Horror Classics, Volume One

During the late 1950s, the British studio Hammer Films revived the classic monster movies in gothic style with lurid color. This boxed set presents the Blu-ray debuts of four Hammer films. The Mummy (1959) is the most notable, marking the fourth Hammer title to pair up its two marquee stars, Peter Cushing (as the archeologist who uncovers a lost crypt) and Christopher Lee (as a former high priest turned gauze-wrapped guardian of the tomb). This mummy is a haunted soul, rampaging juggernaut, and hugely powerful monster all in one, and the film features a notorious scene of Lee's transgressive priest having his tongue removed. The Mummy was helmed by Hammer's top filmmaker, Terence Fisher, who also directs this set's Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), the fifth entry in Hammer's Frankenstein series and one of the best. Cushing delivers a thoroughly cold-blooded portrayal of the mad Baron, an amoral genius who blackmails a young couple into helping him with his bloody plans. And Lee stars as the malevolent Count in both Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969) and Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970), two lesser Dracula sequels. All four films—also available in separate volumes—have been newly remastered for Blu-ray and are a significant upgrade over previous DVD releases. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)