The Extras
The Extras
Hammer Horror Meets Warner Archive: The Curse of Frankenstein 4K
We announce a special collaborative 4K UHD release of "The Curse of Frankenstein" from Warner Archive and Hammer Films, coming October 14th. This landmark partnership brings together both companies' archival resources to create the definitive presentation of this horror classic that established Hammer as a leading force in the genre.
• Warner Archive and Hammer Films partnering on a deluxe release of The Curse of Frankenstein
• 4K UHD edition ($34.99) includes three aspect ratios: 1.66, 1.85, and open matte 1.37
• Comprehensive special features including new commentaries and a nostalgic Super 8mm abridgment
• Separate three-disc Blu-ray edition also available ($29.99) with extensive bonus content
• Original mono audio preserved with new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound options
Pre-orders are not yet available.
CORRECTION: There is NO ATMOS. The original information George was told was incorrect. The graphic in the video is correct and is listed below:
Audio Specs: Original Theatrical DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono and NEW DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround formats.
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Hello and welcome to the Extras. I'm Tim Millard, your host, and joining me is George Feltenstein for a very special announcement of the next 4K release from the Warner Archive.
George Feltenstein:H ello, Tim, great to be with you, as always.
Tim Millard:Well, first off, I want to let people know this is not the October release announcement. However, we're going to be talking about a title that comes out October 14th, and it is your fourth 4K release from the Warner Archive, and I know it's creating a lot of excitement. Why don't you tell us about this title, george?
George Feltenstein:Well, this is a film that we actually revisited not that long ago, less than five years ago, and it was a big deal because unusual for us, because we usually don't have the budget to do things like what we did. We did a two-disc special edition of the Curse of Frankenstein and had not one, not two, but three aspect ratios, so nobody would feel that their preferred aspect ratio was left out. And we worked from 4K scans of the separations, which turned out to be better sources than the camera negative that was so faded. It was a huge seller for us, very, very exciting for us. For us, and I would say probably maybe a year and a half ago, we hooked up with the people at Hammer Films in UK and Hammer has had a lot of ownership changes in the last I don't know 20 years or so. They've been around for 90 years, but there's been a lot of change there and now they have new management that's really embracing their heritage. And Curse of Frankenstein is the Bellwether film that really started and established them as the leader in horror filmmaking in the late 50s, through the 60s and into the early 70s, and that reputation kind of coincides with work that they did with Warner Brothers and they'd partnered with different Hollywood studios for different projects. But the relationship with Warner Brothers began as Warner Brothers was the distributor for the Curse of Frankenstein in 1957, worldwide, including the UK. Since then, uk rights reverted to the Hammer Company. We've had the rights for the rest of the world. They have the rights in the UK and Ireland. They were very impressed with our work on the Curse of Frankenstein Blu-ray.
George Feltenstein:We began discussions on how we could work together because they wanted to create a 4K UHD of the Curse of Frankenstein, and we said well, let's join forces, let's put our heads together and make this a great thing for everybody around the world who loves Hammer Horror and it's an understatement to say how huge the fan base is for the Hammer Horror Films. We're fortunate to have many of them on the Warner side, but they are actually-established frankenstein, dracula and the mummy, in that order. Uh, to a new generation that was learning about these characters as the old universal movies were hitting television for the first time 1956, somewhere around there, um, I think actually it was like 1958 maybe, but in any event, um, at that very time it was a whole new way of modernizing the cinematic approach to the genre and the impact that hammer had as a production company resonates with audiences of all ages and you know, some of these films played children's matinees in the 60s. Wow, um, but it was scary movies, you know. I mean, that's the thing. Everybody loves, that Right. So being able to work in a partnership with people who hold their legacy so dear and bring all of our material together, to work together so that we announce this new release simultaneously simultaneously it was the middle of the night for us when they announced, and I had our Facebook page set to explode at 8.04 am this morning so that people would know that they had a US opportunity to have what we have collaborated on. And there's the special features that we created in the past, special features that they created in the past, and a lot of new special features have been created for this incredibly important release BD 100s that contain some special features as well as three versions of the film One in the 1.66 aspect ratio, which is how it played in Britain and probably most of Europe.
George Feltenstein:The 1.85 aspect ratio as it played here in the United States. 185 aspect ratio, as it played here in the United States, and then open mat 137, uh, which is how most people experience this film, either watching it on a VHS tape or going back further 16 millimeter prints at your local library or your elementary school, your day day camp, and on television in syndication. That's how everybody saw it, as a square, so it wasn't meant to be shown that way in theaters. But people say, well, I remember the edge of this castle, and so forth, and so on. So what we did when we did the Blu-ray was give all three aspect ratios the golden treatment so that, whatever your preference, this leads to a happier consumer, because some people like things in different ways and sometimes it's not practical and you can't really do that.
