This is something Hammer fans have been waiting a long, long time since the new owners of the studio started releasing some amazing 4K editions. They have finally has announced the next title getting their all-star treatment is none other than The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), the film that really put them in the big league. While they started to get attention with their two Quatermass films, once Curse hit the theaters, including the US, it just exploded. And now, the wait is over. Sort of.

It seems the ultra-special edition, with all the bells and whistles, is only being released in UK. In the US, you’ll be able to get a smaller edition from Warner Archives. Not sure why they are doing that with this release, since the previous ones were available to all. They haven’t even announced when they will go on sale, or the price. But if they follow what they’ve been doing, figure it being around $80. The price for the Warner Archive release hasn’t even been announced yet. But below is what each of the sets include, to help make in your thought process, or at least until we know how much damage it’s going to do to our wallets!

Here are the specs on the UK limited collector’s edition release:

• Six discs in a stylish digipak: two UHDs and four Blu-rays, with the film and new special features content duplicated on both UHD and Blu-ray.
• Disc six is only featured in the Limited Collector’s Edition and will not be available in the retail versions of this film.
• The Curse of Frankenstein is available in the three aspect ratios: widescreen 1.66:1 UK Theatrical, fullscreen 1.37:1 As-Filmed and widescreen 1.85:1 US Theatrical
• Brand-new 5.1 mix for all three iterations alongside the original mono film soundtrack.
• English, French, Italian, Spanish and German subtitles on all versions of the film.
• Packaged in a high-end, leather-feel slipcase with debossed red and green foil titling.
• Rigid inner box featuring new artwork by fan favourite artist Greg Staples.
• Double-sided poster of original one-sheets.
• Eight art cards featuring facsimiles of the original UK cinema lobby cards.
• 168-page booklet featuring new and reprint articles.
• 68-page comic featuring a reprint of the comic strip from legendary 1970s magazine The House of Hammer.

The discs feature:

• Commentary with author and critic Kim Newman, horror anthologist and writer Stephen Jones and Barry Forshaw, author of British Gothic Cinema.
• Commentary with Heidi Honeycutt, writer, filmmaker and film programmer, and cult movie expert Toby Roan.
• Archive commentary with Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby.
• Archive commentary with writer/producer Dr Steve Haberman and film-maker and film historian Constantine Nasr.
• Recreating the Creature: Phil Leakey’s Creature make-up is the stuff of legend and an inspiration to generations of budding make-up artists. Academy Award-winner Dave Elsey, from make-up/FX wizards Igor Studios, creates his version of this iconic make-up on actor James Swanton alongside comments from Phil himself courtesy of a previously unheard audio interview and a newly recorded interview with Phil’s son Peter.
• A Fitting Vocation/Topped and Tailed: A two-part program that looks at Molly Arbuthnot’s contribution to Hammer’s gothics, which is often overlooked but cannot be underestimated. Professor Melanie Bell and the BFI’s Jo Botting discuss Molly and her work alongside contributions from actor Melvyn Hayes, who was costumed by Molly at Bray for his role as young Victor.
• Good or Tuesday?: Jimmy Sangster rose through the production ranks at Hammer to become one of their key creatives and an influence on many who followed. Writer/actor Mark Gatiss, writer/publisher Dick Klemensen, author Stephen Laws, screenwriter/novelist Stephen Gallagher, screenwriter/producer David Pirie and writer/publisher Wayne Kinsey discuss the man and the impact of his work.
• Painting with Fine Brushes: Little Shoppe of Horrors’ Dick Klemensen introduces this previously unheard audio interview with cinematographer Jack Asher, who gives a personal insight into one of his best-known works.
• Beside the Seaside: Actor Madeline Smith visits Peter Cushing’s beloved hometown of Whitstable in the company of Hammer expert Wayne Kinsey, to learn more about the man behind the actor.
• A Gothic History of Frankenstein: Scriptwriter and novelist Stephen Volk discusses Shelley’s original novel, its adaptation to cinema and the legacy of Hammer’s genre-defining 1957 film.
• Reviving The Curse of Frankenstein: A look behind-the-scenes at how the new 4K restoration of The Curse of Frankenstein was made.
• Hammer Horror for Hugh Harlow: In this brief archive interview, 3rd assistant director Hugh Harlow reflects on Cushing, Lee and his time working on The Curse of Frankenstein.
• Jimmy Sangster 1997 Interview: Manchester’s Festival of Fantastic Films interview with writer Jimmy Sangster from 1997.
• Frankenstein Reborn: Archive featurette that looks at the making of this iconic film with actor Melvyn Hayes, Hammer experts Denis Meikle and Jonathan Rigby and James Bernard’s biographer David Huckvale. Also includes archive footage of Michael Carreras and Jimmy Sangster.
• Life With Sir: Archive featurette that gives a gentle and heartwarming portrait of Peter Cushing by Joyce Broughton, his secretary and friend.
• The Resurrection Men: Archive featurette where Little Shoppe of Horrors’ Dick Klemensen explains the revolutionary nature of The Curse of Frankenstein and how it gave birth to a new type of horror.
• Hideous Progeny: Archive featurette where Christopher Frayling discusses the transgressive nature of the English gothic literary tradition and its monstrous offspring, gothic cinema.
• Torrents of Light: Archive featurette where cinematographer David J. Miller examines Jack Asher’s artistry as a lighting cameraman on the Hammer gothics.
• Diabolus in Musica: Archive featurette where composer Christopher Drake reflects on the skill and talent of James Bernard and his ongoing influence as the sound of Hammer Horror.
• Alternative Eyeball Scene: The alternative, censored version of the eyeball scene, as featured by Warners Bros. in the US theatrical version.
• Promotional materials: Trailer materials were compiled (and restored where possible) as part of the 4K restoration process of the main feature. Also featured is one of the 8mm cutdown versions of the film that were commercially available in the 1960s.
• Image Gallery: An image gallery, including behind-the-scenes shots, alongside tracks from James Bernard’s iconic score.
• Flesh and Blood (LCE exclusive): Made in conjunction with Hammer and first transmitted on TV in 1994, Ted Newsom’s fascinating feature-length documentary features a wealth of interview material and joint narration by Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
• Mr. Cushing and Mr. Lee (LCE exclusive): A behind-the-scenes recording made during the narration sessions for Flesh and Blood. It was Peter Cushing’s last work for Hammer and is a unique record of a strong friendship between himself and Lee that lasted four decades.
• Flesh and Blood Narration Outtakes (LCE exclusive): During the recording of the narration, not everything went to plan… twenty minutes of audio outtakes alongside candid pictures taken on the day.
• Tales of Frankenstein (LCE exclusive): The success of The Curse of Frankenstein saw Columbia entering into a production deal with Hammer to create a pilot for a new anthology series starring Anton Diffring as Frankenstein. The pilot did not go to series and ultimately lapsed into Public Domain.
• Tales of Frankenstein Commentary (LCE exclusive): 2001 commentary with Ted Newsom, Gary Smith and Stuart Galbraith
• The Tale of Tales of Frankenstein (LCE exclusive): An examination of the circumstances surrounding the production of Tales of Frankenstein by Hammer expert and documentarian Ted Newsom.

