Hammer, out now

An unusual affliction plagues a village…

Brian Clemens’ 1974 Hammer movie gets a fabulous treatment for this 4K set, with multiple presentations of the film itself (I opted for the “original” full screen version which reveals various things at the top and bottom of the frame inevitably lost for the widescreen editions) as well as introductions from Clemens’ sons Sam and George, star Caroline Munro and an archival one from Brian Clemens.

It’s an engaging tale, with a different take on the vampire mythos from that we naturally associate with Hammer, and in many ways it’s a shame that it didn’t do better business and start off a new franchise for the company – although with this set you do get the chance to experience a fresh story, courtesy of the comic strip reprint. The film itself looks excellent in 4K (and on the Blu-ray) with the other sound mixes giving a bit more precedence to Laurie Johnson’s great swashbuckling score.

The extras more than justify the cost – highlights include five different commentaries, including a new one by Munro, Sam and George Clemens; an engrossing documentary from Chris Chapman which sees Toby Hadoke spend a couple of days with Clemens’ widow and sons and skilfully draw out from them a very clear picture of the man himself; archive interviews with Clemens, star Horst Janson (not dubbed as he is in the main film!), and Lois Daine; and a fascinating featurette filmed at a reunion in 2008. There are two booklets, one with the comic strip adaptation of the film and a sequel, and the other examining aspects of the movie in great detail, combining archive pieces (occasionally updated) with new writing.

Verdict: Buckle up and join Captain Kronos’ adventures! 8/10

Paul Simpson