Classic Horror-palooza on DVD Today (4/27)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Ken_McAlinden, Apr 27, 2004.

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  1. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    Is anyone else geeked about the Universal Monster Legacy Collections being released today? It's nice to see them back in circulation, reportedly with a few problems fixed from the earlier releases. I never picked up The Wolf Man before it went on moratorium, and that was always one of my favorites when I was a kid. Most major discount retailers are selling the set combining the Dracula, Mummy, and Wolf Man sets for under $60. Here are the films included:

    Dracula Legacy Collection:
    Dracula
    Dracula (1931 Spanish)
    Dracula’s Daughter
    Son of Dracula
    House of Dracula.

    Frankenstein Legacy Collection
    Frankenstein
    Bride of Frankenstein
    Son of Frankenstein
    Ghost of Frankenstein
    House of Frankenstein.

    Wolf Man Legacy Collection
    Wolf Man
    Werewolf of London
    Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
    She-Wolf of London.

    This is a lot of monster fun for under $60, but I still want my Mummy. :)

    Warner Brothers apparently wants in on the fun as well, and are releasing a box set of some of the Hammer films they distribute called "The Hammer Horror Collection". It includes:

    Curse of Frankenstein
    Horror of Dracula
    The Mummy
    Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
    Dracula Has Risen From the Grave
    Taste the Blood of Dracula

    Wee! It's Halloween in April, which is the next best thing to Christmas in July. :)

    Regards,
     
    Ken_McAlinden, Apr 27, 2004
    #1
  2. GregY

    GregY New Member

    Location:
    .
    Picked up the Dracula and Frankenstein sets at Best Buy just now. $19.99 a pop. Not a big fan of the Wolf Man movie and I assumed I wouldn't care for the sequels either.

    I owned the original releases of Drac and Frank and the extras are awesome. Commentaries worth listening to and great documentaries as well. In fact, for some of the other films like Creature, I enjoyed the extras more than the films!
     
    GregY, Apr 27, 2004
    #2
  3. voicebug

    voicebug Senior Member

    Location:
    now in Houston, TX
    I have a question about these. The boxes are 2 disc sets that include 4 or 5 films. Are the DVDs double sided, with 2 or 3 movies on each side, or are the films short enough to squeeze onto 2 discs?

    Those double sided DVDs make me nervous. It seems like the side on top when you open the DVD case is prone to scratching or damage since the playing area is exposed.

    I have the original releases of 'Dracula,' 'Frankenstein, 'Bride of Frankenstein,' 'The Wolf Man,' and 'The Mummy.' I got them as my 'free' selections when I joined the Columbia House DVD club about 3-4 years ago. Are the extras on these new sets the same as on the old releases?
     
    voicebug, Apr 27, 2004
    #3
  4. GregY

    GregY New Member

    Location:
    .
    For the Dracula and Frankenstein sets, it's 2 discs. One disc in the set is single-sided, the other is double-sided.

    The only new stuff is:
    1. new featurettes by Van Hesling director Stephen Sommers about how the classic films influenced his upcoming film, i.e. an ad for Van Helsing.
    2. House of Dracula wasn't previously available.
    3. Bride of Frankenstein is a new transfer, supposedly fixing some framing issues present in the original release.

    That's what I've been able to gather from a few different HT/movie forums.
     
    GregY, Apr 27, 2004
    #4
  5. Ken_McAlinden

    Ken_McAlinden MichiGort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Livonia, MI
    All of them are 2-disc sets. For Dracula and Frankenstein, they included one DVD-9 (single sided double layer) and one DVD-18 (double sided double layer). For the Wolf Man set, It includes one DVD-9, and one DVD-14 (double sided with one single and one double layer). In addition to what Greg mentioned, I believe the audio tracks are somewhat better for at least the first two Frankenstein films (I have not had time to even sample everything yet, so there could be more). The bitrates are very high with plenty of room for the supplements since most of these films clock in at 80 minutes or less.

    Regards,
     
    Ken_McAlinden, Apr 28, 2004
    #5
  6. Mister Kite

    Mister Kite Uncle Obscure

    Location:
    Columbia, MO
    I picked up the three Legacy collections today and so far am pretty pleased. Dracula is a little rough around the edges, but it is also the oldest film of the bunch. Otherwise, these transfers range from very good to excellent.
    Bride is the only movie I got the first time that Universal released them to DVD. After doing a direct comparison, I am happy to report that this is definitely a new transfer and it is much improved over the old one. The Bride has never looked better!
     
    Mister Kite, May 2, 2004
    #6
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