The Abominable Snowman 4K (1957)

“Hammer + Nigel Kneale = Excellence in Cinema”

The latest film to receive the extra posh Hammer treatment is the film version of Nigel Kneale’s BBC TV play The Creature, broadcast twice in 1955 and then never seen again, so thank goodness for this superior Hammer adaptation which we can now enjoy in sparkling (especially with all that snow around) 4K. The film is being released in both separate Blu-ray and UHD editions, as well as a limited edition set that includes both UHD and Blu-ray discs plus a 120 page book (not provided for review), double-sided poster and reproduction lobby cards.

Peter Cushing stars as Dr John Rollason, a scientist staying at a remote Himalayan monastery where he, his wife Helen (Maureen Connell) and assistant Peter (Richard Wattis) are collecting rare botanical specimens for transport back to London. But Rollason, a proficient mountaineer, has another reason for being there. He has planned to meet up with Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) and his team who are planning an expedition to find the yeti.

They set off despite both Helen’s protestations and the monks’ reticence and it soon becomes apparent that Tom’s plans for the yeti, should they find it, extend to rather more than just documenting the experience. As they climb higher and higher, the men find themselves challenged not just by the creature they may be looking for, but by their own collapsing sanity.

Nigel Kneale was always more interested in human interaction than in getting to the monsters, so don’t expect to see any yeti in the opening half of this. What we do get to see, however, is the conflict between the thinker and scientist (Rollason) and the two-fisted money maker (Friend). In QUATERMASS AND THE PIT terms they are akin to Quatermass and Colonel Breen - neither man understands the other and argument only serves to reinforce how little they have in common. Apart from the leads the other stars here are art director Bernard Robinson, whose sets are more detailed than they need to be but make the monastery scenes all the more of a pleasure to watch, composer Humphrey Searle who provides a near-otherworldly score, and director Val Guest who keeps things grounded (although one wonders what someone like Jacques Tourneur might have done with this kind of material). Oh, and fans of Eugenio Martin’s HORROR EXPRESS may get a feeling of deja-vu in the sequence where a scrabbling yeti claw tosses away a rifle.

As mentioned above the limited edition comes with both UHD and Blu-ray discs, and here’s what you get on them:

Disc One (UHD) and Disc Three (Blu-ray)

This offers you the UK theatrical cut running just over 90 minutes and two commentaries. Start with the 1999 one featuring Guest, Kneale, Marcus Hearn and Ted Newsom before moving over to the new commentary with Toby Hadoke and Kneale expert Andy Murray. You get the usual censor card and trailers and then there’s Abominable! a 58 minute documentary in which Wayne Kinsey, Andy Murray, Toby Hadoke, Jon Dear, Richard Hollis and Dick Klemensen discuss both the film and the lead up (in terms of BBC TV plays and Hammer’s adaptation of them) to the making of it.

The Art of Design is an excellent 25 minute piece from Wayne Kinsey about Bernard Robinson and specifically how Hammer sets were redressed and reused from the period when THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN was made. There’s an academic video essay from Heather Wixson on Fear and the Unknown in Monster Cinema in which she talks both about this film and movies like ALIEN and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Captured! is 8 minutes of Nigel Kneale’s own snapshots of his visit to the Hammer set, there’s an image gallery, and there are two Val Guest interviews: audio from 1988 (29 minutes) and video from 2003 (18 minutes). 

Disc Two (UHD) and Disc Four (Blu-ray)

Here we have the US cut of the film entitled THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS which runs five minutes shorter. We also have the very chatty Toby Roan and Heath Holland to provide a new commentary. A second commentary track is given over to cryptid enthusiast Stephen R Bissette who provides a whopping two hour and twenty seven minute audio essay that means they have to start the film over again.

Exhuming The Creature is a 54 minute piece in which Andy Murray, Gavin Collinson, Toby Hadoke, Jon Dear, Hannah Cooper and Richard Hollis talk about the original Nigel Kneale TV play, while The Legend of the Yeti: From Myth to Movies is 40 minutes of chat from Ted A Bohus, Stephen R Bissette, Michael Gingold and Casey Walker, writer-director of Hammer’s forthcoming ITHAQUA. Tim Lucas and Stephen R Bissette chat about the film over Zoom for 75 minutes in another of their ‘Sidebars’ and the disc and set is rounded off by an audio interview with BBC producer Rudolph Cartier from 1991. 

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN is out in 4K from Hammer in separate two disc UHD and Blu-ray sets, and in a limited edition combo set with all the extras listed above, on Monday 31st August 2026

Break in the Circle 4K (1955)

“Gorgeous Transfer of an Entertaining Espionage Thriller”

Hammer are releasing director Val Guest’s BREAK IN THE CIRCLE in a special three disc UHD / Blu-ray combo edition which, in common with their other ‘B’ movie releases, comes with an accompanying book and luxury packaging.

Skip Morgan (Forrest Tucker) is an ex-smuggler living the quiet life in Cornwall, enjoying time on his boat with his sidekick Dusty (Reginald Beckwith) when he’s not bugging local writer Lisa (Eva Bartok) with whom he has had a previous relationship. But his past soon comes back to haunt him in the form of Major Bartok (Guy Middleton) who convinces him to go to London for ‘one last adventure’.

That adventure involves rescuing Kudnic (Arnold Marle) from Hamburg at the request of Baron Keller (Marius Goring) for a large amount of money. Morgan is also wanted by Scotland Yard and it turns out Lisa has been keeping tabs on him for them. So he kidnaps her and sets off to Hamburg with Dusty where, with Emile (Eric Pohlman) they get into a bunch of scrapes, with plenty of double-crosses waiting for them at home.

The outstanding thing about BREAK IN THE CIRCLE is its location photography, filmed in vivid Eastman colour and rendered absolutely gorgeous by Hammer’s new 4K transfer. As such it now provides a valuable historical document of what Cornwall (specifically the village of Polperro), London and Hamburg used to look like. As a thriller it’s pretty routine stuff for the period, but it’s rarely dull and the presence of some familiar Hammer faces (we also get THE REPTILE’s Marne Maitland as a foreign agent) helps pass the time very comfortably.

Hammer’s set consists of three discs. A single UHD is home to three versions of the film: 1.66:1 UK theatrical (with commentary from film historian Richard Hollis and thriller novelist Gavin Collinson), 1.37:1 UK ‘as filmed’ (with commentary by Adrian Martin, who also discusses the US version) and 1.37:1 US version which is in black and white and runs 20 minutes shorter. You also get the censor card and UK and Italian trailers (for INTERPOL AGENT Z-3).

The films are also spread over two Blu-rays, the second of which has the other extras. There’s a look at the Hamburg locations today (11 minutes) and the Cornwall locations as well (5 minutes) as well as an image gallery. The major extra here is Eurocrimes (96 minutes) in which Sergio Angelini, Laura Mayne and Barry Forshaw cover a range of topics including the influence of the US communist witch hunts of the 1950s that caused many American stars and directors to move to Europe, as well as a potted history of European crime movies over that and subsequent decades. Finally you also get a book (not provided for review) with new writing from Wayne Kinsey, Neil Sinyard, Sarah Morgan and Miriam Balanescu.

Val Guest’s BREAK IN THE CIRCLE is out in 4K from Hammer in a three disc UHD / Blu-ray combo set on Monday 31st August 2026

Django Shoots First 4K (1966)

 

        Studio Canal are releasing director Alberto De Martino’s DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST, one of many Italian westerns to bear the Django name yet having little to do with Sergio Corbucci’s Franco Nero-starring masterpiece of 1966. In fact this was one of the first out of the gate in the wake of the huge success of that film, managing to get released in the same year. And just because it capitalises on Corbucci’s film doesn’t mean it’s without interest, especially if you’re a fan of all things Euro from that period.

Glenn Garvin (Glenn Saxson), known as Django down in Mexico (according to a line of dialogue), meets a bounty hunter on his travels who just happens to have Garvin’s dead father strapped to the back of his horse. Garvin shoots the bounty hunter and decides to claim the reward for himself. However, when he gets to town he learns that his father actually owned half of it, which now naturally falls to Glenn. Also naturally, the owner of the other half, Ken Kluster (Nando Gazzolo) has no intention of letting him have any of it.

