Universal Horror for 2009.............. - Page 2

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Well, I'm more of a fan of the older stuff, so I wouldn't necessarily agree with you that the 30s thru 50s are satisfactorily covered. There are still a good amount of titles in the "Classic Horror Series" which made it to VHS but have never made it to DVD. This includes not only Universal's old horror titles, but things they own by Paramount, like ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and MURDERS IN THE ZOO. And there are also titles that have never made it to home video in ANY format!

I like DEATH BECOMES HER so I'd like to see a better upgraded DVD (well - make that a Blu-ray, actually), but I think we've already had different DVDs of HALLOWEEN II and III. In the grand scheme of things I think it's more important to release stuff that has NEVER been released on disc so far.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Just looking as the titles listed in this forum anyone can tell that Universal still has many many 30's and 40's movies hidden. But, yes the Classic Monster series has been done. I also suspect that any of the films that are not new to DVD are just repackaged with the same transfer and extras (if any). There are just too many titles for Universal to re-master all of them.

Since The Univinted was not announced nor Island of Lost Souls i guess they will not be included. Or Universal publicity is so off the mark they do not think those titles are important to list.

On the other hand. Universal must be reading this to come up with something, perhaps we actually gave them the idea. I know that Phantasm II has been on a lot of peoples must have list so I am very happy for them and this piece of good news.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

I should also add that while the Classic Monsters have largely been done already, they have been issued on those shoddy DVD-18 dual discs in the old green-boxed "Legacy Collections". Though I have gone on record as saying I prefer "never before released" titles, I think that now that the studio has abandoned the tricky DVD-18 format, it would be nice to be able to get the Classic Monsters re-done on proper DVD-9s. This is especially the case for THE BELA LUGOSI COLLECTION (and also the HAMMER COLLECTION) which really had a lot of reports of troublsome discs. I myself had problems with these.

I wouldn't mind an exhaustive and all-inclusive deluxe horror set including all the monster stuff, sort of like what Universal did with re-releasing the Abbott and Costello collection recently. And just like Universal added IT AIN'T HAY to the A&C series to make it unique, they could add some of the as-yet-unissued horror oldies to this "Complete Horror Collection".

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Don't inlcude me in this "Most of Us". My primary interest in horror is in the 30s-50s stuff and I have almost no use for modern horror.....and while they have certainly flooded the market with the core Universal Monster films, they are nowhere near exhausting their catalog.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Some people might consider this film to be a horror.....lol

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

I too am disappointed Universal isn't releasing THE WOLF MAN on Blu and I'm curious why they're releasing it now and not with the upcoming remake.

I'll probably rent PHANTASM II but it's certainly not a buy and especially if they don't give it the SE treatment that the R2 box set got. I'm sure the Craven and Carpenter sets will sell a lot of copies at Wal-Mart for $13 but these too aren't getting upgraded by me unless it's Blu.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

I know it's not Universal, but this upcoming release from that Video Business article looks interesting. I have all of the titles (except Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) but for those who don't, this should be a nice get for around $20.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Is The Birds getting the Legacy treatment?

GIVE ME THE (SO-CALLED) 'OLD' STUFF!!!!!!

A valid point has been made in that there is likely a generation of DVD collectors out there that is solely interested in the newer horror films...but certainly not me!

I love the Universal Pictures 1930s and 1940s screen horror classics ever since I first saw them on television in the late 1950s and the early-to-late 1960s mostly on the local Friday Fright Night Double Feature Late Show telecasts (actually it was originally the Saturday Fright Night Double Feature Late Show).

You will never convince me that the more contemporary efforts are better than THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944), THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940), HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944), THE MAD GHOUL (1943) and SON OF DRACULA (1943), etc.

On the topic of THE WOLF MAN (1941) I (honestly) swear that back in 1968 I saw a (complete) version on a local Toronto-based tv station where there was an extra scene shown after Lawrence Talbot's (Lon Chaney, Jr.) initial transformation where the lycanthrope is seen running through the main street of Llanwelly Village to the accompaniment of some Frank Skinner music from SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939).

