The Mummy (1959)

"It Lives! Again!"

Second Sight are bringing out Hammer's THE MUMMY in a special limited edition on Blu-ray. It's been nearly nine years since Icon released their own three disc edition in. the UK. That sold out quickly and is hard to get hold of today, so if you missed out on that, or if it's on your shelf and you're wondering whether to pick this release up too, read on. But first a bit about the film itself.

Egypt, the late nineteenth century. The Banning family, comprising of father Stephen (Felix Aylmer), uncle Joe (Raymond Huntley), and son John (Peter Cushing) discover, and break into, the tomb of Ananka, high priestess of the Great God Karnak. On entering the tomb Stephen sees something he really shouldn’t, and it drives him mad. The family is cursed by Mehemet Bey (George Pastell), and when they return to England, Stephen is placed in an asylum. Bey moves into a large country house close by, and pretty soon a large wooden box filled with ‘Egyptian Relics’ is being delivered to there by Hammer character actor Harold Goodwin and his friend. Unfortunately they’ve both had a bit too much to drink and the crate ends up at the bottom of the local swamp. Luckily, Bey has recovered the Scroll of Life from the tomb, and pretty soon Kharis the Mummy is up and about and bumping off members of the Banning family. John is married to Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux) who, by a tremendous coincidence, just happens to resemble Princess Ananka and leads to Kharis’ downfall.

Hammer’s THE MUMMY is absolutely cracking stuff. After the success of their first two gothic horrors, Michael Carreras, usually relegated to Executive Producer duties, got the job of line producing this one, and it shows. While Anthony Hinds was undoubtedly one of the masterminds behind Hammers success, Michael’ love of spectacle is what elevates THE MUMMY to something greater than it might otherwise have been. Carreras’ input, a bigger budget, and the general increase in confidence of a company hitting its peak are all on display here. The movie ‘feels’ much bigger than either CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN or DRACULA, the cast is a lot larger, and just to put some truly spectacular icing on this particular cake, Franz Reizenstein’s music score is there to tell you that this is Hammer doing epic. And for a tiny company filming all this in a few sheds near Windsor this was a tremendous accomplishment and should be viewed as such. Bernard Robinson’s set design feels epic, and Jack Asher’s cinematography is gorgeous. Jimmy Sangster’s script condenses a whole cycle of Mummy movies into one film, and even if he mistook Karnak for a god rather than the location in Egypt it actually was, we can forgive him. Terence Fisher’s unobtrusive direction ensures that everyone’s skills are displayed to their best advantage.

Last, but by no means least, we come to the cast. As well as an entire cadre of familiar British character actors we get the immortal teaming of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. In their scenes of confrontation together it almost feels like VAN HELSING VS THE MUMMY, but the film is all the better for it. Even though Cushing is his usual accomplished self, the real star of the film is Lee, the first screen mummy to actually seem dangerous. He neither limps, nor drags bandages behind him, Rather, Lee plays Kharis as a lithe, and vicious killing machine, fully capable of both breaking bars on a prison cell and a man’s back. At the same time his gift for mime, coupled with the superb makeup that leaves little of his face visible but his eyes, allows him to convey Kharis’ eternal sense of longing and the utter tragedy of his situation.

Second Sight's Blu-ray provides us with the same excellent transfer as Icon's previous release, offering the film in two aspect ratios: 'open frame' (1.37:1) and the ratio in which it was shown in many British cinemas (1.66:1). The Universal DVD release of 19 years ago presented the film in 1.85:1 Comparing all of these, if you want to see as much picture information as possible then the ‘open frame’ ie 1.37:1 option is the one to go for.

Ported over from the Icon disc is the Marcus Hearn / Jonathan Rigby commentary track. New to Second Sight's release is a commentary from film academic Kelly Robinson which manages the difficult job of being entirely different from the Hearn / Rigby commentary by talking about the mummy's history in literature and film leading up to the Hammer version. Also ported over are the 30 minute making of documentary Unwrapping the Mummy and the Jonathan Rigby 15 minute featurette on The Hammer Rep Company”. For Bray fanatics there’s “The House of Horror: Memories of Bray” to keep you happy for 48 minutes.

Where Second Sight's disc wins is in its new extras, which finally provide some commentary and analysis on Franz Reizenstein's music score, something noticeably lacking from previous releases. In The Music of THE MUMMY David Huckvale provides a brief but thorough look at the Reizenstein score, and Mr Huckvale returns for An Appreciation of THE MUMMY in which he talks about the Universal Mummy movies and how elements of these were incorporated into Hammer's version. There's also a stills gallery and Hammer's original six minute promo reel for the film. Add in a soft cover book, art cards and have everything house in a rigid slipcase with lovely art by the lovely Graham Humphreys and this set is a beautiful presentation of one of Hammer's most gorgeous movies.