Made during the peak period of the Italian western (at least according to Alex Cox in his commentary and he’s probably right), DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST offers plenty for aficionados of the genre - a revenge plot, a town that will be familiar to viewers of DJANGO and THE GREAT SILENCE and many others, sweeping landscape vistas, and a bunch of familiar faces including Erika Blanc (THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE) and Fernando Sancho, best known to horror fans as the evil Mayor in Amando De Ossorio’s second Blind Dead film RETURN OF THE EVIL DEAD. There are plenty of fights and shootouts, and if you’re a fan of BLAZING SADDLES you might find yourself wondering if Mel Brooks was inspired to make his film by some of the characters and scenes here, especially the final punch up.

Studio Canal’s 4K transfer provides a nice vivid transfer with the option of English and Italian dubs. Extras include the previously mentioned commentary by Alex Cox which is very good, and if you’re new to the genre and want to explore more take note of all the titles Cox throws at you during his talk because they are all worth watching. There are also new interviews with Saxson (16 minutes), Blanc (16 minutes) and co-star Evelyn Stewart (23 minutes). The disc also comes with a 12 page booklet with a new essay from Peter Raleigh.

Alberto De Martino’s DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is out in 4K from Studio Canal in both UHD and Blu-ray editions, and on Download, on Monday 24th August 2026

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)

Next up in the Hammer Presents line of British-made horror films not actually made by the company is this AIP thriller from director Curtis Harrington and starring Shelley Winters, who plays the title character. 

Rosie ‘Roo’ Forrest (Winters) lives in a big old house in the country by herself, with her British magician husband no longer alive, and her young daughter dead after Roo encouraged her to slide down a lengthy banister rail and then didn’t move at all to try and catch the girl when she fell from it to her death. Every year she holds a special Christmas party for children from Rosalie Crutchley’s orphanage. Christopher and Katy Coombs (Mark Lester and Chloe Franks) aren’t supposed to be there but they stow away in the boot of a car so they can come and join in the fun.

Roo takes a liking to Katy and wants to keep her there. Meanwhile her staff (Michael Gothard and Judy Cornwall) blackmail her out of £2000 and leave her service, leaving Roo with Katy and Christopher alone in the house after the others have all gone. It’s then up to the children to find a way to escape.

WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO also features Lionel Jeffries (director of THE RAILWAY CHILDREN and THE AMAZING MR BLUNDEN), Pat Heywood (MUMSY NANNY SONNY AND GIRLY) and Hugh Griffith (the Dr Phibes films). All of those titles are better movies than this, a film that tries hard to be a sinister version of Hansel and Gretel but ultimately ends up being less than riveting, especially in its second half. Kenneth V Jones’ music score is over the top and the best bit of the film is the pre-title sequence which has you thinking we’re going to get the AIP equivalent of a Hammer psycho-thriller, especially with Jimmy Sangster’s name in the credits, but sadly it’s not to be.

If you want to hear far more upbeat and praising assessments of WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO then head for the commentary track by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and the 19 minute video essay by Heather Wixson entitled Grief as Horror, both of which find a lot more to love about the film. Hammer’s disc also comes with the film in two aspect ratios: 1.85:1 (cinema version) and 1.37 (likely how it was shown on the TV). There’s also a trailer with and without text, a three minute radio spot and an image gallery.

Curtis Harrington’s WHOEVER SLEW AUNTIE ROO is due out on Blu-ray from Hammer on Monday 24th August 2026

 

The Name of the Rose 4K (1987)

“Beautiful Transfer of a Timeless Classic”

Brother Cadfael goes EuroGothic as Second Sight bring us their whistles and bells 4K restoration of Jean-Jacques Annad’s excellent adaptation of Umberto Eco’s bestselling novel in a limited edition UHD and Blu-ray combo package, as well as standard separate UHD and Blu-ray editions.

The year is 1327. William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) travels with his young novice Adso (Christian Slater) to form part of a contingent of Franciscan monks due to debate a religious issue with representatives of the Catholic church at a remote abbey in Northern Italy. However, when they arrive, they find themselves embroiled in a series of murders. William is called upon by the Abbott (Michel Lonsdale) to use his well-known deductive powers to solve the mystery, but with the arrival of Grand Inquisitor Bernardo Gui (F Murray Abraham) things turn from bad to worse.

