In the 1930s, Universal laid claim to the two biggest horror stars of the era, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and it was only a matter of time before the pair would meet on screen. In 1932, only months after each rocketed to stardom in Dracula and Frankenstein respectively, the two were dressed in tuxedoes and brought together for a genial photoshoot that simultaneously announced their partnership and implied a rivalry. Through a series of circumstances, it was another two years before the pair would star in a film together. As one might expect, it was in the most transgressive horror film of the era, 1934’s The Black Cat, a film that remains shocking not only for the early 1930s but even more surprising as a product overseen by the newly enforced Hays Code.
The Code had been established in 1927 as a self-censoring wing of the motion picture industry and an attempt to avoid government censorship.
The Code had been established in 1927 as a self-censoring wing of the motion picture industry and an attempt to avoid government censorship.
- 2/26/2024
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
After the success of Dracula in early 1931, several studios large and small rushed into production on their own macabre features. With the early thirties being the depths of the Great Depression, these studios were eager to make films on low budgets that could turn large profits. As has continued to be the case even to this day, horror films were the prime candidate. Besides Universal, the studio with one of the strongest track records in the genre during this time was Paramount. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) had been a financial and critical success, winning its star Frederic March an Academy Award for his dual role. The studio decided to return to the well of literature for its follow-up, adapting H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau into Island of Lost Souls (1932), which remains an important and effective example of early science fiction/horror.
The film stars Charles Laughton as Dr.
The film stars Charles Laughton as Dr.
- 8/18/2022
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
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By Hank Reineke
There’s a telling moment at the dénouement of Thomas Hamilton’s and Ron MacCloskey’s affectionate documentary Boris Karloff: The Man behind the Monster. Sara Karloff, the now eighty-two year old daughter of the beloved actor, opines that her father’s lasting cinematic legacy is due, in part, to the tenaciousness of his devoted fan base. It’s a demographic that we soon discover consists of a number of amazingly creative people: folks whose loyalty to and enthusiasm for Karloff’s work has not wavered over the decades. Sara’s contention is inarguably true. As this ninety-nine minute Voltage Films/Abramorama documentary (presented by Shout! Studios) unspools – crisply narrated by Paul Ryan and featuring commentary by preeminent Karloff scholar and “Biographical Consultant” Stephen Jacobs - we discover the actor’s admirer’s bridge several generations of fans and filmmakers.
By Hank Reineke
There’s a telling moment at the dénouement of Thomas Hamilton’s and Ron MacCloskey’s affectionate documentary Boris Karloff: The Man behind the Monster. Sara Karloff, the now eighty-two year old daughter of the beloved actor, opines that her father’s lasting cinematic legacy is due, in part, to the tenaciousness of his devoted fan base. It’s a demographic that we soon discover consists of a number of amazingly creative people: folks whose loyalty to and enthusiasm for Karloff’s work has not wavered over the decades. Sara’s contention is inarguably true. As this ninety-nine minute Voltage Films/Abramorama documentary (presented by Shout! Studios) unspools – crisply narrated by Paul Ryan and featuring commentary by preeminent Karloff scholar and “Biographical Consultant” Stephen Jacobs - we discover the actor’s admirer’s bridge several generations of fans and filmmakers.
- 10/27/2021
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Straightforward to a fault, Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster crystallizes the horror icon’s enduring legacy. From his complicated childhood to late-career resurrection, director Thomas Hamilton assembles an impressive crew of talking heads to dive into the brilliance of the man born William Henry Pratt in England.
Narrated by Paul Ryan (sporting a voice worthy of the film’s subject matter), this documentary does as promised. Hamilton wisely puts the history of Karloff’s star-making roles in Universal’s Frankenstein and The Mummy at the top of the picture, then digs into his origins. A rough upbringing included a father who was a “devil of a man,” an Anglo-Indian ancestry that was met with prejudiced ridicule by his peers, and an accident between his brother and neighbor that ended in tragedy. Early on, Karloff was looking for a means of escape. Eventually, he found it in performance.
Narrated by Paul Ryan (sporting a voice worthy of the film’s subject matter), this documentary does as promised. Hamilton wisely puts the history of Karloff’s star-making roles in Universal’s Frankenstein and The Mummy at the top of the picture, then digs into his origins. A rough upbringing included a father who was a “devil of a man,” an Anglo-Indian ancestry that was met with prejudiced ridicule by his peers, and an accident between his brother and neighbor that ended in tragedy. Early on, Karloff was looking for a means of escape. Eventually, he found it in performance.
- 9/16/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Shout! Studios has announced today their acquisition of North American distribution rights to Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster. This captivating new documentary sheds light on William Henry Pratt (better known by his stage name, Boris Karloff) as Hollywood’s master of menace, as well as his films, his legend and the fears that haunted him through his life.
Abramorama will release the film in theaters on September 17th.
