Hammer Horror Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula)

Description

A collection of horror classics from Hammer Studios. Six films that feature horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing-- Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Frankenstein Must be Destroyed, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, Taste the Blood of Dracula.

Customer Reviews:

Hammer Productions- 6 Legendary Classics of Gothic Horror!.......2007-04-26

The legendary British film studio, Hammer Productions began its climb to the top of the horror film genre with its Technicolor release of "The Curse of Frankenstein." Teaming Peter Cushing with Christopher Lee for the first time- the result is pure movie magic and the beginning of what was to become a beautiful friendship. As well as a great time for movie going gothic horror fans as Hammer began churning out one classic after another. This set of Hammer horror includes:

"The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957)
Baron Victor Von Frankenstein, (Peter Cushing) is in prison for murder and trying to evade the guillotine. While there he tells a priest how he and his mentor, Paul Krempe, (Robert Urquhart) had performed many scientific experiments, eventually leading to the resurrection of a dead body. Due to an accident, that damages the brain intended for Frankenstein's creation, the experiment goes horribly wrong. Instead of the intelligent being Frankenstein set out to create- a hideous monster (Christopher Lee) rises from the laboratory table! The baron's obsession and the monster's homicidal nature cause the deaths of several of those around them. Finally the Baron is confronted by an enraged monster about to throw Victor's fiancée Elizabeth, (Hazel Court) from the castle parapet. The DVD release has a clean transfer and the audio is vibrant. Great use of color and the studio sets and costuming are used to full advantage to set the gothic atmosphere to perfection. The beginning of Hammer's rise to the top of the Horror genre and the first of many classics to come!

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" (1968)
When his castle is exorcised, Dracula (Christopher Lee) plots his revenge against the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) who performed the rites by attempting to make the Holy man's young niece, Maria (Veronica Carlson) his bride. Great story and very enjoyable performances by the entire cast make this entry in Hammer's `Dracula" series a real treat!

"Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!" (1969)
Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is once again working with illegal medical experiments. Together with a young doctor, Karl Holst (Simon Ward) and his fiancée Anna Spengler (Veronica Carlson) they kidnap the mentally sick Dr. Brandt, (George Pravda) to perform the first brain transplant ever!

"Horror of Dracula" (1958)
After Jonathan Harker (John Van Eussen) attacks Dracula (Christopher Lee) at his castle, the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. Van Helsing, (Peter Cushing) Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost! The first in Hammer's "Dracula" series and possibly "the best" gothic vampire movie ever made! Lush visuals, great atmospheric music and studio sets, along with outstanding cast performances make this Hammer's crowning jewel of gothic horror!

"The Mummy" (1959)
Three British archeologists (including Peter Cushing) discover the grave of an important Egyptian female priestess (Yvonne Furneaux) who has died about four millennia ago. But when they open it a bad curse falls on them for having woken up the mighty "Guard of the Grave" (Christopher Lee) who was buried with the priestess. Hammer once again proved its ability to bring a classic horror story to vibrant life! "The Mummy" is perfectly wonderful in it's story telling, costuming, studio sets, and the cast performances are superb!

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970)
Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring lives and get in contact with one of count Dracula's servants (Ralph Bates). During a nightly ceremony they restore The Count (Christopher Lee) back to life. The three men kill Dracula's servant, and for revenge the Count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons. An original ideal for Hammer's `Dracula" series makes this one quite enjoyable. Ralph Bates really puts in a fine performance as Dracula's devoted servant- he's so believable!

"THE HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION" is a great box containing some of the Production Studios finest. If only a volume 2 or even a volume 3 would have followed! Hammer Studios truly set the bench mark for the gothic horror genre, and as of yet, no other studio has come close to meeting Hammer's success!

oldie but goodie.......2007-01-10

I have wished for this series for a long time. I got it at a reasonable price in a very short time.

Killer Hammer Collection.......2006-12-13

You cannot go wrong with Hammer Horror of any type, however, this collection beats all the other Hammer collection thats out there today. If you want great horror, then this collection is the best to start off with any true Hammer fan. Cushing and Lees best work to date. Highly Recommended!!

When horror films had stories........2006-05-14

In the last 25 years, we've been bombarded with horror films designed to shock rather than scare. We have Jason, a mindless murderer back from the grave, Freddie, a murderer who haunts our dreams, and Chucky, a little doll who likes to kill people. I'm not saying these newer films are bad. They're just not as good as the older ones.

Case in point, the horror films released by England's Hammer studios from the late 50s into the 70s. All of these films have villains, murderers and shock. But they also have interesting stories. They're not mindless.

This gem of a collection is a great starting point for somebody interested in owning Hammer horror films. There are other Hammer films out there besides these, but these are some of the best.

The Curse of Frankenstein. This is where it all started. Peter Cushing is excellent in his sinister portrayal as Victor Frankenstein, and Christopher Lee is an admirable monster.

The Horror of Dracula. Peter Cushing is back, and is great this time around as Van Helsing. Christopher Lee plays the infamous count for the first time.

The Mummy. This is the best remake of the Boris Karloff original. Lee stars again, this time as Kharis, a resurrected mummy out for revenge against those who desecrated his beloved Ananka's ancient tomb. Peter Cushing is one of the people he wants to get even with.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Perhaps Cushing's most sinister stint as Dr. Frankenstein, this time stopping at nothing to make history in the science of brain transplants.