An atmospheric, well-acted, beautifully designed (by Dante Ferreti) and shot (by Tonino Delli Colli) French-Italian-German-20th Century Fox coproduction, perhaps the greatest asset of THE NAME OF THE ROSE is its screenplay, the writing of which is detailed in one of the excellent extras on this disc. Umberto Eco’s complex literary work had to be stripped down and what was left reassembled with an eye on it being approachable by the average cinema audience member. By centring on the murder mystery (at least to start with) Andrew Birkin was also able to include some of the symbolism, philosophy and religious discussion that the book is filled with.

But everyone is playing their ‘A’ game here. Composer James Horner offers a score that’s mainly synthesisers but which feels perfectly suited to the medieval period, while the casting director must have had a ball looking for the most interesting faces in Italy and German to populate the monastery. Among the cast are also a swathe of familiar faces including Feodor Chaliapin, Jr (Argento’s INFERNO and Soavi’s THE CHURCH), William Hickey (THE BOSTON STRANGLER and TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE), Ron Perlman (HELLBOY et al), Leopoldo Trieste (Bava’s BAY OF BLOOD), Donald O’Brien (ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST) and Valentina Vargas (HELLRAISER IV).

Second Sight’s 4K transfer is second to none, with the film never having looked this good. Those of you familiar with older BBC TV screenings should note that the Latin uttered here does not get translated with subtitles, which is the same as it was with the UK cinema print. Extras include a new commentary from James Marsh but if you’ve not listened to it before you should start with the excellent archival commentary from director Annaud that will tell you more than a few things to raise your eyebrows.

Other new extras include a set of excellent interviews, including the one with screenwriter Andrew Birkin mentioned above (22 minutes), as well as Ron Perlman (23 minutes), Christian Slater (24 minutes) and director Jean-Jacques Annaud (39 minutes). There’s also an archival German making of (45 minutes). Finally, the limited edition comes with a 120 page book with new writing on the film (not provided for review), six collectors’ art cards and a slipcase to keep it all in. 

Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Palimpsest of Umberto Eco’s THE NAME OF THE ROSE is out from Second Sight in a limited edition combo UHD and Blu-ray set and separate UHD and 

Blu-ray editions on Monday 10th August 2026

30 Days of Night 4K (2007)

        Director David Slade’s adaptation of the graphic (and graphically violent) vampire novel by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith is getting a 4K UHD / Blu-ray steelbook combo release from Icon, along with a separate standard Blu-ray release (with the same disc extras) for those of us who don’t need all the metal trimmings.

Barrow in Alaska is the northernmost town in the United States, and one that, every year, has to endure thirty days of continuous darkness before sunlight returns. So what better hunting ground for a literal boatload of vampires? Their human Renfield substitute (a great grubby performance from Ben Foster) ensures all mobile phones are burned, all dogs are killed (that's a warning for pet lovers) and the power to the town is cut, after which it’s up to Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George) and the few survivors to make it through the rest of the month until the sun comes back, begging the question: who will survive and what will be left of them?

Aside from being action and gore-packed, 30 DAYS OF NIGHT gives us some great, original (and especially nasty) vampires and sets out its own rules: it looks like only decapitation or sunlight will kill them, there’s no mention of crucifixes or holy water and if the town has a church no-one ever mentions it. At nearly two hours it’s a tiny bit long for what is essentially an action-heavy horror, but Slade really grabs his material with both hands and runs with it, making this an essential movie for vampire fans.

Icon’s 4K disc is a new restoration scanned on the Laser Graphics Director scanner with 16bit colour depth. For a film that is so dark so much of the time, the transfer really benefits from this and all the picture noise of previous releases is gone. 

The disc comes with a bunch of new interviews, including Slade (27 minutes) which includes his resisting of producer Sam Raimi’s suggestions he make the film funnier, composer Brian Reitzell (25 minutes), actor Mark Rendall who plays Jake Olsen (15 minutes) and creator and screenwriter Steve Niles (14 minutes).

Archival material has been ported over from the previous two disc DVD release including the commentary with Hartnett, George and producer Rob Tapert, and eight Making Of featurettes which vary in length from 4 - 8 minutes). The steelbook also comes with a booklet with new essays on the film and an A3 poster.

David Slade’s 30 DAYS OF NIGHT is out in 4K from Icon in a UHD / Blu-ray combo steelbook or single Blu-ray disc now