George Feltenstein:But there's a justified reason here for doing it, because what is in the 137 the square is what was captured in the open mat, full aperture. So we have the three aspect ratios and, uh, what this also has is, first and foremost, the default audio is the original mono, but they've created Dolby Atmos for this and I believe there's also 5.1. And we also have multilingual subtitles that will help people around the world enjoy this film and this presentation. World enjoy this film and this presentation. And I have to also say that all the folks at Hammer UK have been a delight to work with and I'm hoping that our partnership will continue.
Tim Millard:Well, there are many people who love the version that you put out in 2020, the get here is the many hours of special features you didn't get.
George Feltenstein:Plus, there are two new commentaries, I believe, and then there are archival commentaries. So there is all of that as well as the supplemental Atmos remix which obviously is conveyed on the Blu-ray. So the Blu-ray is 3BD50. So everything's at a nice robust, healthy bitrate and the third disc is just special features. Now, that same Blu-ray disc that's in the Blu-ray release, disc number three that accompanies two BD-100s for the 4K release, where everything's at a nice robust bit rate, you get the three versions of the movie and some special features there too. So both versions are loaded.
George Feltenstein:And if you already bought our Blu-ray, which will stay in print because we're very proud of it and it has less discs, which means it's less of a retail cost but you will also have the choice of this deluxe collector's edition, which, for a little more money, you get a third bonus disc.
George Feltenstein:And if you're a real Hammer fan and you just have Blu-ray, you're taken care of.
George Feltenstein:And if you happen to be a 4K consumer, you get the upgrade to 4K UHD with Dolby Vision and HDR10. Everything is there to optimize the viewing experience, and high dynamic range and ultra high definition just in general brings you a wealth of more color and it really kind of ratchets in the image uh, more than before. So there's really, uh, what we always try to do is and it's not a very easy thing to do we try to have something for everyone to keep everybody happy. So one of the things we were considering was well, we'll have one edition and it will have three Blu-ray discs and two 4K discs, and that would have raised the price dramatically and made some people have to buy something that they couldn't use if they're not planning to upgrade to 4k or don't have 4k. So this way, the srp of the 4k three disc set is 34.99. The srp for the three disc blu-ray set is $29.99. And I feel comfortable that we're providing the consumer with a reasonably priced, exceptional release and we're very excited about it.
Tim Millard:Yeah, those are terrific prices for this, what you would call a true collector's volume, because of all of the options that you've given them, for not just the films, but all of these new extras and the archival extras, because I know you had put some new extras on the Blu-ray from a few years ago, so those are all included as well. So people who do trade up yeah, people who do trade up can know that they're getting all of the extras. And is there anything that you wanted to point out on any of the extras that you're especially wanting to be sure that fans know about?
George Feltenstein:Well, I think the most important thing is it represents, because it's archival. There are things that go back several years representing different groups of film historians and passionate fans and pieces people have seen before. There's even something that Hammer unearthed, which I think is kind of adorable. Years before there was videocassette or all the things that we have now.
George Feltenstein:If you wanted to own a movie, the closest you could come with rare exception was to buy an 8mm or a Super 8mm and, if you were lucky, sound abridgment of a feature film. And they've put the Super 8 sound abridgment of the Curse of Frankenstein as part of this collection. I mean, it's really everything but the kitchen sink. And when I was a kid, those little 17-minute Super 8 really everything but the kitchen sink. And uh, uh, as as when I was a kid, those little 17 minute super eight abridgments that was the best you could have hoped for. Uh, so there's a nostalgia factor in there, you know.
George Feltenstein:And uh, it's just really been a labor of love for both companies to work together and you know this opened at the Warner Theater in London and was distributed by Warner Brothers. So this is a part of our heritage, our history, and that we share that with Hammer, and that brings me particular joy because I know how abundant the fan base is for Hammer Horror and specifically these films that starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. They were and remain heroes to generations of horror fans, generations of horror fans, and so to have this kind of presentation healthily before Halloween and before the holidays, that's a great thing, and I really hope that folks enjoy it.
Tim Millard:Well, I think you mentioned it, but I'll just say it one more time. When you release something like this, that's a partnership. If the fans show up, if they buy, if they support this, that could open the door for the future for more things. But they have to step up and support and purchase these, if I hear you correctly.
