Customer Reviews

Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / Scream of Fear / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / The Gorgon)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First, allow me to discuss the DVD presentation. The only extra features are: theatrical trailers and English subtitles for all four movies. We who are hearing impaired thank Sony for the subtitles. Commentaries would've been nice, especially for those who have a favorite film in this collection. The restoration is superb and the audio is strong and clear for all four features. "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" and "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" are presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1; "The Gorgon" and "Scream of Fear" are presented in 1.66:1. Except for "Scream of Fear," all features are in beautiful color. The black and white print is clear and sharp for "Scream of Fear." Too bad it wasn't in color. Overall, the DVD presentation is very good. Now for the review:

Hammer Film Productions was famous for their gothic horror films. This is a superb collection and introduction for anyone unfamiliar with Hammer. Horror icon Christopher Lee (most famous for his role as Dracula) is in three of the films. Other horror legends include Peter Cushing, Barbara Shelly, Susan Strasberg, and Oliver Reed. All four movies involve monsters, primarily humans who have become monsters, whether physically or intellectually. Also, in these films, the viewer doesn't know who the real monster is. (The films are rife with betrayal.) A monster can be anyone. Sometimes they are normal in appearance. I promise you no plot spoilers as I briefly describe the monster scenario in each of these highly rated classic gems.

"The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" - Aging Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion and becomes a younger, more handsome man who wishes to be free of all responsibility for his amoral actions. (Don't we all wish we could live like that? Isn't there a monster in all of us?) Masquerading as Dr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll learns that his gorgeous wife and best friend (Lee) are traitorous monsters.

"The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb." - Ra, the Egyptian Prince, has been resurrected by an evil person who possesses an amulet. Who are they and why are they seeking to destroy everyone around them? The real monster is the one who is controlling the unfortunate mummy.

"The Gorgon." Both Lee and Cushing star as a doctor and a professor, respectively, who are seeking to destroy the monster who turns innocent villagers into stone with their gaze. Unfortunately, the monster may actually be a respected member of the community.

"Scream of Fear." This "Hitchcock"-like thriller stars Susan Strasberg as a crippled young woman; for the first time in ten years, she is visiting her wealthy father who lives on the French Riviera. Someone in the household is a monster who is trying to drive her insane. Quite a good mystery with many surprises.

In fact, all four films are mysterious, gloomy, creepy, and shocking. I'm surprised these haven't already been released on DVD in America. They are truly excellent horror classics. I can't tell you which one is my favorite. For having been made in the 1960s, these films contain violence that is surprisingly graphic and shocking. Also, certain scenes in "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" had language and sexual innuendoes that were hilarious.

This collection is a must have for fans of gothic horror from Hammer Film Productions. I'm very glad I bought it. Try to take it away from me and I'll turn into a monster.

The packaging on this set is atrocious. The cover shot looks as if somebody ran wild with (Adobe) Illustrator and Photoshop. It looked like the work of one of those labels whose 'best available source material' was a badly worn VHS tape. There are no special features except for the original theatrical trailers. If it hadn't been for the "Columbia" and "Sony" logos on the rear jacket this one would have stayed on the shelf.

But, that's where the bad news ends. The films have been re-mastered in high definition. The images are pristine. The colour is vibrant. The audio tracks have been re-mastered to stereo. Even the trailers have been cleaned up. The menus are easy to navigate. The set features two gems and a pair of enjoyable films. The price works out to about six bucks per film.

This is a good set and a good value.

Scream of Fear ****

This film evokes images of Hitchcock's better work. Jimmy Sangster's story has plenty of twists and turns. The acting from the principle players is superb. Susan Strasberg delivers a riveting performance. Ann Todd's performance is wonderfully subtle. Christopher Lee shows the range that made him an icon of the genre. Ronald Lewis is both chilling and charming as the man sympathetic to Strasberg's plight.

The technical side of the picture is strong also. Director Seth Holt kept Sangster's narrative moving at a brisk pace. The cinematography and lighting are excellent. The black and white photography is stunning. The score, by Clifton Parker enhances the mood of the film extremely well.

This is an excellent piece of work.

