News

Powerhouse Indicator continues its series of exotic attractions from the house of Hammer with four more titles, three of which are front-rank winners. Once again, the company’s extras make all the difference. We’re’ given alternate versions, censor comparisons, and for one reel, an entire roll of outtakes and stage waits featuring Peter Cushing.

Hammer Volume Four Faces of Fear

Region Free Blu-ray

The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, Taste of Fear, The Damned (These Are the Damned)

Powerhouse Indicator

1958-1962 / Color & B&w / 1:66, 2:35 widescreen / / Street Date November 25, 2019 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £42.99

Directed by Terence Fisher (2), Seth Holt, Joseph Losey

Powerhouse Indicator’s fourth collection of Hammer attractions shows no sign of compromise — three out of four titles here are superb tales of fright and science fiction. Thanks to the company policy of leaving no gravestone unturned, the exclusive special extras never stop.

How to shake up a mid-sixties slump at Hammer Films? It’s back to basics time, with Christopher Lee returning in a most unusual way: there wasn’t much left of Dracula at the finish of his first outing as the number one supernatural public enemy. Terence Fisher is also back, enlivening the third film in the series with some surprisingly excessive gore. Barbara Shelley’s superb performance makes her Hammer’s most self-possessed heroine.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness

Blu-ray

Scream Factory

1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 85 min. / Street Date December 18, 2018 / 34.93

Starring: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Kier, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer, Charles Tingwell, Thorley Walters, Philip Latham, George Woodbridge.

Cinematography: Michael Reed

Film Editor: Chris Barnes

Original Music: James Bernard

Written by Jimmy Sangster

Produced by Anthony Nelson Keyes

Directed by Terence Fisher

Third in Hammer’s Dracula series but only the second to star Christopher Lee, Dracula: Prince of Darkness...

Greetings, everyone! Welcome to what is the final Blu-ray and DVD recap of 2018, as it seems like we have no major genre home media releases coming home next week on Christmas. That being said, the year is ending on a strong note, as we have a number of essential titles hitting various formats this Tuesday.

Scream Factory is keeping busy with their Collector’s Edition releases of Dracula: Prince of Darkness as well as John Carpenter’s Starman (two of my personal favorites!), and Arrow Video has put together a stellar Special Edition of Bloody Birthday for this week as well. As far as recent theatrical titles go, The House With a Clock in Its Walls, The Predator, A Simple Favor, and Venom all arrive on various formats this Tuesday, and if you’re a completist, there’s a 4-film collection of the Predator movies that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has assembled,...

Hammer Horror fans rejoice! Dracula: Prince of Darkness is getting a proper fully loaded 4K blu-ray collector's edition release from Scream Factory this December.

Christopher Lee's second outing as the eponymous Dracula pushes the cinematic boundaries of graphic gore and terror in this 1966 Hammer Films classic. Available as a Collector's Edition Blu-ray December 18th from Scream Factory, this ghoulish tale from Hammer's golden era includes both the UK and Us version of the film and a new 4K scan of the Us version of the interpositive from the 20th Century Fox vaults, as well as brand-new bonus features including a new audio commentary with author Troy Howarth, a new audio commentary with filmmaker Constantine Nasr and writer/producer Steve Haberman, and much more!

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...

One of the most exciting announcements of Scream Factory's massive Blu-ray news at this year's San Diego Comic-Con was the Hammer horror film Dracula: Prince of Darkness, starring Christopher Lee as the iconic bloodsucker. If you've been extra excited for Scream Factory's Hammer horror addition to their Collector's Edition catalog, then you'll be pleased to know that the new home media release includes multiple audio commentaries and both the Us and UK version of the film:

From the Press Release: Christopher Lee’s second outing as the eponymous Dracula pushes the cinematic boundaries of graphic gore and terror in this 1966 Hammer Films classic. Available as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray December 18th from Scream Factory, this ghoulish tale from Hammer’s golden era includes both the UK and Us version of the film and a new 4K scan of the Us version of the interpositive from the 20th Century Fox vaults,...

