The Bela Lugosi Collection (1932 - 1940)

5 film, single disc collection of the infamous Hungarian actor's lesser known Universal Horror works. Universal R1 USA boxset.

Summary

As well as their famous Frankenstein and Dracula series of films, Universal also shot a number of one-off horror titles during the height of their horror sucesses in the 1930s and 1940s, this set brings together five of those starring their unique and distinctive leading man, Bela Lugosi. In four of the films he is also joined by frequent screen sparring partner, Boris Karloff.

The films range from the original and exciting Invisible Ray (1936) to the missed opportunities of Horror/Gangster fusion in Black Friday (1940). The Edgar Allan Poe based stories range from decent Black Cat (1934) to the average Raven (1935) and the dull Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). See the individual reviews below for more...:

The Films - links to individual DVD reviews.

Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

The Black Cat (1934)

The Raven (1935)

The Invisible Ray (1936)

Black Friday (1940)

In Brief:

Anyone famous in it?	1930s horror movie icons Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff take top billing in all titles except the first film, where Lugosi is solo.
Who is it for?	Fans of the 1930/40s Universal Horror era should enjoy this, especially Karloff and Lugosi fans.

The DVDs

The Disc	It is worth noting that the disc used for this release is a double-sided DVD-18. Some users have reported problems with these discs on certain players - although we encoutered no issues during playback via a PC player.
Visuals	All films are in Original Aspect Ratios (1.33:1) and black and white. The picture quality is decent throughout, far superior to most public domain releases.
Audio	All discs have original English Dolby Digital mono tracks. English track is generally strong.
Subtitles	French, Spanish and English HOH subtitles for all films.
Extras	Original cinema trailers are included for The Invisible Ray, Murders in the Rue Morgue and Black Friday.
Packing	Cardboard slipcase with single disc digi-pack inside. No single disc releases.
Region	Region 1 - NTSC
Other regions?	Some films have releases in other countries. None particularly superior.
Cuts?	All films are believed to be fully uncut. Prints are English langauge.

Summary

The set includes a couple of must-watch titles, but with Lugosi and Karloff on screen there is always some enjoyment to be had.

A decent looking set of prints with good audio. Although some trailers are included, the lack of any real extras is a disappointment.

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All text in this review written by Timothy Young - May/June 2006.
Text from this review not to be used without authorization.

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