"Actor: Ralph Bates"

• Taste The Blood Of Dracula | DVD | (28/06/2013) from £4.99   |  Saving you £13.00 (260.52%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Taste the Blood of Dracula is one of the best of Christopher Lee's Dracula series for Hammer. A group of businessmen who, out of sight of their families, like nothing more than to frequent brothels and generally behave in sensation-seeking ways, are persuaded by Dracula's servant (a splendidly manic Ralph Bates) that summoning up the orthodontically-challenged aristocrat would be the ultimate thrill. They warily agree, purchasing relics for the necessary ritual from a shifty dealer (Roy Kinnear--who else?), but panic halfway through the proceedings and decide to kick their initiator to death instead. Unfortunately, it's too late, and Dracula materialises as they make good their escape, swearing to avenge the murder of his servant. While the subsequent descent into paranoia by the three villains-Dracula himself hardly counts in comparison with this odious bunch--isn't exactly the stuff of Rosemary's Baby, it still infuses the plot with an element of psychodrama that is unusual for a Hammer fang-fest. There are strong performances pretty much all round, but Peter "Clegg" Sallis quakes exceptionally nicely as one of the trio of miscreants. The sets, props and costumes are of an unusually high order, too. --Roger Thomas

• Fear In The Night (Doubleplay) | Blu Ray | (30/10/2017) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Peggy (Judy Geeson) is recovering from a nervous breakdown when she is attacked by an unseen assailant. As she struggles to break free, her attacker's artificial arm comes loose and Peggy blacks out in sheer terror. Peggy and her new husband Robert (Ralph Bates) spend their honeymoon at the country school where Robert is a teacher. The school is eerily deserted, except for the headmaster Michael (Peter Cushing) and his wife Molly (Joan Collins). Returningto her cottage, Peggy is once more attacked by a man with one arm. Robert goes to London on behalf of the headmaster, but leaves his shotgun behind to reassure Peggy. Michael visits Peggy at the cottage late at night, and she notices for the first time that he has only one arm. Terrified, she reaches for the gun Fear in the Night was the last, and one of the best, of the suspense thrillers that Hammer produced alongside the better-known Gothic horrors. The film was also the Hammer swansong of director and co-writer Jimmy Sangster, who had joined the company in 1949 and helped create its groundbreaking style. EXTRAS: NEW FEATURETTE - End of Term: Inside Fear in the Night ORIGINAL TRAILER

• Ultimate Hammer Box Set | DVD | (30/10/2006) from £87.09   |  Saving you £62.90 (72.22%)   |  RRP £149.99

  20 of the greatest British films ever produced by the world renowned Hammer film studio! Includes: 1. Blood From The Mummy's Tomb (Dir. Seth Holt 1971) 2. Demons Of The Mind (Dir. Peter Sykes 1972) 3. The Devil Rides Out (Dir. Terence Fisher 1968) 4. Viking Queen (Dir. Don Chaffey 1967) 5. Dracula Prince Of Darkness (Dir. Terence Fisher 1966) 6. Fear In The Night (Dir. Jimmy Sangster 1972) 7. Frankenstein Created Women (Dir. Terence Fisher 1967) 8. The Horror Of Frankenstein (Dir. Jimmy Sangster 1970) 9. The Nanny (Dir. Seth Holt 1965) 10. One Million Years BC (Dir. Don Chaffey 1966) 11. Plague Of The Zombies (Dir. John Gilling 1966) 12. Quatermass And The Pit (Dir. Roy Ward Baker 1967) 13. Rasputin The Mad Monk (Dir. Don Sharp 1966) 14. The Reptile (Dir. John Gilling 1966) 15. The Scars of Dracula (Dir. Roy Ward Baker 1970) 16. SHE (Dir. Robert Day 1965) 17. Slave Girls (Dir. Michael Carreras 1967) 18. To The Devil A Daughter (Dir. Peter Sykes 1967) 19. The Vengeance Of SHE (Dir. Cliff Owen 1968) 20. The Witches (Dir. Cyril Frankel 1966)

• Dear John - Complete Collection - Series 1 & 2 Plus The Christmas Special | DVD | (04/10/2010) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £17.95

  This collection contains the entire series of Dear John featuring all the episodes from Series One and Two plus the Christmas Special. John Lacey arrives home to find a letter from his wife informing him she has left him for his best friend. After spotting an advert in the local paper for the '1-2-1 Club' an encounter group for the divorced and separated he decides to go along. Here he meets the feisty Kate the bland bespectacled Ralph the exuberant Kirk St. Moritz resplendent in white suit and medallion and of course club founder Louise who asks everyone with relish Were there any sexual problems?

