Hammer Films: 2025… and Beyond!

For Hammer Films, the future is bright. But it’s not just bright red! Today at Hammer News we take a glimpse into the future and reveal a little of what lies ahead for fans of Hammer's back catalogue, beyond the crypts and the creatures of the night that have become so synonymous with the studio’s ethos.

Let’s be clear. Hammer Films of 2025 embraces its horror heritage. Its involvement with Doctor Jekyll (2023), its release of Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) and the focus of the recent documentary Hammer: Heroes, Legends and Monsters, all serve to underline this. Indeed, when John Gore took over the company he was unambiguous in his affection for the genre and how it ignited his appreciation for the studio. ‘I have loved Hammer,’ he once reflected, ‘since I was a kid, since I saw Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in Dracula.’

But Hammer’s archival embrace is big and broad and there’s a determination to celebrate all of its rich history – and not solely those beautiful, immortal frighteners. So what lies ahead for Hammer on physical media following Captain Kronos? We grabbed Steve Rogers, Hammer's current Cryptkeeper and the man responsible in a previous life for putting together many British film and TV releases over the last two decades, and twisted his arm until he spilled the beans...

Hammer News: Hammer releasing Captain Kronos surprised a lot of people.

Steve Rogers: Hammer releasing titles on their own label rather than licensing out to third parties is definitely something new, but it's the only way that we could ensure these releases are definitive – and the overwhelmingly positive feedback we've had on Kronos proves it was the right way to go.

HN: Will there be more?

SR: There certainly will be more. Hammer are deep into a rolling project to restore the archive in 4K and releasing these restorations as highly collectable, limited-run 4K/Blu-ray sets allows us to present these definitive editions to fans and collectors who prefer their films on physical media rather than streaming, though they'll be available that way also. And, on certain titles, limited theatrical release.

HN: Really?

SR: Yes. Captain Kronos will be back in certain cinemas with a new Dolby 5.1 audio mix for a limited time to coincide with its release on 4K/Blu-ray.

HN: The Captain Kronos 4K/Blu-ray set is a big release. Will they all be that size?

SR: Though they will all be definitive collector's editions, not all will be the same size as Kronos. The box set size will vary depending on the popularity of the film being released, the materials available and so on.

Using Dick Barton: Special Agent as an example, there would only be one version of the film (as it was made before widescreen and there are no foreign versions), no separate sound elements to create 5.1s, no comic adaptations, etc. Though there's much we can do with the supporting materials to create a definitive release it obviously won't end up the same size as Kronos.

HN: So what sort of content will you include alongside the film itself?

SR: It will vary by title, obviously, but archive interviews and other existing content where possible, alongside new commentaries, interviews, featurettes, booklets and more. We've been very lucky in both our contributors (a mix of familiar experts and faces new to Hammer titles) and our relationships with key collectors who have kindly allowed us access to material they own that no longer resides in the archive. These releases are very much a team effort and Hammer fans and archive film collectors will love them, I'm sure.

HN: You just mentioned Dick Barton as an example. So these releases will definitely go beyond the core Horrors that everyone loves?

SR: They certainly will. This is Hammer's 90th anniversary year, so there's no better time to remind people of the sheer breadth of Hammer's archival output. It was a jobbing film studio, after all, and though Hammer Horror is global shorthand for a certain type of British horror, it was always so much more than that. Expect to see a mix of these rarities sprinkled amongst the classics – with many of them unseen for decades and all of them brand-new 4K restorations from the best available film materials.

To many people these films will be brand-new even though they're 50/60/70 years old. Imagine that – new "old" Hammers for fans and collectors to experience for the first time.

HN: Can you tell us what's coming up?

SR: Without rolling off a list of titles, I can say that this year there will be a heady mix of Brit Noirs, science horrors, action thrillers, swashbucklers and Gothics heading everyone's way in 2025. And these include some absolute classics alongside the rarities – including one that it's fair to say redefined a genre.

Big thanks to Steve Rogers for his time and insight.

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And finally, wherever you are, from all of us here at Hammer: Happy New Year!