Karloff is best known for his role as “The Monster” in the classic horror films Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). This documentary examines his extraordinary 60-year career in the entertainment industry, as well as his continuing influence as a horror icon.
Directed by Thomas Hamilton (Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn) and co-produced and co-written by Ron MacCloskey, the film provides a riveting depiction of Karloff and the genre he helped define through exclusive interviews with his daughter,...
Abramorama will release the film in theaters on September 17th.
Karloff is best known for his role as “The Monster” in the classic horror films Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Son of Frankenstein (1939). This documentary examines his extraordinary 60-year career in the entertainment industry, as well as his continuing influence as a horror icon.
Directed by Thomas Hamilton (Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn) and co-produced and co-written by Ron MacCloskey, the film provides a riveting depiction of Karloff and the genre he helped define through exclusive interviews with his daughter,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Shout! Studios and Abramorama are teaming on North American rights to Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster, the Thomas Hamilton-directed feature documentary about the life and career of the horror movie icon. Abramorama will release the pic in a limited theatrical run on September 17.
Abramorama is also repping world rights on the film, which Shout! will release on digital platforms at a later date.
Check out the trailer below.
The film dives deep into Karloff’s own origin story — real name: William Henry Pratt — as well as the genre he helped define and the filmmakers he influenced. It features clips of his performances throughout a six-decade career that changed forever when James Whale cast the character actor as The Monster in 1931’s Frankenstein, and includes exclusive interviews with his daughter Sarah Karloff, as well as the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Stefanie Powers, Christopher Plummer,...
Abramorama is also repping world rights on the film, which Shout! will release on digital platforms at a later date.
Check out the trailer below.
The film dives deep into Karloff’s own origin story — real name: William Henry Pratt — as well as the genre he helped define and the filmmakers he influenced. It features clips of his performances throughout a six-decade career that changed forever when James Whale cast the character actor as The Monster in 1931’s Frankenstein, and includes exclusive interviews with his daughter Sarah Karloff, as well as the likes of Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Stefanie Powers, Christopher Plummer,...
- 8/17/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Last fall, Universal Studios Home Entertainment gave horror fans an early Halloween treat with their Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray box sets for Frankenstein's monster and The Wolf Man. This spring, two more Universal Monsters will get their due, as Dracula and The Mummy are also getting the Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray treatment.
The respective Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray box sets for Dracula and The Mummy are scheduled for a May 16th release. Although the full list of films for each collection have not been announced, it's likely that they will contain the same films featured on the DVD versions:
Dracula Complete Legacy Collection:
Dracula (1931) Dracula's Daughter Son of Dracula House of Frankenstein House of Dracula Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Dracula (1931) - Spanish version
The Mummy Complete Legacy Collection:
The Mummy (1932) The Mummy's Hand The Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Ghost The Mummy's Curse Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy
And for additional details,...
The respective Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray box sets for Dracula and The Mummy are scheduled for a May 16th release. Although the full list of films for each collection have not been announced, it's likely that they will contain the same films featured on the DVD versions:
Dracula Complete Legacy Collection:
Dracula (1931) Dracula's Daughter Son of Dracula House of Frankenstein House of Dracula Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Dracula (1931) - Spanish version
The Mummy Complete Legacy Collection:
The Mummy (1932) The Mummy's Hand The Mummy's Tomb The Mummy's Ghost The Mummy's Curse Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy
And for additional details,...
- 2/23/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Hope you guys made some extra room in your wallets for all the cash you’ll undoubtedly be shelling out this week (love me some “dad humor”), as August 23rd boasts an awesome selection of horror and sci-fi Blu-ray and DVD releases, all capped off by the home entertainment debuts of both season one of Ash vs Evil Dead and the sixth season of The Walking Dead.
Arrow Video is giving the cult classic The Bloodstained Butterfly an HD overhaul for their impressive-looking two-disc Special Edition release that arrives this Tuesday, and Scream Factory is doing the same for another cult classic, Psycho IV: The Beginning. Kino Lorber is releasing a Blu-ray for Chandu The Magician this week, and we’ve also got a DVD and Blu release for Jon Watts’ Clown to look forward to as well.
Other notable releases for August 23rd include Der Bunker, The Ultimate Vincent Price Collection,...
Arrow Video is giving the cult classic The Bloodstained Butterfly an HD overhaul for their impressive-looking two-disc Special Edition release that arrives this Tuesday, and Scream Factory is doing the same for another cult classic, Psycho IV: The Beginning. Kino Lorber is releasing a Blu-ray for Chandu The Magician this week, and we’ve also got a DVD and Blu release for Jon Watts’ Clown to look forward to as well.
Other notable releases for August 23rd include Der Bunker, The Ultimate Vincent Price Collection,...
