COMPETITION! WIN HAMMER VOLUME ONE BLU RAY BOX SET FROM INDICATOR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! As promised here is the FIRST of our FESTIVE CUSHING FEARSOME COMPETITIONS! Please read ALL the details on the competition banner here. Any answers posted on the thread below, will be deleted and void, sorry. This PCAS COMPETITION is OPEN TO EVERYONE TO ENTER! MANY many thanks to everyone at INDICATOR DISTRIBUTION for the generous and exclusive sponsor of our Christmas PCAS Competitions this year. TAKE TIME to read ALL the details. GOOD LUCK and thank you to taking part. You can also easily purchase this fabulous REMASTERED blu ray box set by following this link HERE! and placing your order. It's a LIMITED RELEASE!

The SPECS for the title contents and the superb extras are below. This is a REGION FREE release, so will play on all blu rays.

MANIAC (Michael Carreras, 1963)

THE GORGON (Terence Fisher, 1964)

THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB (Michael Carreras, 1964)

FANATIC (Silvio Narizzano, 1965)

FOUR CLASSICS from Hammer, each presented on Blu-ray for the very first time in the UK. Whether it's a madman brandishing a welding torch, a mythical monster whose looks can kill, an ancient royal with diabolical powers, or a mad woman wielding a pair of scissors, this set has something to unease everybody. Containing a wealth of new and exclusive extra features – including title-specific documentaries, cast and crew interviews, expert appreciations, introductions and more – this stunning Blu-ray-only Limited Edition box set is published in a horribly limited, numbered edition of 6,000 units.

INDICATOR LIMITED BLU-RAY EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES:
• HD restorations of all four films
• Original Mono audio
• New title-specific documentaries exploring aspects of each film: 

White-Hot Terror: Inside ‘Maniac’ / Heart of Stone: Inside ‘The Gorgon’ / Blood and Bandages: Inside ‘The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb’ / House of Horror: Inside ‘Fanatic’
 
• Hammer’s Women: Nadia Gray (2017): horror film expert Lindsay Anne Hallam looks at the fascinating life and work of the Romanian stage and screen actor
 
• Focus Puller Trevor Wrenn and Clapper Loader Ray Andrew on ‘Maniac’ (2017): original crew members share their memories of working on the film
 
• The Gorgon audio commentary with Daughters of Darkness’ Samm Deighan and Kat Ellinger (2017)
 
• The Gorgon introduction by actor and filmmaker Matthew Holness (2017)
• Hammer’s Women: Barbara Shelley (2017): academic and author Patricia MacCormack examines the life and career of ‘the first leading lady of British horror’
 
• 'The Gorgon' Comic-Strip Adaptation: Goodall, Goring & Coyas’ 1977 comic strip, originally published in House of Hammer magazine
 
• Hammer’s Women: Jeanne Roland (2017): Diabolique magazine’s editor-in-chief Kat Ellinger offers an appreciation of the Burmese-born actor’s short career
 
• Interview with Michael McStay (2017): the British film and TV actor looks back at his time working for Hammer
 
• The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb Super 8 Version: original cut-down home cinema presentation
 
• Hammer’s Women: Tallulah Bankhead (2017): Kat Ellinger explores the life and work of the inimitable star of stage and screen
 
• David Huckvale on Wilfred Josephs (2017): an appreciation of the composer’s work by the author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
 
• Fanatical Detail (2017): continuity supervisor Renée Glynne and second assistant director Stuart Black recall the making of Fanatic
 
• Matthew Lombardo on Tallulah Bankhead and ‘Fanatic’ (2017): the acclaimed playwright discusses his play Looped and his fascination with Tallulah Bankhead
 
• Die! Die! My Darling!: alternative presentation of Fanatic with the US title sequence
 
• Original trailers
 
• Extensive image galleries with promotional and on-set photography, original lobby cards and poster art
 
• Four box set exclusive booklets with new essays by Kim Newman, Marcus Hearn, Kat Ellinger and Jo Botting, archival interviews, contemporary reviews, and full film credits
 
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
 
• World premiere Blu-rays of Maniac and Fanatic
 
• UK premieres on Blu-ray of The Gorgon and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb
• Limited edition box set of 6,000 copies
BBFC cert: 15
REGION FREE

INDICATOR HAMMER VOLUME ONE: FEAR WARNING BLU RAY BOX SET: NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER HERE!     

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT CUSHING CHRISTMAS 2017 COMPETITION HERE ON NEW YEARS EVE!

 

REMEMBER! IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA

THE 'WHO-DONE-IT WITH-BITE! : CALLUM MCKELVIE TRIES TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE 43 YEAR OLD THRILLER

SOON TO BE RELEASED IN A REMASTERED BLU RAY COLLECTION, CALLUM, TRIES TO SOLVE THE ALLURE OF THE DOG THAT WONT LIE DOWN . . .

