After a double of SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and BRANNIGAN (review up shortly), you feel that 1970s London was a place of violence and venom. Though likely not untrue, it however plays into the fun found for me, in seeing London anew. This drew people like Milton Subotsky to these shores and this is where his (and fellow American Max J. Rosenberg) Amicus productions found their inspiration. SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN revolves around a trinity of stories. Each feeling isolated but as it gains pace (and a few buckets of blood) all becomes clear. Well kind of clear to be perfectly honest. The first story sees a serial killer draining his victims of their blood in slowly not swinging London. The second sees mad doctor (Vincent Price no less) perform a series of experimental surgeries on his victims, literally taking them apart limb by limb. Finally, we have a pseudo communist or fascist political organisation based in Eastern Europe, up to no good with intelligence officer Fremont (Christopher Lee) investigating.

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN is something of an anomaly. A better movie than the book. This is rare in low budget film circles (in my eyes at least). The reason? Directer Gordon Hessler was a genre specialist, who directed it with a sensible approach. His hand is slight and firm but its there. The press says that SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN counted Fritz Lang as an admirer, you can see why from this skill.  Give direction but also work with it. Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby, again brilliant, again pack to the gills with knowing everything that is needed (with a few splashes). We (well I) wanted to know alot about the films production, Covered. The films source material. Covered. And they tell us in a way that is personable, which I liked. Gentleman Gothic, delves deeper into Hessler mind. It also runs down some of his better work. Yes, I said better work. His AIP stuff has some real gems. Well one real gem.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• High-Definition digital transfer of the British and American cuts of the film
• Uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Audio commentary with Kevin Lyons, author of The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Film and Television and Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema 1897-2015 (2023)
• New interviews with actors Julian Holloway and Christopher Matthews, editor Peter Elliott, and propman Arthur Wicks (2023)
• Ramsey Campbell on Christopher Wicking and ‘Peter Saxon’ (2023)
• Gentleman Gothic: Gordon Hessler at American International Pictures – A documentary on the filmmaker’s work for the studio featuring Hessler himself and critics Jeff Burr, David Del Valle, Steve Haberman and C. Courtney Joyner (2015, 23 mins)
• Uta Screams Again – An interview with actress Uta Levka (1999, 9 mins)
• Super 8 Version – a reconstruction of the cut-down version distributed as The Living Corpses of Dr. Mabuse
• Deleted scenes
• Mick Garris trailer commentary – the filmmaker provides a short overview of the film (2013, 2 mins)
• Trailer
• Gallery
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by critic Anne Billson
• 3 character postcards of classic images from the film
• Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings