Hammer Films Giving The Man In Black A 4K Restoration

The Man in Black makes its debut on physical media in 4K for the very first time in September. Loosely inspired and adapted from the hit BBC radio show Appointment with Fear, The Man in Black is an eerie crime thriller, perfectly showcasing from the beginning Hammer’s gift for atmospheric, suspense-laden storytelling.

To honour one of Hammer Films’ first journey into the occult, The Man in Black makes its long-overdue debut with this 4K restoration, making it an essential addition to any serious collection as a great example of British cinema and the studio’s early gothic flair. A huge radio hit through the wartime years and beyond, The Man in Black mesmerised millions of listeners with his macabre tales, making Valentine Dyall a household name for his star turn as the sepulchral storyteller.

An early showing for the macabre side of Hammer’s output and a key entry in their run of successful radio adaptations for cinema, The Man in Black has been painstakingly restored by Hammer in 4K from the original film negatives.

The Man in Black is directed by Francis Searle. When Yoga expert and occult enthusiast Henry Clavering (Sid James) dies during a mystical trance, his current second wife Bertha learns that the bulk of his wealthy estate is to be given to his daughter Joan – from his first marriage. Enraged, Bertha (Betty Ann Davies) and her own daughter plot to get Henry’s fortune for herself. After learning that Joan gets everything unless she is declared insane, she soon becomes an easy target for gaslighting by her vindictive stepmother and stepsister. However, this spooky tale takes a twisted turn, when Joan sets up a séance to expose their nefarious scheme.

The Man In Black Limited Collector’s Edition includes a 2-disc set (1 x UHD disc and 1 x Blu-ray) in a beautifully slipcase featuring brand new artwork, making it a must have for collectors and cinema enthusiasts alike. This limited collector’s edition comprises:

The Man in Black and supporting material on two discs in a stylish digipak and rigid box: one UHD and one Blu-ray, with the content duplicated across both formats.

English, French, Italian, Spanish and German subtitles on each version of the film.

Special features:
– New commentary with writers Lizbeth Myles and Paul Cornell, creators of the widely acclaimed Hammer House of Podcast.
– New commentary with Will Fowler, writer and co-creator of the BFI’s ongoing Flipside series, and film and media historian Melanie Williams.
– Men in Black: Award-winning authors Martin Edwards and Andrew Taylor discuss John Dickson Carr (“Master of the Locked Room Mystery”) and his contemporaries at the Detection Club – the long-running club for mystery writers, first created in 1930.
– Panic Stations: Richard Hand, academic and writer of Listen in Terror, examines the rise of “horror radio” in the 1930s and ‘40s and the conditions that made Appointment with Fear such a hit with wartime and post-war British audiences.
– This is Your Storyteller: Author, actor and film historian Jonathan Rigby and Vic Pratt, writer and co-creator of the bfi’s ongoing Flipside series, discuss the life and career of Valentine Dyall, known forever to posterity as The Man in Black.
–Francis Searle Interview: Interviewed in 1988 for the British Entertainment History Project, this extract from writer/director Francis Searle’s career-long interview covers his time at Hammer.
–Suspense: three original wartime US radio shows featuring John Dickson Carr’s scripts, as introduced by The Man in Black.
–Yoga and You: this Hammer archive rarity is a factual, self-help support film that thankfully didn’t demonstrate how this then-esoteric practice could be used in the furtherance of murder.
-A gallery of stills and publicity material alongside tracks from Frank Spencer’s score.

The booklet features:
-New article by Hammer expert Wayne Kinsey examining the making of The Man in Black.
-New article by Andrew Pixley, who investigates The Man in Black’s radio origins.
-New article by Sarah Morgan, who takes a close look at the dramatic side of comedy legend Sid James.
-New article by Gayle Sequeira, who examines the psychology of gaslighting and how it was used to great effect in The Man in Black.
-New article by Philip Kemp, who looks at the career of John Gilling – a stalwart of British films in general and Hammer in particular.
-Article by Denis Meikle, who investigates Anthony Hinds, Hammer’s main creative force for over twenty years.
-New article by Wayne Kinsey, who takes us on a tour of Oakley Court, Hammer’s stately home studio.

The Man in Black Limited Collector’s Edition will be available on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray from 8th September, pre-order now.