For the first time ever, eight of the most iconic cinematic masterpieces of the horror genre are available together on Blu-ray as Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection. Digitally restored in perfect high-definition picture and perfect high-definition sound. This essential set includes a never-before-seen featurette about the restoration of Dracula and the first ever offering of Creature from the Black Lagoon in its restored Blu-ray 3D version. Includes: 44 Page Booklet 8 Exclusive Art Cards with Original Theatrical Posters DraculaThe original 1931 movie version of Bram Stoker's classic tale has for generations defined the iconic look and terrifying persona of the famed vampire. Dracula owes its continued appeal in large part due to Bela Lugosi's indelible portrayal of the immortal Count Dracula and the flawless direction of horror auteur Tod Browning. Bonus Features: Dracula: The Restoration - New featurette available for the first time! Monster Tracks: Interactive Pop-Up Facts About the Making of Dracula Dracula Archives Score by Philip Glass Performed by the Kronos Quartet Feature Commentary by Film Historian David J. Skal Feature Commentary by Steve Haberman Screenwriter of Dracula: Dead and Loving It Trailer Gallery FrankensteinBoris Karloff stars as the screen's most tragic and iconic monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) dares to tamper with the essential nature of life and death by creating a monster (Karloff) out of lifeless human body parts. Director James Whale's adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel and Karloff's compassionate portrayal of a creature groping for identity make Frankenstein a timeless masterpiece. Bonus Features: The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster Karloff: The Gentle Monster Monster Tracks: Interactive Pop-Up Facts About the Making of Frankenstein Universal Horror Frankenstein Archives Boo!: A Short Film Feature Commentary with Film Historian Rudy Behlmer Feature Commentary with Historian Sir Christopher Frayling 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics Trailer Gallery The MummyHorror icon Boris Karloff stars in the original 1932 version of The Mummy in which a team of British archaeologists accidentally revives a mummified high priest after 3,700 years. Alive again, he sets out on an obsessive - and deadly - quest to find his lost love. Over 50 years after its first release, this brooding dream-like horror classic remains a cinematic masterpiece. Bonus Features: Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy The Mummy Archives Feature Commentary by Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns and Brent Armstrong Feature Commentary by Film Historian Paul M. Jensen 100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era The Invisible ManClaude Rains delivers an unforgettable performance in his screen debut as a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives in a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery, but the drug's side effects slowly drive him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Bonus Features: Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed Production Photographs Feature Commentary with Film Historian Rudy Behlmer 100 Years of Universal: Unforgettable Characters The Bride of FrankensteinThe acclaimed sequel to the original Frankenstein has become one of the most popular horror classics in film history. The legendary Boris Karloff reprises his role as the screen's most misunderstood monster, now longing for a mate of his own. Colin Clive is back as the proud and overly ambitious Dr. Frankenstein, who creates the ill-fated bride (Elsa Lanchester). The last horror film directed by James Whale features a haunting musical score that helps make The Bride of Frankenstein one of the finest and most touching thrillers of its era. Bonus Features: She's Alive! Creating The Bride of Frankenstein The Bride of Frankenstein Archive Feature Commentary with Scott MacQueen The Wolf ManOriginally released in 1941, The Wolf Man introduced the world to a new Universal movie monster and redefined the mythology of the werewolf forever. Featuring a heartbreaking performance by Lon Chaney Jr. and groundbreaking make-up by Jack Pierce, The Wolf Man is the saga of Larry Talbot, a cursed man who transforms into a deadly werewolf when the moon is full. The dreamlike atmospheres, elaborate settings and chilling musical score combine to make The Wolf Man a masterpiece of the genre. Bonus Features: Monster by Moonlight The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr. He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce The Wolf Man Archives Feature Commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver The Phantom of the OperaThis lavish retelling of Gaston Leroux's immortal horror tale stars Claude Rains as the masked phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House. A crazed composer who schemes to make beautiful young soprano Christine DuBois (Susanna Foster) the star of the opera company, the Phantom also wreaks revenge on those he believes stole his music. Nelson Eddy, as the