The Complete Hammer House of Horror (DVD Review)
Where to get it: Synapse
In 1980, Hammer took over the old Hampden Manor House in the heartland of England and produced a series of thirteen horror stories to air on British television. With a host of Hammer regulars, including Peter Cushing (Twins of Evil, Star Wars) and Denholm Elliot (Raiders of the Lost Ark), along with early appearances by actors like Pierce Brosnan (GoldenEye), each episode provides a completely new and individual tale of terror and suspense.
Synapse is a company that every once in a while really tops its own self. Now don’t get me wrong, Synapse is one of my favorite companies and they have put out countless awesome discs that I have loved, but this one for a collector and a horror purist just takes the cake. Here we have 5 discs packed with every single episode from Hammer House of Horror. Not only that, but they are totally uncut and packed with nudity and such that were originally edited out for television.
All in all it is 13 uncut episodes in their natural 1:33:1 presentation, which was as they were meant to be for Television. While 1:3 is frowned upon by most these days in the era of widescreens it is better to have something as it is meant to be than to stretch it or crop it for the sake of just filling up a screen. What I can tell you is that we have it looking as nicely as anyone could have hoped for. Synapse once again put those working gloves on and presents it all to us in a very outstanding picture quality that does justice to such an old school and awesome show.
With a total of 13 episodes you will see just about anything you could ask for in a horror set. We have Witches, serial killers, cult-like weight loss clubs, people who are troubled by bad dreams, ghostly characters and soo much more. Not every episode is a winner, but there are far more hits than misses in this one and if you are a horror completest you need something like this in your collection. Also it is cool to watch these and with help from our narrator in the intros find people who have seen in many well-known horror and cult films make appearances here. The episodes are as followed..
Disc 1
01: Witching Time
A condemned 17th Century witch appears in the 20th Century and takes control of the life of a musician living in her old home.
02: The Thirteen Reunion
A reporter infiltrates a weight loss program whose participants have a habit of turning up dead.
03: Rude Awakening
A man has trouble distinguishing his frighteningly realistic dreams from reality.
Disc 2
04: Growing Pains
Strange things happen after a grieving couple adopts a young boy.
05: The House That Bled to Death
A family moves into a haunted house with a sordid past.
06: Charlie Boy
A man uses a wooden African fetish doll to exact revenge.
Disc 3
07: The Silent Scream
An ex-con finds himself trapped in a sadistic experiment conducted by a seemingly kindly old man.
08: Children of the Full Moon
When their car breaks down, a couple seeks help at an old country mansion inhabited by an old woman and her pack of children.
09: Carpathian Eagle
A female serial killer seduces and disposes of men.
Disc 4
10: Guardian of the Abyss
An antique mirror with supernatural powers draws a pair of friends into the clutches of a devil-worshiping cult.
11: Visitor from the Grave
A woman who kills her attacker in self-defense fears he has returned from the dead to torment her.
12: The Two Faces of Evil
A family picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be not quite human.
Disc 5
13: The Mark of Satan
A man becomes paranoid when he begins to see the number 9 everywhere.
– Supplements finish off this disc –
Features
– Episode Introductions with Film Historian Shane M. Dallmann
– GRAVE RECOLLECTIONS: A VISIT WITH KATHRYN LEIGH SCOTT – Featurette
– HAMMER HOUSEKEEPING: A VISIT WITH MIA NADASI – Featurette
– Animated Still Gallery
(10/10)
