The City of the Dead (Region B)

IN WHITEWOOD, TIME STANDS STILL

Christopher Lee was already a horror icon when he started filming The City of the Dead in 1959. Having played Frankensteins Monster, Count Dracula and The Mummy for Hammer, this new picture would allow him to extend his range to the American Gothic and witchcraft in a small New England village

Lee plays Professor Driscoll, an authority on the occult who persuades one of his students (Venetia Stevenson) to research his hometown, Whitewood, once the site of witch burnings in the 17th century. Booking herself into the Ravens Inn, she soon learns that devil worship among the locals hasnt been consigned to the past.

Produced by future Amicus founders Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg, and beautifully shot by Desmond Dickinson (whose credits ranged from Laurence Oliviers Hamlet to Horrors of the Black Museum), The City of the Dead is a wonderfully atmospheric and still shocking slice of horror that stands firmly alongside its Hammer contemporaries.

Brand new 2K restoration of the film from the original negative

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations

New 2K digital restoration by the Cohen Film Collection and the BFI

High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations of two versions of the film: The City of the Dead and the alternative US cut, Horror Hotel

Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM Audio

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Audio commentary by film critic Jonathan Rigby, author of English Gothic: Classic Horror Cinema 1897-2015 and Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History, recorded exclusively for this release

Audio commentary by actor Christopher Lee

Audio commentary by director John Llewellyn Moxey

Interview with Lee

Interview with Moxey

Interview with actor Venetia Stevenson

Gallery

Trailer

Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys