, the Kents are abandoned by their coach driver very close to Karlsbad and near a castle. A driverless carriage appears and takes them to the castle, where they find a dining table set for them exclusively and their bags are unpacked in the bedrooms, as if they were expected the whole time. A servant by the name of Klove tells them that his master, the late Count Dracula, had standing orders that the castle should always be ready to welcome strangers at any time…
After dinner, everyone head off to their rooms to rest, but later that night Alan (a member of the family) hears a noise and winds up following Klove to a crypt. Klove knows that Alan has followed him and quickly kills him and then mixes his blood with Dracula’s ashes, reviving the Count from his coffin in a billow of ominous fog. Klove then gets Helen (Alan’s significant other) to enter the crypt where she becomes Dracula’s first victim after his resurrection. The next morning, Charles and Diana (the other family members) look for Alan, Helen and Klove but can’t find them anywhere on the grounds. Charles takes Diana to a woodsman’s hut for safety and then returns to the castle to search for them on his own. Klove winds up tricking Diana into returning to the castle while Charles finds Alan’s torn up corpse stuffed in a trunk in the crypt. Darkness has now fallen and Dracula rises from his slumber. Diana runs into Helen who is now a vampire. Suddenly, Dracula enters and scares Helen away from Diana. Charles bursts in and struggles with Dracula. Diana realizes that her crucifix works as an effective deterrent against vampires. Charles makes a larger cross and drives Dracula away from them. They attempt to escape from the castle in a carriage, but lose control on the steep roads…
The carriage crashes and Diana is knocked out. Charles carries her for several hours through the woods until they run into Father Sandor, who takes them to his abbey. Klove shows up at the monastery in a wagon carrying two coffins with Dracula and Helen inside, but is not allowed inside by the monks. A man by the name of Ludwig (who is a patient at the abbey) is basically hypnotized by Dracula and he invites the Count inside. Helen convinces Diana to open the window and let her in, claiming to have escaped from Dracula, but Helen then bites her arm in an attack. Dracula scares Helen off again but Charles breaks into the room and drives the vampires out. Sandor tends to the bite with the heat from an oil lamp. Sandor puts silver crosses in the two coffins to prevent the vampires from coming back to them. He later captures Helen and drives a stake through her heart and killing her. Ludwig once again lures Diana into Dracula’s presence, where the Count hypnotises her into removing her cross. Dracula tries to force her to drink his blood from his bare chest, but once again Charles returns in time to stop him and forces Dracula to flee with the knocked out Diana…
Charles and Sandor prepare for a final battle with Dracula and to save Diana. They arm themselves and set out on horseback. They take a shortcut that gets themt in front of Dracula’s wagon and they manage stop it. Charles winds up shooting Klove who had removed Sandor’s silver crosses from the coffins, but the horses have taken off in fear to the castle. Diana is rescued while Dracula’s coffin is thrown onto the ice that covers the moat surrounding the castle. Charles moves in with an attempt to kill Dracula while he is in his coffin, but Dracula springs out of his coffin and starts beating the hell out of him. Diana and Sandor take the only action that they can and start shooting the ice which breaks, causing Dracula and his coffin to sink into the freezing waters below. Was this the final ending for Dracula? Does the family survive the aftermath of the attacks? Has Dracula’s evil finally been overthrown? You are going to have to watch to find out!