heroic baritone, tries to win the affections of Christine as he tracks down the murderous, horribly disfigured Phantom. Bonus Features: The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked Production Photographs Feature Commentary with Film Historian Scott MacQueen 100 Years of Universal: The Lot Theatrical Trailer Creature from the Black LagoonCaptured and imprisoned for scientific study, a living amphibious missing link becomes enamored with the head researcher's female assistant (Julie Adams). When the hideous creature escapes and kidnaps the object of his affection, a crusade is launched to rescue the helpless woman and cast the terrifying creature back to the depths from which he came. Featuring legendary makeup artist Bud Westmore's brilliantly designed monster, Creature from the Black Lagoon is an enduring tribute to the imaginative genius of its Hollywood creators. Bonus Features: Creature from the Black Lagoon in Blu-Ray 3D Back to the Black Lagoon Production Photographs Feature Commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver 100 Years of Universal: The Lot Trailer Gallery
From the Merchant of Menace, Vincent Price, and the King of the Bs, Roger Corman, come Six Gothic tales inspired by the pen of Edgar Allan Poe. In The Fall of the House of Usher, a young man learns of a family curse that threatens his happiness with his bride-to-be. In The Pit and the Pendulum, a brother investigates the untimely death of sister, played by Barbara Steele. Tales of Terror adapts three Poe classics, Morella, The Black Cat and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, each starring a horror icon. The Raven is a comic take on the famous poem concerning three rival magicians. In The Haunted Palace, a newcomer in a New England town is suspected of being a warlock. And in The Tomb of Ligeia, filmed in Norfolk and at Stonehenge, a widower's upcoming marriage plans are thwarted by his dead first wife. The six films boast a remarkable cast list: not just Price and Steele, but also Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr, Basil and a very young Jack Nicholson. Adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson and Robert Towne, these Six Gothic Tales now rank as classic examples of sixties horror cinema. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: High Definition Blu-ray presentation of all six features Original uncompressed mono PCM Audio for all films Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for all films Trailers for each film Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork for all films THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Audio commentary with director and producer Roger Corman An interview with director Joe Dante Interview with author Jonathan Rigby Video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns examining Corman s film in relation to Poe's story Archival interview with Vincent Price THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM Audio commentary with director and producer Roger Corman Audio commentary by critic Tim Lucas A new making of documentary featuring Roger Corman, star Barbara Steele, Victoria Price and more! Shot in 1968 to pad out the film for the longer TV time slot, this scene features star Luana Anders Price reads a selection of Poe's classic stories before a live audience TALES OF TERROR An hour-long documentary on Roger Corman featuring contributions from James Cameron, Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard Critic and novelist Anne Billson discusses the contributions of our feline friends to genre cinema The Black Cat, a 1993 short film adaptation of Poe's classic tale directed by Rob Green (The Bunker) THE RAVEN Peter Lorre: The Double Face, Harun Farocki s 1984 documentary, subtitled in English for the first time An interview with the legendary novelist and screenwriter Richard Matheson An interview with Roger Corman about making The Raven The Trick, a short film about rival magicians by Rob Green (The Bunker) Promotional Record Stills and Poster Gallery THE HAUNTED PALACE Audio commentary by Vincent Price s biographer David Del Valle and Ron Chaney, grandson of Lon Chaney, Jr Kim Newman on H.P. Lovecraft An interview with Roger Corman Stills and Poster Gallery THE TOMB OF LIGEIA Audio commentary by director and producer Roger Corman Audio commentary by star Elizabeth Shepherd All-new interviews with cast and crew
The world is a carnival of criminality, corruption, and psychosexual strangeness in the twisted pre-Code shockers of Tod Browning. Early Hollywood's edgiest auteur, Browning drew on his experiences as a circus performer to create subversive pulp entertainments set amid the world of traveling sideshows, which, with their air of the exotic and the disreputable, provided a pungent backdrop for his sordid tales of outcasts, cons, villains, and vagabonds. Bringing together two of his defining works (The Unknown and Freaks) and a long-unavailable rarity (The Mystic), this cabinet of pre-Code curiosities reveals a master of the morbid whose ability to unsettle is matched only by his daring compassion for society's most downtrodden.
