Icons of Horror: Hammer Films (2-disc) (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / Scream of Fear / The Gorgon)

The Brits have a way with the horror film, a respect for the genre and a sense of fun that we yanks would do well to emulate. In these Hammer films, as in most British productions, don't look for millions in production values; instead check out the imagination and style. There's The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, with the usual Egyptian claptrap flashback and stalwart American actor Fred Clark as a greedy showman out to get his comeuppance. The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll, with Christopher Lee as a loyal friend to the two-faced doctor played by Paul Massie, boasts an interesting switch: Jekyll is the hairy slob, while the evil Hyde is squeaky-clean and wildly malevolent. The Gorgon, with Lee and Peter Cushing. is pretty silly, but there are lot of thrills and suspense as the ancient Greek demon goes for gruesome revenge. Scream of Fear is the most interesting outing in the collection, featuring a translucently beautiful Susan Strasberg, daughter of acting teacher Lee and Marilyn Monroe guru Paula, and creepy goings-on in a mansion whose swimming pool holds a frightening secret. OK, so this quartet may not be the most magnificent examples of cinema genius, but they'll help to keep the post-Halloween horror going while offering up a good scare, or a good laugh, once in a while.

Having already bought the expensive DVD set by Sony in Japan that includes "Scream of Fear", I bought this set for "The Gorgon". These two classics are undoubtedly the best and most sought after films in this set. "The Curse of The Mummy's Tomb" is quite good, but a weaker "Mummy" flick than most other Hammer ones. "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" I think is very poor, despite some good acting; the least exciting of all the 'Jekyll and Hyde' movies. The quality of all the prints here is great, and I still can't believe what excellent value for money this set is, although as others have said, the packaging could have been better! But really, we've got these great films for just a few bucks, what more could we ask for?

First, allow me to discuss the DVD presentation. The only extra features are: theatrical trailers and English subtitles for all four movies. We who are hearing impaired thank Sony for the subtitles. Commentaries would've been nice, especially for those who have a favorite film in this collection. The restoration is superb and the audio is strong and clear for all four features. "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" and "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" are presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1; "The Gorgon" and "Scream of Fear" are presented in 1.66:1. Except for "Scream of Fear," all features are in beautiful color. The black and white print is clear and sharp for "Scream of Fear." Too bad it wasn't in color. Overall, the DVD presentation is very good. Now for the review:

Hammer Film Productions was famous for their gothic horror films. This is a superb collection and introduction for anyone unfamiliar with Hammer. Horror icon Christopher Lee (most famous for his role as Dracula) is in three of the films. Other horror legends include Peter Cushing, Barbara Shelly, Susan Strasberg, and Oliver Reed. All four movies involve monsters, primarily humans who have become monsters, whether physically or intellectually. Also, in these films, the viewer doesn't know who the real monster is. (The films are rife with betrayal.) A monster can be anyone. Sometimes they are normal in appearance. I promise you no plot spoilers as I briefly describe the monster scenario in each of these highly rated classic gems.

"The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" - Aging Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion and becomes a younger, more handsome man who wishes to be free of all responsibility for his amoral actions. (Don't we all wish we could live like that? Isn't there a monster in all of us?) Masquerading as Dr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll learns that his gorgeous wife and best friend (Lee) are traitorous monsters.

"The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb." - Ra, the Egyptian Prince, has been resurrected by an evil person who possesses an amulet. Who are they and why are they seeking to destroy everyone around them? The real monster is the one who is controlling the unfortunate mummy.

"The Gorgon." Both Lee and Cushing star as a doctor and a professor, respectively, who are seeking to destroy the monster who turns innocent villagers into stone with their gaze. Unfortunately, the monster may actually be a respected member of the community.

"Scream of Fear." This "Hitchcock"-like thriller stars Susan Strasberg as a crippled young woman; for the first time in ten years, she is visiting her wealthy father who lives on the French Riviera. Someone in the household is a monster who is trying to drive her insane. Quite a good mystery with many surprises.

