Classic Hammer Films on DVD

By John Freeman on 28 September 2007

15 October 2007 sees the long awaited UK release of The Brides of Dracula and The Evil of Frankenstein on DVD, courtesy of Showbox Entertainment.

The Brides of Dracula is Peter Cushing’s second outing as Van Helsing and David Peel’s only vampire role. Described as one of the most beautifully photographed movies ever, even if the effects are dated (crappy bat alert!), but the film’s redeeemed by great performances from Cushing and Peel plus sterling work from vetrans Freda Jackson and Martita Hunt

Cushing’s authoratative Van Helsing carries the movie and David Peel’s Baron Meinster, who is causing havoc in a girl’s school, is an excellent vampire foe.

Cushing also features in The Evil of Frankenstein, as Baron Frankenstein who, not content with once creating one monstrous creature, returns to his ancestral home in Karlstaad, determined to continue his experiments into the creation of life. This isn’t the best of the Frankenstein films, but Cushing is always good value in my book.

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.