Eureka Entertainment to release Tod Browning's OUTSIDE THE LAW; one of the first psychologically driven films of the gangster genre, starring Lon Chaney & Priscilla Dean; from a brand new 4K restoration for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Available as part of The Masters of Cinema Series from 13 June 2022. While under contract at Universal Studios, Tod Browning crafted a series of melodramas with strong female protagonists, women on the wrong side of the law, who stood defiantly against the men who tried to control them. No actress better personified this tough, glamorous anti-hero than Priscilla Dean (Drifting, White Tiger). In Outside the Law, Dean plays hard-boiled jewel thief Molly Madden. When her father is framed for murder by Black Mike Sylva (Lon Chaney), Molly partners with safecracker Dapper Bill (Wheeler Oakman) to stage a double-cross of their own. Outside the Law was Browning's second film with actor Lon Chaney, whose gifts for elaborate makeup and ruthless villainy would flower under Browning's direction, setting the stage for a series of monstrous characterisations that would revolutionise the melodrama and lay the foundations of the American horror film. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Outside the Law from a 4K restoration for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Product Features 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration conducted by Universal Pictures Musical score by Anton Sanko New video interview with author / critic Kim Newman Alternate ending from a 16mm print of the film, created in 1926 for a re-release of Outside the Law PLUS: A Collector's Booklet featuring an essay by Richard Combs *All extras subject to change
Eureka Entertainment to release Three Monster Tales Of Sci-Fi Terror (Man-Made Monster, The Monolith Monsters, and Monster on the Campus) on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK as a part of the Eureka Classics range. Available from 11 April 2022, the first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase & Collector's Booklet. A trio of chilling sci-fi tales from the vaults of Universal Pictures, starring a number of genre legends including Lionel Atwill (Son of Frankenstein), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man), and Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man). A mad scientist transforms a carnival performer (Lon Chaney, Jr.) into a murderous monster in Man-Made Monster (dir. George Waggner, 1941). In The Monolith Monsters (dir. John Sherwood, 1957), a giant meteor crashes to Earth and the fragments begin to spread turning everyone they come into contact with to stone! And finally, fear stalks the seemingly tranquil halls of Dunsfield University in Monster on the Campus (dir. Jack Arnold, 1958) when a palaeontology professor becomes infected with irradiated blood and begins to devolve into a primitive beast. Features Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase 1080p presentations on Blu-ray Disc One Man-Made Monster and The Monolith Monsters Disc Two Monster on the Campus (available in both 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 aspect ratios) Man-Made Monster Brand new audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman The Monolith Monsters Brand new audio commentary with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby Monster on the Campus Brand new audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman PLUS: A Limited-Edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films included in this set by film scholar Craig Ian Mann *All extras subject to change A trio of fun science-fiction thrillers from the Universal vaults make their UK Blu-ray debut in this two-disc set that's sure to please fans of vintage creature features Featuring ground-breaking special effects that set the standard for all sci-fi terror to come Stars Lionel Atwill (Son of Frankenstein), Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man), Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man) The first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase & Collector's Booklet.
