Boris Karloff: Icons of Horror Collection – DVD Review

Boris Karloff: Icons of Horror Collection (2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

In my mind, Karloff will forever be tied to Universal Studios and their monster movies. However, despite making his largest impact with Universal, even as early as the mid-30s (right after & during the success of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein) it does not appear has was under exclusive contract with them. During this time, he was featured in movies for 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., MGM, RKO and a few smaller studios. He also found time to sign a six-picture deal with Columbia Pictures and thanks to Sony (who owns Columbia) we’re getting to see a few of those movies on DVD for the first time…

The Black Room (1935)

This is a nice little movie that shows Karloff at the peak of his abilities and just four years removed from the huge success of Frankenstein. I find it out that after such success with Universal that Karloff would go on to have a stint with Columbia Pictures. Anyway, Karloff plays twins in this one: one evil, one good. The Black Room really showcases just how great of an actor Karloff was as he plays the murderous, evil & manipulative Gregor while just as easily playing Gregor’s charming, considerate & gentlemanly brother Anton. Not an essential horror film (in fact, I’ve read one review calling it a “dark, Gothic melodrama” instead and I agree) but I highly recommend it for anyone that is fan of Karloff’s.

The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Between 1939 and 1941, Karloff did four movies for Columbia Pictures known as the “Mad Science” series. Whether this was what it was being referring to then or if it is a more modern term, I do not know. The films weren’t connected, didn’t have the same characters (though like the Universal monster movies, they used a lot of the same actors), it was just Karloff playing a mad scientist in each film. The Man They Could Not Hang was the first in the series and is tragic in that it features a good man (though a bit misguided) who society crucifies and thus he becomes the evil they already thought him to be. It’s a good revenge flick with Karloff yet again showing he is great at playing good and evil.

Before I Hang (1940)

A lot of similarities to The Man They Could Not Hang (well-meaning yet misguided scientists who try to overcome death become driven to madness) but instead of revenge, Karloff’s murderous rampages are due to having a killer’s blood now flowing through his body. Nothing special, I liked it better when it was called The Man They Could Not Hang.

The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)

Following in the tradition of Arsenic and Old Lace (the stage version Karloff enjoyed much success with), this one is a dark comedy farce of errors, misunderstandings and murder. Karloff does well in his role as the absent minded scientist trying to create a superman but Lorre does even better as the absent minded mayor/sheriff/doctor/salesman. It was nice to see Karloff & Lorre spending time on screen together but overall this one fell flat with me.

Final Thoughts:

Disc 1 is definitely worth watching. Both The Black Room and The Man They Could Not Hang feature Karloff at the height of his powers and are good thrillers. Disc 2 features two rather bland and forgettable movies. Still, I’m happy to have finally seen them. The collection is still worth picking up though just for the first two features.

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The Mummy- The Legacy Collection – DVD Review

The Mummy – The Legacy Collection (2004, Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

After having already viewed the studio’s Dracula, Frankenstein & Wolf Man output many times over the last two or three years I’ve gone started watching some of Universal’s more obscure horror movies. This year in addition to my continuing quest for their B-grade stuff, I turn back to one of their major horror franchises — The Mummy.

The Mummy would be the fourth in line for Universal’s major monsters. I remember watching some of these movies as a kid around Halloween but wasn’t really interested in them but as I’m starting to exhaust and discover all of the classics, it was time to revisit these movies and give them another chance…

The Mummy (1932)

This seems to have almost become a forgotten role for Karloff (at least where the mainstream is concerned who prefer to remember him for being Frankenstein’s Monster) but Imhotep is another signature performance from him. Sadly, we only see him wrapped up in the bandages for just a few moments but it’s a quite striking visual as Boris looks nothing short of awesome. Furthermore, out of the bandages his performance and look under the guise of Ardeth Bey is just as impactful and that deathly gaze still works today. It’s a shame for whatever reason Karloff & Imhotep were not brought back for the sequels. As for the movie itself, it’s full of atmosphere and looks good but it shuffles (pun intended) at too slow of a pace for me. Good Universal horror but not great.

