Are the Universal Monsters coming back? (1 Viewer)

[John Stell]

I have ordered from Movies Unlimited and their service is very good. They ship pretty quickly and have good email communication regarding out-of-stock titles, etc. They're probably the largest video retailer of VHS. BUT, they don't offer great discounts, so, for DVDs go elsewhere. Of course, in this case, they're your only choice.

 

[Geoffrey L]

Amazon.com is showing the box set as shipping in 24 hrs.I ordered mine on sept. 27th using 2nd day air and received them on oct 1. so since i managed to receive a set you can be sure they will be rereleased with a cheaper price

 

[SteveGon]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I received my order (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man/House of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter/Son of Dracula) from www.moviesunlimited.com so they do indeed have the Universal Monster DVDs in stock.

 

[BenjaminG]

I borught my R4 "The Mummy" and "Dracula" today. In Australia, they have a deal where you buy two and then can send away for a third, for free. I will get Frankenstein.

 

[Chris Peltier]

About a week ago, I was at a trade show where some gentlemen from Universal Home Video said that the rerelease of the Universal Monsters would not happen until 2004. The reason being to tie into a new theatrical film called "Van Helsing" where the famous vampire hunter tackles all the monsters. At least that's what they said.

 

[SteveGon]

Well, that sounds pretty cool! It's too bad that a re-release will be that long in coming, though. Fortunately I have the ones I want.

 

[Jim Peavy]

I've heard about this. It's being made by the same guy(s) that made the new Mummy movies. UG!! (IMO, of course).
That's silly for U to wait that long. The new double feature discs had only been out 6 mo.s or so before they pulled them. They need to realize they were a tad too pricey for the DVD market, put them back out at $19.95 and reap the rewards! Heck, I'd buy the Jungle Women movies at that price (though they'd have to be double features )!

 

[Steve Phillips]

Come on guys, everyone knows that the Universal Monsters ALWAYS come back...

 

[James Reader]

You know the old black and white Universal Monsters are classics, and shouldn't need to hang on the coat-tails of a modern movie to sell. And even if they do, how many people who enjoy Stephen Sommers movie 'Van Helsing' will actually

(a) want to watch, let alone actually buy black and white movies?

and

(b) will actually enjoy them if they do?

It's sad isn't it how every release is so market driven these days - pointless anniversary editions (do these really encourage people to buy the discs?); tie-ins with director's other films (again, how many of the general public care who directs what?); and tie-ins with other mildly related films from the same studio.

It would be interesting to see if sales of the 1932 'The Mummy' were higher than sales for 'Dracula', 'The Wolf Man' and 'Frankenstein', as i believe these were the first wave of Universal Horrors released at roundabout the same time as Stephen Sommers 'The Mummy' DVD.

 

[Mark_vdH]

these are all out in the UK now with the double bills due next year... No time restraints either over here!

Like James already said, get them from Australia, Bruce.
Including shipment to the UK, the region 2/4 (dual encoded) discs are still about twice as cheap as at Play's website (too bad the 'buy two, get a third for free' promotion only applies to Australian residents.
I received Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein just yesterday, thanks again James.

 

[Ruz-El]

Hopefully they will re-release the double features in a boxset. I held off on getting them seperatly because the cheapest I found them in town was $49.95cdn. Seeing as you usually get a break with the boxsets, I held off on getting them.

 

[James Reader]

Well just found this on Dark Horizons:

The Creature from the Black Lagoon: Fangoria got chatting with Director Guillermo Del Toro at the recent Sitges 2002 Festival where he dropped details of his desire for this remake of the 1954 classic:"I’d rather direct CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON than watch someone else screw it up. That was my thought when Universal called me in for talks. I’ll be given carte blanche to develop the story, although I will bring in another writer. I want to set the story in Victorian times during the exploration of the Amazon. The original Creature was essentially King Kong, but I want to make it more a ‘beauty and the beast’ fable. I want the look and feel to be akin to Jules Verne’s tales like 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA. I want to increase the horror edge and make it really scary, because my archaeological explorers will discover an area of the Amazon that has been kept on a tangential track of evolution alongside mankind. So there will be giant carnivorous squid, prehistoric sharks and weird alternate lifeforms that shouldn’t really exist in such a fresh-water environment. The Creature will be the Man of this exotic world. He will be very smart and able to turn the tables on his human hunters. I have a scene where the hunters find fossil remains and realize that the Creature’s brain cavity is larger than a human one. He’s not the lumbering, roaring monster of Ricou Browning’s day, but a sophisticated Gill Man that will come to life through a mix of CGI and a man in a suit. In the original film, the Creature falls in love with the Julie Adams character. The twist in my version is that the girl will also fall in love with him. I want her to almost get it on with the Creature!”. Guillermo also has one casting idea: "I found out Benicio [Del Toro] is a totally obsessed fan of the original film. I know this for a fact, and I know he would kill to be in the remake. Nothing has been discussed yet about that possibility at any level”. Thanks to 'Brad' & 'FanHalen'

I suppose if Universal are waiting for Van Helsing's release until they re-issue their monster collection in 2004 (which BTW I think is a stupid idea - there is not way that the bulk of the Van Helsing audience will even consider watching an old black and white film - let along actually buying one!) then we'd better be prepared for a long wait for the two creature sequels (Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us) as Universal will undoubtedly want to cross-promote their DVD premier with that of the remake/reimagining. :frowning:

 

[StevenJ]

I hope they come back too. I have them all, except for Wolf Man