Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 1, 2025

Note: As of the writing of this review, this release is a Severin exclusive. The two included titles can be purchased as standalone releases from Amazon.

Late Spring and Early Summer 2025 seem to be a nexus of sorts for a certain Time Lord. Already released in just the past few weeks have been BBC Blu-rays of Doctor Who: Season One, Doctor Who: The War Games in Colour , Doctor Who: The Savages, Doctor Who: Sylvester McCoy: Complete Season Two and Doctor Who: Jon Pertwee: Complete Season One. Now Severin is entering the fray and/or the TARDIS with the two quasi-Amicus feature films from the mid-sixties offering Peter Cushing in the title role, films which any diehard Whovian will probably be more than happy to tell you don't "really" belong in the "official" Doctor Who canon. In terms of the above linked releases from BBC, though, another "reconstituted color" release from last year, Doctor Who: The Daleks in Color, offers the original serial that inspired Dr. Who and the Daleks, and which might be of especial interest to fans since it features a new pretty severely redacted version of the original serial in color that at times rather closely matches decisions made for the feature film adaptation, but which also offers the original full length serial in standard definition on a DVD. In a way, the BBC release may only tend to point out what are widely discussed in supplements as at least perceived deficiencies in the first Cushing film, and in that regard, while the original serial of The Dalek Invasion of Earth which gave birth to the second Cushing film is indeed available on Blu-ray as part of Doctor Who: William Hartnell - Complete Season Two, it hasn't yet been granted a "standalone edited color" release. As is also discussed in the bounteous supplements included, these two Doctor Who outings made significant changes in various aspects of the "companions", and Cushing's characterization still provokes controversy to this day (as indicated by some slightly at odds comments in various supplements). Still, if accepted on the self confessed terms that these films were produced and marketed for young children, they have at times extremely colorful production designs, and of course both of them took full advantage of what was then in the United Kingdom a veritable Dalek craze that was perhaps eclipsed only by Beatlemania in the pop culture department.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Dr. Who and the Daleks Blu-ray review

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. Blu-ray review

Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

On disc supplements are detailed in the above linked reviews. Severin's website sends this set with a folded slipbox which can be unfolded and "assembled" to house the two keepcases.

Total Extermination: The Peter Cushing Doctor Who Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whovians will probably debate the merits of these two Cushing films until some TARDIS falls out of the sky and ends any and all discussion, but for those with a fondness for these films, technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.