The Gorgon ****

The Gorgon is a wonderfully crafted motion picture. Director Terrence Fisher regarded it as his finest or one of his finest works and he was probably right. It's true that the snakes on the Gorgon's makeup look bad but the blame (likely) lies with the amount of money the crew had to work with. The rubber snakes aside, this film breathtakingly beautiful to watch. The cinematography of Michael Reed is excellent. The design of the production by Bernard Robinson is gorgeous. The lighting (which is uncredited) casts one stunning highlight after another. The colour (by Technicolor) is glorious. J. Llewellyn Devine's story, and John Gilling's adaptation of it, gave the crew plenty to work with.

(Terrence) Fisher's directing knits this web together perfectly. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee both give fine performances. Barbara Shelley delivers an engaging turn as Cushing's assistant. Michael Goodliffe and Richard Pasco deliver strong characterizations. Even the Village Police Inspector played by Patrick Troughton avoids being a completely one-dimensional figure. There are a few backdrops that aren't convincing and the aforementioned snakes' heads look a little silly but those are small complaints.

This is an example of the genre at its most poetic. It's not to be missed.

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll **

The take that writer Wolf Mankowitz gave to (Robert Louis) Stevenson's classic is intriguing enough but the narrative never lives up to its original promise. The story bogs down periodically and the characters are often weak. Jekyll' is overwrought and self-righteous. Hyde is an intellectual version of pure evil who can be really stupid. Jekyll's wife is an unsympathetic character. Hyde's lover seems bent on her own destruction. They're all one-dimensional.

Terrence Fisher and the actors around him do what they can but that's limited. Paul Masse does well with the roles of Jekyll and Hyde but he couldn't do the impossible. 'Hyde' is intriguing enough but 'Jekyll' is flat. He spends most of his screen time acting as if he'd be a lot of fun at funerals. Dawn Addams never evokes any sympathy over being caught in a loveless marriage. Norma Marla does pretty well in the role of the women who falls in love with Hyde but she was limited by the script. The only character that's fleshed out thoroughly is the one played by Christopher Lee. He plays the part of an unprincipled leech brilliantly. It's a credit to his talent that he could do so much with limited material.

This isn't a bad film. The story-line is thought provoking and there are some good moments. But, it's inconsistent. And when it's dull, it's dull.


The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb **

This film has plenty of faults. The makeup job on the Mummy is awful. Its head looks like it's made of soggy cardboard. The best parts of the script were borrowed from their first version of the story. The characters are all stock. There's an intrepid academic who bores his girlfriend. There's a bored girlfriend who falls for the charming intellectual. Of course there's a charming intellectual. There's the obligatory Egyptian who warns about the dangers of 'defiling the dead' (who in Egypt always have curse ready for people who do that). And, naturally, there's a huckster in there. How could there not be?

But this crew does a decent job with it. Ronald Howard is wonderfully dull as the academic who'd rather woo women with hieroglyphics than moonlight. Jeanne Roland is a perfect Doe-eyed ingénue. Her character isn't the brightest bulb on the screen but she bats her bonny browns deliciously. Terrence Morgan is slippery, suave, charming and happy to show her the poetry of life. And Fred Clark is delightfully dollar-happy as the promoter looking to put the Mummy under lights. Director and Writer Michael Carreras had the sense to throw in a few surprises. And he did it in ways that don't seem contrived.

When the cardboard-headed Mummy finally does run loose there are some chilling moments. The pace set by Carreras is brisk one. His story, though not particularly original, seldom drags. The cinematography and production design by Otto Heller and Bernard Robinson are good. The action scenes are convincing.

This isn't a great film (or even a particularly good one) but it has one thing going for it: it's fun.

With so many acknowledged classics from Hammer Studios already available on DVD, I was beginning to wonder if lesser-known efforts like these would ever be released. In case you may have missed them, here's a bit about the films themselves:

TWO FACES OF DR. JECKYLL is the real gem of the set. Christopher Lee is perfectly cast as the hedonistic friend to Paul Massie's Dr. Jeckyll. Hammer favorite Terence Fisher directs this very adult (for its time) story.

CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB is neither the worst (The Mummy's Shroud) nor best (Blood From the Mummy's Tomb) of Hammer's follow-ups to the 1959 original Mummy. In the worst tradition of Mummy movies, however, it's a pretty dull offering.