In fact, all four films are mysterious, gloomy, creepy, and shocking. I'm surprised these haven't already been released on DVD in America. They are truly excellent horror classics. I can't tell you which one is my favorite. For having been made in the 1960s, these films contain violence that is surprisingly graphic and shocking. Also, certain scenes in "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" had language and sexual innuendoes that were hilarious.

This collection is a must have for fans of gothic horror from Hammer Film Productions. I'm very glad I bought it. Try to take it away from me and I'll turn into a monster.

Amazed to discover not only have the "hells" and "whores" on the dialogue track been restored in this version of The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll, but at least three scenes that had been trimmed by the censor have also been restored. The uncut ending of Maria's snake dance is pretty bold stuff for the early 60's and it's hard to imagine that Hammer thought they could slip this by the British or American censors. The two other restored moments are also scenes with the snake dancer, Maria.

I've always found The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll a compelling reworking of the Stevenson novella, and as others have noted, Christopher Lee gives one of his best performances in an unusual bit of casting. Unfortunately the picture never really knows what to do with its unique premise of a dull bearded Dr Jekyll and a young handsome Mr Hyde. The original script was for a two hour movie and before shooting began was cut down to a more typical Hammer running time of under 90 minutes. Cutting that much material out of the script may be the reason this version never really comes together dramatically.

But it's difficult to know without reading, if the longer script would have made a better picture. The original screenplay ended with the execution of Dr Jekyll. His neck in the hangman's noose, Jekyll is dropped through the gallows' door and as the dead man's body swings into view, we see the face of Mr Hyde. It's a stronger ending, but doesn't magically pull the picture together.

The Two Faces isn't a horror film and it's not written or directed as a horror film. Maybe the problem is that we expect a horror film and the movie isn't powerful enough to convince us it isn't a horror film.

Even with the script problems, The Two Faces is one of Hammer's most elaborate productions with a number of very compelling scenes and strong performances. Terence Fisher's direction is bold and assured, although for some reason Fisher has been blamed for the picture's short comings. But it seems apparent the problem is with the script, not the direction. For all it's flaws, it's one of Hammer's most unusual pictures and I can't help but like it a lot.

Scream of Fear is the first and best of Hammer's psychological thrillers, with a few tense scenes that still hold up 47 years later. Although you might find one of the most "shocking" moments is a quiet but sexually charged scene between Ann Todd and Ronald Lewis near the end of the movie.

The Gorgon tries hard to be the kind of horror film its title suggests, but fortunately fails miserably. More a tragic romance, in some strange way the picture rises above it's limited premise. Probably because Terence Fisher's direction emphasis the romantic and plays down as much of the conventional horror shtick as possible. But it's an uphill battle since the script is filled with cliches.

As for Columbia's restoration of these pictures, for some reason The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is way over saturated. Maybe it's my set, but nothing else looks over saturated except these recent Hammer releases from Columbia and that includes the two pirate pictures on the Icons of Adventure disc. Jack Asher's photography was always bold, but it didn't look cartoon-ish which is what I'm seeing on my set. Turning color down on my set helps a lot. But can't do much about the red leaning color correction . . . skin tones are way too ruddy and this might be the limits of what can be restored with a faded print. Neither Warner's nor Universal's Hammer releases have over saturated color, though Warner's The Mummy, in particular, leans too much to red in the skin tones.

The packaging on this set is atrocious. The cover shot looks as if somebody ran wild with (Adobe) Illustrator and Photoshop. It looked like the work of one of those labels whose 'best available source material' was a badly worn VHS tape. There are no special features except for the original theatrical trailers. If it hadn't been for the "Columbia" and "Sony" logos on the rear jacket this one would have stayed on the shelf.

But, that's where the bad news ends. The films have been re-mastered in high definition. The images are pristine. The colour is vibrant. The audio tracks have been re-mastered to stereo. Even the trailers have been cleaned up. The menus are easy to navigate. The set features two gems and a pair of enjoyable films. The price works out to about six bucks per film.

This is a good set and a good value.

Scream of Fear ****

This film evokes images of Hitchcock's better work. Jimmy Sangster's story has plenty of twists and turns. The acting from the principle players is superb. Susan Strasberg delivers a riveting performance. Ann Todd's performance is wonderfully subtle. Christopher Lee shows the range that made him an icon of the genre. Ronald Lewis is both chilling and charming as the man sympathetic to Strasberg's plight.