Hammer horror film actor who went on to take a variety of roles in popular television series, including Coronation Street, The Saint and Blake’s 7

Suzan Farmer, who has died aged 75 of cancer, was a vocally precise actor with beguiling eyes who starred in a number of films for Hammer, the British company that specialised in memorable gothic horror.

In particular she was the heroine of Terence Fisher’s Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), the second of Hammer’s productions with Christopher Lee as the evil count. The target of the vampire’s lust, she bravely resisted him with the help of her screen husband Francis Matthews, before shooting the ice off a frozen moat and plunging Dracula into the freezing water below at the film’s climax. Farmer also provided, in post-production, the screams supposedly uttered by her co-star Barbara Shelley.

Continue reading...

Possibly everyone’s favorite animated sleuths have joined Funko’s Dorbz line. Eight items from Dorbz’s Scooby-Doo Series 1 and 2 are coming this June! Also in this round-up: a behind-the-scenes clip from Damien and details on the Hammer Films Collection – Volume 2 DVD.

Scooby-Doo Dorbz: From Funko: “Dorbz: Scooby-Doo Series 1 (the first three in the gallery)

Zoinks! Scooby-Doo is coming to Dorbz! When there’s a spooky mystery afoot, Shaggy and his pal Scooby-Doo are on the case! Just make sure they don’t split up so they can catch Werewolf in the act!

Coming in June!

Dorbz Ridez: Scooby-Doo – Mystery Machine

Jenkies! Mystery Machine Dorbz Ridez are coming, too!

Coming in June!

Dorbz: Scooby-Doo Series 2 (the last four in the gallery)

Coming this Summer!”

———

Damien: “Watch Glenn Mazzara, Executive Producer, and the rest of the staff talk about the ‘Omen Curse’ that occurred when filming Season 1 of #Damien.

The...

How likely is the current crop of kids' TV reboots, from Danger Mouse to The Clangers, Morph and more, to harm your childhood memories?

Feature

The period June 9th to 15th 2014 was an unpleasant raid on the collective VHS cassette memory of our youth. Not only did Eric Hill, the creator of Spot the Dog, pass away, but so too did Casey Kasem, who for forty years had been the voice of Scooby-Doo's snack wingman Shaggy. Francis Matthews, the stiff upper lip behind Captain Scarlet's stiff puppet lip, departed to be with a different angel squadron. And before that Earth lost Rik Mayall, who performed the best Jackanory ever. Sorry Prince Charles. He did.

So if you felt a part of your formative years had suddenly melted away like a Funny Feet ice cream abandoned on a see-saw, then that's perfectly normal. It's always sad and strangely personal...

Over the weekend, it was confirmed that Francis Matthews - a prolific and respected actor, star of stage and screen - had sadly died, aged 86.

As Captain Scarlet - the hero of Gerry Anderson's '60s 'Supermarionation' series - Matthews was one of the iconic voices of this writer's childhood.

To mark his passing, the Week in Geek revisits the first episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons - first broadcast on UK television almost 50 years ago.

"The finger is on the trigger - about to unleash a force with terrible powers, beyond the comprehension of man. This force we shall know as… The Mysterons."

It's not your average science fiction children's series that opens with a moody and atmospheric crawl into a dark and dirty alley, where a lone gunman sprays bullets before being felled by return fire.

But Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was far from your...

Francis Matthews, who starred in such British horror films as The Revenge of Frankenstein and provided the voice of the indestructible Captain Scarlet in a memorable 1960s science-fiction puppet series, has died. He was 86. Matthews died Saturday after a short illness, according to several British media reports. A native of York, England, Matthews also starred as the title character in the 1969–71 BBC series Paul Temple, in which he played the famed gentleman novelist who solves crimes with the aid of his wife, Steve (Ros Drinkwater). In the Hammer Films sequel Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), Matthews portrayed Peter

read more...

