Hammer Films

[Finch]

The next Hammer is Break In The Circle, 1955.

Break in the Circle makes its debut on physical media in 4K for the very first time!

Hollywood heavyweight Forrest Tucker stars as a low-level smuggler playing for high stakes in this slick Eurocrime espionage thriller from acclaimed Hammer director Val Guest. Set against the atmospheric backdrops of Hamburg and Cornwall, Break in the Circle co-stars Eva Bartok as a determined undercover agent and Marius Goring as a millionaire harbouring a dark secret.

A fascinating outlier in the Hammer library, this stylish crime thriller has been painstakingly restored in 4K from the original film negatives for the highest quality viewing experience possible.

Though Hammer is best known for horror, Break in the Circle represents the studio’s sole full-blooded Eurocrime espionage thriller – released at the same time as The Quatermass Xperiment - it gives a glimpse into what the studios output might have looked like, had it not been for the boxoffice success of its horror output. This makes Break In the Circle an essential discovery for collectors, noir enthusiasts and Hammer completists alike.

A must-have for fans of classic crime cinema, espionage thrillers, and Hammer’s lesser-known gems.

3-disc 4K UHD & Blu-ray Limited Collector’s Edition

Discover three distinct versions of the film alongside a wealth of brand-new extras and archival material:

Three versions of Break in the Circle:
As-filmed version
UK cinema widescreen version
Black-and-white re-edited US cinema version
Presented across one UHD and two Blu-rays, with content duplicated across both formats
Subtitles in English, French, Italian, Spanish and German across every version of the film
Special Features

Eurocrime – a new feature exploring Hammer’s unique contribution to European crime thrillers, with Sergio Angelini, Laura Mayne and Barry Forshaw
Hammer in Hamburg – then-and-now comparison of the film’s German locations
Hammer in Cornwall – then-and-now comparison of the film’s UK locations
Brand-new commentary with film historian Richard Holliss and author/screenwriter Gavin Collinson
Brand-new commentary with film critic Adrian Martin
Gallery of stills and publicity material, accompanied by selections from Doreen Carwithen’s score
Collector’s Booklet

Featuring new writing and archival material, including:

Wayne Kinsey on the making of this fast-paced thriller
Miriam Balanescu on Forrest Tucker’s small-but-significant British film output
Wayne Kinsey on the use of Oakley Court in Hammer productions
Neil Sinyard comparing the original novel with the finished film
Sarah Morgan profiling Eva Bartok
Archive interview with director Val Guest

Technical Features
Language 5.1 / Mono / English
Number of discs 3 (1 x UHD, 2 x Blu-ray)
Region ABC
Certification PG
Run time 92 minutes
Subtitles English/French/Italian/Spanish/German
Actors Forrest Tucker, Eva Bartok, Marius Goring, Guy Middleton, Eric Pohlmann, Arnold Marlé, Fred Johnson, David King-Wood
Produced By Michael Carreras, Mickey Delamar
Written By Val Guest
Directed By Val Guest
Release Date 1955
Studio Hammer Films Production Ltd.

[What A Disgrace]

I would be willing to dump this film into the oblivion of my memory but it has an Adrian Martin commentary. I can't help but be a little curious.

[Dr Amicus]

According to their social media feeds, The Abominable Snowman will be announced on Friday.

It’s an excellent film, and another Val Guest / Nigel Kneale entry. I’m guessing this will be a big box, but am not aware of multiple versions / ratios so maybe a smaller set.

[Finch]

I'm grateful to Hammer for their simultaneous standard releases because I'll be seeing the film for the first time and $60-80 was a bit much for a blind buy. I did hear that the books are very good, to be fair.

There's rumors too they're doing Dracula for October.

[Maltic]

A good film that reminds me a lot of Herge's Tintin in Tibet.

[Ribs]

Not sure why they say announced Friday when its listed on their site w full specs already!

[Dr Amicus]

Friday is the day preorders go live I assume.

Looks a good package as ever, although I was under the impression that the only difference between the UK and US versions was the title card.