THE MUMMY is out on Blu-ray in a limited edition set on Monday 29th August 2022

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1973)

One of the best Hammer Frankenstein films (fight me) gets a new limited edition Blu-ray release from Second Sight. 

After the events of 1969's FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is presumed dead but is actually then resident medical director of an asylum for the criminally insane, practising under the name Dr Carl Victor (a nod to 1958's REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN). Sent to the same asylum is Dr Simon Helder (Shane Briant) for the 'same crimes' as the Baron and pretty soon the two are back to monster-making, with expected results.

"Hammer's Gothic giant running on near empty", said Cinefantastique. "Michael Carreras pushing the panic button" said the late lamented Denis Meikle in his seminal History of Horrors. Kat Ellinger, in a new commentary recorded for this release, passionately defends the film against the many naysayers the film has had over the years, and you'll find no argument here with much of what she says.

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL is a triumph, the natural end point for both a character, a genre, and a way of film-making. Nobody gives the Baron much thought anymore (in both real and reel life) and while he's ostensibly free to come and go as he pleases, the film suggests that he's definitely a prisoner of his surroundings, pottering along in his lab, trying again and again with increasingly worse results (the latest creation is a disaster - to think he once reached the heights of Susan Denberg) and with very much a sense that things are never going to get better. As Ellinger says, it's a very well thought out film, perhaps surprisingly so given the circumstances under which it was made.

It's also surprising that everyone brings their A game to FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL. You'd expect it from Cushing, and perhaps from the dedicated British cast, but the tiny budget only occasionally shows. The sets and set dressing are marvellous, the lighting and photography are claustrophobic and forbidding, and James Bernard's music score is one his his best, especially that violin 'concerto'.

        Second Sight's Blu-ray provides the same excellent transfer as Icon's previous release, offering the film in two aspect ratios: 'open frame' (1:1.37) and the ratio in which it was shown in many British cinemas (1:1.66). If you want to see as much picture information as possible then the ‘open frame’ ie 1:1.37 option is the one to go for. As well as the new commentary, Second Sight have ported over the commentary with Marcus Hearn, Shane Briant and Madeline Smith, which is agreeably chatty as well as providing plenty of facts on the production. Other special features brought over from the previous Icon release are Taking Over The Asylum - a 25 minute making of with Denis Meikle, Jonathan Rigby and others, and Charming Evil, 13 minutes on Terence Fisher with contributions from both family members and academics.

New to Second Sight's release is David Huckvale, whose analysis of the music had me going to the piano to play all those augmented chords. It's excellent stuff and Mr Huckvale returns to provide an appreciation of the film in the other new extra. Add in a book, art cards, and a rigid slipcase and this is the treatment one of Hammer's best and most poignant films deserves.

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL is out on Blu-ray in a special limited edition from Second Sight on Monday 29th August 2022

Dog Soldiers (2002)

"Something to Howl About"

Second Sight give their extra special treatment to writer-director Neil Marshall's debut feature as DOG SOLDIERS gets a new 4K restoration on UHD and Blu-ray.

As Gavin Baddeley eruditely puts it in one of the disc's extras, DOG SOLDIERS is a soldier movie with werewolves in it, rather than the other way around. So instead of a tale of cursed souls and elaborate transformation sequences, instead we are introduced to a bunch of squaddies sent on a seemingly routine training mission to the wilds of Scotland where they are attacked by werewolves and find themselves trapped in a cottage in the middle of nowhere as the beasts wage attack after attack. 

That's pretty much it for a story that is about as simple and straightforward as they come, but Marshall's genius lies in solid characterisation, aided immensely by an ear for dialogue, coupled with his skills as both director and editor. Mind you, special effects and production design also contribute greatly to the claustrophobic atmosphere and the performances are all endearing as well.

Second Sight's disc comes with three commentary tracks. Two have been ported over from previous releases, one from Marshall and another from producers David Allen and Brian O'Toole. There's also a new commentary from academic Alison Peirse who has a pleasant, engaging style and offers lots of insight into and ways of regarding the film.

Werewolves, Crawlers, Cannibals and More is a new 40 minute interview with Marshall in which he discusses his entire film career, right up to and including his experiences on HELLBOY and making THE RECKONING. I wish he'd been able to make the zombies on an oil-rig picture he pitched after DOG SOLDIERS and maybe one day he will.

Gavin Baddeley, author of The Frightfest Guide to Werewolf Movies offers a potted history of werewolves in cinema with specific reference to DOG SOLDIERS, including its use of comedy. We also get a history of werewolves in literature and film in a video essay by Mikel Koven that ranges from depictions of lycanthropy in classical Greek through to the Universal pictures and beyond.

Werewolves Vs Soldiers is an hour long making of featuring interviews with Marshall, producers Christopher Figg and Keith Bell, SFX artist Bob Keen and members of the cast. Production designer Simon Bowles gets his own 14 minute featurette about the sets for the film.

