Savant happily spun the new pair of Warner Hammer discs and took his time over his reviews. Hammer fandom has become so widespread that the basic appeal of their classics can use some restating, which is what I've done here.

The Curse of Frankenstein may no longer turn every head, but it almost singlehandedly restarted the horror genre worldwide, and revived the British film industry as an export leader, before the Beatles or James Bond. It still has some classic moments of shocking gore, too, starting with Christopher Lee's mangled face.

Horror of Dracula is the most satisfying horror film Savant's seen: cynics who start by jeering at the old-fashioned Gothic situations are soon cheering when the mood sinks in and the solid jolts commence - "Arthur, dear brother ..." Terence Fisher's masterpiece is one of the best battles between Good and Evil on film, and Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's conceptions of their characters haven't been bested, no matter what Francis Coppola may have said. This is the one to get.

The news has probably circulated by now, but the word from Image is that Invaders from Mars, the 1953 classic that's never seen a decent video version (see Savant's impassioned article on the subject), will be given a new release this December. Previously we've seen one horrible early DVD, and collectors still grumble about the poor quality of the 1992 special edition laserdisc. The new release is said to have new transfers (?) of the American and English cuts, along with added value items that sound like a reformatting of the old laser extras. Can't wait! Thanks, Glenn Erickson