For a primer on "Hammer" horror, visit The Hammer Film Webring.

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RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK (1965)
*** (out of four)
starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer, Richard Pasco
screenplay by John Elder
directed by Don Sharp

Lanky and elegant Christopher Lee might sound miscast as the duplicitous Russian healer Rasputin, but there's something about that beard--with a giant SOS pad dangling from her chin, your grandmother could convince as The Mad Monk. (Indeed, in the William Castle tradition, Hammer enticed fans by giving away "free Rasputin beards!" at select cinemas.) Though screenwriter John Elder takes plenty of historical liberties (his Rasputin has magic hands--the real one simply prayed; his Rasputin gets in good with the Czar after healing a boy heir to the throne who took a nasty fall--the real one was perceived to have cured the Czar's son of hemophilia through faith; and so on), he ultimately paints a truthful portrait of "the holy man" and his hedonistic tendencies, which flew in the face of Czarist decorum and won Rasputin many jealous enemies.

Lee is ferocious in the lead, campy yet seductive, and other performances impress--so much so that you may not even notice Hammer's cost-effective approach to set and costume design: the producers avoided showing the interiors of Nicholas II's palace whenever possible, and the Czar himself is nowhere to be seen. Actors Lee, Barbara Shelley, Francis Matthews, and Suzan Farmer contribute a spirited round-table commentary to Anchor Bay's Rasputin DVD--each reflect on the project with equal parts embarrassment and nostalgia. The movie itself looks and sounds great--the print used for this transfer, which is letterboxed at 2.1:1 and enhanced for 16x9 televisions, defies its age, although there is an unmistakable '60s quality to the lighting and fleshtones. The 2.0 mono sound is similarly crisp and clean. Other bonuses include a "World of Hammer" episode devoted to Lee, featuring clips from all his work with the studio, the theatrical trailer, black-and-white TV combo spots (for a Rasputin/Reptile double-bill), and a French language track. 92 minutes. Image: A Sound: B+ Extras: B+

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THE REPTILE (1966)
*1/2 (out of four)
starring Noel Willman, Jennifer Daniel, Ray Barrett, Jacqueline Pearce
screenplay by John Elder
directed by John Gilling

If I hadn't watched The Reptile with its plot synopsis fresh in mind (from reading the jacket of the DVD), I doubt I ever would've been able to figure out that the beautiful Anna (Jacqueline Pearce), the overprotected daughter of disreputable Dr. Franklyn, and the hideous, human-sized reptile that's been terrorizing late-night visitors to Franklyn's home in Cornwall, England, are one and the same. For a film with such a goofy premise, The Reptile is surprisingly devoid of laughs, and a generally lacklustre Hammer effort all around, even in terms of make-up (a snake's head will just not conform to human proportions). Only the incongruous presence of sitar music in one exciting scene provides respite from the malaise. Again, the 1.85:1 letterboxed, 16x9-enhanced DVD is an 'A' effort from Anchor Bay. Supplementary material includes a theatrical trailer, the same black-and white combo spots found on Rasputin, and a "World of Hammer" devoted to all creatures great and bloodsucking. 91 minutes. Image: A- Sound: B+

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PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES (1966)
**1/2 (out of four)
starring Andre Morell, Diane Clare, John Carson, Alex Davion
screenplay by John Elder & Peter Bryan
directed by John Gilling

Ooga-booga jungle mythology serves the backstories of both The Reptile and Plague of the Zombies, but the latter is enacted without the washboard stiffness of the former, and it conveys a superior sense of gloom. Father and daughter Forbes are staying with young Dr. Peter Thompson, whose own wife (Jacqueline Pearce) has succumbed to a mysterious illness, only to show signs of life as a corpse. Who's practicing black magic in town, and is he the same man in charge of those rape-minded foxhunters? Plague of the Zombies collapses sometime near its finish, once we realize that the villain's motivation for turning people into zombies will remain inscrutable. Still, performances by Andre Morell (as the elder Forbes) and John Carson (as our voodoo wizard) are especially good, and specific images--a swarm of violent foxhunters in blood-red jackets, the dead rising in the mist--get under the skin.

The 1.85:1, 16x9 DVD leaves little to be desired in the image department, despite scuffmarks in some shots. The 2.0 sound, on the other hand, occasionally distorts. A combo spot pairs Plague of the Zombies with Dracula--Prince of Darkness ("BOYS!...Bite Back with Dracula Fangs!" "GIRLS! Defend Yourself with Zombie Eyes!"), the "World of Hammer" ep. is entitled "Mummies, Werewolves & The Living Dead," and a French track is also a listening option. 90 minutes. Image: A- Sound: B+

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THE LOST CONTINENT (1968)
* (out of four)
starring Eric Porter, Hildegard Knef, Suzanna Leigh, Tony Heckley
screenplay by Michael Nash, based on Uncharted Seas by Dennis Wheatley
directed by Michael Carreras

Deciphering the plot of The Reptile was tiddlywinks compared to The Lost Continent, Hammer's misguided foray into Barbarella territory. I think a steamer carrying illegal explosives as well as a twitty group of upper-middle-class English passengers is wrecked in the Sargasso Sea. I think the survivors then wind up in a monster-infested swamp, to the north of which lies a bizarre land mass that has been appropriated by a pagan cult. More visually ambitious than any of the aforementioned B-movies, The Lost Continent has whacked-out costumes (such as balloon gear that keeps you afloat in muddy waters) and nifty trick shots going for it. Unfortunately, in addition to incoherent, the proceedings are deathly boring--director Michael Carreras has limited grasps of pace and character.

The 'continent' itself is a scream, but it comes so late in the picture (well past the halfway mark) that it feels as if The Creature from the Black Lagoon has been stapled onto the tail end of A Night to Remember. The DVD includes eight minutes of previously unseen footage that were excised in the U.S. due to their "adult nature," edited back into the theatrical release. Don't get your hopes up--"adult" in this case is synonymous with "coma-inducing conversations." The only bit of jiggle comes from a Raquel Welch lookalike in the picture's third act--a woman who appears from thin air to pout and wear a loincloth. The disc is letterboxed at 1.77:1 and enhanced for 16x9 displays; overall, the image is good, but some shots lack shadow detail, and the added scenes are coloured differently and much more beat up in appearance than the rest of the transfer. The mono sound is undistinguished and even a bit harsh. A theatrical trailer, two TV spots, and the "Lands Before Time" episode of "World of Hammer" count as supplements. For Hammer completists only. 97 minutes. Image: B- Sound: B-