Marshall's short film COMBAT is also included, along with deleted scenes, a brief gag reel, trailers and a photo gallery which is well worth checking out as, rather than the usual set of movie stills, it's an account of how some of the special effects were achieved. 

This is a Second Sight release so of course there's more, in the form of a 108 page book with new writing, behind the scenes photos and a new Neil Marshall interview, six art cards and a rigid slipcase to house it all in. Twenty years on DOG SOLDIERS remains a tightly edited, superbly characterised, action-packed werewolf picture (or soldier picture with werewolves in it) and Second Sight have done the film proud.

Neil Marshall's DOG SOLDIERS is out in a limited 4KUHD and Blu-ray double disc set and standard 4KUHD and Blu-ray editions on Monday 22nd August. The new 4K restoration will also be screened at this year's Frighfest

The Saphead (1920)

Eureka continues its Buster Keaton Blu-ray releases with THE SAPHEAD, the first feature-length movie to topline him in after he had established himself as a star in numerous two-reelers.

Bertie Van Alstyne (Keaton) is the son of Nicholas Van Alstyne (William H Crane), a super-rich Wall Street businessman. When Bertie and his father's ward Agnes (Beulah Booker) announce their intention to marry, Van Alstyne senior cuts Bertie off with a mere $1 million for Bertie to go out and make something of himself, leading to him trying to make a go of it in the stock market.

Adapted from a popular 1913 play, THE SAPHEAD was originally intended for Douglas Fairbanjks who had played the role on stage. It's therefore not surprising that Keaton, denied the considerable input he would be allowed later on, doesn't get the chance to dazzle with the kinds of feats of athletic physical comedy he is well known for. As such THE SAPHEAD may prove disappointing for some, but as long as you go in expecting more of a straightforward comedy typical of the period you won't be disappointed.

Eureka's Blu-ray comes with a commentary track from film historian David Kalat that provides contextualisation in terms of Keaton's career and the Hollywood industry of the period. Also included is a complete alternate version consisting of different camera angles and alternate takes. A Pair of Sapheads directly compares the two versions of the film.

THE SCRIBE is a 29 minute safety film from 1966 starring Keaton as a janitor in his final film role, and there's also a commentary for it from John Sebert, the film's director. Bubbling Gravity is a new video essay by David Cairns about both the making of the film and the play that inspired it. There's also a stack of audio interview material. The longest is an interview between Keaton and Kevin Brownlow from 1964. It's divided into two parts and last nearly two hours in total. then there's an 84 minute Eastman House interview from 1958 that lasts 84 minutes, and finally eight minutes of excerpts from an interview with Torsten Jungstedt from 1958. Finally, there's a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film.

THE SAPHEAD is out from Eureka on Blu-Ray on Monday 22nd August 2022. The first 2000 copies come with an O-Card slipcase

Resident Alien Season 1 (2021)

"An Unexpected Gem"

A spaceship crash lands near a tiny town in Colorado. The sole occupant survives and makes its way to the lakeside retreat of Dr Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk). The alien kills Harry, throws his body in the lake, and shape shifts to assume his identity. Meanwhile the town doctor is found dead under mysterious circumstances and soon the townsfolk are calling on Harry to take his place. Now Alien Harry has to find his spaceship (still buried beneath the snow), make sure the body of Real Harry isn't found, and learn how to behave like a human, all while trying to achieve the objective he was sent to earth in the first place for.

Based on a Dark Horse comic book, anyone not having read that may find it hard to believe that RESIDENT ALIEN wasn't originally conceived as the very funny comedy that it is, but Alien Harry was originally planned to be a more serious character until Alan Tudyk's audition apparently convinced the production team to go for a more comedic approach.

Not that Tudyk is the only one with the funny lines in this. Creator Chris Sheridan makes sure most of the personable cast gets their fair share of witticisms, right down to the young boy who is the only person in the town who can see the alien as he really is. 

Fabulous Films' two disc set (either Blu-ray or DVD) contains all ten episodes of Season 1 of this SyFy channel series, which has already gone to a second season and apparently there's promise of a third. It's a show that takes the fish out of water concept used by movies such as John Carpenter's 1985 STARMAN and runs with it, never missing an opportunity for a funny line or amusing character turn along the way, piling on the incident (by episode four Harry's wife has turned up) to create that rarest of things, a successful television science fiction comedy. Worth splashing out on and let's hope it runs to a few more seasons.

