Universal Horror Movies on DVD

[Dave James]

Not sure if there are other fans of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman out there, but tomorrow something called The Monster's Legacy Collection is being released on DVD. This 6 disc set will include 13 full length films from the Universal archives; five Frankensteins, four Draculas and four Wolfmans. These are, indeed, the creme de la creme, everything from the Karloff, Lugosi, Cheney originals to the kitschsy "House Of" movies, all from the '30's and '40's. There's even one from 1946 called "She Wolf of London" starring none other than Lassie's mom and the original Mrs. Robinson, June Lockhart.

I'll be the first in my neighborhood to latch on to these. I love this stuff.

Up over and out.

Edited April 26, 2004 by Dave James

[The Mule]

I'll be there as well. Grew up watching all of these in Chicago on WGN during "Creature Features" which aired on Saturday nights at 10:30pm. When I was a kid my parents would make me go to bed at my usual time and then wake me up so I could watch them. The opening to "Creature Features" was a really great montage of Universal horror movie moments cut to Henry Mancini's creepy theme from "Experiment in Terror."

If you want to read a great book about the Universal Frankenstein series, you should seek out IT'S ALIVE! by Gregory Mank (who I believe does some of the commentaries on the dvds). The book is out-of-print, but you may be able to find it in a used book store or on E-bay.

Think I'll also pick up the new dvd of Hammer's FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED which also comes out tomorrow...

[Stefan Wood]

I'll be snagging these as well. When they first came out on dvd, the prices were too expensive (around 30 bucks). I hope the transfers are good.

[Dave James]

Mule - Did you and I have the same parents? My twin brother and I used to have to go through the same drill. If something we wanted to see was on at, say, 11:30, then we had to hit the sack for a couple of hours beforehand in order to qualify. Boy, when you're 8-9 years old, some of those old movies you just laugh at now scared the crap out of me. I distinctly remember having to sleep with the light on for three nights after I saw "The Bride of Frankenstein" the first time. I was completely freaked out.

Thanks for the tip on the Frankenstein book. I'll see if I can find it. I know there were some great stories associated with those old monster flicks.

Up over and out.

[ghost of miles]

I'll probably be snagging this set as well. I saw most of these as a kid on a Friday-night Indianapolis show hosted by "Sammy Terry," a ghoulish guy with a spider named George. (Sammy chatted regularly with the dangling George and made awful puns about the evening's movie feature.) It came on at either 10:30 or 11:30, but my parents usually let us stay up, since it wasn't a school night.

[The Mule]

That image of the ghoul with the top hat, I think that is Lon Chaney, but what is the name of the movie it is from and

is it available on DVD or VHS, anyone know?

It is Lon Chaney, Sr. as the "vampire" from a silent film called LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT. The film, alas, is "lost" and the last known print was destroyed in the 1960s. There is a dvd boxed set of Chaney silent films which has a "reconstruction" of the movie using 200 stills and the original script. The screenplay was available in book form about 10 years ago. LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT was remade in the talkie era as MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (aka: VAMPIRE OVER LONDON; aka: MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE) and starred Bela Lugosi.

Here's the link.

Dave James wrote:

Mule - Did you and I have the same parents? My twin brother and I used to have to go through the same drill. If something we wanted to see was on at, say, 11:30, then we had to hit the sack for a couple of hours beforehand in order to qualify. Boy, when you're 8-9 years old, some of those old movies you just laugh at now scared the crap out of me.

That's so funny! I thought I was the only kid in the world whose parents let him do that...

There was something even scarier about watching those old movies half-asleep, almost like they were a dream (or nightmare). I was obsessed with those old Universal horror movies. I had a lot of those Aurora "monster models" from that era and they were all over my bedroom.

Edited April 27, 2004 by The Mule

[RDK]

The DVDs are really great. I have all the "old" versions and they're packed with documentaries and other bonuses. I'm not sure if there's any new material sans the Sommers commentaries re: Van Helsing but the price has dropped and they've combined several "sequels" in the package. These should be about $20 each - a steal!

[ghost of miles]

I have THE MUMMY DVD that came out several years ago, and it's fantastic.

Has anybody found the set for less than $56? I did a search two weeks ago, and that was the best price I could find (from both Deep Discount DVD and Amazon).

[The Mule]

My local Best Buy has it for $59 and that's where I'm getting it. I figure if I ordered on-line the postage would make it $59 or more anyhow.

This is really a great price considering how many films are on the discs and all the extras.