! Eureka Entertainment to release THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, the million-dollar super-production of Victor Hugo's famous novel, starring Lon Chaney. On Blu-ray for the first time ever in the UK as a part of The Masters of Cinema Series, presented from a 4K restoration. Available from 17 October 2022, the first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited-Edition O-card Slipcase. Perhaps the grandest of Universal's silent filmsand featuring arguably its first iconic movie monsterThe Hunchback of Notre Dame stars Lon Chaney in the role which transformed him from a respected character actor to a global superstar. Chaney stars as Quasimodo, the mocked and vilified bell-ringer of Notre Dame who selflessly protects the star-crossed street performer Esmerelda (Patsy Ruth Miller), who is in an ill-fated love affair with the dashing Captain Phoebus (Norman Kerry). A Super Jewel adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, Universal spared no expense on this lavish production, and were rewarded with the most financially successful silent film they had released up to that point. Lon Chaney's performance and make-up work are already legendary, but the rest of the film is as deserving of praise a beautiful nightmare now fully restored in 4K and making its UK debut on Blu-ray as part of the Masters of Cinema series. Special Features Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (First print-run of 2000 copies only) 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration conducted by Universal Pictures Music by Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum & Laura Karpman (presented in uncompressed LPCM stereo) Brand new audio commentary with author Stephen Jones and author / critic Kim Newman Brand new interview with author / critic Kim Newman on the many adaptations of Victor Hugo's novel Brand new interview with film historian Jonathan Rigby PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring a new essay by journalist Philip Kemp, illustrated with archival imagery
THE MUMMY'S GHOST An ancient curse that has survived for 3,000 years is coming to America! In ancient Egypt, the princess Ananka and lowly commoner Kharis fell in love and pledged themselves eternally to each other. Although buried together, Kharis is given a sacred potion that grants him eternal life - and an eternity to search for his lost love. Lon Chaney, Jr. as Kharis and John Carradine as an Egyptian priest star in this engaging story of a couple's true love that survives the centuries and the unending curse that haunts them. The Mummy's Ghost unearths hope for romantics everywhere with its surprising finale! THE MUMMY'S CURSE An ancient curse that has survived for 3,000 years is coming to America! In ancient Egypt, the princess Ananka and lowly commoner Kharis fell in love and pledged themselves eternally to each other. Although buried together, Kharis is given a sacred potion that grants him eternal life - and an eternity to search for his lost love. Lon Chaney, Jr. as Kharis and John Carradine as an Egyptian priest star in this engaging story of a couple's true love that survives the centuries and the unending curse that haunts them. The Mummy's Ghost unearths hope for romantics everywhere with its surprising finale!
This 1958 variation on Huck Finn's adventures with Jim finds a white convict (Tony Curtis) chained to a black convict (Sidney Poitier) as they both escape their captors. With each man literally stuck with the other, racial conflicts take a back seat to survival. Directed by Stanley Kramer (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner), the film's obvious consciousness-raising is mitigated by a pair of raw performances from the stars, memorable appearances by Lon Chaney Jr. and Cara Williams, and Kramer's strong storytelling abilities. The Defiant Ones' award-winning script was cowritten by blacklisted writer-actor Nedrick Young. --Tom Keogh
One of the greatest Westerns ever made gets the deluxe treatment on this superior disc. Written by Carl Foreman (who was later blacklisted during the anticommunist hearings of the 1950s) and superbly directed by Fred Zinnemann, this 1952 classic stars Gary Cooper as just-married lawman Will Kane, who is about to retire as a small-town sheriff and begin a new life with his bride (Grace Kelly) when he learns that gunslinger Frank Miller (Ian MacDonald) is due to arrive at high noon to settle an old score. Kane seeks assistance from deputies and townsfolk, but soon realises he will have to stand alone in his showdown with Miller and his henchmen. Innovative for its time, the suspenseful story unfolds in approximate real time (from 10:40 a.m. to high noon in an 84-minute film), and many interpreted Foreman's drama as an allegorical reflection of apathy and passive acceptance of Senator Joseph McCarthy's anticommunist campaign. Political underpinnings aside, this remains a milestone of its genre (often referred to as the first "adult" Western), and Cooper is flawless in his Oscar-winning role. The first-rate DVD gives this landmark film all the respect it deserves, beginning with a digitally remastered transfer from the original film negative. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
All 7 films from the Legacy of the Original Wolf Man. Includes The Wolf Man (1941), Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945), Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Werewolf of London (1935) and She-Wolf of London (1946) The original Wolf Man is on eof the silver screen's most unforgettable characters and, along with the other Universal Classic Monsters, defined the Hollywood horror genre. The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection includes all 7 films from the original legacy including the eerie classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. and the timeless films that followed. These landmark motion pictures defined the iconic look of the tragic monster and continue to inspire countless remakes and adaptations that strengthen the legend of the Wolf Man to this day. Bonus Features: Monster by Moonlight Documentary The Wolf Man: From Ancient Cruse to Modern Myth Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr. He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce Wolf Man Feature Commentary with Film Historian Tom Weaver The Wolf Man Archives And more!