I have seen this only once and I just couldn't have imagined it!

Now that I think about it this complete print may have also had the reputed scene where Lawrence Talbot wrestles a bear at the gypsy camp (for which there is one publicity still attesting to its having been filmed).

If these long "missing" scenes could somehow be included then it would make the upcoming third DVD release of THE WOLF MAN (1941) really worth it.

Jeff T.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Universal needs to release another set of their horror classics ASAP. I need to have THE MAD GHOUL and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS in my collection!

Re: GIVE ME THE (SO-CALLED) 'OLD' STUFF!!!!!!

There is something about THE WOLF MAN that fans could swear they've seen this or that scene in the movie at one time or another... I recall a fan saying once that he swore he saw Talbot actually transform into the Wolf Man at the end sequence where he's strapped to the chair. Of course, this never happened, but maybe it's the power of suggestion from the film.

I've never heard of a sequence you're describing about the Wolf Man running through the streets. It's the first I've ever heard of this, and I have to wonder if you're remembering something else? Have you ever presented this memory over at the CLASSIC HORROR FILM BOARD site, where many historians reside? You may wish to offer this up and see what comes of it. Who knows, maybe you actually discovered something.

As for the scene of Chaney wrestling a bear, there is a brief shot in the actual trailer of Chaney in mid-fight during that bear match. But as far as anyone has ever heard, it was never included in a released print.

Here's a link to a Wolf Man discussion on the Classic Horror Film Board:
The Wolf Man: Things that make you go Hmmmm - Universal Horrors - The Golden Age of Horror - Classic Horror Film Board - Message Board - Yuku

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

I've heard the same story before but I'm not sure anyone has ever shown a clip, a still or anything else.

I DEFINITELY SAW IT!!!!!!!

I probably saw the so-called "bear wrestling" scene in the theatrical trailer for THE WOLF MAN (1941) as mentioned but the other aforementioned scene I DID indeed see on television. Upon reflection this additional scene may have occurred in Lawrence Talbot's second transformation into a werewolf.

I still even have the issue of TV GUIDE magazine from that particular broadcast week and it aired on Friday, November 10, 1967 at (approximately) 02:00 a.m. E.T.

The music I mentioned was the selfsame piece that was later used in HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) when Lawrence Talbot first transforms into a werewolf in the Vasaria police station jail cell. That particular music during the scene is one of the aspects that has so vividly remained in my memory!

I even recall my reaction when I first saw it thinking, "What the heck is this?!"

By 1967 I had previously seen THE WOLF MAN (1941) on television enough times.

Jeff T.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Well, Jeff, I'm going to bring it up over at the Classic Horror Boards, and see what the experts over there think (people who've written books on the subject, like UNIVERSAL HORRORS).

If you say you're sure that the music during the scene was the same as later in the HOUSE OF DRACULA jail cell sequence, that muddies the waters a bit, because the music was different in THE WOLF MAN. And if this memory was during Talbot's second transformation, that wouldn't really fit because the way it's done in THE WOLF MAN just has him prowling in the woods the second time, where he gets caught in an animal trap. But I'll run it by the CHFB.

But one other thought ... during HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN there is a sequence where we see Chaney turn into the Wolf Man during a transformation as he walks out into the night from the house ... we see his feet change from human to wolf, and he makes inhuman footprints as he walks through the dirt. By the time he transforms, we see the full-bodied Wolf Man roaming about a bit in the night, and we hear that same HOUSE OF DRACULA music cue there that you've mentioned. I'm thinking this is the sequence you're thinking of.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Spot on, Joe. Let's hope Universal is listening.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Quietly and largely unnoticed, two of the most sought-after classic horror titles from anyone's list seem to have been officially released:

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932)

and

THE UNINVITED (1944)


...in Spain!


Grandes Clásicos del Cine de Terror - Volumen 1

Grandes Clásicos del Cine de Terror - Volumen 2


They are boxed with movies already available internationally like THE BLACK ROOM, THE DEVIL-DOLL or THE UNDYING MONSTER by spanish label "Absolute Distribucion" and are accompanied by nice looking covers and extensive booklets (in Spanish, I presume).