• Dr. Jekyll And Sister Hyde (Doubleplay) | Blu Ray | (29/01/2018) from £12.99   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  When Dr. Henry Jekyll attempts to find an elixir of life he accidentally stumbles upon a formula which transforms him into a gorgeous but evil woman who calls herself the widowed Mrs Hyde. Somewhat disdained by the female transformation but aroused by the power it brings, Jekyll can't but help to continue his experiments. As the evil Hyde starts brutally murdering women to get the female hormones she needs Jekyll's alter ego soon grows too powerful. As the fight is on to discover who is behind the Whitechapel murders which of Jekyll's alter-egos will end up on top? EXTRAS: NEW FEATURETTE - Ladykiller: Inside Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde ORIGINAL TRAILER

• Horror Of Frankenstein (Doubleplay) | Blu Ray | (29/01/2018) from £15.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Teenage prodigy Victor Frankenstein tells his father of his ambition to go to university in Vienna. The Baron objects, so Victor coldly sabotages his shooting rifle. The gun explodes in the Baron's face, killing him. Victor uses his inheritance to decamp to Vienna. Six years pass, and Victor leaves after getting the Dean's daughter pregnant; returning home with fellow student Wilhelm, he rescues his friend Elizabeth and her father, an eminent professor, from two highwaymen. He kills one, and covertly beheads him. Hidden away from housekeeper and ˜bedwarmer' Alys, he and Wilhelm set about researches into the revival of dead tissue. The grisly career of the notorious Victor Frankenstein has begun This bold experiment in horror comedy was directed by Jimmy Sangster in 1970, and is one of the most unusual of all the Hammer horrors. Ralph Bates stars as the young Victor Frankenstein and Dave Prowse (later to embody Darth Vader in Star Wars) plays his monster. EXTRAS: NEW FEATURETTE - Gallows Humour: Inside The Horror of Frankenstein ORIGINAL TRAILER

• The Caesars | DVD | (03/04/2006) from £12.98   |  Saving you £9.00 (81.89%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Made in 1968 and broadcast to tremendous critical acclaim The Caesars was one of the last great drama productions made in black and white for ITV by Granada. The Caesars is an unrivalled period drama detailing the murder sex and madness that will forever have a place in the annals of ancient history. This six-part series is available for the first time anywhere on DVD. After a century of being wrecked by dissension and ruinous civil wars the Romans were willing to p

• Lust For A Vampire | Blu Ray | (12/08/2019) from £15.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Through the unholy rites of black magic, the notorious female vampire Carmilla Karnstein is reincarnated as a luscious young debutante (stunning Swedish starlet Yutte Stensgaard). But when the depraved seductress is enrolled at an exclusive girls' school, she begins to inflame the desires of her fellow students as well as her weak-willed teacher (Ralph Bates). Can these perverse hungers be quenched by the mere taste of blood or will an entire village be unwittingly consumed by their LUST FOR A VAMPIRE? Directed by Jimmy Sangster (THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS)

• The Agatha Christie Hour Collection | DVD | (10/05/2010) from £16.18   |  Saving you £13.81 (85.35%)   |  RRP £29.99

