BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Forget the capes. Forget the castles. Forget the vampires.  The real monster wears a judge's robe.

One of Hammer's most underrated late-period horror films, Cry of the Banshee finds Vincent Price abandoning his usual gleeful theatrics in favor of something far uglier. Directed by Gordon Hessler, the 1970 folk horror tale casts Price as Lord Edward Whitman, a sadistic English magistrate determined to rid the countryside of witches by any means necessary. Does it matter if some of the women he hunts are innocent? Not in the slightest. Whitman isn't interested in justice. He's interested in power.

Of course, power has a nasty habit of inviting retribution.

After Whitman massacres a local coven, their dying leader unleashes a curse upon his bloodline, calling forth a banshee whose vengeance proves far more patient—and far more terrifying—than any courtroom sentence. What follows isn't a gothic monster movie so much as a slow-burning nightmare where paranoia, superstition, and cruelty consume everyone unfortunate enough to cross Whitman's path.

Price is absolutely vicious here. Forget the charming villainy of House on Haunted Hill or the delicious camp of his later horror outings. Lord Whitman is simply a bastard. He imprisons, tortures, humiliates, and murders in the name of righteousness, making his inevitable reckoning one of the most satisfying payoffs in Hammer's catalog. It's one of Price's meanest performances because he never once asks the audience to like him.

Hessler wisely lets atmosphere do much of the heavy lifting. The English countryside feels damp, haunted, and permanently overcast, while the supernatural elements linger just outside the frame until they're ready to strike. The violence—which was heavily trimmed for years—is still surprisingly nasty, and this restoration finally restores the film's darker edge, including footage of the topless nudity and more brutal whippings and assaults that had long been removed from previous releases.

Adding to the wonderfully strange package is an animated title sequence by Terry Gilliam, a delightfully surreal opening that hints you're about to watch something a little more twisted than your average Hammer production. It may not have the reputation of The Devil Rides Out or The Curse of Frankenstein, but Cry of the Banshee deserves to stand alongside Hammer's finest late-era efforts.

Hammer Films, Orion Pictures, and Amazon MGM Studios continue to set the gold standard for catalog restorations. If this collaboration keeps producing releases of this caliber, Hammer's rich horror legacy is in exceptionally good hands

Cry of the Banshee is ugly. It's cruel. It's soaked in dread. It's also a horrible time at the movies gone gloriously gonzo.

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Limited Collector's Edition

Home Video Distributor: Hammer Films
Available on Blu-ray - February 16, 2026
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Dolby Vision; HDR10 compatible
Audio: English: Mono; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Cry of the Banshee has spent far too long living in the shadow of Hammer's bigger titles, but this gorgeous 4K restoration finally gives Gordon Hessler's wicked slice of folk horror the respect it has always deserved. With both cuts of the film, excellent supplemental material, and a stunning Dolby Vision presentation, Hammer delivers the definitive home video edition of one of Vincent Price's nastiest—and most underrated—performances.

VIDEO

Hammer Films continues to prove that no one is taking better care of its library than Hammer itself. Working alongside Orion Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios, this brand-new 4K restoration from the original camera negative breathes remarkable new life into one of the studio's most overlooked horror films.

Presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), Cry of the Banshee showcases an earthy, autumnal color palette filled with rich browns, damp greens, and deep blacks that perfectly complement Gordon Hessler's folk horror atmosphere. Film grain remains beautifully intact, fine detail receives a substantial boost, and candlelit interiors finally possess the warmth and dimensionality they've always deserved.

Best of all, the restoration never attempts to modernize the image—it simply lets the film look like the best possible version of itself. For longtime Hammer fans, this presentation is nothing short of a revelation.

AUDIO

The release includes both the original English mono presentation and a tasteful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround option. The mono track remains the preferred choice, preserving the film's theatrical authenticity while delivering crisp dialogue and an appropriately eerie presentation of Wilfred Josephs' score.

The optional surround mix gently opens the soundstage without becoming gimmicky, adding subtle ambience to the countryside and supernatural sequences while respecting the film's vintage origins.

Neither mix is designed to shake your walls, but both faithfully serve Hessler's slow-burning tale of vengeance.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• See below

Special Features:

Hammer has assembled another excellent collection of supplements that continue to make these new restorations feel like genuine collector's editions rather than simple catalog releases.

• New audio commentary by Chris Alexander
• New interview with author and film historian Kim Newman
• A Devilish Tale of Poe – archival interview with director Gordon Hessler
• Both Gordon Hessler's Original Director's Cut (widescreen and full-frame) and AIP's Re-edited Theatrical Cut
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original television and radio spots
• Limited Collector's packaging with new artwork

The biggest draw, however, is the inclusion of both versions of the film. Being able to compare Hessler's preferred cut with AIP's theatrical re-edit offers fascinating insight into how American International Pictures reshaped the film for its original release. Combined with the excellent new commentary and interviews, this is exactly the kind of thoughtful package these overlooked Hammer productions deserve.

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