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Lee's third stint as the evil count, this time using a priest to exercise his agenda of death and destruction.

Taste the Blood of Dracula. Lee's fourth go-around as the blood-sucking monster, this time seeking revenge against the three men who murdered his disciple.

All of these films are beautifully presented in anamorphic widescreen. The colors, particularly the red, stand out.

the rebirth of gothic horror at the movies.......2006-04-22

this fantastic collection of the best hammer horror movies is just what the true horror movie fan has been waiting for. from frankenstein,dracula,and the mummy you get them all. while the hammer frankenstein movies are fun and i love them,i think the dracula films are the best the studio ever did. the dracula's always had the greatest deaths for the count and the one's in this set are the best. the one shot cushing&lee mummy is also one of the best mummy movies ever(right behind karloff's mummy)and a true treat. the transfers are great and the colors,so important to the hammer movies are like new. set back and let some of the masters of horror show you how it should be done.

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula

Average customer rating:

What Was the Point
HAMMER HEADS
a good hammer house double feature
Great Bargin But Why ?

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy , and Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0009UZG5A
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

You can't keep a good monster down - a point proven in The Curse of Frankenstein, the film via which Hammer Studios revived Gothic horror in an era dominated by sci-fi scarefests. In the first of many fright-film collaborations, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in a tale about the family whose grasp of life's secret has monstrous consequences. Next, Lee dons the cape of the notorious evil one in Taste the Blood of Dracula. Society bigwigs cheat on their wives during a night out, but there's no cheating death when they try too late to back out of ceremony that revives the Count. Sink your teeth into this one, horror fans!

Customer Reviews:

What Was the Point .......2006-01-08

"The Curse of Frankenstein" is The Best of Hammer's Frankenstein Series But Why Pair this with "Taste the Blood of Dracula" one of the worst in Hammer's Dracula Series now I would Have Got This If instead of "Taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" Where's The fun in this

HAMMER HEADS.......2005-09-07

CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN has the distinction of being the first Hammer production to achieve notoriety and popularity. The initial entry in the several sumptiously produced, overly melodramatic entries, this horror flick finds Peter Cushing as the dedicated if somewhat demented scientist who wants to create his own being. The luscious Hazel Court (Masque of the Red Death) plays Elizabeth, Frankenstein's naive fiancee and veteran character actor Robert Urquhart is the stalwart friend Paul. Future Dracula himself Christopher Lee steps in as the monster, but he's vastly underused and not all that frightening. We've become so immune to true horror during the last fifty years that a film like CURSE OF FRANKESTEIN seems hopelessly dull. But it's the production values and the sincerity of the actors that have made these Hammer movies such classics.
The second film, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, made in 1970 is reputedly one of Lee's least favorite Dracula films. Playing out like a kind of drawing room mystery, it's tale of revenge overshadows the terror of its vampire roots and leaves Lee with little to do but appear menacing from time to time. Still, with its vibrant colors and sincere cast, TASTE is far better than many of the 2000 vampire sagas. Overall, if you are a fan of those unique Hammer films of the 50s through the 70s, you'll want this in your collection. The transfer is quite good.

a good hammer house double feature.......2005-09-01

This is a good package of the curse of frankenstein and taste the blood of dracula they are both widescreen the way i like them too bad it didn't include extras the one i got is a 2 sided disc wish they would just make them like all the dracula's in order on double discs and all the frankensteins in order and all widescreen with extras would be nice if they remixed them with dolby surround good movies for haloween or a hammer collector.price was reasonable too.

Great Bargin But Why ?.......2005-06-30

This will be a strange deal I mean "Curse of Frankenstein" was Good But why "Taste the Blood of Dracula" this would have been Great If they had put instead of "taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" or "The Mummy" I am going to get this only because the case which Holds my Copy of "Curse of Frankenstein" is banged up on the inside,the holder for the disk was broken when I first Got it Back in 2003 Great Deal but Could have Been Better

The Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection (The Gore Gore Girls / A Taste of Blood / She-Devils on Wheels / The Gruesome Twosome / The Wizard of Gore / Something Weird)

Average customer rating:

Marvelous!

The Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection (The Gore Gore Girls / A Taste of Blood / She-Devils on Wheels / The Gruesome Twosome / The Wizard of Gore / Something Weird)
Starring: Herschell Gordon Lewis
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00029RSWC
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Description

Six Blood-Spattered Cult Classics from the Creator of Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs !The Godfather of Gore, Herschell Gordon Lewis, is back and ready to paint the room red with six outrageous tales of terror! A wigmaker and her psycho son make a Gruesome Twosome when they decide to use real human hair to stock their shop, fresh from bloody scalps! Enjoy A Taste of Blood as an elixir from Count Dracula turns an all-American businessman into a blood-craving creature of the night! Experience Something Weird when an electrical shock disfigures a man who makes a deadly deal with a cunning witch involving ESP, LSD, and killer bed sheets! Then an all-girl motorcycle gang of She-Devils on Wheels turns a small town into a rip-roaring bloodbath after a young girl's initiation sets off a chain of jealousy and murder! Grab a front row seat as The Wizard of Gore mutilates audience members in an act too gruesome to be real, or is it? Then get ready for lots of shakin' and screamin' as The Gore Gore Girls take the stage, where a psycho is picking off the strippers at a nightclub run by Henny Youngman! Mixing pitch-black humor and jaw-dropping blood and guts, these drive-in cult classics will leave stunned, shocked, and begging for more!