My friend Lisa Daniely, who has died aged 84, was a familiar face in the films of the 1950s and 60s. She also appeared on stage and continued working as an actor well into her late 70s.

She was born Elizabeth Bodington in Reading, Berkshire, to an English solicitor father and a French mother. She was educated in Paris, where she trained at the Sarah Bernhardt theatre, and made her film debut in 1950 at the age of 21 in the title role of Lilli Marlene. Her film-star looks were on the cover of Picturegoer the following year. Her notable films included High Jump (1959) with Richard Wyler (who also acted under the name Richard Stapley), The Lamp in Assassin Mews (1962) with Francis Matthews, Stranger in the House (1967) with James Mason and Geraldine Chaplin, and, perhaps most famously, Hindle Wakes (1952) with Leslie Dwyer.

On the stage she played Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard,...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

Dutch Colonialism and its long-lasting consequences are the topics of the documentary ’Empire’ at the Redcat (photo: ’Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism’) Mixing personal narratives, investigative journalism, video art, and split/multiple screens, Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill’s transmedia documentary Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism — the lengthy title gives you a pretty good idea of what the film is about — will have its West Coast Premiere on Monday, November 11, 2013, at 8:30 p.m. at downtown Los Angeles’ Redcat. Both Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill are expected to attend the screening. Previously shown at the 2013 New York Film Festival, Empire: The Unintended Consequences of Dutch Colonialism was filmed in more than half a dozen countries over the course of three years. According to the Redcat press release, the Dutch-American filmmakers (Jongsma is Dutch; O’Neill is American) "traveled 140,000 kilometers through Asia, Africa, Oceania and...

Looking forward to Dracula: Prince of Darkness hitting Blu-ray here in the States for the first time? Then get out your calendars because we have a date change to inform you of!

The flick will be releasing on September 17th instead of September 3rd as previously announced. To make up for the bump, you can now check out the official Millennium Films Hammer Blu-ray Facebook Page!

From the Press Release

Millennium Entertainment is pleased to reveal the final artwork and announce details for its upcoming high-definition release of the classic 1966 Hammer film Dracula: Prince of Darkness on September 17th. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring the iconic Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, and Andrew Keir, Millennium's Collector's Edition of Dracula: Prince of Darkness marks the first time that horror fans in the Us will be able to enjoy the film on Blu-ray. Millennium is also planning to release several other Hammer...

Millennium Entertainment was set to release a Dracula: Prince of Darkness Blu-ray on September 3rd and we’ve been told that there’s a slight release delay. Instead of September 3rd, the movie will now be released on September 17th. We’ll have more content and a contest before then, so check back soon for the latest details on this upcoming Hammer release.

“Millennium Entertainment is pleased to reveal the final artwork and announce details for their upcoming high-definition release of the classic 1966 Hammer Film, Dracula: Prince of Darkness on [September 17th]. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring the iconic Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir, Millennium’s Collector’s Edition of Dracula: Prince of Darkness marks the first time that horror fans in the Us will be able to enjoy the film on Blu-ray. Millennium is also planning to release several other Hammer Films on Blu-ray later this year including Quartermass and the Pit,...

Looking forward to Dracula: Prince of Darkness hitting Blu-ray here in the States for the first time? Then get ready to read on as we have everything you need to know about the upcoming release right here!

From the Press Release

Millennium Entertainment is pleased to reveal the final artwork and announce details for its upcoming high-definition release of the classic 1966 Hammer film Dracula: Prince of Darkness on September 3rd. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring the iconic Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, and Andrew Keir, Millennium's Collector's Edition of Dracula: Prince of Darkness marks the first time that horror fans in the Us will be able to enjoy the film on Blu-ray. Millennium is also planning to release several other Hammer Films on Blu-ray later this year including Quartermass and the Pit, The Plague of the Zombies, and The Devil Rides Out.

Special features for the Collector's Edition Blu-Ray of...

