Cry of the Banshee: Limited Edition - Hammer Films (UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: UK/USA, 1970
Director: Gordon Hessler
Writers: Tim Kelly, Christopher Wicking
Cast: Vincent Price, Elisabeth Bergner, Essy Persson, Hugh Griffith, Patrick Mower, Hilary Dwyer, Sally Geeson

Release Date: February 9th, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 91 Minutes 15 Seconds (Director's Cut), 86 Minutes 50 Seconds (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10 Dolby Vision
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English, DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £22.99 (UK)

"Lord Edward Whitman, who rules his domain with an iron fist, massacres a coven of witches. But some still survive and their vengeful leader summons a demonic spirit to destroy Whitman's family." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Director's Cut, AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Held by Pro-Tek Vaults in Burbank for MGM, the 35mm original negative for the Director’s Cut of Cry of the Banshee was scanned at 4K resolution (16 bit) and restored extensively using Phoenix and PFClean software. In addition to the usual dirt and defects, the main issues with the image were general instability and density/color fluctuations causing flicker throughout. By careful processing, these effects were minimized, allowing for a more even, stable picture.”

Cry of the Banshee (Director's Cut) comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 92.5 GB

Feature: 53.5 GB (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio), 36.5 GB (1.37:1 Aspect Ratio)

Cry of the Banshee (AIP Re-edited Theatrical Version) comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.5 GB

Feature: 54.8 GB

This release comes with multiple versions and aspect ratios, all of which look excellent. Flesh tones look healthy; colors are nicely saturated; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid; and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4.5/5 (All Audio Tracks)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in English and a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English. Both audio tracks sound excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should. Included are removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras on disc one include an image gallery (posters/stills/press book), an interview with author and film critic Kim Newman (13 minutes 29 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with author, filmmaker, and horror film fan Chris Alexander for the director's cut.

Extras on disc two include a radio spot (32 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a TV spot (56 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 28 seconds, DTS-HD mono English, no subtitles), and an archival interview with director Gordon Hessler titled A Devilish Tale of Poe (17 minutes 52 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include a slipcover and liner notes and information about the transfer on the inside cover.

Summary:

Gordon Hessler directed Cry of the Banshee. He’s known for The Oblong Box, Scream and Scream Again, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

A witch conjures up a banshee to attack and kill a cruel witch-hunting magistrate and his family.

After the success of Roger Corman’s The Fall of the House of Usher, American International Pictures embarked on a decade-long endeavor to produce a series of films based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. While the earlier films in the series were direct adaptations, many of the later films deviate significantly from Edgar Allan Poe’s original stories. Cry of the Banshee is a film that falls into that latter category, while Gordon Hessler’s other AIP Poe film, The Oblong Box, was an actual adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name.

Cry of the Banshee has more in common with Witchfinder General than it does with Edgar Allan Poe. Both films share Vincent Price in the role of a witch hunter, and while he gives another outstanding performance, unfortunately the film as a whole is nowhere near the quality of Witchfinder General. Cry of the Banshee is a significant film in the career of Vincent Price; after working with AIP since 1960, he was no longer the draw he once was for them.

Very early on, it becomes clear that Cry of the Banshee is a film that is in no hurry to get anywhere. The narrative moves at a languid pace that ensures there’s never any momentum, and a predictable climax serves as the final nail in the coffin. While Gordon Hessler’s direction is by the numbers at least when it comes to exploitative elements like nudity and carnage, Cry of the Banshee delivers. Ultimately, Cry of the Banshee represents a missed opportunity that might have faded into obscurity were it not for Vincent Price’s standout performance.

Hammer Films gives Cry of the Banshee its definitive home media release. Recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer