News

Following hot on the heels of its recent hi-def release of Dracula: Prince of Darkness, StudioCanal has announced the details about next two iconic Hammer films to be restored and released on Blu-ray in the UK.

The Reptile and The Plague of the Zombies will both crawl out of the Hammer vault as Double Play Blu-ray on May 7, priced around £23 each. StudioCanal claims that 'both titles have been restored in their original aspect ratio and scanned at 2K resolution from the original negatives stored at Pinewood Studios'.

Here's what fans can expect from the two Blu-ray releases according to the official press release, plus a gallery of our own images from the restored Blu-rays...

The Reptile
Harry and Valerie Spalding (Ray Barrett and Jennifer Daniel) arrive in the remote Cornish village of Clagmoor Heath to an unwelcoming and suspicious population, victims of a mysterious plague they refer to as the 'Black Death'. When their investigations lead them to a young woman called Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), they uncover a terrifying legacy of mutilation and murder.

Running time: 90:06mins
AVC 1.66:1 1080p encode
LPCM 2.0 dual-mono soundtrack
The Serpent's Tale retrospective documentary (21:50mins/1080i)
World of Hammer: Wicked Women (24:54/576p)
Restoration Comparison (2:17mins/1080p)
Trailer (2:02mins/1080p)

The Plague of the Zombies
The inhabitants of a remote 19th Century Cornish village appear to be dying from a plague that keeps spreading at an accelerated rate. Even the local doctor, Peter Thompson, cannot combat the mysterious disease. Disintering the victims' coffins he discovers that the dead are not being allowed to rest in peace. But what does this have to do with local squire the Charles Harris and the local decrepit tin mine he runs?

Running time: 89:54mins
AVC 1.66:1 1080p encode
LPCM 2.0 dual-mono soundtrack
Raising the Dead retrospective documentary (29:10mins/1080i)
World of Hammer: Mummies, Werewolves and the Living Dead (24:49/576p)
Restoration Comparison (4:32mins/1080p)
Trailer (1:55mins/1080p)

StudioCanal has also confirmed that it will also be bringing Hammer's The Devil Rides Out, Rasputin the Mad Monk and The Mummy's Shroud on Blu-ray later this year.

Register with the HCC website and let us know which Hammer classics you'd like to see released on Blu-ray in the comments section at the bottom of the page.