Customer Reviews:

Marvelous!.......2004-07-06

In 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis, an independent filmmaker known for making limited release "cutie" pictures, changed forever the face of American cinema when he released "Blood Feast." This film, as low budget as you could possibly get, ushered in the era of the gore film. While it would be quite some time before Hollywood caught on to the fact that certain segments of the movie going public hungered for films containing nauseating scenes of explicit violence, H.G. Lewis took one look at the receipts for "Blood Feast" and decided he better quickly make another movie similar to this one. What followed was a series of gruesome zero budget shockers, films like "The Wizard of Gore," "A Taste of Blood," "2000 Maniacs," "Color Me Blood Red," and "The Gruesome Twosome." Lewis lensed the downright offensive "The Gore-Gore Girls" before retiring from the film business in 1972 in order to devote his time to the advertising industry. It wasn't until 2002 that the director returned to form with "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat," a movie which proved beyond a doubt that the Godfather of Gore still has what it takes to gross out an audience. It's elevates the soul to see something as audacious as a "Herschell Gordon Lewis Collection" hit stores. They even threw in a couple of Hersch's non-gore flicks for good measure.

I just can't get over a Lewis boxed set. First up is Lewis's ghastliest film, "The Gore-Gore Girls," a movie so repulsive that one must see it to believe it. What's the plot, you ask? What are you, somebody who needs a coherent plot? Well, there is a plot here if you look hard enough. Some nut's been going around dispatching the female employees at the local "men's clubs," so a newspaper hires crack detective Abraham Gentry (Frank Kress) to investigate the crimes. A ditzy local reporter, Nancy Weston, tags along and generally gets in the way whenever see can. You won't care about the plot when the gore starts rolling in. Lewis gives us a scene where a gal bobs for French fries, a hot iron applied to something other than clothing, and the grisly capper involving two types of milk. A head scene that rivals the atrocity we saw in "Toxic Avenger" makes an appearance, in case you were wondering. Whew! If you get through this movie intact, give yourself a pat on the back! Heck, if you can get through the cheesy canned jazz soundtrack, you'll be a winner in life. Look for Henny Youngman playing sleazy club owner Marzdone Mobilie, as well as Ray Sager from "The Wizard of Gore" hamming it up as a sniffling bartender.

Speaking of "The Wizard of Gore," this cinematic nightmare shows up in the set as well. Montag the Magician (Ray Sager) puts on a heck of show when he hypnotizes his audience and then proceeds to massacre a volunteer from the crowd in stomach churning close up. The tricks include a sword swallowing bit, a punch press, and the old railroad spike through the head gag that's so popular at kiddie birthday parties. No one sees what Montag is up to-they're hypnotized, remember-until the victim falls to pieces after the show. A suspicious feminist talk show host eventually catches on to the wizard's foul deeds and, with the help of her boyfriend, attempts to bring the malevolent magician to justice. The conclusion of the film is memorable only because it actually makes the viewer think, a rarity in the world of Herschell Gordon Lewis films. "The Wizard of Gore" is probably my favorite Lewis gore film, so it's nice to see it again here. The acting is as wooden as it could possibly get, the effects are dirt cheap, and there are more continuity errors than you can shake a stick at, but it's all done in good fun. You'll love it. Really!

"A Taste of Blood" and "The Gruesome Twosome" represent lesser H.G. Lewis productions (!). The former is the director's take on the vampire genre, as a chipper business chap named John Stone receives two mysterious bottles of wine from a recently deceased relative. Turns out that the stuff is blood from a vampire, which means by the time Stone finishes off the bottles, he becomes a walking Dracula. His wife Helen knows something is wrong, but can do little to stop the unfolding disaster. Not much gore in this one, but it is one of Lewis's better works in terms of cinematography and even (gasp) acting. "The Gruesome Twosome" also boasts a good actress in the form of Mrs. Pringle, a chirpy dame who runs a wig shop out of her house. Local college girls go there to buy hairpieces but never leave thanks to Pringle's demented son Rodney, a goofy looking miscreant who supplies mother with the raw material to make new wigs (think about it for a second and you'll get the idea). I got a kick out of the film, especially the cheesy dance number and Pringle's pet, the ever silent Napoleon.

Amazon.com

"Drac" is back once again in this fourth installment of Hammer's Dracula films starring Christopher Lee. Under the guidance of Satanic Priest Lord Courtley, three middle-aged professionals seek to add more spice to their love lives by dabbling in rituals to the Dark Prince. After drinking the blood of the Count, the pleasure seekers kill Lord Courtley, inadvertently awakening Dracula who is dead set on avenging his Priest's murder. Though not on par with Hammer's original "Horror of Dracula", Taste the Blood of Dracula does take all the key elements from the original (beautiful heroines, picturesque settings, gothic ambiance, and Lee as the "Count") and somewhat successfully "cheeses" it up for audiences of the '70s. Those wishing to expand their cheesy '70s Dracula experience will find Morrissey's "Hammeresque" Blood for Dracula a nice compliment. By all counts Taste the Blood of Dracula is a fun, campy romp --Rob Bracco

Description

Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring borgoueis lives and gets in contact with one of count Dracula's servants. In a nightly ceremony they restore the count back to life. The three men killed Dracula's servant and as a revenge, the count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons.