[Finch]

If X The Unknown is anything to go by, Orbit should have the standard edition of Snowman for $42. Bring it on.

[Stefan Andersson]

The 4K Dracula AKA Horror of Dracula has its first US screening Oct. 24, 2026:
https://www.academymuseum.org/programs/ ... 6cc22ce4f2

"The 2026 Monster Mash on October 24 will feature the US premiere of the 4K restoration of Dracula (1958). This will be the version we discussed in a recent Q&A, and as Hammer’s Steve Rogers pointed out, ‘There’s only one proper version of Dracula – Terence Fisher’s director’s cut.’ This is it, restored and resplendent in the Academy Museum’s Ted Mann Theater."
https://hammerfilms.com/blogs/news/comi ... orror-show

[Finch]

Abominable Snowman delayed to September 28. Boo.

[Finch]

Dracula specs and cover leaked

Limited Collector's Edition comprises:

Seven discs in a stylish digipak: two UHDs and five Blu-rays, with the UHD content duplicated on Blu-ray.

Five iterations of Dracula: uncensored UK version, UK theatrical version, uncensored US version (Horror of Dracula), US theatrical version, editor's workprint.
Brand-new 5.1 mix for both sets of uncensored and theatrical versions of the film alongside the original mono film soundtrack.
Packaged in a high-end, leather-feel slipcase with debossed foil titling.
Rigid inner box featuring new artwork by illustrator and artist Robert Sammelin.
Double-sided poster.
Eight art cards featuring facsimiles of the original cinema lobby cards.
200-page book featuring new articles on the film, cast and crew.
60-page comic featuring a reprint of the comic strip from legendary 1970s magazine The House of Hammer.
English, French, Italian, Spanish, German and Japanese subtitles on each version of the film.

The Disc content comprises:

Dracula workprint: A unique Hammer artefact, this rough, work-in-progress version of the film was the one assembled during post-production and is almost certainly the element that went back and forth between Hammer and the BBFC as they haggled over cuts. No other Hammer workprints are known to exist.


Proving Them Wrong: The Christopher Lee that people saw in interviews was what he wanted the public to see – but that was not the man himself. Dame Harriet Walter, actor and Lee's niece, in conversation with Lee's biographer Jonathan Rigby, discuss their own experiences of this complex man, his life and his ambitions.

The Road to Dracula: Tony Dalton, author of Terence Fisher: Master of Gothic Cinema, writer Stephen Laws, Hammer expert and writer Wayne Kinsey and Little Shoppe of Horrors publisher Dick Klemensen examine Terence Fisher's pre-1957 work and the path he trod that lead him inexorably to Castle Dracula.

The Sound of Dracula: James Bernard's biographer David Huckvale examines the man, his influences, his initial struggles and his relationship with both Hammer and the shadowy figure that followed him from childhood through to his final composed work: Dracula.

Victim of His Imagination: written in the early 1970s, this Hammer script treatment about Dracula creator Bram Stoker remained unfilmed – until now. Adapted by actor/writer James Swanton, this dramatised reading channels the blood-and-thunder melodrama of a Henry Irving performance, bringing to life a tantalising what-if from Hammer’s archive.

Gothic for Christians: Hellraiser star Doug Bradley narrates a brand-new video essay that considers Terence Fisher’s personal convictions, directorial style and Gothic body of work for Hammer as a foundational influence on cinematic horror.

You Look Like a Teddy Bear Now: Actor Janina Faye, in conversation with Wayne Kinsey, looks back at her career and work for Hammer.

Janina Faye reads Stoker: archive featurette from 2012.

Bram, Dacre and Dracula: Dacre Stoker – best-selling author, teacher and Bram's great grand-nephew – discusses the ongoing relevance of Stoker's seminal novel and its many adaptations and reworkings.

James Bernard 1994 Interview: archive interview courtesy of Manchester’s Festival of Fantastic Films.

Liberated After Dark?: Lucy Bolton, writer and film historian Pamela Hutchinson and Stacey Abbot, Professor of Film, discuss the importance of the female characters in Hammer's Dracula, the actors who portrayed them and the performances they gave.

