ICONS OF HORROR: HAMMER FILMS

U.K. | 1960-1964 Directors: Terence Fisher Michael Carreras, Seth Holt Starring Christopher Lee, Paul Massie Ronald Howard, Peter Cushing Barbara Shelley, Susan Strasberg Color, B&W | Not Rated THE TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL: 88 Min. CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB: 80 Min. THE GORGON: 83 Min. SCREAM OF FEAR: 81 Min. Format: DVD (R1 - NTSC | 2-disc set) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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The Gorgon - 8 Scream of Fear -9     8   10 = Highest Rating   Guest Review by Troy Howarth | Page 1, 2
The Gorgon (1964): A creature from ancient mythology terrorizes a small Balkan village in the early 20th century...     Having exhausted the gallery of classic movie monsters, Hammer and screenwriter John Gilling turned their sights to mythology for inspiration. The end result, The Gorgon, is one of the studio's most poetic and eerie — and frustrating — achievements.     In the hands of director Terence Fisher, The Gorgon has all the characteristics of a Greek tragedy. Fisher emphasizes a feeling of doomed romance, never seeking to leaven the tone with touches of comedy. The film is serious from start to finish, with only some humorous asides from Christopher Lee's character to relieve the sense of doom and gloom. The central love story between the characters played by Richard Pasco and Barbara Shelley is one of the most pained and poignant to be found in Fisher's oeuvre, and it feels genuine from start to finish.     Fisher also does a beautiful job building mood and atmosphere. The use of color, texture and sound effects makes the most of the Gorgon's nocturnal appearances. Fisher also sensibly keeps the creature off camera for as long as possible, even then shooting through cobwebs or through pillars, from a distance, to maximize her impact. Alas, there's no way to resist going in too close — and when he finally does, it undercuts the film's impact considerably. Roy Ashton's makeup and Syd Pearson's FX work let the film down badly; the Gorgon ultimately is likely to elicit chuckles rather than gasps, thus undermining the terrific buildup of the preceding 80 odd minutes. Even so, Fisher can hardly be faulted for his direction — the film moves at a good pace, the drama has depth and feeling, his use of framing and cutting is at its best, and he elicits generally strong performances from his cast.     In terms of the cast, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are called on to carry the show. Similar to the casting of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in The Invisible Ray and The Black Cat, however, it seems that Hammer decided to have some fun by reversing their usual screen images. Cushing plays the stern, cold, humorless authority role that Lee would normally be stuck with, while Lee gets to play the warm, funny, charming heroic figure. Cushing, an immaculate performer, seems visibly uncomfortable in his role. While Cushing excelled at charming characterizations, he could also play villains to the hilt — but the role of Dr. Namaroff is a cold fish through and through, and Cushing doesn't seem to know what to do with him. It's an off-putting character, one that Lee might have had an easier time bringing to life, but in Cushing's usually capable hands he merely seems selfish and unpleasant. It's not a bad performance — Cushing was too much of a pro for that — but it is one of his lesser characterizations. Lee, on the other hand, looks to be having a ball as Professor Meister. The then-41 year-old actor sports a grey wig and bushy moustache, and he is every bit as witty, wily and entertaining to watch as one can imagine. Lee was already chomping at the bit at Hammer, desperate to play more interesting roles, and he clearly responded to the possibilities of the character; he doesn't play an active role until about mid-point, but once he shows up, he dominates the proceedings. Barbara Shelley (Dracula - Prince of Darkness) is terrific as usual as Carla, the object of Cushing's jealousy, while Richard Pasco (Rasputin, the Mad Monk) is considerably more solid and believable than the usual callow juvenile lead. Michael Goodliffe (To the Devil... a Daughter) and Patrick Troughton (The Omen) also lend solid support.     With its gorgeous cinematography from Michael Reed (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and one of James Bernard's more haunting soundtracks, The Gorgon remains one of the studio's most distinctive horror films.     Scream of Fear (1961): A wheelchair-bound young woman (Susan Strasberg) worries that her father's death was no accident...     Reviewers stubbornly persist in calling Scream of Fear and the thrillers it spawned 'mini-Hitchcocks' in the Psycho mould, but producer/screenwriter Jimmy Sangster has always correctly identified his model as Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les Diaboliques. No matter how you classify the film, however, it proved a surprise success with critics and audiences, prompting Sangster to quit writing Gothic horror scenarios and move into twist-laden contemporary thrillers. The later movies — from Paranoiac (1962) to Fear In The Night (1972) — are highly variable, but Scream of Fear is certainly in the top tier of Hammer's output.     