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
Two Versions! The UK Version And The US Version From The 20th Century Fox Vaults (NEW TO THIS RELEASE)
Audio Commentary With Author Troy Howarth (NEW TO THIS RELEASE)
Audio Commentary With Film The U.S. Version (The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC with edits to blood flows during the resurrection scene, a closeup shot of Helen’s staking, and a shortening of the seduction scene where Dracula pulls a hypnotized Diana towards his chest wound)*
4K Scan Of The Interpositive Omaker Constantine Nasr And Writer/Producer Steve Haberman (NEW TO THIS RELEASE)
Audio Commentary With Cast Members Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley
World Of Hammer Episode “Dracula And The Undead”: (Run Time of 24 minutes, 53 seconds) This is part of a British television documentary series that was created and written by Robert and Ashley Sidaway and was narrated by Oliver Reed. On this particular episode, the discussion turns to Hammer Films associated with Dracula and The Undead. Films mentioned include Dracula (1958), Brides Of Dracula (1960), Captain Kronos- Vampire Hunter (1974), Vampire Circus (1972), Dracula, Prince Of Darkness (1966), The Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires (1974), Scars Of Dracula (1970) and Kiss Of The Vampire (1964). It shows scenes from each of the films and names the lead from each as well. Very informative and a nice glimpse into Hammer’s history…
Back To Black – The Making Of Dracula: Prince Of Darkness: (Run Time of 30 minutes, 34 seconds) This is a great piece featuring Marcus Hearn (Hammer Films Historian), Mark Gattis (Actor and Writer), Jonathan Rigby (Author, English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema), Barbara Shelley (Actress), Francis Matthews (Actor), David Huckvale (Author, James Bernard, Composer To Count Dracula) and Jon Mann (Technical Restoration Manager, Pinewood Studios). They discuss how the film is one of the most iconic of Hammer’s releases, all of the typical tropes that were seen in Hammer’s productions, the uptick of violence and gore (for its time), the subversive touch of lesbianism in the film, history of the studio and more. Plenty of archival photos are presented as well segments from the film. There is also a tremendous amount of information on the director, actors and the crew as well. Bonus points for the breaking down of the restoration for this release as well as as an education on the score for particular scenes in the film. Pretty much anything you could want to know is supplied here…
Super 8mm Behind-The-Scenes Footage: (Run Time of 4 minutes, 38 seconds) This is footage shot by Paul Shelley (Francis Matthews’ brother) on a 8mm home movie camera. It includes audio from Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer Francis Matthews that was recorded on February 23rd, 1997. This is an amazing look at different times on the set, rehearsals and locations and the audio is quite priceless. This is certainly a crowning piece for this release!
Theatrical Trailers Trailer 1 runs 2 minutes, 28 seconds, Trailer 2 is a combo trailer of Dracula, Prince of Darkness and Plague of the Zombies that runs 3 minutes 20 seconds and Trailer 3 is a combo trailer for Dracula, Prince of Darkness and Frankenstein Created Woman that runs 35 seconds.
Still Gallery: This is a 7 minute, 5 second long compilation of studio still and behind the scene photos from the release of the film. An amazing wealth of history is contained here!
Poster Gallery: This is a 4 minute, 50 second compilation of different poster and ads advertising the film from all over the world. A stunning addition to this release!
Special Thanks
Discs: 1
Format: NTSC
Color: Color
Rating: NR
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Language: English
Scream Factory once again does an amazing job bringing us this film and and is a great beginning for anyone looking to start a Hammer Horror collection. The quality of the transfer to 2K is pretty stunning for its age and shows very little print damage or grain and the audio will leave you with chills. The Still and Poster Galleries are a fantastic addition, again giving us some great looks at the behind the scenes. The audio commentaries are informative and shed even more light on the cast, crew and the production but if you are going to pick just one to listen to, then I highly recommend the one with cast members Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley as it comes across as the most personal one. To be perfectly blunt, there is not a bad Special Feature included on this release. I am hard pressed to pick the crown jewel of this release as the three featurettes (World Of Hammer Episode “Dracula And The Undead”, Back To Black – The Making Of Dracula: Prince Of Darkness and the Super 8mm Behind-The-Scenes Footage) are all some of the most informative put to disc, so enjoy them all! Even the trailers that are included show a slice of how double features used to be the standard of the movie going experience!
Movie Rating: 4 out of 5
Blu-Ray Rating: 8 out of 10
*IMDB: Dracula, Prince Of Darkness