TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Hammer Horror (Horror of Dracula / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / The Curse of Frankenstein / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed)

Although I own 4 Film Favorites: Draculas (Dracula A.D. 1972, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Horror of Dracula, Taste the Blood of Dracula), I decided to get this set because 1) the other set has suffered some damage over the years and 2) this set contains two of my favorite Dracula films plus two of my favorite Frankenstein films with the sublime Peter Cushing. If you already own these movies on other DVDs or DVD sets, I don't think this is worth getting because like another reviewer mentions, it is not really an upgrade in terms of picture and audio quality, but a decent quality set nevertheless.Horror of Dracula"Horror of Dracula" may not be a faithful adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic Gothic vampire tale, in fact far from it, but it is a fine take of Stoker's novel.In this version, Jonathan Harker goes to Dracula's castle at the beginning under the guise of a librarian, but he actually knows what Dracula is and his purpose is to destroy him. Unfortunately, he is killed by Dracula and the vampire goes to London to prey upon Harker's fiancee, Lucy Holmwood [yes, they changed the names too], and later on Mina Holmwood, Lucy's sister-in-law. It is left to Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] and Arthur Holmwood [Lucy's brother and Mina's husband] to destroy the monster.Christopher Lee, in his first portrayal of the evil Count Dracula, may not have much screen time, but he makes the most of the limited time he does have. His Count is sensual and evil at the same time - exerting a hypnotic effect upon his female victims that have them eagerly disrobing for the count's pleasure [and fangs:)].Peter Cushing does an amazing job as Dr Van Helsing, vampire hunter and his commanding presence and determination to hunt down and destroy the monster that is Dracula is so credibly done that I was cheering him on all through the movie.The female victims are suitably beautiful and helpless in the face of Dracula's charm and manipulations, and though this movie doesn't exactly scream big budget, I thought the production values were pretty decent - the vivid colors, the sets and scenery all enhanced the movie experience.There is a genuine atmosphere of menace that is effectively conveyed via the creepy score and sets.Dracula Has Risen From the GraveThough there are mixed reactions to "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave", I personally found it to be very interesting and thought-provoking. The story here begins with the little village in which Castle Dracula is located. It's been a year since the count's reign of terror ended, and yet mysterious events still plague the villagers. When the Monsignor [Rupert Davies] returns for a routine visit, he finds the villagers cowering in fear, including the Parish Priest himself [Ewan Hooper]. When the Monsignor undertakes to exorcise the Castle once and for all, events transpire differently - an unfortunate cut on the Priest's head proves to be the nourishment that brings the Count back to life, though the Monsignor remains oblivious of this fact, returning to his own village. The Count and his now faithful servant, the priest follow hot on the Monsignor's heels, bent on revenge - the target being the Monsignor's lovely niece, Maria [Veronica Carlson]. It's left to the Monsignor and Maria's atheist boyfriend, Paul [Barry Andrews] to save Maria before it's too late.The production values in this movie were actually quite good - the sets, the score, and cinematography all enhanced the storytelling and made this movie very dark and menacing [the cellar under the inn where the Count is forced to reside looks very authentic].The acting was good - Christopher Lee returns as the Count and this time, he is really mad and bent on revenge, with more screen time and dialogue to convey his anger. His lust for his prey is convincingly portrayed as usual and the female victims once again fall hopelessly under his spell, baring their necks in anticipation of the Count's 'embrace'. Rupert Davies is also strong in his portrayal of the Monsignor and special mention needs to be made of Ewan Hooper's fallen priest. His guilt and conflict comes across as genuine, and this was one aspect of the movie that made it really good for me - the corruption of good by Dracula, and the test of faith in both the Priest and also the atheist Paul.The Curse of Frankenstein"The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957) is one of Hammer Films' best productions, with the great horror talents of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to entertain viewers. This also happens to be Hammer's first color film and the first in their Frankenstein franchise. Though I prefer my favorite horror actor Cushing as the "good guy", I think he excelled in his role as Frankenstein, not only here but in the other films as well. In "The Curse of Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is in prison awaiting execution for the murder of Justine (if I'm not mistaken, Valerie Gaunt has played one of Dracula's brides in another Hammer production), a maid in his home. He is narrating his story to a priest via flashback; as a young boy, the intelligent, confident and wealthy Frankenstein forms a close friendship with his tutor, Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), and the two become partners in the various medical experiments thought up by Frankenstein. One of these experiments involves bringing a dead dog back to life, and Frankenstein is so ecstatic at his success, that he decides to create life itself in the human body, by piecing together different parts of the body. Paul Krempe finds this an abomination and refuses to participate, and is on the point of leaving, when Elizabeth (Hazel Court), Victor's betrothed arrives at the Baron's home. Paul realizes he cannot abandon Elizabeth in the hands of a maniac, and tries to shield her from the horrors of the Baron's experiments. The full horror begins when the creature of Frankenstein's making comes alive and unleashes havoc.This movie is wonderful for various reasons - the sets, score, and costumes, not to mention the ghoulish manner in which Frankenstein procures the various body parts lend a truly macabre feel to the movie, infusing it with a high sense of Gothic horror. The acting by the cast is simply excellent - Cushing shines as the egotistical and maniacal scientist, and Lee (though almost unrecognizable, but not quite) is believably creepy as the monster (no lines here, but the horror is all too evident in the expressions on his face). The others, especially Krempe as played by Robert Urquhart, enhance this horror drama with their credible acting. An excellent horror movie in all aspects, this is a true Gothic classic, and a must-have for fans of classic horror.Frankenstein Must Be DestroyedWith a title like "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed", my initial impression was that this was going to be one of those over-the-top horror features that are quite characteristic of Hammer Films Productions. That opinion was soon revised after watching this movie, a perfect blend of drama, suspense, and great acting, especially by the talented Peter Cushing (one of my all-time favorite actors in the horror genre). Here, Cushing portrays the manic-obsessive Baron Frankenstein who flees from a scene of horror, only to visit his evil upon a pair of hapless lovers, a young doctor (Simon Ward) at an insane asylum, and his fiancee (Veronica Carlson), who makes the unfortunate decision of renting a room in her boarding house to Frankenstein. The pair are soon blackmailed to aid the nefarious Baron in his illicit activities, whilst the authorities try to track him down.There are many chilling scenes in this movie - memorable ones such as the scene of a petty thief breaking into Frankenstein's lab, only to find himself facing a scene of indescribable horror and in mortal danger. There is also, disturbingly, a scene of assault in this movie involving a female character and the Baron, which I was quite taken aback by (definitely not a typical role for Cushing who always seems gentlemanly even when portraying 'monsters'). All in all, this is a well-made, atmospheric horror movie starring the great Peter Cushing in a monstrously evil role. A must-have for fans of classic horror.

