Review: Hammer Volume 6 – Night Shadows
Following on from Volume 1: Fear Warning, Volume 2: Criminal Intent, Volume 3: Blood & Terror, Volume 4: Faces of Fear, Volume 5: Death & Deceit, it was time once again to sit down with the latest Hammer Films boxset release from Powerhouse Films in their ‘Indicator’ series.
The movies are:
The Shadow of the Cat (1961)
Following on from another of this months Powerhouse Films releases (Eye of the Cat), more feline shenanigans are afoot in The Shadow of the Cat.
After watching her wealthy mistress being murdered by servants under the orders of a scheming husband, Tabitha (the family cat) narrowly escapes death herself and begins to exact revenge on all the guilty parties.
With a large inheritance at stake, more family members are embroiled into the sinister plan to catch and kill Tabitha before their plan begins to unravel before them.
Director John Gilling guides the narrative with enough suspense to have you ‘almost’ believing that a cat could scupper anyones master plan. While André Morell and Barbara Shelley are as watchable as ever, no matter how inconceivable the circumstances they find themselves in become.
A great double bill with the aforementioned Eye of the Cat.
Captain Clegg (1962)
‘Stars Peter Cushing‘ that’s all I’d need to read to get me to watch something.
How about ‘also stars Oliver Reed’? Surely that makes it a ‘must buy’ now!?
With a screenplay by Anthony Hinds and assured direction by Peter Graham Scott, Captain Clegg sees Royal Navy Captain Collier (Patrick Allen) and his crew sent to a small 18th century coastal town where the inhabitants have been reported of illegal smuggling and bootlegging.
The titular Captain Clegg (a longtime nemesis of Captain Collier) is buried in the town after being hanged for his crimes, but all is not as it seems behind closed doors…and hidden wall panels.
Beautiful sets and costumes, great performances across the board, and a fair smattering of tongue in cheek humour, makes Captain Clegg of of the best Hammer films you might not have seen.
Have I told you that Peter Cushing AND Oliver Reed are in it?
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
This often filmed tale is once again brought to life, this time under the directorial eye of Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher from a screenplay by Anthony Hinds.
Herbert Lom plays the titular Phantom, disfigured and living in the sewers as he plans revenge on those who wronged him, while also looking for the perfect muse to deliver his musical masterpieces to the world.
Straying somewhat more than other versions from the source material, this still mixes romance and horror in a satisfying way, though leaning more on the romantic side of the story.
Not as iconic as the Lon Chaney version, or as truly bizarre as The Phantom of Paradise, it stands up as a very watchable version of the story.
Nightmare (1964)
My least favourite of the set but still an intriguing watch, this Freddie Francis helmed shocker is based around Janet (Jennie Linden), a young woman, who when only 11 years old, witnessed her mother stabbing her father to death and is now afflicted by disturbing nightmares and visions.
Janet’s unstable mental state leads her to try and commit suicide, but is everything really just in her head, or are other people around her using her for their own nefarious means?
A moody chiller with some genuinely suspenseful moments, Nightmare just may give you Nightmares too.
Yet another great box set from Powerhouse Films and once again loaded with special features that will keep you informed and entertained for many hours.