The film was directed by the brilliant Seth Holt, a former editor (Ealing's The Ladykillers) who moved to directing with the seldom-seen, but superb, Nowhere To Go (1959). Scream of Fear was his second feature, though when watching it one would swear it was the work of a seasoned master. Holt stages the various shock moments for all they are worth, and crucially he is able to keep the convoluted narrative moving at such a clip that the viewer doesn't have a chance to look too deeply into what is happening — Sangster's thriller scripts seldom bear close scrutiny, anyway, though this scenario is understandly fresher and more original than the ones that would follow. Holt's background as an editor serves the film well, and his choice of camera angles is extremely judicious.     Holt also draws terrific performances from the small ensemble. Susan Strasberg (Psych-Out), daughter of the legendary acting guru Lee Strasberg, gives arguably the strongest performance of her career as Penny. The character is a tricky one to play — fierce and determined, but with an air of bitterness and self-loathing, it would have been easy to play her as a one-dimensional sourpuss, but Strasberg finds the humanity in her and never loses sight of it. She makes for a spunky and likable heroine, and as such it is easy to become concerned for her safety. Ann Todd (Hitchcock's The Paradine Case) is excellent as Penny's concerned stepmother. Todd plays the character as kind and considerate, even when Strasberg begins to suspect that she may have had a role in her father's death. Sooner than play the character as an over the top threat, Todd is benign throughout. Ronald Lewis (Mr. Sardonicus) is also quite good as the family chauffeur who takes an interest in Penny, while Christopher Lee puts on a convincing French accent as a doctor who may or may not know more than he is telling.     Beautifully photographed in high contrast black and white by the great Douglas Slocombe (The Fearless Vampire Killers), Scream of Fear is high on mood and atmosphere, but it seldom resorts to heavy handed effects. The scenes in the candle-lit summer house, where the body of Penny's father keeps stubbornly appearing and disappearing, are as spooky as it gets, but Holt and Slocombe milk these situations for all they're worth without resorting to campy overstatement. None of Hammer's subsequent black and white thrillers would come close to equalling this outstanding debut — I would argue that Holt's even stronger The Nanny (1965), with an uncommonly restrained Bette Davis, isn't really part of the series — making one regret that Holt's tragically short career (he died while working on the studio's Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, 1971) didn't encompass more work for them. Not for nothing, Christopher Lee has called the film the best Hammer ever made.
Talk about a welcome surprise... Not only does this set gather together some of Hammer's most popular titles for the first time on R1 DVD, but Sony hasn't dropped the ball on a single title, either! First things first: as viewers familiar with The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll will know, the film has long been censored in America. The film includes some pretty strong language for 1960 ("bitch," "whore" and other terms are bandied about fairly frequently), and matinee-minded Columbia overdubbed these lines with comically softened alternatives — hiring Lee, Massie and others to loop the lines themselves, at least. The spectacle of Hyde telling a character to "Go to Hades" or Lee musing that he always "has the best possible luck with witches" didn't exactly strengthen the film's adult appeal. When Columbia issued the film to VHS in the '90s, they did so in a horribly faded, poorly panned and scanned print that suffered all the usual signs of censorship. However, for this release, they've finally put things right. Not only does the 2.35/16x9 transfer offer a glorious view of Jack Asher's colorful widescreen vistas, but all the profanity — and some footage! — previously cut have been reinstated where they should be. In terms of footage, the climax of Norma Marla's sexy snake dance (where she simulates fellatio on a snake!), as well as some saucy views of a nude Marla (albeit with her back to the camera) during a couple of bedroom scenes, are visible for the first time in years. All the profanity is intact, too. The print used is in terrific shape. Colors are vivid, detail is razor sharp... there's really nothing to complain about. Without wanting to give the short shrift to the other titles, at least none of them have suffered so badly in the past. Curse of the Mummy's Tomb is also in 2.35/16x9 and it, too, looks terrific. The film isn't quite as extravagantly photographed as Jekyll, but it's a handsome production and looks much more so in this transfer. The B&W Scream of Fear looks a tad grainier, but this seems consistent with the photographic look of the film. The Gorgon — like Scream of Fear, 1.66/16x9 — looks better than ever, too, though it features one strange caveat. Every other version of the film I've ever seen favors Peter Cushing with top billing. (He was, at that point, Hammer's Big Star.) However, here Christopher Lee is given the top slot — could this have been done for a later rerelease to capitolize on Lee's later popularity? Beyond that, the film remains as Hammer fans know and love it, and Reed's artful lighting is beautifully served. The mono English soundtracks are clean and clear for all four films. The Gorgon sounds a little more 'thick' in the mixing that the others, but this is as it has always sounded; in contrast, Jekyll's soundtrack sounds wonderfully vivid and detailed.     The only extras are trailers for all four films, including the relatively obscure British theatrical trailer for Jekyll. While featurettes or interviews with key people like Lee and Sangster would have been appreciated, one can hardly complain. This is a terrific set, and a must for all Hammerphiles. 10/30/08
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