RESIDENT ALIEN Season 1 is out from Fabulous Films on DVD & Blu-ray on Monday 8th August 2022

Get Carter (1971)

There's a story that in 1969 director Pete Walker was running his latest film in a Soho screening room when producer Michael Klinger wandered in and asked him about the subject matter. Walker duly told him, to which Klinger then replied that he intended to make something similar 'but a lot better'. The Walker film was MAN OF VIOLENCE, released on the BFI flipside label in 2009. The Klinger film was GET CARTER and while it's been released on disc a number of times the BFI are about to release a lavish extras-packed two-disc version of  what is inarguably one of the finest British films ever made.

You likely know the story. Gangster Jack Carter travels to Newcastle to investigate the death of his brother and in the process uncovers a sleazy, corrupt underworld that initially wants him back in London asap and eventually orders him dead. But he's a tough and mean and (almost, perhaps) as soulless as they are and he doesn't intend to stop until justice is done.

A great cast, a tight story, an original, ambitious and minimalist music score, terrific locations and powerhouse direction from Mike Hodges all combine to capture lightning in a bottle and create a film that somehow feels timeless despite its early 1970 trappings. Perhaps the most surprising thing about GET CARTER is how long it took for it to becomes the cult item that it now very much is.

The BFI's two disc set presents the film on disc one, either in UHD or on Blu-ray depending on which set you buy. The film comes with two commentary tracks, an archival one with Mike Hodges, Michael Caine and DP Wolfgang Suschitsky and a new one with Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw, who are ideally suited to contextualise the film both in terms of the cinema of the period and the paperback thriller genre the source material belonged to. The disc also comes with a new two and half minute introduction from Michael Caine.

Disc two kicks off with Mike Hodges in Conversation recorded this year at BFI Southbank. It's an hour long interview which covers his early career in documentaries and television work, getting to GET CARTER about halfway through. He also has stories to tell about THE TERMINAL MAN, FLASH GORDON, BLACK RAINBOW and CROUPIER and well done to the audience member at the end who asks him about his involvement with DAMIEN OMEN II.

Klinger on Klinger is son Tony talking about producer father Michael for 24 minutes, covering his father's creation of the Compton cinema, his partnership with Tony Tenser, and his international film career after the two split. Don't Trust Boys is twenty one minutes with actress Petra Markham (Doreen in the film) discussing her career. Jonny Trunk, the man responsible for so many soundtrack collectors now owing the likes of PSYCHOMANIA through his Trunk Records label, discusses the life and career of composer Roy Budd and talks about the score ("Tablas for up North? And yet it works"). We also get Roy Budd himself playing the theme on three different keyboards (including the electric harpsichord).

Archival pieces include a location report from the BBC's Look North programme from 1971 presented by Michael Rodd, and The Ship Hotel Tyne Main which is a 33 minute black and white documentary about a pub on the Tyne. Finally there are trailers, and Mike Hodges' screenplay - all 91 pages of it. 

As I mentioned above, the BFI are releasing GET CARTER in two versions - UHD disc and Blu-ray or two Blu-rays. Both editions come with an 80 page book, a double-sided poster and four postcards, all housed in a rigid slipcase. Here's what it all looks like:

Mike Hodges' GET CARTER is out from the BFI in a limited edition two disc set - UHD with Blu-ray extras 10 000 copies, Blu-ray film and extras 5000 copies - on Monday 1st August 2022

The Reef: Stalked (2022)

Writer-Director Andrew Traucki has something of an aquatic-themed CV, having previously made BLACK WATER (2007), BLACK WATER: ABYSS (2020), THE REEF (2010) and THE ABCS OF DEATH segment G is for Gravity (2013). His latest is THE REEF: STALKED and it's getting a digital and DVD release from Signature Entertainment.

Nine months after her sister is murdered by drowning, Nic (Teressa Liane) sets off with three female friends for a weekend of sun and surfing in the Pacific. However, scarcely are they paddling out to a paradisiacal-looking island than something with a big pointy fin starts swimming towards them, begging the question: how many will survive and in how many pieces?

THE REEF was a seriously decent suspense-filled little piece about a few people standing on top of a sinking capsized boat trying to escape the attentions of a Great White shark. Perhaps needless to say, THE REEF: STALKED doesn't see any characters from that returning, either because they're dead or if they're sensible they now plan their holidays somewhere appropriately dry and land-locked.

So what we have is a sequel in all but name, and while THE REEF was good, THE REEF: STALKED is pretty generic. Once again we have a great big shark with a taste for plastic and wood that, in the curious habit of movie sharks, will stop at nothing in its somewhat lunatic vendetta to pursue the same small group of people. The CGI isn't bad and it makes a change to have an all-female group being menaced, but the suspense and sense of isolation of the director's other movies listed above is a bit lacking here. One for Evil Fish completists only. Signature's DVD contains no extras to speak of but you do get the trailer for FALL which is going to be the closing film at this year's Frightfest. 

Andrew Traucki's THE REEF: STALKED is out from Signature Entertainment on digital on Friday 29th July 2022 and DVD on Monday 8th August 2022