Customer Reviews:

Lee is wasted.......2007-07-29

This 4th film in the Hammer Dracula series starts promisingly. Roy Kinnear witnesses Dracula dying in classic fashion (stake in heart) and keeps the Counts dried blood, Cape and Ring etc. Later in the film he sells these to three English gentleman who are looking for something more exciting than a brothel and are given this opportunity by Lord Courtley (Ralph Bates). He wants to bring Dracula back to life and the 3 gentlemen help him. Of course it all goes wrong, and from there the film goes downhill rapidly.

This really barely deserves three stars. What must Christopher Lee have thought when he read the script? He barely has a dozen words to say in the film, and his opening line is so bad "they have destroyed my servant. they will be destroyed". He must have been paid a lot of money! Sure his phsyical presence is still impressive but overall he never has a chance to put his mark on the film.

The other problem with some of these later Dracula films is the absence of an opponent worthy of mention. Peter Cushing as Van Helsing appears in a couple of the later films in 1972 & 1973 and manages to make these watchable, even though in general the series deterioted with each film. In this film I never believed that Dracula could be beaten...

If you want to buy the best Hammer Dracula films, get the first Dracula film (aka The Horror of Dracula) with Lee and Cushing, this is in a different league from all the sequels. The 2nd film Dracula Prince of Darkness is very watchable. I haven't see the 3rd recently. Of the later ones the last 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' is worth considering.

A Fine Vintage.......2007-05-13

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" was Hammer's fourth Dracula film to feature Christopher Lee and was a noticeable improvement on their previous outing "Dracula has Risen from the Grave." The move from Bray Studios to Elstree Studios in 1966, whilst not initially having a major effect on the films, was by the turn of the decade leading to rather dour and unassuming spectacles that were not aided by a forced economisation at Hammer. With this in mind "Taste the Blood..." was one of Hammer's last great productions. The Victorian milieu in which the film is set is beautifully realised - the gothic crypts, lavish drawing rooms and the camp squalor of iniquitous brothels makes for an enjoyably authentic mise-en-scene. But then Hammer never really had much difficulty in creating a mid-Victorian gothic sensibility. This visual beauty is aided by some fine location work, which gives this production a sense of space that earlier Hammer films lacked. The film is also interesting at the level of moral polemics and contains one of Hammer's most thinly disguised attacks on the hypocrisy of Victorian attitudes. This attack then functions allegorically as a treatise on societies new found permissiveness in the early 1970's. Sadly Christopher Lee has little to do, other than glare from the sidelines and bare his teeth a few times. The films real delight is in the chemistry between the trio of Victorian hypocrites, played with gusto and glee by John Carlson, Peter Sallis and Geoffrey Keen. It is this triumvirate that makes the film memorable, not Dracula. Peter Sasdy directs efficiently and occasionally very stylishly in this his first of three films for Hammer which also included "Countess Dracula and "Hands of the Ripper". These were three of Hammer's better productions of the 1970's and showed a lot of promise that Sasdy failed to build upon.

This DVD released by Warner Bros. is totally bereft of extras, save for a rather scratchy old trailer. However the picture looks good, with the colours particularly radiant in daylight scenes. If you're feeling thirsty then "Taste the Blood of Dracula", you know it makes sense.

What happened?.......2007-02-26

I'd rather watch AD1972 before I watched this one again. The storyline was cool, but certain things were just too cheesy. For one, look at Christopher Lee's hair in this one. It doesn't have that neat, slicked back look anymore. It bulges on the sides. Secondly, everytime he has one of the three men murdered that killed his servant, he counts it off. Like when the first one dies, he says, "the first." I began to suspect that he would say "the second" when next one died, and unfortunately, I was correct. And what's this at the end when he resorts to throwing things at the people who are trying to get rid oh him? This was the biggest disappointment of the movie. Dracula is superhuman, and you see that in Prince of Darkness when he breaks a sword in half with his bare hands. Yet, he is now reduced to chunking whatever he can pick up to defend himself. I may watch this one again, but that is only because I admire Christopher Lee.

Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count.......2006-09-26

Christopher Lee could balance and continue his charismatic predecessor Bela Lugosi(1882 - 1956) in the 60's Hammer british Dracula series.

This film is a great example for Lee as Count.

The differences are:
- Lugosi was more a theatrical Dracula from Broadway. Lugosi acted very elegant, exclusive & gentleman as a Dracula star. His charming style becomes a legend.
- Lee is more a mainstream Dracula star. He is not a theatre star like Lugosi did in 1931. He'd prefer a type of cold elegant beast. His style is less charming because he has to accustom himself into various directions in eight Dracula series.

Lugosi played as Dracula three times:
1. Dracula 1931
2. Return of the Vampire 1944
3. Mark of the Vampire 1935

Lee played as Dracula 8 times (see Filmography Imdb)

Frankly Bela Lugosi was a bit more charismatic than Christopher Lee, but Christopher Lee could balance the great charisma of his great predecessor.