The film selection is fine. Christopher Lee & Patrick Cushing excel in this collection of early Hammer films. Price is fine. A volume 2 would be helpful.

I'm sure I've reviewed each of these classic movies individually but I've bought so many sets of Hammer movies that I end up owning the same films multiple times, so I may as well review this one, too.All of the films are great but it is an odd mixture. You get the 1st Dracula and Frankenstein films and then the 3rd Dracula and 5th Frankenstein films are thrown in as well. There's no order to this at all.Horror of Dracula and Curse of Frankenstein made Hammer the standard for gothic horror and each movie still holds up very well. Each movie has both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. These are the foundations of what Hammer would become for the next 15 years.Dracula has Risen from the Grave features Lee but no Cushing. Cushing wasn't in anymore Dracula movies until A.D. 1972. It is one of the better in the series. After the original, the stories became more focused on the characters and less on Dracula. In that regard, this may be the best sequel along with Prince of Darkness. The scenes at the Pub and with the atheist hero are all good material. Veronica Carlson plays a perfect, and gorgeous, damsel in distress. Lee doesn't have much to do here, but it's a great movie nonetheless.Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is a solid movie for the series, but I always preferred Frankenstein Created Woman. The story here is a little bit of a drag compared to some others in the series, but Cushing excels as the mad doctor anyway. One scene in the movie really stands out as extremely awkward. The rape scene. I'd be attracted to Veronica Carlson, too, who wouldn't? But it was completely uncalled for and the actors themselves were against it. There's no reason for Frankenstein to do that...nothing in any other movie portrayed him in that sense. Strange. Beyond that, it's a worthy movie and you might want to check out the Blu Ray release for a slightly better picture.Anyone just getting into Hammer should check this set out. For the price, it's great. However, be warned that these are flipper discs. Two movies to a disc, one movie to a side. That is extremely disappointing. The discs will arrived all ready scratched due to the packaging and will be very easy to damage further just by watching them. I highly recommend buying each movie separately on a single sided disc.

