Dracula (AKA Horror of Dracula) [Blu-Ray Review]
Details Director: Terence Fisher Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh Type: Color Year: 1958 Language: English Length: 82 min Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p Audio: TBA Subtitles: English SDH Rating: Rated BBFC: 12 Disks: 3 (BLU RAY + 2 X DVD) Region: B Label: Lionsgate Films After being widely unavailable for several years, following extensive effort and research, comes the definitive edition of Hammer’s Dracula (1958). This triple disc release contains several versions of the film, alongside numerous extras. This is the quintessential adaptation of Bram Stoker’s legendary tale for many reasons,…
Rasputin: The Mad Monk (Blu-Ray Review)
Details Director: Don Sharp Starring: Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer Type: Color Year: 1966 Language: English Length: 91 min Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p Audio: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English SDH Rating: 15 Disks: 2 Region: B Label: Studio Canal Though known for their horror films, British Hammer Studios produced films in a wide range of genres, including fantasy, action, sci-fi and historical drama. Hammer’s 1966 film Rasputin: The Mad Monk, which piggybacked the production of their more famous Dracula: Prince of Darkness, is a key example of the dark, historical…
The Devil Rides Out (Blu-Ray Review)
Hammer’s The Devil Rides Out in an outstanding if controversial new Blu-Ray release from Studio Canal Details Director : Terence Fisher Starring: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, Gwen Ffrangcon Davies, Sarah Lawson Type: Color, PAL Year: 1968 Language: English Length: 96 min Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p Audio: LPCM Mono Subtitles: English Disks: 2 (1 BD and 1 DVD) Region: B 1968 was something of a banner year for films involving cults and Satanism, thanks to two distinctly different takes on the subject: Roman Polanski’s terrifying maternity nightmare Rosemary’s Baby, involving…
FrightFest: The Devil Rides Out
The Devil Rides Out (1968) is a classic for fans of Hammer films. Based on Dennis Wheatley’s bestseller about satanic happenings in London’s Home Counties, the film was a hit on its first release and has remained popular ever since. The Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee) and Rex Van Ryn (Leon Greene) are concerned for their young friend Simon Aron (Patrick Mower), who has fallen in with a questionable society led by the mysterious Mocata (Charles Gray). When Richleau and Rex discover the sinister occult practices that are really going on behind the society’s innocuous front, they have to hurry…
FrightFest Coverage: The Mummy’s Shroud
Even at their worst, Hammer films had an elusive quality which set them apart from their contemporaries and helped them stand the test of time. The Mummy’s Shroud (1967) follows an archeological expedition that, in 1920, unearths the tomb of an ancient Egyptian child prince. Returning to Cairo, they display the remains in a museum along with the shroud which covered them. Unfortunately for the team, the descendants of the family given the task of guarding the prince’s tomb have awoken the mummy of the prince’s chief slave, who now wreaks a terrible revenge on the desecrators of his master’s…
Diabolique Magazine No. 10 (May/Jun 2012)
Diabolique Magazine celebrates the Bram Stoker Centenary! Professor Van Helsing’s kit contained a crucifix, a wooden stake and a pocket-sized guide to vampire-hunting. The most essential item in the Diabolique team’s kit — at least as we work around the clock to get each issue ready for printing — is a ready supply of strong coffee. Designer Dima Ballin, editor Robert J.E. Simpson and I have come to the end of a caffeine-fuelled (okay, I may be projecting onto my colleagues) few weeks and are proud to have submitted Issue #10 of Diabolique to the printers. In this larger-than-usual edition, we have paid tribute…
Christopher Lee: The Man behind the Monster
Today, Christopher Lee is recognized as an actor of exceptional range and talent, and despite his rare appearances recently in horror and fantasy films, it is indicative of the man’s immense popularity that his fans have remained loyal to him. But having said that, it would still be impossible to ignore the impact the film fantasy world has had on his career. An impact that has had people calling him the ‘man of a thousand faces’, and the ‘crown prince of terror’. It was 1956 when Lee, who had for some years been struggling along as a bit-part actor, made…
