They’re Twins… of EVIL!

September 4, 2012 | By | Add a Comment

Los twins diablos evalles con maledictus Satanus!

The Hammer horror catalogue is currently going through its own resurgence after a prior wave hit DVD more than 10 years ago, primarily via Anchor Bay, Columbia, Universal, Warner Bros, MGM, and Paramount.

As the bonus feature-length doc in Synapse’s new Twins of Evil [M] (1971) Blu-ray + DVD combo set details, the Hammer movies were often pre-sold based on poster art – an old strategy used by indie / exploitation producers who used lurid campaign art to get funds for their as yet unproduced masterpieces.

That explains why so many distributors – specifically in the U.S. – handled Hammer’s movies, and why there never can be a single mega-set. The closest one can find is perhaps via Anchor Bay U.K., whose special features-friendly batch of roughly 21 DVD titles is still available in a big set on Amazon.co.uk for about 26 British Pounds. There’s also the Warner titles, which have appeared in both Region 1 boxed sets, and as part of the budget-priced TCM Greatest 4-film sets.

As of 2011, Hammer licensed a series of restored Region B HD releases – among the current batch is Quatermass and the Pit, Plague of the Zombies, The Reptile, Paranoiac, The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Mummy’s Shroud, The Devil Rides Out, and Rasputin: The Mad Monk – but if you want them all, I’d wait a year before they get down to 10 British Pounds, as commonly happens on Amazon.uk after a title’s been out for a year or two.

Synapse’s wave – which includes the underrated Vampire Circus [M] (1972) – is for the Region A market, but neither Circus nor Twins have appeared on HD as exclusive U.K. thus far. (I’m just relishing the chance to see Hands of the Ripper, which is part of the late Hammer catalogue Synapse is wisely exploiting on HD.)

Coming next: why neither BR-3D, BR, DVD, nor Digital Copy formats can convince you to buy Piranha 3DD.

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Mark R. Hasan, Editor
KQEK.com ( Main Site / Mobile Site )

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Category: EDITOR'S BLOG, FILM REVIEWS

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