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A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Vincent Price Collection II -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Robert Harris

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Scream Factory's second foray into the works of Mr. Price is a set that I've been awaiting since the arrival of the first.

There's a special place in the hearts of those who grew up in the '60s for Mr. Corman's AIP horror/comedy series of productions -- all seven or so of them.

Looking back, it's easy to understand how they were produced, and slowly grew in budget and quality -- beginning with the first, House of Usher.  Throughout, Mr. Price seemed to serve as a linch-pin.

Scream Factory's selection for a second set, doesn't stick with the AIP productions.  It sets a wider scope, including some non-Corman works, from other production companies.

Of the Corman / Price films, one has always stood out for me, probably because of it's odd amalgamation of comedy and quick scares -- a perfect teen date film.

The Raven (1963), concerns a trio of completing magicians in (probably) the 13th or 14th century.  The fact that the trio is played by Mr. Price, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre, set something very special in motion for future productions.  I also love the fact that the score by Les Baxter, plays for comedy.

The other true Corman / IAPs included, are The Comedy of Terrors and The Tomb of Ligeia.

Apparently not desirous of emptying the AIP well too soon, as these may be the major attractions, Scream has added to the mix, The Last Man on Earth, based upon the novel by Richard Matheson (who also penned some of the AIP screenplays), and which was also the basis for the 2007 I am Legend.

Also included are two sequels, Dr. Phibes Rises Again! and The Return of the Fly (1959), and a production licensed from the WB / Allied Artists library, House on Haunted Hill (1959).

With a blend of elements from presumably three different entities, the quality doesn't stray too far from very acceptable.

Here's a rundown on what my eyes and ears are telling me.

House on Haunted Hill - 1959 - black & white

Appears to be taken from a FGM with occasional light scratches.  Nice b/w palette, with decent gray scale and good black levels.

Image - 3.75

Audio - 4.5

Return of the Fly - 1959 - black & white

Also appears to be from a FGM, and is generally good-looking, with a nice gray scale, and only occasionally blacks that send to be overly pushed.

Image - 4

Audio - 5

The Raven - 1963 - color by Pathe - directed by Mr. Corman

Slightly weak color, nice grain structure, a bit twitchy (either from the dupe or the transfer), but overall a pleasant experience.

Image - 3.5

Audio - 4.5

Comedy of Terrors - 1963 - color - directed by Jacques Tourneur ( Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Leopard Man, Out of the Past, Curse of the Demon)

Good color and densities.  Nice grain structure.

Image - 3.75

Audio - 4.5

The Last Man on Earth - 1964 - black & white - directed by Ubaldo Ragona

An odd film that works, except shooting in Italy as the U.S.  Good black & white reproduction.  Occasional dirt and rubs on the element.

Image - 3.5

Audio - 4.5

Tomb of Ligeia - 1964 - color - directed by Mr. Corman - screenplay by Robert Towne

Decent color, albeit a bit weak in places - nothing special

Image - 3

Audio - 4.5

Dr. Phibes Rises Again! - 1972 - color - directed by Robert Fuest

The newest, and best looking of the bunch.  Nice color, densities, grain.  No problems.

Image - 4.25

Audio - 5

With two boxed sets now available, there's not only room, but a necessity for a third to bring the entire group of films together with Tales of Terror (1962), Tower of London (1962), The Oblong Box (1969), along with a few other delights.

Currently $70 on Amazon for 7 films.  For me the three Cormans are worth the price of admission.

Recommended

RAH

 

TheSteig

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So would From A Whisper to A Scream ! :)
Even with the ratings I will still love watching this set and plan to very soon.. now that its October !
 

Steve Christou

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Thanks for the review. The Raven is my favorite from that group. I bought a Super 8 'digest' of the film back in the late 70's. Cost me £16 for 8 minutes of film. :blink:
 

Hollywoodaholic

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I remember screening The Raven in my high school back in '72 as a fundraiser. I wish I could say there were as many avid fans of it as I was. I couldn't imagine everyone was not going to flip over Karloff, Price and Lorre together in one film. Three people showed up. To the rest... fuck e'm, it's fun-tastic. But I'm still going to wait for a better sale on this set. ( as the first set is now).
 

Dick

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Everyone on almost all sites and in every review is telling us that the second commentary track for TOMB OF LIGEIA, featuring Elizabeth Shepherd, is new. It's not. Both commentaries are carried over from the Midnight Movie series.
 

Oblivion138

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John Sparks said:
Just ordered it thru Amazon for $40...now to get number II for close to the same price!!!
Don't know if you're a Barnes & Noble member, but I just picked this up for $40.31 by using my member discount and a 20% Off coupon, on top of their current 30% Off DVD/BD sale.
 

Hollywoodaholic

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Oblivion138 said:
Don't know if you're a Barnes & Noble member, but I just picked this up for $40.31 by using my member discount and a 20% Off coupon, on top of their current 30% Off DVD/BD sale.
That's if they carry it in the store. Interestingly, the online price went up from $55 to $70. I guess this was to avoid customers in store trying to match the online price before getting the 30% off. Also, for some reason, the Find in Store feature online has been disabled through every browser I've tried. Is this a deliberate attempt to drive more traffic to the brick and mortar to find a DVD or Blu-ray during the sale? It's just a bit strange the price changes and disabling of that feature.
 

bigshot

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I watched House on Haunted Hill tonight. That's by far the best I've ever seen that movie look. Even better than way back when I saw it in a theater in the 90s. Terrific grain. The black levels were a tiny bit on the light side, particularly in the opening montage, but it could easily be adjusted for. Fun film!
 

Oblivion138

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Hollywoodaholic said:
That's if they carry it in the store. Interestingly, the online price went up from $55 to $70. I guess this was to avoid customers in store trying to match the online price before getting the 30% off. Also, for some reason, the Find in Store feature online has been disabled through every browser I've tried. Is this a deliberate attempt to drive more traffic to the brick and mortar to find a DVD or Blu-ray during the sale? It's just a bit strange the price changes and disabling of that feature.
They had multiple copies at my local B&N. Your mileage may vary, of course.
 

Robert Crawford

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bigshot said:
I watched House on Haunted Hill tonight. That's by far the best I've ever seen that movie look. Even better than way back when I saw it in a theater in the 90s. Terrific grain. The black levels were a tiny bit on the light side, particularly in the opening montage, but it could easily be adjusted for. Fun film!
Actually, this is the only title I want out of this boxset so I have to be patient and hope one day a single release is available to purchase.
 

Richard Gallagher

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Dick said:
Everyone on almost all sites and in every review is telling us that the second commentary track for TOMB OF LIGEIA, featuring Elizabeth Shepherd, is new. It's not. Both commentaries are carried over from the Midnight Movie series.
That's because the packaging says that is a NEW commentary (in capital letters!).

I don't have the DVD so I have nothing to compare it with.
 

Will*B

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Yorkshire said:
Scream, and Scream Again would be nice.

Steve W
Couldn't agree more (maybe even with an option to view it with the 80's jazz-lounge synth replacement score that I first saw it with!)

I'd love to see Madhouse on BD as well. The current non-anamorphic DVD isn't very satisfactory...
 

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