Dracula is Coming… A Q&A with Hammer’s Steve Rogers
On World Dracula Day (or as some people call it, May 26th) Hammer announced hugely exciting news: ‘This October, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are together again as Hammer’s original Dracula returns to cinemas and makes its worldwide home entertainment debut in stunning 4K.’
That alone would have been enough to make horror fans happier than a vampire in a blood bank, but there was even more great news. ‘The Count is coming,’ the announcement revealed, ‘and he’s bringing long-lost footage unseen for over 60 years… This is the cut the censors tried to bury…’
We needed to find out more so sat down with Hammer’s Steve Rogers to get the inside story on this very welcome return.
Hammer News: Thanks for this, Steve. First of all, before we get to the long, long-awaited release of the director’s cut, let’s just clarify what’s happening at its most basic… Dracula (1958), aka Horror of Dracula, is being restored in 4K and will be released as part of the Limited Collector’s Edition range?
Steve Rogers: Indeed. And it’s the big one, isn’t it? The one everyone has been waiting for.
HN: Absolutely! It’s already been restored and put out there in HD, hasn’t it? With added previously cut scenes? Could you clarify the situation?
SR: The UK theatrical version was restored in 2008 by the British Film Institute. Some additional footage was subsequently found in Japan that was not present in either the UK or US theatrical versions and, in 2012, Hammer released a slightly altered version of the 2008 restoration (with amended colour grading) and also included footage from the Japanese recovery.
The only problem was that not only was the Japanese film element a worn-out print copy, but it had also been caught up in an archive fire and then doused in water, so the transition from the main film to these elements was very jarring. The recovered elements were also incomplete, which is significant.
Known as Horror of Dracula in the US, the movie received its premiere in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on May 8, 1958.
HN: Okay, that opens the castle gates to a lot of questions. Just to confirm – the complete version of Dracula, that’s to say, the movie as director Terence Fisher intended it to be, before censors ordered certain cuts to be made, has never been released on ‘home video’, and in fact, has never been seen in 4K?
SR: That’s correct. There’s only one proper version of Dracula – Terence Fisher’s director’s cut. What happened was that this was censored in the UK by the BBFC for theatrical release, and also censored in a different way in the US.
HN: But the Japanese theatrical version was left intact?
SR: Yes, Japan – and, apparently, some parts of Europe – did not censor it. Hammer producer Tony Hinds mentioned it in one of the trade papers of the time that they’d added some extra footage in for Japan but, in truth, all they did was not remove anything.
Writing for Pop Horror, Tom Gleba called the movie (which co-stars Valerie Gaunt and John Van Eyssen – above), ‘the finest vampire film made, to date, in the English language.’
HN: So, Hammer has now restored the footage recovered from Japan fifteen years ago?
SR: No – those elements are unsalvageable and were in too poor condition. But Warner Brothers, who are partnering with us on this new restoration and release, carried out an inventory of their archive and unearthed pristine reels of the "Japanese version".
HN: That's genuinely incredible! It’s like the holy grail of – well, to use Van Helsing’s words – the unholy cult!
SR: So, the new restoration has been carried out in 4K from the film materials supplied by Warner Brothers. It’s a wonderful continuation of a longstanding collaboration between two iconic studios. Jack Asher’s cinematography has been graded to the same colour palette that he used in The Curse of Frankenstein and it runs to the full and complete length that Terence Fisher created in 1958. It’s an order of magnitude better-looking than previous releases, and the definitive version of this groundbreaking classic.
HN: So, this October, Dracula will finally rise from the grave - as originally intended?
SR: Count on it.
‘Peter Cushing is absolutely phenomenal as Dr. Van Helsing, playing the cool, collected vampire hunter with an ease rarely seen on-screen…’ – Critic Will Kouf writing for Silver Emulsion.
HN: And as this is part of the Limited Collector’s Edition range, there’ll be some fantastic material from Hammer alongside the film in the release. What can you tell us about that at this stage?
SR: Not much at the moment, but fans who enjoyed last year’s award-winning The Curse of Frankenstein limited collector’s edition will not be disappointed. I can say it will include the newly-restored full-length version of the film alongside the UK theatrical version and the US Horror of Dracula version. The rest, you will have to wait and see.
HN: Will do. And thanks for bringing us up-to-speed. One last question, though. As you said, this is a big one. Dracula holds a very special place in the hearts of horror fans right across the world. Is this a daunting project, or one you’re looking forward to moving forward with?
SR: Everyone at Hammer is channelling their inner Van Helsing on this project – this Hallowe'en will be one for the ages.
We’ll be delivering all the latest news as it emerges, but in the meantime, you can see the exciting video announcement now, and keep up-to-date by signing on for the newsletter, just below it.
Want to dive deeper into the world of Hammer’s Dracula? Catch up on Dracula: The Legacy, or read about how it all began in ‘I am Dracula… The Scene that Started a Legend’.
Finally, we’ve lots to keep you going until the Count returns… Take a look at all the latest releases across a growing number of ranges at the Hammer online store.