I haven't found anything on transfer quality yet but both sets are en route to my DVD player and I will keep you in touch.

FLESH AND FANTASY (1943)!!!!!

My first priority of a possible Universal Pictures Horror Classic DVD release is FLESH AND FANTASY (1943) which is pure stature!

I am very surprised that it has taken so long for Universal Pictures Home Entertainment to get around to it unless something truly extrarordinary is being planned for this most exemplary screen supernatural masterpiece.

Pertaining to the aforementioned "missing" scene from THE WOLF MAN (1941) which I saw on television it occurs in the dead-of-night and the fogbound town streets are completely deserted.

How would I possibly remember all of these details if it wasn't shown? I know that I saw it!

Jeff T.

Re: FLESH AND FANTASY (1943)!!!!!

Jeff, here's a link to the discussion of this very thing at the Classic Horror Film Board:

New WOLF MAN scene? - Universal Horrors - The Golden Age of Horror - Classic Horror Film Board - Message Board - Yuku

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Did you but them from that site, Fabian? Do they ship outside of Spain>

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

zonadvd usually links to dvdgo.com, where I purchased all my Spanish DVD up to now.

Recently though the dvdgo site has been relauched and has some serious problems processing orders - if the site is up at all.

In the meantime I recommend ordering at:

www.fnac.es

or

www.moviesdistribucion.com

As to my knowledge both retailers ship outside of Spain but are much slower than dvdgo.

Volumen 2 can also be bought at ebay.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Thanks, Fabian.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

If I was in charge of Universal Video division to do a mega set of their horror films, I would promptly set out to do an Abbott and Costello type mega set featuring only Universal produced films from 1931-1946. I am assuming that three films could fit nicely per disc on a single side. I purposely left out films that Universal no longer have rights to (THE BRUTE MAN, THE OLD DARK HOUSE) and others that may have potential tangled ownership (perhaps the Crime Club films). So here is my set (preferably in Blu Ray, but I might be going too far on that point.) I tried going to chronological order as best as possible.

Disc One:
DRACULA
DRACULA (Spanish version)
FRANKENSTEIN

Disc Two:
THE MUMMY
MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE
SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM

Disc Three:
THE INVISIBLE MAN
SECRET OF THE CHATEAU
THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD

Disc Four:
THE BLACK CAT (1934)
THE RAVEN
MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD

Disc Five:
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
WEREWOLF OF LONDON
THE GREAT IMPERSONATION (1935)
Disc Six:
THE INVISIBLE RAY
DRACULA’S DAUGHTER
NIGHT KEY

Disc Seven:
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
TOWER OF LONDON
THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1939)

Disc Eight:
THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN
THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES

Disc Nine:
BLACK FRIDAY
THE MUMMY’S HAND
THE BLACK CAT (1941)

Disc Ten:
MAN MADE MONSTER
HORROR ISLAND
THE WOLF MAN

Disc Eleven:
THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN
THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET
MYSTERY OF MARIA ROGET

Disc Twelve:
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. Rx
INVISIBLE AGENT
THE MUMMY’s TOMB

Disc Thirteen:
NIGHT MONSTER
FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN
SON OF DRACULA

Disc Fourteen:
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
THE CLIMAX
THE MAD GHOUL

Disc Fifteen:
CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN
JUNGLE WOMAN
THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE

Disc Sixteen:
FLESH AND FANTASY
DESTINY
THE INVISIBLE MAN’s REVENGE

Disc Seventeen:
CALLING DOCTOR DEATH
WEIRD WOMAN
DEAD MAN’S EYES

Disc Eighteen:
THE FROZEN GHOST
STRANGE CONFESSION
PILLOW OF DEATH

Disc Nineteen:
THE MUMMY’S GHOST
MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM
THE MUMMY’s CURSE

Disc Twenty:
HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN
HOUSE OF DRACULA
SHE-WOLF OF LONDON

Disc Twenty-One:
THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK
HOUSE OF HORRORS
THE CAT CREEPS (1946)