Millennium Entertainment has revealed the special features and key art for the forthcoming release of Hammer’s classic Dracula: Prince Of Darkness, starring the immortal Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir. The 1966 film came from director Terrence Fisher, and will join your Blu-Ray collection on September 3rd. You can pre-order it from Amazon for just $19.99 today.

Here are the special features:

Audio commentary with Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer and Francis Matthews Exclusive still gallery (Never Before Released!) Restored original trailer Dracula: Prince of Darkness restoration comparison Super 8Mm behind-the-scenes footage Brand new documentary- “Back to Black” World of Hammer Episode: “Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee” Printed Memorabilia perfect for every classic Hammer fan out there...

For the first time, Hammer's classic Dracula: Prince of Darkness is coming to blu-ray in the United States, thanks to Millenium Entertainment. A direct sequel to the famed horror studio's Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness stars Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer, and Francis Matthews. 

In addition to a completely remastered film, Millenium is including a slew of special features:

 

Audio commentary with Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer and Francis Matthews

Exclusive still gallery (Never Before Released!)

Restored original trailer

Dracula: Prince of Darkness restoration comparison

Super 8Mm behind-the-scenes footage

Brand new documentary- "Back to Black"

World of Hammer Episode: "Hammer Stars: Christopher Lee"

Printed Memorabilia perfect for every classic Hammer fan

In this direct sequel to Hammer's Dracula (1958), Christopher Lee returns for more blood as he encounters a group of stranded English tourists who are holidaying in the Carpathian Mountains. Despite receiving several warnings by the unconventional Father...

Last month, we gave you early word that Millennium Entertainment was planning to release Dracula: Prince of Darkness on Blu-ray this September. We now have official release details, a list of bonus features, and new cover art.

“Beverly Hills, CA– (July 3, 2013) Millennium Entertainment is pleased to reveal the final artwork and announce details for their upcoming high-definition release of the classic 1966 Hammer Film, Dracula: Prince of Darkness on September 3rd. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring the iconic Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley and Andrew Keir, Millennium’s Collector’s Edition of Dracula: Prince of Darkness marks the first time that horror fans in the Us will be able to enjoy the film on Blu-ray. Millennium is also planning to release several other Hammer Films on Blu-ray later this year including Quartermass and the Pit, The Plague of the Zombies and The Devil Rides Out.

Special features for the Collector’s...

Millennium Entertainment recently sealed a deal to bring Hammer titles to the Us and Dracula: Prince of Darkness is the first title to be released on Blu-ray. At this time, the only Us-specific news we have is that the movie will be released on September 3rd, but we should have a full press release from Millennium shortly. Because the release is coming straight from Hammer, we believe it will mirror the UK release and here’s a look at that version’s bonus features, transfer, and cover art:

“In this sequel to Dracula (1958), four English tourists are holidaying in the Carpathians when they meet the unconventional Father Sandor (Andrew Keir) at an inn. He warns them to avoid the local castle if they value their lives, but the next day the quartet find themselves stranded in the mountains after their driver abandons them. When a driverless carriage arrives they board it,...

Interview Rachel Bowles 27 Mar 2013 - 07:30

We chatted to Alan Davies about forthcoming Jonathan Creek Easter Special, the new series, Qi, stand-up, and more...

Jonathan Creek is back on the Beeb, and not just for Easter special, The Clue of the Savant's Thumb starring Alan Davies, Sheridan Smith, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Joanna Lumley, but also for three brand new episodes due to film this autumn. We caught up with lead Alan Davies in a round table interview to talk magicians, detectives, Sherlock Holmes, "Creek Geeks", Qi, and more...

Congratulations on the episode, I know you can’t give too much away...

I know it is hard this, you want to big it up but then you can’t say anything that will ruin it, yes it is all so delicate, the clues and the mysteries and everything; you can’t really talk about it.

In light of the...