These films come on 2 double sided discs. All are in colour and all are enjoyable.Disc 1, Side A - Horror Of Dracula - 1957, 81 mins, widescreen, English Dolby Digital Mono, subtitles: English, French, Spanish & Portuguese, extras: cast & crew notes, theatrical trailer (2:18) Side B - Dracula Has Risen From The Grave - 1968, 92 mins, widescreen, English & French Dolby Digital Mono, subtitles: English, French & Spanish, extra: theatrical trailer (2:27)Disc 2, Side A - The Curse Of Frankenstein - 1957, 83 mins, widescreen, English & French Dolby Digital Mono, subtitles: English, French, Spanish & Portuguese, extras: cast & crew notes, theatrical trailer (2:21) Side B - Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - 1969, 101 mins, widescreen, English & French Dolby Digital Mono, subtitles: English, French & Spanish, extra: theatrical trailer (2:37)

This is a very good selection of movies from the Hammer Horror stable. There are four movies in all and this is a brief review of each movie;HORROR OF DRACULA; AKA 'DRACULA', this was the first appearance of Christopher Lee as the Count and he is very impressive with a great prescence. A good movie, not the very best of Hammer but there is little doubt that Lee and Peter Cushing were a great pairing. The picture is very crisp here and the sound OK.DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE; This movie surprised me as I thought it was probably the best of the bunch. Full of striking images and memorable scenes, this could very well be one of the most underrated of the Hammer movies. Christopher Lee doesn't really say much but he dominates every scene he is in and there is an excellent performance from Barbara Ewing as Zena. Again the picture and sound are fine.THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN; Another good movie which is pretty much dominated by Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein. He is shown to be totally driven in his quest to create life from death and is completely convincing. He is ably supported by Robert Urquhart as Paul and Christopher Lee as the creature. Lee felt that he looked like a clown in his make-up but he gives a compelling and sympathetic reading of the living dead. The picture is fine yet again but the sound does go out of synch on a few occasions. I tried pausing the DVD player and pressing play and this did seem to help.FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED; A movie that is completely dominated by Peter Cushing's performance. He positively drips evil and is borderline psychotic but Cushing is always in control. The rest of the acting is OK if a little hammy in parts but Freddie Jones is very good towards the end of the movie as a Professor turned into the creature. The picture is a little flashy in places but the sound is OK.This package represents excellent value for money. The extras are nothing to write home about, a couple of trailers and a couple of short essays on Frankenstein and Dracula. Please be aware that this is region one so you will need a multi region DVD player. I wouldn't class all of these movies in the five star category but as a collection it is terrific value and worthy of five stars.

Tout est parfait!

Although I am a life long fan of Hammer Horror I had only seen the first Peter Cushing "Frankenstein" movie once many years ago and had never seen the first Chris Lee "Dracula". Both films stand up pretty well. I am very familiar with "Risen from the grave" - probably the best of the Lee Dracula's (neck and neck with Prince of Darkness) and "Must be destroyed" is probably the best Hammer Frankenstein and easily the best 4th sequel of any series anywhere.

There is nothing to dislike about this set if you're a Hammer fan :)