THE GORGON is a fine pairing of icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and is among Hammer's most expensive-looking productions. The title creature reminds one of the work done by the great Ray Harryhausen.

SCREAM OF FEAR is another seldom-seen thriller, much in the vein of Psycho (Collector's Edition). It's certainly the most realistic of the films in this collection.

While no single film here (with the possible exception of TWO FACES...) really compares to Hammer's best films, there's still plenty of b-grade thrills for fans of films of this type.

I got this set because I love "The Gorgon", truly a classic horror movie. Since it's my favorite in this set, I shall review "The Gorgon" first. The movie is filled with tension and suspense, and is highly atmospheric (an element I love in these classic horror movies). The movie is also quite unique as it has Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee playing reversed roles than what one would expect them to portray, i.e. Lee is the good guy and Cushing is the misguided baddie. The story in brief - a small town in Germany circa early 20th century is plagued by gruesome and mysterious deaths which the local authorities hush up. The bodies have all been turned to stone, and Peter Cushing who plays Dr Namaroff, the director of the local asylum, is complicit in this hush-up as well. Amidst this setting, a young man named Paul Heitz arrives to investigate his brother and father's mysterious deaths. He learns from a letter left by his father that there may be an evil force lurking in the small town, a Gorgon whose stare is fatal to all who see it, turning them into stone.

As Paul investigates, he meets an attractive lady who also happens to be Namaroff's assistant, Carla (Barbara Shelley). When things get more dangerous, he pleads with his old professor to come and assist him (Christopher Lee). There is much suspense in this movie, and I thought the production qualities were above average. The acting is excellent, especially by Cushing, Lee and, Shelley, and the quality of the DVD is clear.

Now for the other three films:
"The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" - revolves around the resurrection of the mummy Ra, who goes on to carry out despicable acts under the control of an evil person who possesses a powerful amulet. This is a weak horror movie, ridden with cliches, and truly underwhelming. The actors are ho-hum, with an especially atrocious dubbing job on the actress who err, gets unwelcome attention from the mummy. There is an interesting twist in the movie though which kept it mildly interesting. Not one I'd care to see again.

"The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" - directed by Terence Fisher,this 1960 Hammer production stars Paul Massie as Dr. Jekyll, and also co-stars Christopher Lee, David Kossoff, and Dawn Addams. What was interesting about this movie is the way the two personas are conceived - Dr. Jekyll is portrayed as a tepid character whereas Dr. Hyde is portrayed as charismatic and good-looking.

"Scream of Fear" - Susan Strasberg plays a crippled young woman at the mercy of an evil person/s bent on driving her insane. This movie is more of a psychological thriller, and is quite a well-done suspense movie.

Final verdict - a great set for classic horror fans!

The Gorgon (Terence Fisher, 1964)

The Gorgon is classic Hammer horror; in fact, it could probably be considered archetypal. Director Terence Fisher, one of Hammer's stalwarts, and Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on opposite ends of the stick? That's about as Hammer as it gets, and the quality of the thing goes without saying.

Paul Heitz (The Watcher in the Woods' Richard Pasco) arrives in a small, unnamed town in Europe sometime in the early part of the 20th century to investigate the mysterious deaths of his father and brother, believed to have been caused by the mysterious Dr, Namaroff (Cushing). Heitz isn't entirely sure Namaroff is as guilty as he's believed to be, but it's quite possible he's being influenced by Namaroff's sexy assistant Carla (Blind Corner's Barbara Shelley). He starts to hear tales of the title character, Megaera. Think of her as a sister of Medusa--one look and you'll be turned to stone. When Heitz finds himself too confused to go on, his old professor Meister (Lee), an old adversary of Namaroff's, shows up.