Following on from their recent releases of the fully restored and re-mastered Hammer classics, The Reptile and The Plague of the Zombies last June, StudioCanal have released the next three iconic Hammer titles in their new restored and re-mastered collection: The Devil Rides Out, The Mummy’s Shroud and Rasputin The Mad Monk. Not only are the films restored, but they are also accompanied by a host of specially created new extras, produced in collaboration with Hammer expert and author Marcus Hearn (author of The Hammer Vault), including brand new making of featurettes and interviews with original cast members.

The Devil Rides Out

Stars: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi | Written by Richard Matheson, Dennis Wheatley | Directed by Terence Fisher

Starring Christopher Lee in one of his personal favourite roles and based on the celebrated novel by Dennis Weatley, The Devil Rides Out sees the debonair Duc de Richleau trusted...

Hammer Blu-rays The Devil Rides Out (1968, dir. Terence Fisher)

Hammer applies its trademark Gothic veneer with considerably greater care than usual in this, the second and best of the company's three stabs at the satanic stylings of author Dennis Wheatley. Christopher Lee comes over to the light for a rare foray as central hero the Duc de Richleau, teaming up with friend Rex van Rijn (Leon Greene) to prevent the evil Satanist Mocata (Charles Gray) from enmeshing the son of his old friend (Patrick Mower) into a devil-worshipping cult.

The Devil Rides Out is perhaps best remembered for what Lee argues in his commentary to be Hammer's most enduring image, that of our heroes fighting a series of spectral and psychological nemeses from within the protective confines of a ritual circle. And yet the most chilling scene contains no special effects, but is instead a simple conversation between the wife...

Following on from the recent releases of the fully restored and re-mastered Hammer classics, The Reptile and The Plague Of Zombies last June, Studio Canal are delighted to announce the releases of the next three iconic Hammer titles in our new restoration series: The Devil Rides Out, The Mummy’S Shroud and Rasputin The Mad Monk – out to own individually on Double Play (DVD & Blu Ray) from 22nd October.

In celebration, the restored releases are accompanied by a host of specially created new extras, produced in collaboration with Hammer expert and author Marcus Hearn (author of “The Hammer Vault”), including brand new making of featurettes and interviews with original cast members.

To celebrate these releases, What Culture has three copies of each Blu-ray to give away to our readers.

The Devil Rides Out (Released 22nd October)

The debonair Duc de Richleau has been trusted with the care of his deceased friend’s son,...

We've updated our Film4 Fright Fest line-up story with tons of images. Read on to see what you may have missed and what's brand spanking new! Dig it!

Programme - Screen 1

Thursday Aug 23

Opening Film - The Seasoning House (World Premiere)

Special make-up prosthetics and splatter genius Paul Hyett makes his directorial debut with a harrowing exploration into tense claustrophobia, hard-hitting action and rollercoaster suspense. In a Balkan brothel, where girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military and civilians alike, Angel (Robin Day) is the deaf mute orphan enslaved to care for the inmates. But unbeknownst to her captors, she moves between the walls and crawlspaces of the seasoning house planning her escape. Psychological horror in the nerve-shredding Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski style but with an ultra-modern twist.

89 mins Director: Paul Hyett UK 2012

Rosie Day – Angel

Sean Pertwee – Goran

Kevin Howarth – Viktor

David Lemberg...

My DVD of Just Like a Woman (1967), pre-ordered months earlier and delayed because it was in the same order as The Devils (1971), arrived two days after its director, Robert Fuest, died. Come to think of it, I think Ken Russell was still alive when I ordered The Devils. An obituary double feature.

Above: Career best performance. Career worst hair.

I was very keen to see Just Like a Woman, Fuest’s first feature, even though I wasn’t expecting it to be particularly good. I had an idea it was a swinging London sex comedy, not the kind of material he was associated with. For that, you’d have to look at his art-deco grand guignol comedies The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) and its sequel from the following year, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, and also at his pop-art masterpiece, The Final Programme (1973). Michael Moorcock, original author of the novel that one derived from,...