The Mummy’s Hand (1940)

The first Mummy movie was success with movie-goers and critics so it’s odd that Universal waited to so long to produce a follow-up. The Mummy’s Hand popped up during the 2nd cycle of Universal’s horror line and like so many of those movies from the 1940s, it’s all done a bit tongue-in-cheek. No longer are legit chills the focus, as was the case in the early 30s, instead it’s all a bit more light-hearted. Also, this movie seems to act as a reboot for the series. There is no mention of the events from the previous movie and the origins of Kharis are exactly the same as Imhotep’s (right down to the recycled footage)! Solid B-movie effort starring Horror Island‘s Dick Foran (as Steve Banning) and the super cute Peggy Moran.

The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)

When your 61 minute sequel starts off with 11 minutes of footage from the previous movie, things aren’t looking good. Although, I did like how this movie takes place 30 years after The Mummy’s Hand and how Steve Banning’s family is now being targeted by Kharis & the new High Priest of Arkam (Turhan Bey as ‘Mehemet Bey’). Dick Foran is back as Steve Banning but it’s unfortunate Peggy Moran doesn’t reprise her role. Then again, I’m not sure I would want to see her walking around made up to look like she was in her 60s anyway. This movie is odd in that it doesn’t take place in Egypt! Kharis & Mehemet come to America and terrorize a New England all in the name of revenge. Lon Chaney Jr’s first appearance as the Mummy (a role he supposedly loathed for all the make-up but that didn’t stop him from taking a paycheck for two more Mummy movies after this one…). Nothing special, really.

The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)

Taking place 4 years after the events of The Mummy’s Tomb, this was a better movie, I thought. Of course, the fact that it didn’t feature ANY recycled footage at all helps. John Carradine also does a good job as Yousef Bey (yep, ANOTHER newly appointed High Priest). Yousef travels from Egypt to the town of Mapleton, Massahusetts, USA to insure the mummy Kharis and the Princess Ananka (on display at a museum) are brought back to their Egyptian tombs. I thought the ending was suitably tragic, falling more in line with some of the 1930s Universal movies.

The Mummy’s Curse (1944)

Not as good as The Mummy’s Ghost but still better than The Mummy’s Tomb, this movie brings back recycled footage and recycled ideas. It’s apparent there was a real lack of care regarding the Mummy series as the movies vary about as much as Home Alone 2 differs from the first Home Alone. The only real difference (and it’s startling one) is that the setting has been changed from New England to the Louisiana Bayou. It’s not that the Mummy has all of a sudden popped up somewhere else in the United States — the characters in this movie clearly recall previous events involving the mummy. Just a weird thing to do after firmly establishing the two previous movies as taking place in Mapleton, Mass. Even weirder since this movie came out just 5 months after the previous one! I guess some movie exec just really wanted to see the mummy running around the bayou.

By the way, for anyone following the time line, The Mummy’s Hand took place in the then-present (1940), The Mummy’s Tomb is 30 years into the future (1970), The Mummy’s Ghost takes place in four years later in 1974 and The Mummy’s Curse takes place 25 years after that in 1999! Amazingly, the 1940s apparently never went out of style in that world.

Final Thoughts:

The original Karloff film, while not spectacular, is good and full of atmosphere and great performances by Karloff and Zita Johann. The rest of the franchise falls into standard B-movie fare full of recycled ideas and predictability. I don’t think these movies are necessarily but they are bland and can become boring at times. Probably the weakest franchise in Universal’s horror catalog. The Mummy is essential viewing but the rest is recommended only for classic horror completists.

Buy ‘The Mummy – The Legacy Collection’ at Amazon.com

Dracula (1979) – Review

Dracula (1979, Universal Studios)

This is one I had no interest in seeing up until a few weeks ago. Just one look at Frank Langella as the Count and I just couldn’t take him seriously for all these years. Despite this, I have read many good reviews of the film and decided to finally watch it one creepy, windy Fall evening. Though the novel is the obvious inspiration, the screenplay is said to have taken more from the stage adaptation rather than the book. Interestingly, just as Bela Lugosi had starred in the stage play, Langella also had a run in the role of Dracula in the theater before getting the film role.

Although no one will ever top the suave Eastern Euro-creepiness that Bela brought to the role, I will admit that Frank does a good job playing the character with charm, sophistication and class even if I don’t think he necessarily “looks” the part of Dracula.

Though a Universal film, to my knowledge this was not an attempt at rebooting the Dracula/monster franchise. Then again, who knows where Universal might have gone next if the film was a larger financial success (reviews were positive though) as I felt the climax was a bit open-ended.

There is sense of class to the whole production (and the set design for the interior’s of Dracula’s castle is amazing) and the film is much more of a romantic drama rather than a simple case of Dracula wanting a new addition to his harem of brides. In fact, some posters for this film promoted it as a love story. In regard to the emphasis on sex & romance, and the slower pace, this actually feels a bit like a Hammer production.

All told, the 1979 version is a solid movie but it’s a bit slow in pace and still pales in comparison to the original Universal production.

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The Boris Karloff Collection – DVD Review

The Boris Karloff Collection (2006, Universal Studios Home Entertainment)

Delving further into Universal’s horror movies I picked up this cool little Karloff set…

Night Key (1937)

Night Key is really more of a science fiction/crime thriller rather than horror. Karloff stars as an inventor who has created a new high tech burglar alarm system. He gets swindled out of the rights by an old rival but then runs into a gang led by a man called The Kid who force him to use his knowledge of the system so they commit robberies unnoticed. The part of an old kind-hearted legally blind inventor hardly counts as one of Karloff’s “most frightening roles” but this is still an entertaining crime film. It’s interesting to see Karloff in such a role a mere six years after Frankenstein as he usually did not (or was not allowed to) steer much from the horror genre.

Tower of London (1939)

A quite brutal film for its time (I would imagine) but not really a horror movie, Tower of London is based on the rise of the future king Richard III of England. A fictitious character, an executioner by the name of Mord (played by Karloff), was created to add a bit more menace & creepiness to the movie and, boy, is Mord a creep! Basil Rathbone does a great job as the sinister & cunning Richard III, plotting and planning for the elimination of anyone standing in his way of becoming king. Karloff is great in his role of Mord as well. This was 1939, so it was right before Karloff started to look a bit too lean and frail to play physically menacing roles but he does a great job here. The film even stars a young Vincent Price as George, Duke of Clarence. Good movie.

The Climax (1944)

Pretty cool to see Karloff in what appears to be an A-list film at this point in his career. It’s even cooler to see one of the original masters of horror in color (this is his first color appearance). The Climax is a classy big budget Technicolor feature that was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction/Interior Design and I have to say that nomination was well-deserved. Some of the set pieces are breathtaking and the movie makes great use of being filmed in color. After Karloff spent a few years away from Universal doing films for other studios and having much success on Broadway with Arsenic and Old Lace, this big budget Technicolor affair was offered to Boris in an attempt to appease him and bring him back to the studio for a two picture deal (the 2nd movie being House of Frankenstein released the same year). This movie is really more in line with Phantom of the Opera, combining a few chills with the opera. Directed by George Waggner (The Wolf Man) and co-starring Turhan Bey (The Mummy’s Tomb) & Susanna Foster (Phantom of the Opera). Despite the great visuals, this movie is a bit bland and the least enjoyable of the bunch.

The Strange Door (1951)

The Strange Door is a strange film. Charles Laughton does a great job as the pompous, portly, effeminate and perverse Sire de Maletroit. Very easy character to dislike but doesn’t really seem too bright as his idea of revenge here was decades in the making. Then again, the man is just plain mad so I guess that throws all logic out of the window. Karloff doesn’t have too large of a role in the movie until the second half of the film but he does play a central part in the film.