Even a man who is pure in heart, And says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms And the autumn moon is bright. If you haven't heard this piece of horror-movie doggerel before, you'll never forget it after seeing The Wolf Man for two reasons: it's a spooky piece of rhyme and nearly everybody in the picture recites it at one time or another. Set in a fog-bound studio-built Wales, The Wolf Man tells the doom-laden tale of Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), who returns to the estate of his wealthy father (Claude Rains). (Yes, Chaney's American, but the movie explains this, awkwardly.) Bitten by a werewolf, Talbot suffers the classic fate of the victims of lycanthropy: at the full moon, he turns into a werewolf, a transformation ingeniously devised by makeup maestro Jack Pierce. Pierce was the man who turned Boris Karloff into the Frankenstein monster, and his werewolf makeup became equally famous, with its canine snout and bushy hairdo--and, of course, seriously sharp dental work. The Wolf Man was a smash hit, giving Universal Pictures a new monster for their already crowded stable, and Chaney found himself following in the footsteps (or paw prints) of his father, who had essayed a monster or two in the silent era. This is a classy horror outing, with strong atmosphere and a thoughtful script by Curt Siodmak--well, except for the stiff romantic bits between Chaney and Evelyn Ankers. It's also got Bela Lugosi (briefly) and Maria Ouspenskaya, the prunelike Russian actress who foretells doom like nobody's business. --Robert Horton
Dracula appears at Dr. Edelman's office on the pretense of a cure for his vampirism his real intention is the Doctor's beautiful female assistant...
A must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan! Eureka Entertainment to release the INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES: THE COMPLETE FILM SERIES starring Lon Chaney, Jr; a must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan; on Blu-ray as a part of the Eureka Classics range from 7 December 2020. Death, dementia, dark arts... it's just another day in the forbidding and fascinating world of the Inner Sanctum! Get ready for unlimited thrills and chills as all six classic Inner Sanctum Mysteries come to Blu-ray in the UK for the first time ever! Based on the popular radio shows of the 1940's, horror icon Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man), gives timeless performances in six spooky feature-length films. Calling Dr. Death (dir. Reginald Le Borg, 1943) A doctor is not sure if he murdered his wife and has his nurse try to find the truth by hypnotising him. Weird Woman (dir. Reginald Le Borg, 1944) While on a trip, a professor falls in love with an exotic native woman who turns out to be a supernatural being. Dead Man's Eyes (dir. Reginald Le Borg, 1944) When an artist is blinded, an operation to restore his sight depends on another person willing to donate their eyes. The Frozen Ghost (dir. Harold Young, 1945) A stage mentalist and a discredited plastic surgeon are involved in mysterious goings-on in an eerie wax museum. Strange Confession (dir. John Hoffman, 1945) Flashbacks reveal the events leading up to a man's revenge on the racketeer who took advantage of his wife. Pillow of Death (dir. Wallace Fox, 1945) A lawyer in love with his secretary is suspected of suffocating his wife, among others. Special Edition Contains: High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of all six films. Uncompressed LPCM monaural audio tracks Optional English SDH subtitles Calling Dr. Death Audio commentary from screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner and Regina Le Borg (daughter of director Reginald Le Borg) Weird Woman Audio commentary from author Justin Humphreys (The Dr. Phibes Companion) and Del Howison (Dark Delicacies: Original Tales of Terror and the Macabre) Strange Confession Audio commentary from screenwriter Peter Atkins (Hellraiser II, III, & IV) and screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner Kim Newman on The Inner Sanctum Mysteries New interview with journalist, film critic, and fiction writer Kim Newman This is the Inner Sanctum: Making a Universal Mystery Series [55 mins] The Creaking Door: Entering The Inner Sanctum [15 mins] History of the Radio Series with author/radio historian Martin Grams Jr. Mind Over Matter [20 mins] Archival interview with actor Martin Kosleck (The Frozen Ghost) Inner Sanctum Mysteries: Radio Episodes A selection of episodes from the original radio series PLUS: A collector's booklet featuring new writing on the series by Craig Ian Man Key Points: Boxed set containing all 6 of Universal's Inner Sanctum series of films from the 1940s All films star Lon Chaney, Jr. (also known for classics such as The Wolf Man & High Noon) On Blu-ray in the UK for the first time ever A must-own for every classic mystery and horror fan
Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
Starring the great Lon Chaney Jr in one of his last acting roles, Witchcraft is a superb British horror film, directed by Don Sharp (Curse of the Fly, Kiss of the Vampire, Callan). During the 17th Century, the Lanier family buried a Whitlock woman alive as a witch to take over the Whitlock estate. Despite a bitter hatred, two descendants of the warring Lanier and Whitlock families Amy (Diane Clare) and Todd (David Weston), decide to marry. But when Bill Lanier (Jack Hedley) begins to renovate the old Whitlock Estate, a bulldozer overturns headstones and churns up graves in the old Whitlock Cemetery. Rising from an open grave, the buried witch Vanessa Whitlock (Yvette Rees) searches out Morgan Whitlock (Lon Chaney Jr.) to use their witchcraft to murder the despised Laniers - one by one .