Director who blended sophistication and sickness in the horror film The Abominable Dr Phibes

With its mix of pop art, sophisticated humour, pulp science fiction and English eccentricity, the television series The Avengers was among the most influential and significant products of "swinging London" in the 1960s. Robert Fuest, who has died aged 84, cut his teeth on the series under the aegis of the writer-producer Brian Clemens, initially as a production designer when the show was produced "as live" in the studio in black and white and co-starred Honor Blackman with Patrick MacNee, then as director when the series had moved on to colour, film and Linda Thorson.

As designer and director, Fuest learned how to achieve style on a budget – making a great deal of the show's famously minimalist aesthetic – and he carried this over into his best-known works as a film director, the two Dr Phibes horror movies of the early 1970s,...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Although he entered the literary world and, gradually, the public consciousness in the 19th century, Count Dracula is as important and iconic a 20th century character as almost any other. The Dracula story has been told so often in film and every other conceivable medium that seeing a new version is like hearing a cover of a familiar song; perhaps over-familiar, given the relative dearth of recent adaptations. That he is so easily mocked is further evidence of this; common points of reference are easy targets, a fact that took its toll, in some way, on both Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Lugosi only actually played the character twice onscreen, but when he returned to the role on stage late in his career the once-terrified audiences rocked with laughter. Lee too seems to have had a love-hate relationship with his most famous role.

As it is,...

★★★★★ Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), the first Hammer classic to be re-released by StudioCanal in its restored and remastered Blu-ray collection, is quite simply one of the finest examples of horror cinema ever made. Even the most cynical viewer would be hard put to find complaint with Terence Fisher's masterly direction of vampiric nastiness amidst the Carpathians, starring Christopher Lee as the eponymous Dracula and Francis Matthews, Charles Tingwell, Suzan Farmer and Barbara Shelley as the unfortunate travellers who become ensnared in his web of evil.

Read more »...

Dracula: Prince Of Darkness

Stars: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer | Written by Jimmy Sangster | Directed by Terence Fisher

With Hammer firmly on the comeback trail following the success of The Woman in Black, the company have gone back into the vaults to restore and remaster some of the classic movies from their past before unleashing them on today’s audience vis the medium of Blu-ray. The first Hammer Horror classic out of the gate is one of the studios most famous, Dracula: Prince of Darkness.

Starring Hammer stalwart Christopher Lee as the eponymous villain, Dracula: Prince of Darkness is the first sequel to Hammer’s original Dracula and picks up the story ten years after Dracula’s death at the hands of Peter Cushing Van Helsing (a death recapped in the opening sequence of the film). Released in 1966, this time round our hero is Andrew Keir...

A long time ago, in an obscure European country far, far away there existed creatures of the night who didn't sparkle, who didn't wander around with pained expressions on their faces, and who didn't look like they'd just stepped out of a My Chemical Romance video. The most famous, or should that be infamous, of them all was Dracula, the undisputed Lord of the Undead, and the subject of many, many movies over the years; but none of which captured the quintessential essence of a great vampire flick quite as well as Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966).

Described by Hammer Films historian Marcus Hearn, who appears in a new half hour retrospective of the flick in the extras, as perhaps the most representative of all the Hammer Dracula films due to the inclusion of several vital ingredients - including the brooding manservant, the remote European locale, the well-to-do English characters adrift abroad,...

Studiocanal are pleased to announce the fully restored HD release of iconic Hammer classic, Dracula Prince Of Darkness. The first in an ongoing collaboration with Hammer to restore and re-release some of the most celebrated titles from their extensive library, Dracula Prince Of Darkness will be released on double play March 7th. We have three copies to gives away!

Over the course of 2012 the project will see subsequent remastered HD releases of The Reptile and The Plague Of Zombies in May, and The Devil Rides Out, Rasputin The Mad Monk and The Mummy’S Shroud later in the year in a continuation of Studiocanal’s commitment to investing and restoring the best of British Cinema. Preceding the Home Entertainment release fans will be delighted to know the restored version of Dracula Prince Of Darkness will screen alongside The Reptile And The Plague Of Zombies at a special Frightfest Extra event...