THE SHADOW OF THE CAT
- 2K restoration
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary by film historian Bruce G Hallenbeck (2020)
- In the Shadow of Shelley (2020, 25 mins): in-depth interview with the legendary horror actor Barbara Shelley
- Cat People (2021, 5 mins): assistant costume designer Yvonne Blake and Peter Allchorne, of the property department, share their memories of working on the film
- Special FX Catastrophe (2014, 4 mins): audio interview with assistant special effects artist Ian Scoones
- Hammer’s Women: Freda Jackson (2021, 9 mins): profile of the distinctive actress by academic Lucy Bolton
- Kim Newman Introduces ‘The Shadow of the Cat’ (2021, 11 mins): appreciation by the critic and author
- Catmotifs (2021, 18 mins): appreciation of Mikis Theodorakis’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Shadow Play: Inside ‘The Shadow of the Cat’ (2014, 26 mins): documentary featuring Hammer historians Alan Barnes, Marcus Hearn, Denis Meikle, Jason Morell and Jonathan Rigby
- Double-bill TV spot
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Craig Ian Mann, excerpts from original press material, an archival interview with Barbara Shelley, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
CAPTAIN CLEGG
- High Definition remaster
- Two presentations of the film: Captain Clegg, with the original UK title sequence, and Night Creatures, with the alternative US titles
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historian and filmmaker Constantine Nasr (2021)
- The BEHP Interview with Peter Graham Scott (2004, 201 mins): career-spanning filmed interview, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Graham Scott in conversation with Darrol Blake and John Sealey
- Hammer’s Women: Molly Arbuthnot and Rosemary Burrows (2021, 14 mins): overview of the prolific Hammer wardrobe mistresses by film historian Josephine Botting
- Kim Newman Introduces ‘Captain Clegg’(2021, 14 mins): appreciation by the critic and author
- Peter Cushing: Perspectives (2021, 29 mins): documentary looking at the life and work of Peter Cushing, featuring contributions from actors Derek Fowlds, Judy Matheson and Madeline Smith
- Smugglers’ Gothic (2021, 22 mins): David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde, on Don Banks’ score and the influence of the head of Hammer Films’ music department, Philip Martell
- Making of ‘Captain Clegg’ (2014, 32 mins): documentary narrated by actor John Carson, with insights from film historian Wayne Kinsey
- The Mossman Legacy (2014, 7 mins): Kinsey discusses the contributions of transport historian and collector George Mossman to Hammer productions
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with new essays by Frank Collins and Kieran Foster, extracts from original press materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- 2K restoration
- Optional 1.66:1 and 1.85:1 presentations of the original theatrical version (85 mins)
- Alternative TV cut (99 mins): extended version with unique scenes, presented open matte in Standard Definition
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with author Steve Haberman and film historian Constantine Nasr (2020)
- Audio commentary with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson (2020)
- Down in the Sewers (2020, 6 mins): special effects artist Brian Johnson fondly recalls the production
- Hammer’s Women: Liane Aukin (2021, 7 mins): profile of the actor, writer and director by the academic Rachel Knightley
- Kim Newman Introduces ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (2021, 13 mins): appreciation by the critic and author
- The Men Who Made Hammer: Anthony Hinds (2020, 28 mins): Richard Klemensen, editor and publisher of Little Shoppe of Horrors journal, revisits the career of one of Hammer’s most renowned screenwriters and producers
- Phantom Triumphant: Edwin Astley and Hammer’s Horror Opera (2020, 16 mins): David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde, dissects the classic score
- Herbert Lom: The Soul Behind the Mask(2020, 16 mins): film historian and screenwriter C Courtney Joyner shares personal memories of time spent with the legendary actor
- Making of ‘The Phantom of the Opera’(2014, 31 mins): documentary presented by actor Edward de Souza, including interviews with film historian Richard Golen, sound recordist Alan Lavender, and de Souza himself
- Original theatrical trailers
- Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013, 3 mins): short critical appreciation
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Adam Scovell, Terence Fisher on The Phantom of the Opera, extracts from original press materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
NIGHTMARE
- High Definition remaster
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with film historians Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby (2021)
- The BEHP Interview with Freddie Francis(1994, 83 mins): career-spanning audio interview, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring Francis in conversation with Alan Lawson and Syd Wilson
- Jennie Linden: Memories (2016, 15 mins): interview with the Nightmare and Women in Love actor
- Hammer’s Women: Moira Redmond(2021, 10 mins): profile of the film, television and theatre actor by critic and film historian Pamela Hutchinson
- Kim Newman Introduces ‘Nightmare’(2021, 8 mins): appreciation by the critic and author
- Something Lurking in the Chords (2021, 30 mins): appreciation of Don Banks’ score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
- Madhouse: Inside Hammer’s ‘Nightmare’(2016, 15 mins): Hammer historians Alan Barnes, John J Johnston, Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby revisit the production
- ‘Nightmare’ in the Making (2016, 28 mins): documentary with film historian Wayne Kinsey, featuring interviews with actor Jennie Linden, screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and art director Don Mingaye
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Emma Westwood, extracts from original press materials, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