Of Mod(el)s and Monsters: The iconic shot of Dracula disintegrating – now to be seen uncensored on this set – was created by special effects wizard Sydney Pearson, a veteran of many Hammer and other British films. Wayne Kinsey and Dick Klemensen take a look at the man's work and his legacy.

The Measure of a Hero: A video essay by Heather Wixson, who examines Peter Cushing's nuanced performance as Van Helsing and how it set the pattern for everything that followed.

Blood, Bites and Boundaries: Dr Sian Barber, author and expert on cinema censorship, examines Hammer's run-ins with the BBFC over Dracula.

Park, Watch and Scream: Many Americans watched Dracula – and other Hammer films – in drive-in theatres, a viewing experience with no equivalent in the UK. Guy Barefoot, film scholar and author, gives a primer on this particular slice of cultural Americana.

Dracula Jr: then-child actor Paul Cole reminisces about his time working at Bray on Dracula.

The Eagle Has Landed: Wayne Kinsey, current proud owner of one of the stone eagles from Castle Dracula, tells its story.

Resurrecting Dracula: A look behind-the-scenes at how the new 4K restoration of the uncut version of Dracula was created.

Lords of Darkness: Jonathan Rigby and James Swanton candidly discuss and critique the 20th century-filmed adaptations of Stoker's original novel and the problems inherent in doing it well.

Sidebar: Film critic and writer Tim Lucas discusses the (Horror of) Dracula with artist and writer Stephen R. Bissette.

World of Hammer: A Hammer clip series from 1990, this episode gives an overview of Dracula and the Undead. Narrated by Oliver Reed.

Dracula Reborn: archive featurette from 2012 discussing the making of a Hammer classic.

The Demon Lover: archive featurette from 2012 considering Stoker's original novel and its continued re-invention.

Censoring Dracula: archive featurette from 2012 covering the BBFC's relationship with Hammer over Dracula


New commentary with Lucy Bolton, Professor of Film Philosophy, and actor and film historian Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic.
New commentary with writers Lizbeth Myles and Paul Cornell, creators of the widely acclaimed Hammer House of Podcast.
New commentary with writer/producer Dr Steve Haberman and film-maker and film historian Constantine Nasr.
New commentary writer, filmmaker and film programmer Heidi Honeycutt and cult movie expert Toby Roan.
New commentary with screenwriter Lauren Barnett and writer John Hamilton.
Archive commentary with Hammer expert Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby.


Film Materials: Censor card, clapperboards, titles, trailers and 8mm cutdowns.
Image Gallery: A gallery of stills and publicity material alongside tracks from James Bernard's score.

The Booklet comprises:

New article: Bruce G. Hallenbeck looks at the making of Hammer’s definitive horror.
New article: James Swanton discusses Don Houghton’s Victim of His Imagination, which he has revived as a dramatised reading for this set.
New article: Wayne Kinsey investigates Bernard Robinson and Don Mingaye’s superb set design.
New article: Andy Murray takes a look at the top twelve film at the British box office for 1958.New article: Barry Forshaw remembers that time he had cause to indulge in an interview with THE vampire.
New article: Wayne Kinsey, in a companion piece to his larger article, takes a look at the sets made for Dracula.
New article: Andy Murray unpicks an influential 1958 Variety article written following Dracula's success.
New article: Gayle Sequeira examines how Dracula departed from convention to create something quite revolutionary.
New article: Wayne Kinsey compares Jimmy Sangster’s shooting script against the screen version of Hammer’s most (in)famous film.
Archive Melissa Stribling interview from 1978.New article: Sarah Morgan profiles Melissa Stribling, who gave a standout performance as Mina in Sangster and Fisher’s Dracula.
New article: Miriam Balanescu examines celluloid vampires, Christopher Lee’s Dracula and the rise of the romantic cannibal film.
New article: Legendary horror writer Ramsey Campbell reminisces about his passion for horror films – and the frustration of trying to see them uncut in cinemas.

Preorders live Sept 4

[Altair]

This is a pretty extraordinary set, it’s hard to imagine how it could possibly be more comprehensive… bravo.