Lon Chaney, the man of a thousand faces, was best known for playing Quasimodo and the Phantom of the Opera. But the former role in The Hunchback of Notre Dame was clearly the most ambitious of his illustrious career, full of such longing and anguish. It's as though his entire being was consumed by this ugly outcast with a heart as big and beautiful as Notre Dame itself. And the makeup is still astonishing. The rest of this unrequited love story is pretty effective as well, with the re-creation of medieval Paris a standout for its lavishness. Like all great silent films, it delivers a poetry of life that is abstract and tangible at the same time. --Bill Desowitz
In the late 1960s and early 70s, a bizarre alliance between the Filippino movie company Hemisphere and the American exploitation outfit Independent International yielded a series of weirdly interconnected horror movies, most of which work the word Blood into the title. The Filippino items are strangely fascinating vampire and mad scientist pictures with oddball colour effects and a mix of naive serial-style thrills and extreme-for-the-era sex and gore; the American efforts, from director Al Adamson, are shoddier, thrown together from offcuts of previous pictures, and are lead-paced but nevertheless curiously appealing. Gaze in awe at mutant killer trees, slobbering hunchbacked servants, faded matinee idols, stripper-turned-actress heroines with concrete blonde hairdos, evil dwarves, John Carradine or Lon Chaney, footage cut in from completely different films, Dracula and Frankenstein meeting hippies and bikers, red filters when the vampires attack, chanting natives! Plus lots of exclamation marks! Plus lurid trailers! "The kings of horror battle to the death" in Dracula vs Frankenstein. The last of the Frankensteins (J Carrol Naish) works in a carnival horror house with his sidekick Groton the Mad Zombie (Lon Chaney Jr). A Frank Zappa-like Dracula (Zandor Vorkov) and a monster with a face like a big mushroom slug it out. The film also features Russ Tamblyn as a beach biker and a Vegas showgirl heroine on LSD. This Region 2 DVD is sadly bereft of the extras found on the US Troma Region 1 disc. --Kim Newman
Meet Frankenstein: The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula's reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula's bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman Dracula and Frankenstein all running rampant. Meet The Mummy: In Egypt Peter and Freddie find the archaeologist Dr. Zoomer murdered before they can return to America. A medallion leads them to a crypt where a revived mummy provides the terror.
Although recognised as part of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe cycle (its title comes from a Poe poem) The Haunted Palace has a much more significant place in film history for being the first high-profile adaptation of the work of H.P. Lovecraft in this case his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Ward is one of two characters played by Vincent Price the other being Ward’s great-great-grandfather Joseph Curwen burned as a warlock 110 years before. When Ward returns to the village of Arkham to reclaim the family mansion his striking resemblance to his ancestor is just the first of many macabre events that proceed to unfold including the screen debut of Lovecraft’s legendary Necronomicon. As before Corman and his team worked wonders with their modest budget with Daniel Haller’s sets amongst the most elaborate in all the Poe cycle enhanced by genuinely creepy moments such as the crowd of deformed villagers still living under Curwen’s curse.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy