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Hammer Horror Classics Volume 1 [Blu-ray]
The Mummy (1959) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed (1969) Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)
Hammer The Mummy (1959) Blu-rays are also compared HERE with the 2022 Second Sight (UK)
| THE MUMMY: Christopher Lee wraps on the
moldy gauze bandages to become the tormented Kharis, an avenger
stalking the hills of Victorian England to track down desecrators of
his beloved's Egyptian tomb. FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED: Peter Cushing is Baron Frankenstein, whose experiment has gone dead wrong in Hammer Studios' fifth Frankenstein saga. Featuring Freddie Jones as the scientist's pitiable new creation. DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE: Playing Bram Stoker's infamous vampire for the third time, Christopher Lee goes fang-to-cross with the forces of good in this atmospheric, stylish film, in which each night brings the threat of death. TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA: This entry in Hammer Studios' cycle of hemogobbling Victorian-era horror showcases why Hammer became the name in Gothic terror. Christopher Lee again dons his cape to become Evil Incarnate. |
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CLICK to order from:
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Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
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Subtitles |
English (SDH), French, Spanish, Japanese, None (NOTE: Taste and Dracula has Risen also offer German) |
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Release Information:
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed
Taste The Blood of Dracula |
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Blu-ray Package
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NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Firstly, the 4 films are on their own separate Blu-ray discs and are available individually: Disc 1) The Mummy (in 1.66:1) Disc 2) Frankenstein Must be Destroyed (1:78) Disc 3) Taste The Blood of Dracula (1:78) Disc 4) Dracula has Risen From the Grave (1:78) For Hammer fans this Warner Boxset is like human cat-nip. Firstly, we have fully reviewed the 'Region B' Icon Entertainment Blu-ray of The Mummy HERE. It offers both 1.66:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios and a commentary by Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby. But The Mummy in this Warner Boxset is 1.66:1 (only ratio available) and slightly more robust and I might give it a small edge in image quality - mostly noticeable in contrast. Otherwise the two The Mummy transfers are quite similar. As the films get more recent, the image quality improves and they all look quite pleasing in 1080P. Colors, detail and contrast advancing upon the older SD renderings of the past. All seem fairly clean - no speckles or damage and they maintain their dark edge without getting un-authentically bright. I saw no noise. All transfers are single-layered (actually Frankenstein Must be Destroyed sneaks into dual-layered territory and has the highest bitrate.) Each disc is region FREE with lossless, DTS-HD Master 1.0 channel mono, audio offering a few foreign-language DUBs and subtitles. They are all region FREE - playable on Blu-ray machines anywhere in the world. All are scored by James Bernard except The Mummy which has music composed by Franz Reizenstein. India-born, Hammer regular, James Bernard's (The Devil Rides Out, The Plague of the Zombies, Dracula Prince of Darkness, These Are the Damned, Across the Bridge, The Curse of Frankenstein) scores adds a wonderful, haunting, atmosphere and definitely benefits from the lossless transfers. Unfortunately, the only extras are trailers for each film. The package is a sturdy book-style box and is quite nice. I'd say the price seem reasonable to finally own some of these Hammer gems in HD. The package is the way to go - saving upon buying them individually. I was in Hammer heaven and I can't wait to play them for my sons over the next few nights. We give it a very strong recommendation! |
Sample Menus
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
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(Terence Fisher, 1959)
Hammer The Mummy (1959) Blu-rays are also compared HERE with the 2022 Second Sight (UK)
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While on a dig in Egypt, British archaeologist John Banning (Peter Cushing) desecrates the tomb of Princess Ananka, awakening her mummified lover (Christopher Lee). With revenge on his mind, the mummy follows Banning and the rest of his group back to England, but becomes quite taken with Banning's wife (Yvonne Furneaux), who resembles the princess quite closely. *** One by one the archaeologists who discover the 4,000-year-old tomb of Princess Ananka are brutally murdered. Kharis (Lee), high priest in Egypt 40 centuries ago, has been brought to life by the power of the ancient gods and his sole purpose is to destroy those responsible for the desecration of the sacred tomb. But Isobel Banning (Furneaux), wife of one of the explorers (Cushing), resembles the beautiful princess, forcing the speechless and tormented monster to defy commands and abduct Isobel to an unknown fate... Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in their iconic roles in the 3rd Hammer Horror film from 1959.
