'Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films' DVD Review

A must-have DVD for Hammer fans, although not all of the films are classics.

This collection gathers four early movies from Britain's legendary Hammer Studios previously unavailable on DVD.

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll: In this unusual adaptation, Hyde isn't a typical monster; he's a clean-shaven gentleman, while Jekyll is a scruffy, bearded recluse. Hyde's monstrous side comes from his partying, lascivious nature: sex, drugs, alcohol, fights. Although Jekyll is initially curious about Hyde's base desires, he decides to repress him. However, when the doc discovers that his wife is cheating with his best friend, he seeks revenge as Hyde. Grade: C

The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb: In this plodding production, a magical medallion is used to raise a recently excavated Egyptian prince to take revenge on those who disturbed his tomb. However, this doesn't happen until an hour into the movie -- too late to save it. Grade: D

The Gorgon: This is what most would consider the jewel here, if for no other reason than it's the only one to feature both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee (Lee appears in all but Mummy's Tomb). It features foreboding cinematography and a unique monster: Medusa's snake-haired sister Magera, who roams the area around a small German town turning people to stone. It plays like a werewolf tale, with the bulk of the story devoted to discovering which person is turning into the creature. Grade: B

Scream of Fear: This is the only one filmed in black and white and is the most satisfying story-wise. It's a slow-moving mystery about a woman who visits her estranged father's house, only to discover him missing. She sees visions of him dead, however, and her stepmother fears that she's going crazy. What could've been a predictable, melodramatic tale is turned on its ear in the final 15 minutes with twist upon delicious twist. Grade: B

The DVD

The only special features are trailers.

Movies: C+
DVD: D-