The technical side of the picture is strong also. Director Seth Holt kept Sangster's narrative moving at a brisk pace. The cinematography and lighting are excellent. The black and white photography is stunning. The score, by Clifton Parker enhances the mood of the film extremely well.

This is an excellent piece of work.

The Gorgon ****

The Gorgon is a wonderfully crafted motion picture. Director Terrence Fisher regarded it as his finest or one of his finest works and he was probably right. It's true that the snakes on the Gorgon's makeup look bad but the blame (likely) lies with the amount of money the crew had to work with. The rubber snakes aside, this film breathtakingly beautiful to watch. The cinematography of Michael Reed is excellent. The design of the production by Bernard Robinson is gorgeous. The lighting (which is uncredited) casts one stunning highlight after another. The colour (by Technicolor) is glorious. J. Llewellyn Devine's story, and John Gilling's adaptation of it, gave the crew plenty to work with.

(Terrence) Fisher's directing knits this web together perfectly. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee both give fine performances. Barbara Shelley delivers an engaging turn as Cushing's assistant. Michael Goodliffe and Richard Pasco deliver strong characterizations. Even the Village Police Inspector played by Patrick Troughton avoids being a completely one-dimensional figure. There are a few backdrops that aren't convincing and the aforementioned snakes' heads look a little silly but those are small complaints.

This is an example of the genre at its most poetic. It's not to be missed.

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll **

The take that writer Wolf Mankowitz gave to (Robert Louis) Stevenson's classic is intriguing enough but the narrative never lives up to its original promise. The story bogs down periodically and the characters are often weak. Jekyll' is overwrought and self-righteous. Hyde is an intellectual version of pure evil who can be really stupid. Jekyll's wife is an unsympathetic character. Hyde's lover seems bent on her own destruction. They're all one-dimensional.

Terrence Fisher and the actors around him do what they can but that's limited. Paul Masse does well with the roles of Jekyll and Hyde but he couldn't do the impossible. 'Hyde' is intriguing enough but 'Jekyll' is flat. He spends most of his screen time acting as if he'd be a lot of fun at funerals. Dawn Addams never evokes any sympathy over being caught in a loveless marriage. Norma Marla does pretty well in the role of the women who falls in love with Hyde but she was limited by the script. The only character that's fleshed out thoroughly is the one played by Christopher Lee. He plays the part of an unprincipled leech brilliantly. It's a credit to his talent that he could do so much with limited material.

This isn't a bad film. The story-line is thought provoking and there are some good moments. But, it's inconsistent. And when it's dull, it's dull.


The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb **

This film has plenty of faults. The makeup job on the Mummy is awful. Its head looks like it's made of soggy cardboard. The best parts of the script were borrowed from their first version of the story. The characters are all stock. There's an intrepid academic who bores his girlfriend. There's a bored girlfriend who falls for the charming intellectual. Of course there's a charming intellectual. There's the obligatory Egyptian who warns about the dangers of 'defiling the dead' (who in Egypt always have curse ready for people who do that). And, naturally, there's a huckster in there. How could there not be?

But this crew does a decent job with it. Ronald Howard is wonderfully dull as the academic who'd rather woo women with hieroglyphics than moonlight. Jeanne Roland is a perfect Doe-eyed ingénue. Her character isn't the brightest bulb on the screen but she bats her bonny browns deliciously. Terrence Morgan is slippery, suave, charming and happy to show her the poetry of life. And Fred Clark is delightfully dollar-happy as the promoter looking to put the Mummy under lights. Director and Writer Michael Carreras had the sense to throw in a few surprises. And he did it in ways that don't seem contrived.

When the cardboard-headed Mummy finally does run loose there are some chilling moments. The pace set by Carreras is brisk one. His story, though not particularly original, seldom drags. The cinematography and production design by Otto Heller and Bernard Robinson are good. The action scenes are convincing.

This isn't a great film (or even a particularly good one) but it has one thing going for it: it's fun.