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| Icon Entertainment Blu-ray Bitrate: |
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| Warner Blu-ray Bitrate: |
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| Icon Home Entertainment (Region B) | Warner - Region FREE | |
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Runtime: |
1:27:59.750 |
1:27:57.313 |
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Disc Size: |
46,297,116,985 bytes |
22,591,116,455 bytes |
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Feature Size: |
19,066,208,256 bytes |
21,922,879,488 bytes |
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Video Bitrate: |
24.99 Mbps |
29.85 Mbps |
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Chapters: |
12 |
25 |
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Audio: |
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz /
2304 kbps / 24-bit |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 823 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 823 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48
kHz /768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
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1) Icon Home Entertainment (1.66:1) - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2 ) Icon Home Entertainment (1.33:1) - Region FREE - Blu-ray MIDDLE3) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) Icon Home Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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(Freddie Francis, 1968)
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When a young girl is found hanging in the local church with fang marks in her neck, the townsfolk immediately suspect Dracula (Christopher Lee) is behind the evil deed. Although he has supposedly been dead for quite some time, the vile vampire is the prime suspect. The Monsignor (Rupert Davies) is called in to exorcise the local castle where Dracula once lived. The diabolical Dracula forces the holy man's assistant to help him in his thirst for blood. His next victim is the Monsignor's niece, who works at the local pub. The prince of darkness meets his demise when he is impaled on a crucifix -- at least until he can find another script that he and his agent can agree on.
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Runtime: |
1:32:11.526 |
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Disc Size: |
24,002,236,366 bytes |
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Feature Size: |
23,323,047,936 bytes |
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Video Bitrate: |
29.94 Mbps |
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Audio: |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1036
kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1036 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps /
24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French
192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
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(Terence Fisher, 1959)
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The key image of this film occurs early on, as a hideous monster removes its face, only to reveal itself as Baron Frankenstein in a mask. Hammer's fifth installment in the series sees the transformation of doctor into monster complete. Peter Cushing's portrayal of the Baron here is all insanity and hatred, rather than the misunderstood (if unethical) genius of previous entries. Frankenstein transplants the brain of an insane doctor into Freddie Jones' body, creating a pathetic, misshapen beast, while using blackmail and rape to control the people around him. This was director Terence Fisher's favorite film, and his pacing and composition have rarely been better. Jones (the nasty showman in The Elephant Man) is great at communicating the disorientation and helpless agony of his condition, and while Cushing's character is more one-dimensional than usual, he does his normal excellent job as the Baron. Hammer's next installment was the silly Horror of Frankenstein bef.ore Fisher returned to end the series with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.
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| Bitrate: |
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Runtime: |
1:40:42.619 |
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Disc Size: |
27,572,504,442 bytes |
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Feature Size: |
26,853,986,304 bytes |
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Video Bitrate: |
31.93 Mbps |
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Audio: |
DTS-HD Master
Audio English 1040 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1040 kbps / 24-bit
(DTS Core: 1.0 / Dolby
Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN
-4dB |
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(Peter Sasdy, 1970)
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One of the more accomplished entries in Hammer's Dracula series (which would soon lapse into creative anemia during the 1970s), this fourth installment finds Christopher Lee in top form as the Count, who returns to menacing life after three middle-aged swingers decide to dabble in black magic to bolster their sagging sex lives. Dracula is reborn when the trio's blood-drinking rituals lead to the destruction of his devil-worshipping colleague Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates), whereupon the Count unleashes his deadly wrath on those responsible, even involving members of their families in his scheme of revenge, which culminates in a dramatic finale in a recently reconstructed cathedral. Fine direction from Hammer regular Peter Sasdy enlivens a middling script, and an early appearance from the lovely Linda Hayden (later to star in the eerie Blood on Satan's Claw) is a definite plus.
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| Bitrate: |
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Runtime: |
1:35:11.455 |
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Disc Size: |
24,779,668,201 bytes |
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Feature Size: |
24,097,972,224 bytes |
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Video Bitrate: |
29.93 Mbps |
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Audio: |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1045
kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1045 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 /
48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB |
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Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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Distribution |
Warner - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
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Search DVDBeaver |
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