hammer

THE FLICKS: Classic horror fans and Hammer aficionados are two discs closer to nirvana with the release of “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” & “Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter” – two of the British studios latter fare that stacks up surprisingly well with some of their best. The final installment in their Frankenstein films, Hammer somehow roped in Peter Cushing and director Terence Fisher to send out the series with a low-key tale of dread and dismemberment at a remote asylum which, of course, results in the creation of a murderous man-ape than runs amok. While the plot may be redundant and does nothing to further the mad scientist mythos, Cushing is predictably amazing in the lead role as “Dr. Victor,” now hiding under a flimsy alias and using mental patients as raw material to continue his body building experiments. Railroad-spike thin but still full of nervous energy (witness his piggy-back stunt at the ripe old age of 65), the actor gives it his all, a nice counter-balance to Fisher’s conservative visual approach in a era when Hammer was trying anything and everything to get an audience. “Captain Kronos” is the perfect example. Director Brian Clemens was given free reign to produce something different from the studio’s stale gothic formula. The result – a swashbuckling swordsman who hunts the undead across the foggy countryside with the help of his hunchbacked sidekick – is more successful than anything the studio produced in years. Unusual, inventive and just a whole lot of fun, the film was an obvious influence on the recent foreign hit “Brotherhood of the Wolf,” and combines strong visuals with an intentional tongue-in-cheek campiness. German born Horst Janson is the mysterious Zen-like vampire killer out to help a small town with a string of murders that leaves young women turned into wrinkled old hags. Cult fave Caroline Munro is a doe-eyed groupie who lets herself be used as bait. And it all comes down to a choreographed swordfight with the master vampire that serves as a refreshing change of pace from Hammer’s previous horror outings. Although it was “too little, too late” to save the studio at the time, “Kronos” is an absolute blast! THE FEATURES: While Hammer films have received the deluxe treatment from smaller DVD companies like Anchor Bay, most of the classics owned by the major studios were given the short end of the stick. Not so here. Paramount has included a commentary for each film moderated by historian Jonathan Sothcott. For “Frankenstein” David Prowse (the “monster” himself) and actress Madeline Smith speak about their relationship to Hammer and their work on the studio’s other films. Prowse, who got his start as a weight lifter and eventually donned the helmet as Darth Vader, admits that producer Michael Carreras showed him the door when he first expressed interest in playing a Hammer monster. Smith, ironically a deaf mute in the film, monopolizes much of the conversation, but there’s enough dirt dished to satiate almost any Hammer fan. Even better is the track for “Captain Kronos” with writer/producer/director Brian Clemens and Caroline Munro. Clemens keeps the conversation hopping with technical facts (lead actor Horst Janson was forced to do all his own stunts) and creative philosophies. Energetic and enlightening, this track is as good as the best Hammer biography you ever read. FINAL SCORE: Beautiful widescreen transfers, sharp mono sound and a couple of unexpected extras make both films easy to recommend. It’s nice to see these two slices of Hammer history get the treatment they deserve on their DVD debut.