Just For The Taste Of It!.......2006-07-15

Dracula's becoming a bit like Jason Voorhees in that he gets wiped out at the end of each film, but some schmuck manages to resurrect him in the next. In this case it's four schmucks-a student of black magic, and three thrill seekers(one of them is "M" from the Roger Moore and Dalton Bond films). After buying Dracula's clothing and blood from Veruca Salt's dad, they perform a satanic ritual that brings back Dracula. Why anyone would want to do this for kicks is beyond me. The three guys chicken out when it comes time for them to drink Dracula's blood, and beat the black magic dude to death. Well, Dracula comes back and carries out his revenge on the the three guys. Dracula's motives for revenge are lame, but oh well. Of course he gets his little group of female vampire slaves to help him out, and yes he treats them like toilet paper as usual. When the leading lady's boyfriend, Paul(it seems like alot of Hammer films have a character named Paul for some reason) gets wind of all this, he reads a book about vampires and arms himself to the teeth within the space of about half an hour. Then he's off for the final confrontation with Dracula. How is Dracula defeated this time around? I'm still scratching my head about that one. It appears that it might be sunlight(along with some kinda LSD trip about a church), but how is this possible since night had just fallen five minutes ago? That's another thing-the sun rises and sets in this film as if it were controlled by a lightswitch. Anyhow, the film is actually very good. The acting is good, but it usually is in a Hammer film. And of course, the gothic look is right on and the women are all yummy. Lee does a good job with what he's given. Dracula's not given an awful lot of screen time, very few lines, and mostly he's standing around as he orders his slavechix to kill everyone. Lee has always been my favorite actor to don the cape, so maybe I'm a little biased here. When you step back and look at it, it's not an earth shattering performance, but hell, it's Christopher Lee, man! An above average Hammer film for sure.

Average customer rating:

Great Cover!

Blood Soaked Cinema: A Taste of Evil
Starring: Taste of Evil
Manufacturer: Bci / Eclipse
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009WPLDA
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Customer Reviews:

Great Cover!.......2005-08-23

Here's what you get...
This volume of the BLOOD SOAKED CINEMA series collects 12 low-budget horror flicks with campy science-fiction themes: in THE BLACK ROOM (1984), a brother and sister kill off unsuspecting thrillseekers after luring them to their Hollywood home with the promise of sexual favors; in THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION (1975), a meteor crashes to the ground in a small Wisconsin town and releases thousands of alien spiders; in INVASION FROM INNER EARTH (1974), a group of airplane pilots barricade themselves in a cabin in the woods to escape a worldwide alien invasion; in HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLEN (1970), a blind man racked with guilt for his father's death is manipulated by his sadistic sister; in BRIDE OF THE GORILLA (1951), a South American plantation owner changes into a gorilla and terrorizes his wife; in THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959), a Texas town is threatened by a gigantic lizard; in EEGAH (1962), a blonde teenybopper falls in love with a million-year-old Cro-Magnon man she finds living in the desert; in ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959), the irradiated creatures grow huge in a Southern bayou; in SHE BEAST (1966), an 18th-century witch reincarnates as a modern woman on her honeymoon; in KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941), a mad doctor creates an army of zombies to use as the ultimate fighting machines; in THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1962), a mad scientist searches for the perfect body for his fiancée's severed head when he accidentally decapitates her in a car accident; and in BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965), a group of models stumble into an apparently abandoned castle owned by an unhinged actor.

Average customer rating:

"Helsing, either you're nuttier than a fruitcake or I am for listening to this screwball story."
H. G. Lewis's homage to Count Dracula
BLOOD SHOCK
THE BEST LEWIS FILM
Greatness

A Taste Of Blood (Special Edition)
Starring: Cal Bowman (III) , Dolores Carlos , Roy Collodi , Gail Janis , and William Kerwin
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
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ASIN: B00004W1A4
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Description

Only a stake through her heart could appease his appalling passion! John Stone, a mild American businessman, receives an odd inheritance in the mail: two bottles of ancient brandy which, unknown to Stone, also contain the blood of his ancestor, Count Dracula! Despite the foreboding of his wife, Helene, John drinks the brandy and, sure enough, slowly turns into a pasty-faced vampire. Worse, in addition to his newfound thirst for neck-slurping, Stone seeks revenge against the ancestors of those who killed the vampire king. However, when Stone murders an exotic dancer known as "Vivacious Vivian," Dr. Howard Helsing (of the famous Dracula-killing Helsings) takes notice, but not before Stone puts Helene under his spell. "A Taste of Blood" is a moody, modern-day vampire tale from cult director Herschell Gordon Lewis (The Wizard of Gore) who (as "Seymour Sheldon") also turns in an amusing cameo as a British seaman.

Customer Reviews:

"Helsing, either you're nuttier than a fruitcake or I am for listening to this screwball story.".......2006-12-19

Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast, Goldilocks and the Three Bares, Two Thousand Maniacs!) is a name instantly familiar to any fan of exploitation films, given he was a somewhat of an original in the realm of nudie cuties (along with former business partner David F. Friedman), before becoming a pioneer in the world of splatter films. Directed by Lewis, A Taste of Blood (1967) features Bill Rogers (Shanty Tramp, Flesh Feast), Elizabeth Wilkinson (Suburban Roulette), and Lewis regular William Kerwin (Bell, Bare and Beautiful, Two Thousand Maniacs!). Also appearing is Otto Schlessinger (Flesh Feast), Eleanor Vaill (The Girl, the Body, and the Pill), and Lawrence Tobin (Shanty Tramp).