DESPITE HAVING TACKLED  classic monsters such as Frankenstein and Dracula, it wouldn’t be until the mid-1970’s when Peter Cushing appeared in a Werewolf film. Indeed two in as many years, 1974’s The Beast Must Die! And 1975’s Legend of the Werewolf. The latter of these was a much more traditional werewolf tale, whilst the former was something of an innovative attempt to twist the tale with a murder mystery drama and Blaxploitation elements popular at the time. After all, it was only a mere three years since the release of Shaft and Blaxploitation horror films were not unusual with Blacula in 1972, its sequel Scream Blacula Scream! In 1973 and others such as Sugar Hill following later. Add to this a ‘funky’ soundtrack and a unique gimmick, the ‘Werewolf Break’, which stopped the film just before the third act to give the audience the chance to guess who the werewolf might be.

BASED ON JOHN BLISHE'S 1950 story; There Shall Be No Darkness, the script by Michael Winder sticks particularly close to the material on which it’s based, updating the period and sensibilities appropriately. Cushing play Professor Lundgren, one of several individuals invited by Calvin Lockhart’s Tom Newcliffe, to his home. Newclifffe is a millionaire who is convinced one of his guests is a werewolf and is determined to hunt them. Like the varying versions of And Then There Were None, from which the film borrows a great deal, it’s the cast that immediately draws attention. Alongside Cushing and Lockhart are a young Michael Gambon, Charles Gray, Ciaran Madden, Marlene Clark and Tom Chadbon. One of the main joys of the film is the interactions between these various characters, particular those scenes between Charles Gray’s pompous diplomat and Tom Chadborn’s psychotic artist. Anton Differing appears for a welcome few scenes as a security technician who meets a grisly end at the hands (or perhaps paws) of the beast.

IT'S A SIMPLE ENOUGH premise but one that provides an entertaining spin on the usual werewolf tales of reluctant monsters and is therefore all the more interesting for it. There are several missed opportunities in the script however, it drags a little in the middle and lacks debate on Lockhart’s desire to kill a beast that is a human being who cannot help the horrific changes that occur. Considering the sluggish scenes in the middle where Lockhart chases an unknown suspect through the woods or some of the admittedly endless scenes of conversation between the various guests in which they demonstrate the same levels of paranoia again and again, subtext such as this would of helped enliven these duller portions.

THE FILM RELIES a lot on its action and suspense, which is handled very well by director Paul Annett, who has apparently fond memories of the production. He states that due to the sorry state of the werewolf, he decided to concentrate on the small cast, an approach which works wonders.  The beast itself is admittedly somewhat lacklustre when compared to the creature that would appear a year later in Legend of the Werewolf. Here a large dog in a rather shaggy fur coat is used instead of any prosthetics. In a few scenes with dim lighting, where only glimpses of the beast are shown, it proves to be somewhat effective. However in other scenes, for example the death of Anton Differing’s character, his terrified expression as he stares at what is clearly a rather docile animal, wagging it’s tongue, are laughable If the film was remade in the 1980’s let’s say, with similar effects to John Landis’s An American Werewolf in London then doubtless a more animalistic looking werewolf would have been successful. Honestly though, they should have gone for prosthetics on an actor.

THAT'S NOT to lambast the film however. On the whole The Beast Must Die is incredibly entertaining. A wonderful cast and generally fun atmosphere on the skeleton a thriller film work immensely successfully. It would prove to be the last horror production by Amicus and whilst certainly not up to the standard of other films such as From Beyond the Grave or my own personal favourite The Skull, allowed them to bow out of the genre with dignity.

YOU CAN WIN THE AMICUS COLLECTION BOX SET IN OUR PCAS COMPETITION: JUST CLICK THIS LINK:  HERE!

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IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  . .

THE LONG AND SHORT OF WAITING FOR AD 72 AND SATANIC PLUS GIFS FROM AMICUS HAMMER AND KNOX

WE JABBER on and on about these two Peter Cushing / Christopher Lee Hammer films . . . just type the titles into google images, and you'll discover a virtual digital archive, masses of our posts from the last six years! Why? Well, despite both of these late Hammer films, being out of favor and fashion for the best part of 40 odd years . . . I have a great fondness for the idea of Van Helsing and Dracula locked into a modern day dramatic ding dong, on my doorstep... rather than, some Gothic castle , in fictional Olde Worlde Karlsbad? Even though it's chosen location of London, is long gone, along with the loon and flapping flared denims and bat winged shirt collars . . . that era too, is now something locked into the past. Both would make an excellent package for Cushing, Lee and Hammer fans alike.

