Hammer Films Releasing ‘Quatermass Xperiment’ And ‘Quatermass 2’ On 4K UHD And Blu-ray
by David Lewis
Britain’s legendary Hammer Films continues to mine their massive vault for 4K UHD upgrades, and they’ve picked a fan favorite franchise to unleash next.
Hammer’s 1955 sci-fi cult classic The Quatermass Xperiment has been restored in 4K for the first time. Directed by Hammer regular Val Guest, (The Day the Earth Caught Fire, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth), the film follows an astronaut (Richard Wordsworth) who crash lands back on Earth after a journey into space. But the trip transformed him into something not quite human, and it’s up to Professor Bernard Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) and his team to unravel the mystery and prevent further catastrophe.
Restored from original film elements, Quatermass Xperiment is being presented in a limited edition 5-disc 4K UHD and Blu-ray set featuring a wealth of supplements, including no less than four audio commentaries featuring cast, crew, and critics — plus a staggering amount of docs, featurettes, interviews, and more. The set also includes the extant two episodes of the original 1953 BBC TV serial, The Quatermass Experiment.
The 1957 sequel, Quatermass 2, also directed by Guest, is likewise getting the 4K HDR treatment for the first time, newly restored from original elements. This time, Professor Quatermass looks into a surprise meteorite shower that may be signaling a secret, silent alien invasion.
The amount of extras to be found on this 5-disc 4K UHD and Blu-ray set is downright intimidating. You thought four commentaries was a lot of commentaries? This release will feature seven. That’s right — seven audio commentaries. Plus, a number of documentaries, interviews, and featurettes both archival and brand new. It will also include all six episodes of the 1955 BBC TV serial, somewhat confusingly titled Quatermass II.
Fans who order directly from Hammer Films will get even more cool stuff — the first ten buyers will receive a limited-edition quad poster, while the subsequent 500 orders will get a limited edition “mission patch.”
Both releases look to be in-line with Hammer’s first foray into 4K home video, the epic boxset release of 1974’s Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, which featured similarly elegant packaging and a wealth of watchable extra features.
Quatermass Xperiment is now available, while Quatermass 2 drops July 14th. The third film in the cycle, 1967’s Quatermass and the Pit, will hopefully follow soon.