After a slightly bizarre opening credit sequence (with a bouncy, jazzy score) we see a package, labeled `of gravest urgency', being delivered to an office, the name of the recipient being John Stone (Rogers). Stone's secretary Hester (Vaill) signs for it, after which she and the delivery man speculate on its contents...she thinks it's gold, he thinks it's a bomb (no, that would be this movie), while I'm hoping it's the actual script for the film, as so far everyone seems to be winging it, and rather poorly I might add (turns out it's none of the above). Hester delivers the package to Stone's swanky home, where we get to meet Stone, who's quite the fashion statement in a maroon sports coat, white shirt, purple pants and black cravat. We also get to meet his bosomy, blonde, bubble headed wife named Helene (Wilkinson), who's about as interesting as a wooden post. Anyway, after an agonizing (and pointless) ten minute sequence, John finally gets around to opening the package, which contains, among other things, a letter indicating he's the last living heir to a vast estate in London, along with some specific instructions. After following the instructions John begins to change (developing nocturnal habits), Helene gets concerned, family doctor and friend Hank Tyson (Kerwin) gets involved, there's an excessive amount of smoking and drinking going on, John travels to London (where some people die mysteriously) and returns to the states with a what looks to be a coffin, John puts the hypnotic whammy on Helene, there's a list of people marked for death, John visits a bump and grind clip joint after which a skaggy stripper is drained of her hemoglobin, someone named Dr. Howard Helsing (Schlessinger) makes the scene with a dire warning, all eventually leading up to a rather uneventful finale hardly worth the effort.

The one thing that surprised me while watching this film was the general lack of gore, especially in terms of some of Lewis' other films. There is some blood, but not nearly to the extent as seen in Blood Feast (1963), Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), or The Wizard of Gore (1970). The one thing that annoyed me the most was tedious pacing. So often scene after scene was drawn out unnecessarily, resulting a bloated two-hour run time. While I've never actually made a movie, I've think I've seen enough of them to offer up a few suggestions for those aspiring film directors out there, thoughts that came to mind while watching this feature...

1. Just because you shoot a scene doesn't necessarily mean it should be included in the finished product, especially if it offers nothing in terms of positive, forward flow to the actual story.
2. Lengthy static shots are certainly cheap and easy to set up, but when they comprise nearly ninety percent of your film it's going to result in extreme tedium for the viewer, possibly forcing them to scrape their sinus cavities with a rusty butter knife in an effort to stay awake.
3. Time spent in postproduction is usually time well spent, particularly in terms of editing. If a scene feels like it's running too long, it probably is...
4. Try to throw in some interesting characters or situations once in awhile. It makes it so much more interesting for the audience (in all fairness, Bill Rogers' character was fairly fun to watch).
5. Just because you can direct doesn't mean you can act, especially if you're going to attempt playing the role of an English sailor with a ridiculous cockney accent. I know it's tempting, especially if the budget is tight, but surely you can scrape up a few extra bucks and hire a semi-proficient scrub actor, which can be found a dime a dozen (check the local dinner theaters or community colleges) for a bit role.

The acting is rotten (I lost count of how many times the various performers stepped on each others' lines), the script barely there, and the production values funky (this was actually one of Lewis' more expensive productions), but I expected these elements, and wasn't disappointed. Bill Rogers is actually somewhat entertaining to watch (he kind of reminded me of a bargain basement Robert Quarry, of Count Yorga fame), while Elizabeth Wilkinson, attractive in her own way (whotta rack), comes off the worst, obviously the least talented of the bunch. There's a couple of sequences that stuck out in my mind, the first being when John is in London and he's speaking with an English sailor, played by director Lewis himself, aboard a ship. Lewis spews forth the most rotten cockney accent I've ever heard, and thereby injects some unintentional comedy into the proceedings. In another bit much later in the movie, as Hank visits Dr. Helsing in his hotel room, we witness the extent of the production values present as the room consists of a shabby dresser, a cot for a bed, and a crummy folding chair (seeing as how the man was a prestigious doctor, I thought he could have afforded to stay in something a bit more classier than a flophouse). All in all if you're a Lewis fan, then you'll probably want to catch this one, but if you're looking for some of the trademark Lewis splatter and gore (guts, buckets of blood, etc.), you're better off going with some of his other films. I did appreciate Lewis' attempt to delve into the vampire mythos, perhaps in an effort to try his hand at something slightly different, but the end result confirms the idea that, in general, one should stick with what they know.

The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1) on this Something Weird Video special edition DVD release, looks clean and sharp, up until about the hour and fifteen minute mark, as after that it deteriorates slightly. At this point the picture quality varies and features some vertical lines, but nothing overly annoying. As far as the Dolby Digital mono audio, it's generally decent (albeit soft), but there is some slight noise along with the occasional pop. Extras include an audio commentary track with director Herschell Gordon Lewis, an extremely worn out theatrical trailer for the film, a rough looking archival silent, black and white nudie short titled `Nightmare at Elm Manor' (4:56), which contained more nekkidness in five minutes than was included in the actual, two hour feature film on this DVD, and a Herschell Gordon Lewis gallery of exploitation art. All in all a solid release of a mediocre film.