Further to our story January 22, regarding UK studio Hammer Films restoring their classic horror features, now Sneak Peek the DVD cover to the restored version of "Dracula: Prince Of Darkness", available in the UK , March 5th 2012, from film restoration partner StudioCanal :

"..."In a landmark collaboration, Hammer, StudioCanal, Anolis Entertainment (Germany), Pinewood and others are coming together to undertake a major restoration of the iconic Hammer film library. The project will bring over 30 movies into HD format for Blu-ray and new media exploitation..."

"Dracula: Prince Of Darkness" Blu-ray Bonus Features include commentary from actors Christopher Lee, Suzan Farmer, Francis Matthews & Barbara Shelley, behind-the-scenes footage, trailers and a whole lot more.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek the original 1966 trailer from "Dracula : Prince Of Darkness"...

Last week, Hammer announced that they will be restoring a number of their classic horror films for release on Blu-ray. The first film on their slate is Dracula: Prince of Darkness, which will be available in the UK on March 5th. Not only do we have a list of bonus features and cover art, but images from the newly restored film.

Studio Canal will be handling the title releases in the UK and Dracula: Prince of Darkness is already available for pre-order. While Us release plans have not been revealed, we can’t imagine these films not hitting the states in the near future. Hammer has already announced that they are discussing restorations with their Us studio partners. Here is some more information on the restoration from the previous press release:

“In a landmark collaboration, Hammer today announced that Studiocanal, Anolis Entertainment (Germany), Pinewood, illuminate Hollywood fka Htv and others...

Hammer Films, no stranger to genre fans, and most recently the studio behind The Woman In Black (landing February 3), are in the midst of restoring a number of their most iconic titles. The British giant has enlisted an army of studio restoration specialists in the States to lend a hand in the effort, meeting with Warner Bros., Paramount, Illuminate Hollywood, Warner Bros. Picture Imaging, and original studio production partner Twentieth Century Fox.

StudioCanal has already been hard at work on bringing a few Hammer classics up to spec, starting with 1958′s Quatermass And The Pit (currently available). StudioCanal has their second effort, Dracula Prince Of Darkness (’66) set to hit the home market on March 5. Regarding this release, Hammer comments, “Dracula Prince Of Darkness, restored at Pinewood from a two-perf original cut negative, scanned at 4k and restored in 2k. Dracula Prince Of Darkness will be presented in all its Techniscope glory,...

To celebrate the release of Retreat, in which Thandie Newton and Cillian Murphy unwisely try to patch up their failing marriage by spending time alone in the only cottage on a remote Scots island, here’s a guide to the movies’ worst holiday destinations compiled by film critic and author Kim Newman. These films tell you all the things you don’t see in the brochures.

And Soon the Darkness (1970)

Destination: Northern France | Holidaymakers: Pamela Franklin, Michele Dotrice | Major snag: Psycho Killer

This is a cautionary tale about the perils of venturing abroad, especially if you happen to be two English girls in short shorts who decide to go on a cycling tour of an area of France where several young women have mysteriously disappeared. It’s a slow burn of a movie, beginning with the petty discomforts – unfriendly guest-houses, leering locals, squabbles – of a shared trip, then escalating to cat-and-mouse with a maniac.

Wish You Were Here?

“We’re going where the sun shines brightly

We’re going where the sea is blue

We’ve seen it in the movies

Now let’s see if it’s true”

Septuagenarian pop star Cliff Richard was (typically) seeing life through rose-tinted shades when he starred in Summer Holiday, back in 1963. Most Brits heading off to Europe this month won’t be travelling in an old London double-decker, like clean-cut Cliff and his pals in Peter Yates’s musical. They’ll be joining long queues at the airport; muttering about the extortionate price of petrol; or praying that Eurostar doesn’t grind to a shuddering halt on this side of the Channel.

Above all, they’ll be hoping that their vacation doesn’t turn out to be anything like in the movies. Cliff may have been weaned on a wholesome diet of Elvis and Gidget, but...