And that's when the film really begins, no matter how good the rest of it has been (and that is good indeed)--when Cushing and Lee play against one another, as they often did. I've wondered idly for years why Cushing and Lee aren't mentioned in the same breath as, say, Laurel and Hardy. It may not be comedy, but it was a classic partnership all the same, and when the two of them showed up in the same movie--especially as adversaries--magic happened. Both are top-quality actors, of course, and here they're backed up by a cast as solid as one could put together in a movie in Britain in the sixties; Shelley was at the top of her game, one of Hammer's biggest draws as well as being a TV star at the same time, while Pasco was known as a Shakespearean actor. This is not your typical low-budget horror flick by any means, and Fisher was arguably Hammer's best director, having done pretty much everything in his career--not only horror, but mystery, comedy, adventure, fantasy, drama, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. While there have obviously been cases of directors becoming masters through specialization, it's been my experience recently that it's the guys who know how to combine everything through personal experience who do the best job with cross-contamination (think about, for example, comic timing in a horror film, or handling a mystery angle in a comedy). The Gorgon, while obviously a horror film, has both mystery and fantasy elements (as well as the romance), and it's all blended nicely into a cracking good movie. If you're a young horror fan and have somehow not yet discovered the treasure trove that is the Hammer Films collection, The Gorgon is a great place to start. ****

Amazed to discover not only have the "hells" and "whores" on the dialogue track been restored in this version of The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll, but at least three scenes that had been trimmed by the censor have also been restored. The uncut ending of Maria's snake dance is pretty bold stuff for the early 60's and it's hard to imagine that Hammer thought they could slip this by the British or American censors. The two other restored moments are also scenes with the snake dancer, Maria.

I've always found The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll a compelling reworking of the Stevenson novella, and as others have noted, Christopher Lee gives one of his best performances in an unusual bit of casting. Unfortunately the picture never really knows what to do with its unique premise of a dull bearded Dr Jekyll and a young handsome Mr Hyde. The original script was for a two hour movie and before shooting began was cut down to a more typical Hammer running time of under 90 minutes. Cutting that much material out of the script may be the reason this version never really comes together dramatically.

But it's difficult to know without reading, if the longer script would have made a better picture. The original screenplay ended with the execution of Dr Jekyll. His neck in the hangman's noose, Jekyll is dropped through the gallows' door and as the dead man's body swings into view, we see the face of Mr Hyde. It's a stronger ending, but doesn't magically pull the picture together.

The Two Faces isn't a horror film and it's not written or directed as a horror film. Maybe the problem is that we expect a horror film and the movie isn't powerful enough to convince us it isn't a horror film.

Even with the script problems, The Two Faces is one of Hammer's most elaborate productions with a number of very compelling scenes and strong performances. Terence Fisher's direction is bold and assured, although for some reason Fisher has been blamed for the picture's short comings. But it seems apparent the problem is with the script, not the direction. For all it's flaws, it's one of Hammer's most unusual pictures and I can't help but like it a lot.

Scream of Fear is the first and best of Hammer's psychological thrillers, with a few tense scenes that still hold up 47 years later. Although you might find one of the most "shocking" moments is a quiet but sexually charged scene between Ann Todd and Ronald Lewis near the end of the movie.

The Gorgon tries hard to be the kind of horror film its title suggests, but fortunately fails miserably. More a tragic romance, in some strange way the picture rises above it's limited premise. Probably because Terence Fisher's direction emphasis the romantic and plays down as much of the conventional horror shtick as possible. But it's an uphill battle since the script is filled with cliches.

As for Columbia's restoration of these pictures, for some reason The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is way over saturated. Maybe it's my set, but nothing else looks over saturated except these recent Hammer releases from Columbia and that includes the two pirate pictures on the Icons of Adventure disc. Jack Asher's photography was always bold, but it didn't look cartoon-ish which is what I'm seeing on my set. Turning color down on my set helps a lot. But can't do much about the red leaning color correction . . . skin tones are way too ruddy and this might be the limits of what can be restored with a faded print. Neither Warner's nor Universal's Hammer releases have over saturated color, though Warner's The Mummy, in particular, leans too much to red in the skin tones.

This is truly a nice gift for the Halloween season. Hammer films of England has been a great purveyor of gothic horror movies during the 1950s and 1960s. This collection is fairly representative of Hammer's work from 1959 through 1964. The presentation of the films in this DVD package was very clear and crisp. The colors were simply sumptuous! I first saw the Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll in a VHS tape. The colors and the look were very faded and muddy. In this DVD, we saw the film as if we were at the movie theater back in 1959. The other three films also look great. Kudos goes to Sony Pictures for the great work done in making these four films available for our viewing pleasure! Finally, it should be noted that all four films are available with closed captions and also have English subtitles for those who are hearing impaired. I only wished the folks at Universal who produced that horrendous DVD package of The Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula, Curse of the Werewolf, etc.), with its flawed and mostly unviewable disks, used the same care which Sony did with this DVD collection. The only problem with this Sony collection is that only trailers are available as special features. But, hey, it is great to have these Hammer films finally in DVD. I look forward to seeing more Hammer classics coming out in the future.

Three of these 60's Hammers have great-looking color and blemish-free prints. 'Scream of Fear' is black and white and has a grainier print that is still quite satisfactory.

'The Gorgon' is the best of the four. Director Terence Fisher has given it the same stylish treatment as his Dracula films, and it is likewise set in Transylvania country, or close. The atmosphere is eerie and the coldness and remoteness of the region really come across well. And, what a cast.
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee alone would be sufficient for a recommendation. Actually, Lee has a smaller role than usual here, though he is professional as always. Barbara Shelley brings a highly individual beauty and fragility to her role as Cushing's nurse, and Richard Pasco is excellent as a student seeking answers over his father's and brother's deaths.
'The Gorgon' may not have the best special effects of all time, but I really have no complaints.

'The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb' is pretty enjoyable, though I would rank it third, behind Hammer's 'The Mummy' and 'The Mummy's Shroud' in terms of the studio's Mummy forays. (I am not familiar with 'Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'.) The best thing about 'Curse' is Fred Clark's greedy American businessman. I would place Clark in a tie with Forrest Tucker's ugly American from 'The Abominable Snowman' as to which of them is the least sensitive and most politically incorrect. I do think 'Curse' would have been better had Fisher directed. Michael Carreras's work makes the movie look more like a competent TV thriller, albeit with good production design.

'The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll' has a pretty interesting spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's story and a good evocation of 1890's London. The cast is good--didn't know Christopher Lee could play a compulsive gambler/gigolo so well--and Paul Massie is acceptable in the title role(s). Dawn Addams plays unfaithful wives as well as anyone I have seen. One look at her and you immediately know her husband needs a good lawyer. The biggest problem with 'Two Faces' is, once past the initial premise the plot quickly becomes rather routine.

'Scream of Fear' was written by Hammer staple Jimmy Sangster, and if you liked the movies 'Nightmare' or 'Paranoiac' this one is on a par. It's impossible to guess where the plot goes in 'Scream' and credibility does get pushed a bit far, but since it's Hammer it's not like we're asking for a story ripped from the headlines.

Unlike 'Icons of Adventure' this set has no extras. Still, the price is reasonable for four movies issued in mostly outstanding quality prints.

Just about all the Hammer I had been waiting for is now on DVD. The one I'm still missing is 1965's 'She', which I thought was excellent and needs to be issued in Region 1.

Sort of like the "B" side of Hammer Film's greatest hits, "Hammer Films: Four Creepy Classics" is a blast and, in some cases, surpasses some of the film company's better known classics. In order to truly appreciate these films, it may help to have viewed them as a child (when they had more power to terrify), or, at least, to watch them without the expectation of non-stop action and graphic gore that typifies most horror films in today's market.

First up is "Curse of the Mummy's Tomb", the first sequel to Hammer's 1959 Peter Cushing classic, "The Mummy" (itself a remake of, and improvement upon, a number of Universal horror flicks of the 1940's). "Curse" once again finds blasphemous archaeologists desecrating the tomb of an ancient pharaoh, with the usual mayhem resulting after an American showman (Fred Clark channeling P.T. Barnum) decides to take the gauze-covered mummy on a roadshow exhibition. After the usual suspects get wind of this, they resurrect the dusty fellow, who cuts a murderous swath through London before beauty and innocence prove to be his undoing. Terence Morgan, Ronald Howard (no relation to the director), and Jeanne Roland round out the perfectly acceptable cast. Not great, but still quite fun, "Curse" may suffer in comparison to its predecessor, but it's still better than the tired Mummy retreads that Universal has been belching out lately.

