DVD Review - Hammer Films Collection - Volume Two - Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Not Rated; 543 minutes; $14.98; Amazon

Growing up in the 1990s in a small town there's wasn't much to do on the weekends except for watching a movie on television; though nowadays, finding a good flick to watch is hard to do with all the awful reality shows in the way. It seems all the good movies of the past have simply disappeared. Luckily for us, many old movies are now available on purchase on DVD.

Now available to purchase on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment is Hammer Films Collection - Volume Two, featuring six flicks - The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Snorkel, Never Take Candy From A Stranger, The Maniac, Die! Die! My Darling!, and Creatures The World Forgot.

Hammer Films put their own mark on Mary Shelley's classic tale with their own Frankenstein franchise. Directed by Terence Fisher, The Revenge of Frankenstein was released in 1958 (a sequel to the 1957 The Curse of Frankenstein). After escaping death by guillotine, Baron Victor Frankenstein (played by Peter Cushing), travels to Carlsbruck, where he is now working as a doctor under the name Dr. Stein. Unfortunately, he cannot escape his past as Dr. Hans Kleve recognizes him and blackmails him into letting Dr. Kleve become his apprentice.

The Revenge of Frankenstein

Directed by Guy Green, The Snorkel was released in 1958. The thriller centers on a teenager named Candy (played by Mandy Miller), who is investigating the strange death of her mother. All clues points to her stepfather Paul Decker (played Peter van Eyck) as the killer, but Mandy must figure out how he killed her mother.

The Snorkel

Directed by Cyril Frankel, Never Take Candy From A Stranger (also known as Never Take Sweets From A Stranger), was released in 1960. Set in Canada, the story centers on a nine-year-old Jean who tells her parents that she and her friend, Lucille, went into an old man's house, Clarence Olderberry Sr, where they danced naked in exchange for candy. While the girl thinks she has done nothing wrong, the parents believe otherwise and informs the authorities of what has happened. Sadly, Clarence Olderberry Sr's family is highly respected with connections everywhere, leaving everyone to believe he is innocent of the crime.

Never Take Candy From A Stranger

Directed by Michael Carreras, The Maniac was released in 1963. The film centers on an American artist Jeff Farrell who starts a relationship with an older woman Eve Beynat while on vacation in France. She convinces him to help break out Eve's husband from jail, so they can get revenge on the man that set her husband up for murder.

The Maniac

Directed by Silvio Narizzano, Die! Die! My Darling! (also known as Fanatic) was released in 1965. In this early slasher, an American woman, Patricia Carrol, arrives in London to marry her boyfriend Alan Glentower. She's also there to visit her deceased fiance’s mother Mrs. Trefoile at a secluded house. Unknown to her, Mrs. Trefoile has deadly plans for Patricia.

Die! Die! My Darling!

Directed by Don Chaffey, Creatures The World Forgot was released in 1971 and it marked the final installment in Hammer's "Cave Girl" films. It centers on the daily lives of the "Dark Tribe" (stone age men & women); hardly any dialogue is spoken, only grunts.

Creatures The World Forgot

Final Thoughts: While most Hammer Films received negative reviews upon their original releases, over the years the films have received a cult following, and even a few modern critics have given positive comments about the movies.

I used to watch Hammer Films flicks on AMC in the middle 1990s, back when the cable channel actually aired classic movies (commercial free). Yes, the films are cheesy with low budgets, but their horror movies were fun to watch.

Out of the six flicks on this DVD release, I've only seen The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Maniac; the other four were new for me. While all them were intriguing to watch, my two favorites were Die! Die! My Darling! and The Snorkel. Overall, I have enjoyed watching the Hammer Films Collection - Volume Two and I recommend it to others.