Our Feature and behind the scenes gallery on 
The Satanic Rites of Dracula can be found : HERE!

YOU WANT EXTRAS??? There is a MASS of material available... even if the likes of the cheapest cheapskates of distributors, there are several cast members who are still breathing, for use in those, oh so lazy talking head interviews. The bottom line for any distributor, even the cheapest is, will it SELL? Warner Brothers proved a point, last year when they released probably the smartest looking Hammer film box set ever! . . . .Clean, remastered, region free, Hammer films starring their two biggest stars SELL...even without extra features. The Warner box set, set a standard and fans purchased the lot! So how about it? . . . Would you BUY??

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: Herbert Lom in Amicus films, ASYLUM (1972) as Dr. Byron in the story "Mannikins of Horror" . .. it's a neat story, and the 'mini Lom' was a nice touch too. Cushing's story 'The Weird Tailor', was based on a Robert Bloch's story from Karloff's 'Thriller' TV series (1961) . . . these are probably the strongest stories of the bunch maybe? Not counting Cushing's 'Poetic Justice' in 'Tales from the Crypt' . .. of all the portmanteau stories in the Amicus films...do you have TWO FAVORITES??? Tell us why

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY!: I LOVE THIS SHOT from DRACULA AD 1972 . . . not unlike the 1934 Lon Chaney Jr Universal film, 'SON OF DRACULA', where Dracula turning up under a 'non de plume' as something so ridiculously obvious as ALUCARD, hits every member of the cinema audience  . . . but no one ON the screen. Here our learned Professor, burning the night oil pours over this  anagram . . .and BANG, the LIGHT BULB moment! Cushing just about manages to carry this one off, thanks to that chilling look into the eyes of his ancestor . . .Well, come on. It would have been a very short film, had Van Helsing cottoned-on in the first reel . . .

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! . . .AND FINALLY, a request from PAM D.D of this knock out shot from Cushing's performance ad Dr Robert Knox in 'FLESH AND THE FIENDS' (1960). A little girl in the street begs alms from Dr. Knox (Peter Cushing). tells her that he doesn't have any money with him, but if she will step over to his house he will give her some. The little girl politely declines the offer, saying, "Oh, no, you might be Dr. Knox." The unspoken response is a wonderful of example of Peter Cushing's acting skill saying so much with just a look, no words needed.

OUR FEATURE AND RARE STILLS GALLERY CAN BE 

FOUND AT OUR WEBSITE: HERE! 

A FILM WITH A STELLAR cast with actors Donald Pleasence & George Rose as Buke and Hare, Billie Whitelaw & Hammer regular George Woodbridge. As per our last post, this is another film crying out of a blu-ray release as it considered by many to be the one of the finest films made about Dr. Robert Knox.

 

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  . . 

NEWS: NEW HD TRANSFER FOR ISLAND OF TERROR RELEASE BLU RAY

SCREAM FACTORY HAS ANNOUNCED A JUNE 20TH release for their NEW HD TRANSFER of Terence Fisher / Peter Cushing's 'ISLAND OF TERROR'. 



The Scream Factory release EXTRA features on this release include:

*NEW High-Definition Transfer Of The Film Taken From The Interpositive
*NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Dr. Robert J. Kiss And Blogger/Actor Rick Pruitt
*Theatrical Trailer
*Still Gallery

IF YOU DON'T HAVE THIS one is your Cushing BLU RAY COLLECTION, now is the time to order your copy!

THERE IS NO NEWS at this time, about IF this release will contain the censored 'arm-chop' scene above. 

SYNOPSIS
ON A TINY ISLAND off the coast of Ireland, a new breed of terror is unleashed. In his quest to find a cure for cancer, a research scientist conducts an experiment involving mutated cells. But this attempt to benefit humanity becomes a nightmare that threatens the entire human race. The tranquil island is suddenly rocked by the mysterious death of a local farmer. When he is found in a cave, not a trace of bone left in his body, he has been reduced to a horrible, shapeless mass. Enter eminent pathologist Dr. Brian Stanley (horror icon Peter Cushing, Brides of Dracula, The Gorgon ) and Dr. David West (Edward Judd, First Men in the Moon), a brilliant bone specialist. Working together in a desperate race against time, they must find a way to destroy the seemingly indestructible, ever multiplying horde of bone-eating creatures before the mutant monsters kill everyone on the island and spread like a deadly plague across the entire planet!

THIS RELEASE IS REGION A BLU RAY. REGION FREE AND USA BLU RAY PLAYERS WILL PLAY IT!

IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Please Us Help Keep The Memory Alive!

The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA.