TWO FROM HAMMER

Studiocanal. UHD/Blu Ray Limited Editions. 6th April

Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb – 4 stars

Demons of the Mind – 3 stars

Studiocanal own the rights to quite a few of the later Hammer productions and have previously put them out on Blu Ray. Now, following the lead set by Hammer themselves, they are pushing out new limited editions in brand new 4K restorations of the films that reside in their archives.

This time out we have two splendid presentations – first up is the colourful BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB from 1971, a mummy film that has no cloth wrapped menace in it. The script by Christopher Wicking was based on Bram Stoker’s ‘The Jewel of Seven Stars’ which had actually been previously adapted a year previously for the British TV anthology series MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION. It was also the basis for the awful Charlton Heston movie THE AWAKENING (1980).

This is one of Hammer’s best latter day productions – Professor Fuchs brings back the sarcophagus of Queen Tera from Egypt to London, complete with her intact body – which of course proves to be a major mistake, especially when he gives his daughter Margaret (Valerie Leon) the ruby ring from the severed hand of the ancient priestess. It isn’t long before his offspring, who looks exactly like Tera, is being possessed by the evil Egyptian.

Leon, best known for her TV adverts for Hai Karate aftershave – which you can find on YouTube – makes for a sexy lead, despite being overdubbed by Olive Gregg. She is ably supported by Keir. Unfortunately this is probably best known for being something of a cursed movie. Peter Cushing was originally to play the Professor and had started the shoot when his wife Helen fell ill and he had to withdraw. Keir was drafted in and within a few days was on set. At one point Leon fell ill and was replaced by her body double Sarah Mathieson for some scenes. As the production drew to a close, director Seth Holt died from a heart attack at the young age of 47. Michael Carreras asked Don Sharp – who had been one of the original choices to helm the film – to potentially reshoot the whole film. As Sharp wasn’t interested, Carreras decided to take over and film the final scenes and piece the film together.

Christopher Wicking also scripted DEMONS OF THE MIND, which was released in 1972 but had been completed the previous year. It is something a confusing mess, and not your typical Hammer outing. Baron Friedrich Zorn (Robin Hardy) is concerned that his teenage children, Emil (Shane Briant, in his movie debut) and Elizabeth (Gillian Hills) may have inherited their mother’s madness from their bad blood, so he keeps them locked away in his country pile (the splendid looking Wykehurst Park House). Meanwhile somebody is killing young ladies from the local village. Zorn brings in quack scientist Doctor Falkenberg (Patrick Magee) who has a device that might cure the children. There is murder, sex, incest, madness, gratuitous nudity, an emphasis on the colour red, Paul Jones as Elizabeth’s boyfriend looking confused, a generally bewildering storyline that eventually just seems to peter out and Hardy, Magee and Michael Hordern as a local priest all vying for the overacting award.

Supposedly, the role of Zorn was offered to Paul Scofield, James Mason and Dirk Bogarde – they presumably read the script!

Steve Kirkham 

EXTRAS

BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB

TWO NEW EXTRAS:  ‘Valerie Leon inside the Mummy’s Tomb’ and ‘That’s A Wrap’: Kim Newman explores Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb

Audio Commentary with Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman

The Pharaoh’s Curse’: Inside Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb

Interviews with Valerie Leon and Christopher Wicking; Sound Recordist Tony Dawe; Camera Operator Neil Binney

TV/Radio Spots and Trailer

Various Image Galleries

Plus a 64 page perfect bound booklet featuring the original press kit, new essays, and two posters.

DEMONS OF THE MIND

NEW ‘Evil In the Blood’: Virginia Wetherell on Demons of the Mind

Two Audio Commentaries: with Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman; with director Peter Sykes, screenwriter Christopher Wicking and actress Virginia Wetherell, moderated by film historian Jonathan Sothcott

‘Blood Will Have Blood’: Inside Demons of the Mind

Interview with Camera Operator Neil Binney

Two Image Galleries

Trailer

Plus new artwork by Johnny Dombrowski and a 64-page booklet with new essays and original press kit, 2 posters, one of new artwork, one of original theatrical artwork