  The Agatha Christie Hour is a collection of ten hour-long dramas based on short stories by the most popular novelist in history. Some were romances some had supernatural themes and a couple were adventures. The common link was that all came from the talented pen of Agatha Christie all were entertaining and each drama was carefully crafted and well cast with many of Britain's best known actors of the time represented. Episodes Comprise: The Case of the Middle-Aged Wife: When Mrs Packington whose husband is paying more attention to his young secretary answers an ad in the papers reading ARE YOU HAPPY? IF NOT CONSULT MR PARKER PYNE she soon finds herself being dazzled and swept off her feet by the handsome Claude Luttrell. In A Glass Darkly: Matthew Armitage is startled by a vision in his mirror: he sees a man with a scarred neck strangling a beautiful blonde. He later meets the woman in his vision Sylvia and notes her fiance's scarred neck. Mathew tells Sylvia of his premonition and the engagement is broken off. But is that all there is to it? The Case of the Discontented Soldier: The recently retired Major Wilbraham is bored and unhappy so he answers Parker Pyne's newspaper ad. Before long the Major finds himself rescuing Freda Clegg from two burly attackers; with Freda in tow he embarks on a daring adventure to find treasure in the wilds of Africa! Another charming love story of an autumn romance. Magnolia Blossom: Theodora Darrell is running away with her lover - and business associate of her husband - Vincent Easton when she learns her husband Richard is facing financial ruin. Old loyalties resurface and she returns home to see if she can fix the situation. The Mystery of the Blue Jar: Playing golf early one morning Jack Harrington hears a cry Murder! Help! from a nearby cottage. He runs up to find a beautiful French girl Felise placidly weeding the garden oblivious to any disturbance. When the Jack hears the same cries for many days he begins to think he might be mad. But are more sinister forces at work? The Red Signal: Dermot West is invited to dinner at the home of Jack and Claire Trent. The first is his best friend the second the woman he loves. During the evening the conversation turns to the supernatural; Dermot admits he frequently gets what he calls 'the red signal' to warn him of impending danger. He neglects to mention that he is getting the signal strongly that night! Jane in Search of a Job: Jane Cleveland lands a sought-after job as double for the Grand Duchess of Ostrova during the latter's state visit to England. An attempt is feared on the Duchess' life and when Jane is framed for a theft events become ever more complicated. Can she clear her name and who is trying to kill the Duchess? The Manhood of Edward Robinson: Prim and proper yet a romantic dreamer Edward Robinson leads a rather dull life with his domineering girlfriend and uninspiring job. His quiet dull life ends when he wins some money in a newspaper contest and he embarks on an adventure that even he never dreamed of. The Girl in The Train: George Rowland a bored playboy disowned for the seventh time by his wealthy uncle is on the train to London. When a beautiful girl bursts into his compartment frantically begging to be hidden his life changes dramatically. The Fourth Man: A canon a lawyer and a psychiatrist find themselves together on a train bound for Newcastle. There is a fourth man in the compartment who apparently pays no attention to his companions' animated conversation.

• Monster | DVD | (22/10/2007) from £12.98   |  Saving you £2.00 (18.20%)   |  RRP £12.99

  A woman gives birth to a baby but the child is possessed by the spirit of a dwarf whom the mother once spurned.

• The Monster | Blu Ray | (11/10/2021) from £19.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Joan Collins gives an instantly memorable performance as a stripper cursed by a dwarf to give birth to a demonic child in this classic '70s exploitation horror directed by Hammer/Amicus veteran Peter Sasdy. Co-starring Eileen Atkins, Ralph Bates, Donald Pleasence and Caroline Munro, The Monster (aka I Don't Want to be Born) is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.

• Eddie Murphy Box Set - Trading Places / Coming To America | DVD | (20/10/2003) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £19.99

  Eddie Murphy's 1988 vehicle Coming to America was probably the point at which his status as a mainstream big-screen comedian finally gelled, following the highly successful 48 Hours pairing with Nick Nolte. Never mind the hackneyed storyline: under John Landis's tight direction, he turns in a star performance (and several brilliant cameos) that is disciplined and extremely funny. Murphy plays an African prince who comes to New York officially to sow his wild oats. Privately, he is seeking a bride he can marry for love rather than one chosen by his parents. With his companion (Arsenio Hall, who pushes Murphy all the way in the comedy stakes), he settles in the borough of Queens and takes a job in a hamburger joint. A succession of hilarious satire-barbed adventures ensue, plus the required romantic conclusion. The script is crammed with ripe one-liners , but "Freeze, you diseased rhinoceros pizzle" has to be the most devastating hold-up line of all time. Film buffs will appreciate a brief appearance by Don Ameche as a down-and-out, but this is Murphy's film and he generates warmth enough to convert the most ambivalent viewer. On the DVD: The only--rather pointless--extra on offer is the original theatrical trailer which adds nothing apart from a rapid recap of the story. But the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation (the picture quality is diamond sharp) and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack recreate the original authentic cinematic experience. The choreography of 1980s pop diva Paula Abdul in the lavish wedding scenes and Nile Rodgers' pounding musical score are the main beneficiaries. --Piers Ford