The Black Castle (1952)

Such a dark, twisted movie only lightened at times by the protagonist’s charm & wit (Richard Greene as Sir Ronald Burton). I have seen a review stating The Black Castle feels more like something Universal would’ve done in the 1930s and I can’t disagree. Count von Bruno (Stephen McNally) is downright despicable, a man who loves to torture all creatures alike mentally as well as physically and he has the dungeon full of whips, cages and a room full of crocodiles to do just that. Again, Karloff takes a backseat during most of the movie but his character does play a pivotal role in how the film ends. As the castle’s live-in doctor he is decidedly creepy and seems to be written as not evil but not as someone with a sinless past either.

Final Thoughts:

Definitely a very cool set to pick up for Karloff fans even if none of these movies really count as horror. Just a solid collection of thrillers here with Night Key, Tower of London and The Black Castle standing out as highlights.

Buy ‘The Boris Karloff Collection’ at Amazon.com

Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive – DVD Review

Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive (2007, Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Run time: 326 minutes

Special Features
- Theatrical Trailers

Despite the somewhat cheap-looking cover art, this is actually a pretty solid collection of some of Universal Studios’ lesser-known B-grade horror movies from the early 1940s (I only wish there were some short write-ups about these films). Originally a Best Buy exclusive, this box set retails for $15-20 but I picked up a used copy on Amazon.com for around $10.

Let’s face it, Universal was the king of horror from the 1920s into the early 1950s and I’ve been wanting to go beyond the usual Universal Monster fare for quite sometime so this is a great DVD set to add to my collection. None of these movies are going to make anyone’s Top 10 list but they are all enjoyable in their own right. For classic horror movie buffs, I think this is an easy buy.

Now, a few thoughts on the movies…

The Black Cat (1941)

The second film (loosely) based on Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” to feature Bela Lugosi. I spoke about Universal’s first take on The Black Cat two years ago and while that movie had virtually nothing to do with the Poe story, it was an atmospheric chiller. Not a remake, this 1941 version has slightly more in common with the story but is really its own movie and is a horror-comedy. The comedy actually works pretty well with Hugh Herbert’s wacky Mr. Penny character getting most of the laughs while Brod Crawford’s fast-talking Hubert Smith supplies some good one-liners as well. The comedy is well-balanced in this “whodunit” murder mystery that features a good horrific climax.

Man-Made Monster (1941)

A 1950s sci-fi thriller about 9 years too early, even down to the poster. Obviously, someone agreed because this movie was re-released in 1953 under the title of The Atomic Monster. Man-Made Monster was Lon Chaney Jr.’s horror movie debut. Junior’s most famous role in The Wolf Man would come  months later and it’s worth noting that he was directed by George Waggner in both films. While science-fiction isn’t really my cup of tea, the horror element grows strong in the movie’s final scenes and the entire film is carried by likable and sympathetic characters.

Horror Island (1941)

Horror Island is a mystery/comedy that centers around a treasure hunt at a castle on a deserted island. Meanwhile, there is a killer loose on the island (referred to as “The Phantom”) who tries to scare people off the island and/or just flat-out kill them in order to have the treasure to himself.

The comedy is done pretty well and there are some nice red herrings tossed in but the last 10 minutes or so get pretty silly and there are some plot-holes. Luckily the film is only 61 minutes so despite the flimsy ending Horror Island does not wear out its welcome and does not take itself seriously so I enjoyed it for what it was.

Night Monster (1942)

A misleading title, I was expecting some type of rampaging creature but that’s not what this movie is about at all (it’s really a murder mystery at its core not dissimilar to The Black Cat or Horror Island). Disappointingly, despite how the credits are positioned, Lugosi & Atwill are just part of the ensemble and aren’t the stars at all.

Captive Wild Woman (1943)

Well, we’ve all heard of the Wolf Man, here we have the Ape Woman. I’m not really into any movie featuring apes so I wasn’t expecting much from this movie but I actually ended up liking it quite a bit (despite being sick & falling asleep for about 10 minutes of it). John Carradine does well as the slimy mad scientist and it’s always a pleasure to stare at Evelyn Ankers. The film did well enough to have two sequels. Not sure this film would get approved by the ASPCA though were it filmed today.

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