Cookieman108

H. G. Lewis's homage to Count Dracula.......2004-01-13

In 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis, an independent filmmaker known for making cutie pictures, changed forever the face of American cinema when he released "Blood Feast." This film, about as low budget as you could possibly get even in the 1960s, kicked off the era of the gore film. While it would be quite some time before Hollywood caught on to the fact that certain elements of the movie audience hungered for films containing nauseating scenes of explicit violence, H.G. Lewis took one look at the receipts for "Blood Feast" and decided he better make another movie similar to this one. A series of gruesome zero budget shockers followed, films like "The Gruesome Twosome," "The Gore-Gore Girls," "2000 Maniacs," "The Wizard of Gore," and his nearly two hour epic take on the Dracula legend, "A Taste of Blood." Lewis retired after 1972 in order to concentrate on a career in advertising, an endeavor he found much more profitable than his work in the film business. It wasn't until 2002 that the director returned to form with "Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat," a movie which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Godfather of Gore still has what it takes to shock an audience.

"A Taste of Blood" is the story of John and Helene Stone (the patrician Bill Rogers and the amazingly pretty Elizabeth Wilkinson respectively), two happily married lovebirds caught in a nightmare when two bottles of suspicious looking plum brandy arrive in the mail. Addressed to John, the liquor is a gift to the last surviving descendent of the Alucard dynasty. Stone is mystified until he remembers that his mother did have some mysterious relatives in Europe of whom he knew little about. A letter accompanying the bottles states that John must drink a toast to his deceased relatives, but otherwise gives little indication of what should follow. Stone, despite some misgivings from his mouthy secretary and his wife, quaffs down a healthy draught of the brandy and promptly forgets about the mystery behind the package. Forgets, that is, until he becomes aware he has a nagging craving for the liquor. Unbeknownst to John, the brandy is actually the blood of his esteemed but tragically murdered relation Count Dracula. The purpose of the brandy is to transmogrify Stone into a bloodthirsty vampire. Things will never be the same at the Stone mansion, which, by the way, sports some of the chintziest '60's décor you will ever see in a film.

Helene Stone soon notices her husband stays up all night "working" in his den, ignores her needs, and no longer goes to his office in the city. Moreover, she notices John's ice cold touch and involuntarily recoils whenever she sees him. Worried about her husband, Helene turns to her former boyfriend and now loyal family friend Doctor Hank Tyson (Lewis regular Bill Kerwin) in an effort to discover what ails her significant other. Doc Tyson shrugs the concerns off at first, citing a list of rather mundane reasons why John Stone might suddenly change his routine. As Helene and Tyson commiserate, Stone journeys to Europe to carry out a grim mission against the descendants of the people responsible for his ancestor's death. It isn't long after this interlude that Doctor Howard Helsing pops into the Stone house, ranting about the dangers facing John and Helene. It turns out that Helsing learned all about Stone's European adventures and fears for his own life at the hands of the vicious vampire. He convinces Tyson that Helene is in serious danger, which of course she is, and the movie concludes with Stone facing down his foes.

"A Taste of Blood" is not your typical Herschell Gordon Lewis film. First, the gore scenes are nearly nonexistent. Oh sure, a few scenes contain a splash of sauce, specifically when Stone works over an entertainer named "Vivacious" Vivian, but this movie is relatively bloodless overall. That's disappointing for Lewis fans, but several other elements of the film make up for the prudish violence. For one thing, the acting in this Lewis movie is vastly superior to any of his other films. Comparing the chops on display in "A Taste of Blood" with a movie like "The Wizard of Gore" is like comparing a Royal Shakespearean with a chap working in Summer Stock. Don't get me wrong: no one here will win any awards for their performances, and a viewer can easily find several examples of overacting in different parts of the film, but it is definitely a surprise to see decent acting in a Lewis production. Additionally, the plot makes sense and moves in a linear fashion. A few breaks in logic occasionally occur, like the police suddenly arriving on the scene and naming John Stone as a suspect in a murder, but the movie ultimately flows well.

Still, this is an H.G. Lewis film. Many of the sets look amazingly cheap. Check out the British "Lord" who lives in a house with cheesy wallpaper and a single flintlock pistol hanging on the wall, the gaudy décor in the Stone house, and the laughable attempt to make it look as though Stone actually went to England if you want to guffaw. The DVD from Something Weird Video is a mixed bag. You do get a black and white cutie short called "Nightmare at Elm Manor," poster art, a commentary, and a trailer as extras. The film, however, looks like technicians pieced it together from different prints with decidedly mixed results in terms of picture quality. Still, Lewis fans should watch this one in due course. "A Taste of Blood" is a far from Lewis's best efforts, but it is just as far from his worst as well.

BLOOD SHOCK.......2002-07-04

It is a rarity to find a good quality vampire movie and this is one movie that is. Although a very simple tale it is very dark and ominous and keeps the feel going through out the flick. If one is looking for a good creepy ... vampire flick then check this.

THE BEST LEWIS FILM.......2001-05-16

This is by far the best Lewis film. This one has good acting, especially by Bill Rogers (and features a cameo role by Lewis himself). The script is good, and the gore is actually helpful to the plot (unlike Blood Feast where the plot revolves around the gore), and it has atmospheric photography. This is one of the few H.G. Lewis films that is tastefully handled. The picture quality is beautiful, until the end of the film, where there are 2 badly damaged reels. The extras are decent: the trailer is okay, the... short film is alright, the usual gallery is pretty good, and the commentary is great. A must for all H.G. Lewis fans, and anyone who wants to see one of his less excessive outings.