• Doctor Jekyll And Sister Hyde | DVD | (05/04/2010) from £7.99   |  Saving you £8.00 (100.12%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Professor Jekyll an earnest scientist obsessively works day and night haunted by the fear that one lifetime will not be enough to complete his research; sidetracked from his objective he becomes consumed with developing an immortality serum. Once convinced his findings are complete he consumes the potion only to discover that he is to become two as he turns into half Jekyll and half Hyde. Desperate to cover up his new found identity he calls her his sister but things take a turn for the worse when he realises that he needs female hormones if he is to maintain his existence. Before long he is battling with his alter ego Mrs Hyde as a number of young girls begin to go missing in the streets of London...

• Poldark - Series 1 - Part 1 | DVD | (05/05/2003) from £4.54   |  Saving you £13.45 (296.26%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Welcome to Cornwall England's westernmost county. The year is 1780 and the political and social atmosphere is as stormy as the sea that pounds the rocky shores. Into this landscape Captain Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis) returns from the American war to take up his inheritance and take up with his beloved Elizabeth (Jill Townsend). But with false reports of his death having reached Cornwall ahead of him what will he find? And what of the young urchin Demelza (Angharad Rees) the new ho

• Minder - On The Orient Express | DVD | (05/09/2002) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £14.99

  The first ever feature length Minder escapade. Terry and Arthur race through Europe on the Orient Express and become involved in a tale of gangland revenge murder and mayhem. Terry has been given tickets for the Orient Express by a mysterious young woman but Arthur needs Terry for protection and Terry need Arthur like a hole in the head. By devious means Arthur boards the train only to find Chisholm is aboard working with Interpol...

• Poldark - Series 2 - Part 1 | DVD | (15/09/2003) from £3.44   |  Saving you £14.55 (422.96%)   |  RRP £17.99

  Welcome to Cornwall England's westernmost county. The year is 1780 and the political and social atmosphere is as stormy as the sea that pounds the rocky shores. Into this landscape Captain Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis) returns from the American war to take up his inheritance and take up with his beloved Elizabeth (Jill Townsend).

• The Horror Of Frankenstein | DVD | (23/10/2006) from £8.99   |  Saving you £4.00 (44.49%)   |  RRP £12.99

  Young Victor Frankenstein returns from medical school with a depraved taste for beautiful women and fiendish experiments. But when the doctor runs out of fresh body parts for his 'research ' he turns to murder to complete his gruesome new creation. Now his monster has unleashed its own ghastly killing spree and the true Horror Of Frankenstein has only just begun...

• Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire | DVD | (22/09/2008) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £15.99

  Vampire Lovers: When the Countess' daughter Mircalla comes to stay people start mysteriously dying but can the people of the village turn to anyone to help rid their village of this evil family. Lust For A Vampire: The evil Mircalla is summoned by her heirs and soon a new river of blood is running through the town.

• Secret Army - Series 3 | DVD | (04/10/2004) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £49.99

  This award-winning series was a gripping and authentic portrayal of the war waged by one group of Belgian resistance fighters against the German occupation during the Second World War....

• The Monster | DVD | (11/10/2021) from £15.98   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  Joan Collins gives an instantly memorable performance as a stripper cursed by a dwarf to give birth to a demonic child in this classic '70s exploitation horror directed by Hammer/Amicus veteran Peter Sasdy. Co-starring Eileen Atkins, Ralph Bates, Donald Pleasence and Caroline Munro, The Monster (aka I Don't Want to be Born) is featured here as a brand-new remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. There's something wrong with Lucy and Gino's little boy... born with what seems to be abnormal strength and an innate hatred of people, he appears to enjoy inflicting injury on others. Doctors are baffled, but a nun is convinced that the baby is possessed. Then events take such a murderous turn that few can afford to ignore the nun's warnings! Special Features: Brand-new audio commentary from the cult Second Features podcast team Theatrical trailer Alternative I Don't Want to be Born titles Image gallery Limited edition booklet written by Adrian Smith