The booklet features:

• New article on the making of the film that put Hammer on the map by Bruce G. Hallenbeck.
• Archive interview: Peter Cushing reflects on his time as the villainous Baron.
• Archive article: Christopher Lee reminisces about his time as the Creature in this article from The Christopher Lee Fan Club Journal.
• New article on Christopher Lee’s film work prior to The Curse of Frankenstein by Barry Forshaw.
• New article on set designer Bernard Robinson, a key figure in Hammer’s global success but who often goes unnoticed, by Sarah Morgan
• New article examining the BBFC’s long-standing issue with combining sex and violence by Sarah Appleton.
• Archive interview with director Terence Fisher in this wide-ranging discussion from 1973.
• New article on the film’s script development by Wayne Kinsey: the Subotsky drafts (part 1 of 2)
• New article on the script development by Wayne Kinsey: the Sangster screenplay and revisions (part 2 of 2)
• Archive article by 3rd assistant director Hugh Harlow about his time working on The Curse of Frankenstein.

Now from Warner Archive Collection, as far as the film itself, it looks like you get the same as above. But they haven’t listed what the extra features are, other than “an impressive array of new bonus features, as well as legacy pieces.” So, take that for what it’s worth. For those only interested in the film itself, it sure sounds like the Warner release is the one to go, only because I can only assume it will be much cheaper.

• New 2025 restoration from best surviving elements, newly remastered for stunning picture quality with brand-new DOLBY ATMOS and 5.1 surround tracks and original mono audio options.
• 4K UHD Edition 3-Disc set with 2 BD-100 with DOLBY VISION and HDR 10 containing the three versions of the feature film and special features, and 1 Blu-ray BD-50 of special features.
• Aspect Ratios: 16×9 1.85:1 U.S. Theatrical version, 16×9 1.66:1 U.K. Theatrical version, 16×9 1.37:1 with side mattes-Open Matte version.
• Audio Specs: Original Theatrical DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono and NEW DOLBY ATMOS and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround formats.