Greatness.......2000-09-15

This is one of H.G Lewis' finest movies. This DVD is a must own for fans!

Average customer rating:

CADAVER makes Marilyn Manson look like Jimmy Stewart!!!
Finally, a REAL metal band

Kettle Cadaver - Taste of Blood
Starring: Kettle Cadaver
Manufacturer: Kettle Cadaver
ProductGroup: DVD
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TASTE OF BLOOD,A (KETTLE CADAVER)

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CADAVER makes Marilyn Manson look like Jimmy Stewart!!!.......2004-11-08

First off,the music is great.Dark,Gothic,Industrial style metal with some Punk and Black Metal elements.The Visuals are pure insanity,and REAL.The singer pounds nails and fish hooks into his scrotum,carves up his flesh with a blade and throws everything imagineable at the audience.Clips are edited from various performances over the last several years,all on Halloween nights.Later we get a tour of his home,which is a wreck.This guy's no weakling as he sends large sofas and chairs and refrigerators flying across the room.The Viewer is taken on a tour of the house,which was previously owned by PINHEAD and LEATHERFACE,as we see altars,candles and unholy religious icons adorning what appear to be blood-stained walls.This House of Dracula also has a hidden dungeon/torture room thru a secret door under his KITCHEN SINK!!! Literally!! The viewer is taken thru the front of the hidden room and suprisingly,there was another secret door past that,that we don't get to see into,one can only imagine what was in that room.This DVD almost serves as a blueprint and instructional video for potential serial killers.Bottom Line,,,LOTS of REAL Blood,lots of Anger from this guy,lots of self-mutilation and self-imposed torture.God forbid if this guy becomes a star,'cuz the only way he could top this maniacal act(not that it is one BY FAR) would be to nail himself to a cross and set himself on fire.Really,,pay the 8 BUCKS for this little number,it's only about 20 minutes,but it makes The Passion of The Christ look like Green Eggs & Ham.

Finally, a REAL metal band.......2004-09-30

This is a prime example of how rock'n'roll should be done. Anger, fury and blood. Edwin has made quite a name for himself in my area where Kettle Cadaver still remains a local band. Im actually more shocked that amazon actually sells this thing. Heres your chance to see it people. Its not to long of a video (maybe 20 minuts or so) but its packed with quality footage that will show you the darker side of rock'n'roll that MTV would rather not think about. Parents of slayer fans rejoice, Slayer isn't nearly as evil to your kids as you thought they were.
Watch edwin staple his face. Watch edwin break a bottle over his head. Watch edwin nail his balls to a 2X4.
great video, great price.
Check it out.

Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil & Horror Classics - 2 Seperate Horror DVD Sets

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Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil & Horror Classics - 2 Seperate Horror DVD Sets

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Product Features:

Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil & Horror Classics - 2 Seperate Horror DVD Sets
Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil - 12 Horror Movies DVD Set
The Black Room, The Giant Spider Invasion, Invasion From Inner Earth, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, King Of The Zombies, She Beast, Attack Of The Giant Leeches,
Horror Classics - 4 Horror Movies DVD Set
Don't Look in the Basement ,House on Haunted Hill ,The House on the Edge of the Park ,Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory

ASIN: B000SL33AA

Product Description

Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil & Horror Classics - 2 Seperate Horror DVD Sets Blood Soaked Cinema - A Taste Of Evil: 12 low-budget horror flicks with campy science-fiction themes: 1. THE BLACK ROOM (1984), a brother and sister kill off unsuspecting thrillseekers after luring them to their Hollywood home with the promise of sexual favors; 2. THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION (1975), a meteor crashes to the ground in a small Wisconsin town and releases thousands of alien spiders; 3. INVASION FROM INNER EARTH (1974), a group of airplane pilots barricade themselves in a cabin in the woods to escape a worldwide alien invasion; 4. HOW AWFUL ABOUT ALLEN (1970), a blind man racked with guilt for his father's death is manipulated by his sadistic sister; 5. BRIDE OF THE GORILLA (1951), a South American plantation owner changes into a gorilla and terrorizes his wife; 6. THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959), a Texas town is threatened by a gigantic lizard; 7. EEGAH (1962), a blonde teenybopper falls in love with a million-year-old Cro-Magnon man she finds living in the desert; 8. ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959), the irradiated creatures grow huge in a Southern bayou; 9. SHE BEAST (1966), an 18th-century witch reincarnates as a modern woman on her honeymoon; 10. KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941), a mad doctor creates an army of zombies to use as the ultimate fighting machines; 11. THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (1962), a mad scientist searches for the perfect body for his fiancee's severed head when he accidentally decapitates her in a car accident; 12.BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965), a group of models stumble into an apparently abandoned castle owned by an unhinged actor. Horror Classics: #1: Don't Look in the Basement! ,#2: House on Haunted Hill ,#3: The House on the Edge of the Park ,#4: Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory

Average customer rating:

Lee is wasted
A Fine Vintage
What happened?
Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count
Just For The Taste Of It!

Taste the Blood of Dracula [Region 2]
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001XLY5G

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Lee is wasted.......2007-07-29

A Fine Vintage.......2007-05-13

What happened?.......2007-02-26

Christopher Lee could replace his predecessor Bela Lugosi as Count.......2006-09-26

Just For The Taste Of It!.......2006-07-15

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