"The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" is a surprisingly sexy (for its time) look at the infamous doctor and his alter-ego's sordid doings. Beautiful cinematography and a good cast enhance this story about stuffy Doctor J's transformation into good-looking, sophisticated, man-about-town, Mr. Hyde (both excellently played by Paul Massie). While the good doctor's wife (Dawn Addams) canoodles with his best friend (Christopher Lee), Mr. Hyde hooks up with a snake-charmer in a colorful den of iniquity overseen by bouncer Oliver Reed (in an early screen role). Everyone is lusty and having a grand old time (except for poor old Jekyll) until Hyde's nasty temper begins getting the better of him, and then it's curtains for a number of characters. This is, perhaps, my favorite film on the DVD, although the scene where a seemingly agile, healthy adult stands perfectly still and screams while an extremely slow-moving python slithers over to dispatch said victim is irritatingly ludicrous.

"The Gorgon" pairs Hammer faves Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee as two Eastern European doctors at odds with one another as they try to track down the mysterious titular creature responsible for a number of deaths in the local village. Flame-haired Barbara Shelley co-stars as Cushing's beautiful nurse, with Richard Pasco on hand as her suitor. There are some slow moments in "The Gorgon", and the monster, herself, is best seen when reflected in mirrors and pools of water, because the make-up department didn't do anyone any favors with this get-up of rubber snakes and bloodshot eyeballs. Still, it's a pretty good film with high production values, decent acting, and a certain amount of suspense.

All in all, I thought "Scream of Fear"--not a horror film, per se--was the creepiest film of the bunch. A wheelchair-bound American heiress (Susan Strasberg) arrives at the French Riviera estate of her estranged father, only to find him missing and her stepmother (Ann Todd) acting suspiciously cozy with the local doctor (Christopher Lee, again, adopting a French accent). The only one of the four movies to be filmed in black and white, "Scream of Fear" has a weird, scary quality that recalls such low budget shockers as "Dementia 13" and "Paranoiac"; there's something claustrophobic about that black-and-white estate that invites cautious looks over the shoulder when characters enter darkened rooms they know they should stay out of. Though not as bloody and violent as "Dementia 13" and its ilk (which are tame by today's standards), "Scream of Fear" succeeds in creeping out the viewer with what it doesn't show. Again, the acting is first-rate with both Strasberg and Todd, in totally opposing roles, giving sympathetic performances, and Lee and actor, Ronald Lewis, fine as the male stand-bys. Again, I was bothered by a perfectly ludicrous scene in this film, when one character is brutally (and unnecessarily) killed while the rest of the cast hovers around the edges, waiting to "make their move".

While they have certainly produced better films in the past, the four included on this collection are more than worthy of Hammer's growing DVD canon and a nice addition for collectors.

I've always been more of a Universal Horror fan, but Hammer studios did have style and I enjoy many of their horror films! I saw The Gorgon as a kid in a theater and I have always remembered it fondly.

Horror fans have wanted a DVD release of The Gorgon for years and the wait has paid off. The prints here look crisp and clear! While 'The Gorgon' film is short on action, it does have a lot of atmosphere. It's just a shame the make-up isn't more inspired as I think the idea of a Gorgon is very haunting. The visual here just doesn't measure up.

Probably the best film in the lot is 'Scream Of Fears' which is one I never saw before owning this set. It's a creepy murder mystery ghost story with some good scares.

'The Two Faces Of Dr, Jekyll' is an interesting take on the familiar story with Mr. Hyde being ugly and evil minded more than physically.

The worst film by far is 'The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb' which is a pretty boring entry in the Mummy series with no Mummy action until two thirds of the film have elapsed! Lee and Cushing are sorely missed here too!

The DVD transfer prints are really nice with hardly any wear what so ever. It would have been nice to have commentaries and featurettes for these films, but at least the trailers are present for all four films.

I will review each film as I watch it; I had to start with the Gorgon which is the third film in this 2 disc set.

1)The Curse Of The Mummy - 2 Stars
2)The Two Faces Of Dr. Jekyll - 4 Stars
3)The Gorgon - 4 Stars
4)Scream Of Fear - 4 1/2 Stars