TWINS OF EVIL
(1971, Blu-ray released July 10, 2012 – MSRP $29.95)
THE FILM
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Two beautiful orphaned identical twins, Maria and Frieda Gellhorn (Playboy centerfold models Mary and Madeleine Collinson), move to the village of Karnstein to live with their uncle Gustav Weil (played by Hammer horror favorite, Peter Cushing), a fanatical puritan and leader of the local witch-hunting Brotherhood. The village Count (Damien Thomas, Never Let Me Go), an evil man who secretly practices Satanism, uses black magic and transforms into a vampire. Unhappy with her new life, Frieda seeks escape and tragically falls under the spell of the Count. Now overcome with an insatiable hunger for human blood, Frieda has to hide her secret from her sister, and escape her uncle’s killing grasp!
WHO SHOULD BUY
While the UK is being treated to wave after wave of Hammer classics newly restored and remastered for Blu-ray, we here in North America have scant few offerings to chose from. Thankfully, Synapse Films is here to save the day and follow up last year’s release of Vampire Circus with Twins of Evil, the third film in Hammer’s “Karnstein Trilogy”. It’s, sadly, not quite the horror classic that the studio’s Frankenstein and Dracula flicks are, but for a film produced during their more exploitive era, it’s really not half bad. While there is a clear drive to get as much exposed skin up on the screen as blood and scares, Cushing and crew manage to keep it a grounded affair with enough relative dignity to stand as a lesser classic in the studio’s oeuvre.
THE BLU-RAY DISC
Twins of Evil is stunning on Blu-ray. Synapse has worked wonders on this transfer, which is colourful, sharp and far more film-like than you’d expect. The DTS-HD Master Audio is also a solid representation of the original but still sounds a bit dated, despite the clean-up. Extras on the Blu-ray are nearly overwhelming in number and awesomeness, with the feature-length The Flesh and the Fury doc being an unmitigated highlight.
This is a must-buy for any Hammer horror fan!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- THE FLESH AND THE FURY: X-POSING TWINS OF EVIL (84 min.) – Feature length documentary on the making of TWINS OF EVIL!
- THE PROPS THAT HAMMER BUILT: THE KINSEY COLLECTION Featurette (Blu-ray Exclusive)
- Motion Still Gallery (Blu-ray Exclusive)
- Original Theatrical Trailer & TV Spots (Blu-ray Exclusive)
- Motion Still Gallery (Blu-ray Exclusive)
- Deleted Scene (Blu-ray Exclusive)
- Isolated Music & Effects Track (Blu-ray Exclusive)
