Customer Reviews

Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)

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As far as b-grade horror films go, these are excellent films, as one might expect from the famous Hammer studios. Several of the films have a young, gorgeous Oliver Reed, as well as Peter Cushing and the improbably beautiful Yvonne Romain.

I'll explain the films in brief: Brides of Dracula is the usual Hammer material the passes on cable, viz. a young lady is the target of a follower of Dracula and Peter Cushing comes to the rescue.

Curse of the Werewolf I found to be a surprisingly original film. Oliver Reed is the werewolf, but you only see him about thirty minutes into the film. We start with the story of his conception instead, a sort of history of cruelty to culminates in werewolf's violence.

Paranoiac and Nightmare are psychological thrillers that are very engrossing, much superior to modern horror. However, don't expect much intellectual content, despite the intelligent scripts.

Night Creatures is about soldiers seeking a notorious pirate. There are some interesting characters in this film that make it interesting.

The other two are fairly self-explanatory. In short, the films in this set are much better than average b-grade horror films, intelligently written and directed in an inobtrusive style, and very well-acted by Cushing, Reed, et al.; but these are, of course, not cinematic masterpieces.

As for the DVDs themselves, there are no special features, just the lovely box they come in. I found the picture and sound to be excellent. However, I have found the DVDs in this set to sometimes skip and freeze on my overly-sensitive DVD player.

For Your Information - Universal has done a terrible disservice by presenting these classic horror films on double sided DVDs. These discs are pretty much guaranteed to skip, freeze and just not play on any player. You may find some movies play better then others but be warned, if you watch these films more then once they are more likely to became more damaged with every viewing. The person who invented double sided discs should be hung in a public square full of people who have been ripped off by this obvious bad idea.

If you don't believe me just take a look at some of the reviews on [...]. I've yet to meet anyone who has this set and all the films play perfectly.

Universal you should be ashamed. Double sided DVDs is just a plain bad idea.

You must own this one. it is a collection of classics. Not a single bad movie in this one. They may not scare you, but these are so slick and classy that they make this collection a bargain. Nice story lines and well-acted. Hammer films at theio best.

To be watch on a cold autumn night.....

As of this writing, I haven't seen this DVD collection yet, so I can't comment on the picture and sound quality. However, Universal should be commended for releasing these classic films.

England's Hammer Films reinvigorated the horror genre back in the late '50s and '60s, beginning with the seminal "Horror of Dracula" and "Curse of Frankenstein." Their legendary gothic horrors led to a revival of the horror film and influenced several generations of filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese and Joe Dante.

This collection includes two genuine Hammer classics. "Curse of the Werewolf", directed by genre great Terence Fisher and starring a very young Oliver Reed, was Hammer's sole stab at the lycanthropy movie. Set in Spain, it is memorable for its unusual locations, great werewolf makeup (Reed was made up as a wolf man from the waist up, a cinematic first), and sympathetic performances. "Brides of Dracula", another Fisher-directed gothic horror, stars the wonderful actor Peter Cushing in perhaps his greatest performance, as vampire hunter Van Helsing. Dracula doesn't actually appear in the film, but David Peel makes an acceptable substitute as the vampire Baron Meinster. Look for a fantastic ending.

Three of the films I haven't seen yet--"Night Creatures"; "Paranoiac";and "Nightmare." Hurrah!(Three unseen Hammers on DVD is a definite cause for celebration!) The others are all good. "Kiss of the Vampire" is a stylish take on the vampire flick, with an ambitious climax marred by poor special effects (dozens of rubber bats flapping around on wires). The lush "Phantom of the Opera" is one of the better versions of Laroux's novel. "The Evil of Frankenstein" is weak, but features colourful photography and another excellent Cushing performance.

Overall, a must have for any horror fan.