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Robert Harris

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Robert Harris submitted a new blog post

A few words about...™ Universal Horror Collection: Volume 3 - in Blu-ray
TheBlackCat-1024x576.jpg


Continue reading the Original Blog Post.
 
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aPhil

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Sad to hear that these do not look better.

Also, a bit of an odd collection considering the 1st set in the series all contained Karloff/Lugosi starring films -- None of these films seem to be connected in any way (other than production dates) --

Seems that “Man Made Monster” (w/ Lionel Atwill) should have been in the 2nd set as three of those four films starred Lionel Atwill. Why not four of four?
 

Will Krupp

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Unfortunately I’m a die hard B move fanatic. I’m still looking forward to this.

Me too! I'm a sucker for Peggy Moran in anything (even though HORROR ISLAND is not one of her best) and the cast alone for BLACK CAT (Broderick Crawford, Basil Rathbone, Gladys Cooper, Bela Lugosi, Alan Ladd, and Chris Pines' nana) makes it a long time favorite. I've never seen TOWER but am looking forward to it.
 

Jack K

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Me too! I'm a sucker for Peggy Moran in anything (even though HORROR ISLAND is not one of her best) and the cast alone for BLACK CAT (Broderick Crawford, Basil Rathbone, Gladys Cooper, Bela Lugosi, Alan Ladd, and Chris Pines' nana) makes it a long time favorite. I've never seen TOWER but am looking forward to it.


I'm a die hard B horror fan and proud of it and I'll be greatly enjoying this release. By the way Will, I'm also a Peggy Moran fan.
 

Robert Harris

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I’ll be interested in knowing from fans of the genre, if you feel that there’s enough of an uptick in quality here from DVD.

New masters would have meant a great deal, especially on the title that doesn’t have Blu resolution.
 

dana martin

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Granted none of these are top-tier Universal Horror. But the fact that someone has gone to the extra mile to actually release the B films. Gives the fans of Universal horror the complete and total experience yeah some of them aren't great films some of them probably weren't even filmed that great or done really quick. Short run times, these were jobbers used to fill the bills along with possibly a chapter from one of the many serials of the time. Which seems to be getting it's own sets of releases from VCI.
I used to have Universal classic horror archive on DVD but somehow lost the double set of discs in the moved so the fact that it's more than just two DVDs I don't have can have anything to reference the new set against.
 

JoeDoakes

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For their third jaunt into the Universal vaults Scream Factory has come away with another four films produced in 1939 and 1941.

I just wish they were better films.

Tower of London - 1939

A bit on the soft side for a Blu-ray, and better suited for a DVD. Decent gray scale. Audio fine.

Image -3.25

Audio - 4

Pass / Fail - Pass


Man-Made Monster- 1941

A silly film. Element has a nice gray scale, but the image never settles, and moves constantly around the screen. Window-boxed main titles.

Image - 3

Audio - 4

Pass / Fail - Pass

Horror Island - 1941

Another silly film, that misses standing the test of time by several miles.

Element is fine, although it has window-boxed titles.

Image - 4

Audio - 4

Pass / Fail - Pass


The Black Cat - 1941

I always lumped this one together with the other Karloff / Lugosi films, but this one (without Karloff), but with a decent cast, rounds out the collection of films. All B fodder.

Decent imagery, but something odd is going on the with grain structure. Probably the creepiest thing about the film.

Window-boxed main titles.

Image - 3.5

Audio - 4

Pass / Fail - Pass

As to the set, is it worth the price of admission - $50?

Only for the die hard B horror fans.


RAH
Silly? Man-made Monster silly? Wha?
 

Nick*Z

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I’ll be interested in knowing from fans of the genre, if you feel that there’s enough of an uptick in quality here from DVD.

New masters would have meant a great deal, especially on the title that doesn’t have Blu resolution.

I'm with you on this one, Robert. I am sincerely tired of major studios dumping whatever junk transfer they have from the bad ole VHS/DVD era onto a new format simply to advertise it as such, while, avoiding direct responsibility for it. Released through Shout! - not Universal. Still, Uni is responsible. Shout should merely be ashamed to have accepted below par quality for their own label. 'Window-boxed main titles'?!?! A dead giveaway these haven't been inspected or upgraded in a VERY long while.
 

ValLewton

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Hi I bought the set from Shout and got it on Monday and watched Horror Island- the movie and Peggy Moran look great- big improvement on the DVD. It does full just to Elwood Bredell's photography- great blacks and shadows- very moody- fantastic looking transfer- just watch the unrestored trailer and you will see the vast difference. Also Peggy Moran fans- she spends the majority of the movie in a nightgown - you will not be disappointed. I hope these keep coming until we have all of the Universals collected. B Movie heaven.
 

JeffT.

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Somehow I pressed the wrong key here!

I agree wholly with your assessment of these films.

The only real "jewel" is TOWER OF LONDON (1939) which seems out-of-place with these other lesser B-film second features.

They should have lumped all of the Karloff Universal films together in one complete set as was done before in "standard" DVD.

MAN-MADE MONSTER (1941) would have more suitably been grouped with the other Volume two Lionel Atwill films. Atwill is great as usual but somehow this film just doesn't have any appeal for me and I can't really determine why. Maybe its the unsatisfactory teaming of Lon Chaney, Jr. and Lionel Atwill which just doesn't successfully gel or perhaps it's the "outdated" notion of electricity as a means of restoring the dead which was still being unconvincingly (and tiresomely) exploited in INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956).

But over the years I've ceased to be a fan of the Universal Pictures 1940s horror films with a few exceptions (especially in stark contrast to the superior and more inspired Val Lewton 1940s screen horror classics).

From the sound of things no real restoration work has been done on any of these latter issued titles so are they really worth getting at the (more) expensive blu-ray medium?
 

Brian9229

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These great films do look a little rough, but I'm beyond happy to have then on blu. They don't look too awful projected; I've seen better; and worse. I don't have the dvds to compare, but I'd imagine there's gotta be at least some improvement.
 
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timk1041

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Hi I bought the set from Shout and got it on Monday and watched Horror Island- the movie and Peggy Moran look great- big improvement on the DVD. It does full just to Elwood Bredell's photography- great blacks and shadows- very moody- fantastic looking transfer- just watch the unrestored trailer and you will see the vast difference. Also Peggy Moran fans- she spends the majority of the movie in a nightgown - you will not be disappointed. I hope these keep coming until we have all of the Universals collected. B Movie heaven.
Is it just a mere coincidence or does a lot of these actresses in these old horror films spend much of the time in their nightgowns?!
 

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