George Feltenstein:I think that both the really great folks at Amar and ourselves we thought this was a very, very wonderful idea to collaborate from the very beginning, and I just am excited to see how the fans will react when they actually get to hold whatever version they choose to buy in their hands, because it's really really something for everyone. And the nice thing is these films they're so classic. I mean, when we look at the curse of frankenstein, it's 68 years old, uh. But there are generations of people that have not seen this film and they don't know how important it is in the history of horror on film and that Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee became icons because of the hammer films and other things that they did too, without question. But we thought enough of the film five years ago to take on the crazy task of trying to produce new special features during the height of the pandemic. So to be able to join with Hammer now and have this really wonderful Deluxe Collector's Edition is a source of great pride for us and we hope people will enjoy it. And I'm happy to say and we'll talk about this a little later on that date of October 14th will not just be for the deluxe collector's edition of Curse of Frankenstein. We will also have four new Warner Archive Blu-rays that you and I will be talking about a little later, because we're going to have new releases on the 14th of October as well as the 28th of October, because it's going to be a very abundant month and we want to make sure that we're really working hard to improve our ability to get consumers their discs on street date, that the replicators will not let us down, that everything will come together and it'll be terrific for everyone. So we've got a wonderful October planned and the next few months I just counted actually we're working on 79 different films in different stages right now and a lot of the performers who have been hotly requested they will be represented. Some films that performers who have been hotly requested they will be represented, some films that people really have been asking for.
George Feltenstein:And speaking of that, I also want to change subjects for a moment and talk about the multi-features that we have for October and that are coming out even in September, which haven't come out yet.
George Feltenstein:We can talk about those in more detail, but I want to underscore and stress these multi-feature sets all consist of previously released Blu-rays exact same discs and they're designed to provide a value proposition to the consumer. They're designed for people who want to build their collections, who really haven't started yet or missed this or missed that, and also as gift giving items. Uh, we're not going to put together multi-feature collections of brand new to blu-ray because economically that doesn't work out in our favor and we are a public company that must be profitable and our division must be profitable, and I feel very certain that this is going to be a new area for us to be able to monetize these wonderful films that we've been releasing in other ways that will give us more financial support to increase what we're able to do. So it's a very, very exciting time for the Warner Archive collection, and to be talking with you today about this very special release of the Curse of Frankenstein is something I've been looking forward to doing.
Tim Millard:Yeah, yeah, and I think that everything you just said just reaffirms these collections previously released. But you have you just mentioned a whole block of movies and TV shows and animation that you're working on. So in no way are the-.
George Feltenstein:I don't mean to interrupt you. The 79 was just feature films.
Tim Millard:Oh, okay.
George Feltenstein:That doesn't include animated television series. It doesn't include animated theatrical shorts. It doesn't include television series. All that is in addition to the 79 features, and that list of 79 will be amended with more as we continue to release. Some of them go out, then the next ones go through and start in on the long journey from film element until that disc is in someone's home and on their shelf right.
Tim Millard:that's what we're here to do yeah, and I think that should alleviate any any. Anybody who's thinking that somehow the collections are keeping the archive from working on the ones that have not come out on blu-ray yet? In no way. They are just another way for gift giving and for uh catching up for a more casual collector.
George Feltenstein:So you have a huge amount of films that you're working on, uh, that fans can look forward to there I'm I'm overwhelmed as I look over the list, because many of them are titles, films that I've been making impassioned pleas to be upgraded, and we're finally going to be able to have some of the things I've been waiting for for a long time. It's all a matter of everything coming together and we're in a really, really good position right now for film, for television, for animation, for everything, and we're trying to and it's impossible to do, but we're trying to please all of the different fan groups for various kinds of filmmaking. And when you're talking about fans of filmmaking, there are, I would say, millions of people that love Hammer Horror, and that's why this new release, the Curse of Frankenstein, in either 4K or Blu-ray, is an event for us and we're very proud.
Tim Millard:Right. Well, george, as always, thanks for for coming on, and you always drop little nuggets and hints and that's why I encourage people to listen to uh to you when you come on the x-ray what we say here on this podcast.
George Feltenstein:Don't believe what you read on the internet, because half of what people say that they're inside and they know the score and they're basically not on target. I'll just put it in a nice way.
Tim Millard:Exactly, and I always say listen to George, listen to the source. And, by the way, it's all free you don't have to pay to listen and get the information directly from you. So thank you so much for doing that.
George Feltenstein:Well, thank you, tim, and I'm very glad to be able to speak about Curse of Frankenstein for everybody who's interested.
Tim Millard:For those of you who'd like more information about the Curse of Frankenstein 4K, we will be posting more information on our Facebook page and in our Warner Archive Facebook group, so either follow us there or, if you haven't, look for the links here in the podcast show notes, and you can do that at any point in time, and that includes putting up the pre-order link when it becomes available. So those are not yet available, but they should be available before too long. So again, terrific 4K and then the standalone Blu-ray. So you got the 4K Blu-ray combo pack and then the standalone Blu-ray, and those are both going to be available for purchase, and those come out October 14th. So very exciting stuff to hear about this partnership between the Warner Archive and Hammer Films.
Tim Millard:If you aren't yet subscribed or following the show, what favorite podcast provider you may want to do that, as we're going to have more information about the Curse of Frankenstein and, of course, all of the October releases, which are now going to be two different podcasts coming up in the near future. So please subscribe and follow us. That helps the show as well. Until next time you've been listening to Tim Millard, stay slightly obsessed.