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

With all due respect, Joe, there really isn't much left from that era outside ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, THE UNINVITED, MURDERS IN THE ZOO, and the ones in the upcoming Warner set. The best unreleased (or unavailable) horror/sci-fi/fantasy titles are mostly from the late 50s, 60s, and early 70s:

THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK
THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN
THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE DEVIL
THE MAD MAGICIAN
THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT
QUATERMASS II (OOP)
QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (non-anamorphic and OOP anyway)
DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
BURN, WITCH, BURN
ATLANTIS, THE LOST CONTINENT
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM
DR. SYN: THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH (you're lucky if you got one of the few copies Disney put out last year)
CRACK IN THE WORLD
THE SATAN BUG
EYE OF THE DEVIL
COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT (P&S)
DIARY OF A MADMAN
MASTER OF THE WORLD
DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS
ISLAND OF TERROR
SHE (1965)
THE GREEN SLIME
BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW
THE DEVILS
HORROR EXPRESS (only bad PD versions available)
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS (OOP since the early days of DVD)
GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT (1973)
THE GHOUL (1975)
LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF
NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT
WARLORDS OF ATLANTIS

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

I guess the world would be boring if we all felt the same way. I prefer the older horror/thrillers myself, and there are many that still havent been released:

The Last Warning (1929-Universal)
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu (1929-Paramount)
The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu (1930-Paramount)
Svengali (1931-Warner Bros.)
Daughter of the Dragon (1931-Paramount)
Murder by the Clock (1931-Paramount)
The Phantom of Crestwood (1932-RKO)
Supernatural (1933-Paramount)
Island of Lost Souls (1933-Paramount)
Murders in the Zoo (1933-Paramount)
Terror Aboard (1933-Paramount)
Secret of the Blue Room (1933-Universal)
Double Door (1934-Paramount)
The Crime of Dr. Crespi (1935)

(I would even throw in mystery thrillers like Paramount's The Canary Murder Case, Greene Murder Case, and Benson Murder Case as well as MGM's The 13th Chair and The Unholy Night for good measure)

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

If you look beyond r1 the ones I have marked in bold are available.

I think there's a Dutch edition of The Satan Bug, but not sure. Burn, Witch, Burn appears under it's non-Americanised original title Night of the Eagle

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

With respect right back at ya, Michael, you're mistaken. John Morgan and ColbyCo above have already listed a lot of films of the 30s and 40s which still have yet to be released. In particular, since we're talking about Universal in this thread, here is a list of 30s and 40s Universal films which could be released (and some of these with a star * have already been released on VHS or LD:

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS*
SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM
SECRET OF THE CHATEAU
THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD
MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD*
THE GREAT IMPERSONATION (1935)
THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1939)
THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES*
THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET
MYSTERY OF MARIA ROGET
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. Rx
THE MAD GHOUL*
JUNGLE WOMAN*
THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE*
MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM
FLESH AND FANTASY
DESTINY
THE SPIDER WOMAN STRIKES BACK
HOUSE OF HORRORS*
THE CAT CREEPS (1946)

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Naturally, this proposed collection makes my mouth water, John. However, there are some rare titles on there which we don't even know exist in decent form... stuff like FLESH AND FANTASY and DESTINY, to name but two. I'm not knocking the idea, and I would love to see Universal scour their vaults to see if they could accomodate us.

If Universal is reading this (and I hope they are), this would be an amazing seller, I think -- because the movies would be presented in superior DVD-9 (instead of faulty DVD-18 like the old Legacy Collections) and, most important, diehard fans would be more than thrilled to re-buy many of these films because there would be MANY titles here that have previously remained UNRELEASED UNTIL THIS SET!

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

Message deleted, due to its now being irrelevant.

Re: Universal Horror for 2009..............

The Man Who Reclaimed His Head is not a horror film. It's an antiwar film about World War One. It does feature one of the first filmic references to an atomic bomb, though. Due to its title it was included in syndicated television horror packages. See my June 2004 column in the Trip-Wire here:

St. Mihiel Trip-Wire: June 2004