(Terence Fisher, 1959)
Release date: 21 June 2021
Standard Edition Blu-ray
Sensationally based on a ‘true story’, Hammer’s The Stranglers of Bombay incorporates elements of the horror and thriller genres within an exotic adventure tale involving the murderous Kali-worshipping Thuggee cults in India during the early 1800s.
Under Terence Fisher’s masterful direction, and with a surprising degree of attention to historical detail, The Stranglers of Bombay presents a solid yarn while (naturally) highlighting the gruesome and horrific elements of the story. It set an impressive and intriguing precedent for Hammer’s subsequent adventure-thrillers.
INDICATOR STANDARD EDITION SPECIAL FEATURES
High Definition remaster
Original mono audio
Three presentations of the film: the original uncensored UK and US theatrical cuts, and an integral version incorporating all existing footage presenting the most complete version of the film ever seen
Audio commentary with screenwriter David Z Goodman
Ritual Murder: Inside ‘The Stranglers of Bombay’ (2018, 17 mins): documentary written and directed by Hammer expert Marcus Hearn, narrated by Claire Louise Amias, and featuring film historians Alan Barnes and Jonathan Rigby
Hammer’s Women: Jan Holden (2018, 6 mins): Colette Balmain on the popular stage and screen actress
‘The Stranglers of Bombay’ and the Censor (2018, 27 mins): ex-BBFC examiner Richard Falcon discusses the film’s history with the Board
About the Versions (2018, 7 mins): highlighting the differences between the UK and US theatrical cuts
Musical Orientalism (2018, 17 mins): a new appreciation of James Bernard’s score by David Huckvale, author of Hammer Film Scores and the Musical Avant-Garde
Original theatrical trailer
Brian Trenchard-Smith trailer commentary (2013, 4 mins): a short critical appreciation
Image gallery: promotional photography and publicity material
New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