- 8/23/2016
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Hissable villain Bela Lugosi is in denial --- no, it's actually star Edmund Lowe who is in the Nile, deep-sixed in a sunken sarcophagus. Lugosi's up top trying to get his art deco death ray in running order -- opposed only by some nubile babes and a Great White Hypnotist from the Swami school of mind control. Chandu the Magician Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1932 / B&W / 1:37 flat Academy / 71 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Edmund Lowe, Irene Ware, Bela Lugosi, Herbert Mundin, Henry B. Walthall, Weldon Heyburn, June Lang, Michael Stuart, Virginia Hammond. Cinematography James Wong Howe Art Direction Max Parker Written by Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Guy Bolton, Bradley King, Harry Segall from a radio drama by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham, R.R. Morgan Directed by William Cameron Menzies, Marcel Varnel
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Around 2008 Fox Home Video made a last big push with genre releases on DVD,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Around 2008 Fox Home Video made a last big push with genre releases on DVD,...
- 8/9/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Two of the most iconic Universal movie monsters will be celebrated in Complete Legacy Collection Blu-rays due out on September 13th from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
Containing several discs and packed with multiple films and plenty of bonus features, both The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray and Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-rays are priced at $29.72 apiece. We have each release’s bonus features and a look at their cover art:
The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray details (via Amazon): “The original Wolf Man is one of the silver screen’s most unforgettable characters and, along with the other Universal Classic Monsters, defined the Hollywood horror genre. The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection includes all 7 films from the original legacy including the eerie classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. and the timeless films that followed. These landmark motion pictures defined the iconic look of the...
Containing several discs and packed with multiple films and plenty of bonus features, both The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray and Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-rays are priced at $29.72 apiece. We have each release’s bonus features and a look at their cover art:
The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection Blu-ray details (via Amazon): “The original Wolf Man is one of the silver screen’s most unforgettable characters and, along with the other Universal Classic Monsters, defined the Hollywood horror genre. The Wolf Man: Complete Legacy Collection includes all 7 films from the original legacy including the eerie classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. and the timeless films that followed. These landmark motion pictures defined the iconic look of the...
- 8/4/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Constance Cummings in 'Night After Night.' Constance Cummings: Working with Frank Capra and Mae West (See previous post: “Constance Cummings: Actress Went from Harold Lloyd to Eugene O'Neill.”) Back at Columbia, Harry Cohn didn't do a very good job at making Constance Cummings feel important. By the end of 1932, Columbia and its sweet ingenue found themselves in court, fighting bitterly over stipulations in her contract. According to the actress and lawyer's daughter, Columbia had failed to notify her that they were picking up her option. Therefore, she was a free agent, able to offer her services wherever she pleased. Harry Cohn felt otherwise, claiming that his contract player had waived such a notice. The battle would spill over into 1933. On the positive side, in addition to Movie Crazy 1932 provided Cummings with three other notable Hollywood movies: Washington Merry-Go-Round, American Madness, and Night After Night. 'Washington Merry-Go-Round...
- 11/5/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
September 1st Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include Dark Star: H.R. Giger’S World, The Harvest, Backcountry
Hope everyone has their wallets ready because September 1st is a doozy of a day for home entertainment releases, with over 20 horror and sci-fi titles set to make their debut on Tuesday. For those of you Mad Max: Fury Road fans out there, this is the week you’ve all been waiting for as George Miller’s epic actioner arrives on 3D and 2D Blu-ray as well as on DVD. Scream Factory has a few films they’re releasing this week—Backcountry, The Harvest and Army of Frankensteins—and Anchor Bay Entertainment is keeping busy with a pair of notable releases too—The Curse of Downers Grove (which was penned by Bret Easton Ellis) and Lost After Dark.
Festival favorite Felt is also coming to DVD this week and Universal has put together an Abbott & Costello collection that’s sure to please any classic horror fans out there. Image Entertainment...
Festival favorite Felt is also coming to DVD this week and Universal has put together an Abbott & Costello collection that’s sure to please any classic horror fans out there. Image Entertainment...
- 9/1/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine' 1938: Jean Renoir's film noir (photo: Jean Gabin and Simone Simon in 'La Bête Humaine') (See previous post: "'Cat People' 1942 Actress Simone Simon Remembered.") In the late 1930s, with her Hollywood career stalled while facing competition at 20th Century-Fox from another French import, Annabella (later Tyrone Power's wife), Simone Simon returned to France. Once there, she reestablished herself as an actress to be reckoned with in Jean Renoir's La Bête Humaine. An updated version of Émile Zola's 1890 novel, La Bête Humaine is enveloped in a dark, brooding atmosphere not uncommon in pre-World War II French films. Known for their "poetic realism," examples from that era include Renoir's own The Lower Depths (1936), Julien Duvivier's La Belle Équipe (1936) and Pépé le Moko (1937), and particularly Marcel Carné's Port of Shadows (1938) and Daybreak (1939).[11] This thematic and...
- 2/6/2015
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Submit your vote for Reviewer of the Year!
Every year, the Classic Horror Film Board recognizes the best in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realm with the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Fans of the genre can vote for their favorites in over thirty categories, and this year, Cinelinx would like to ask you to vote for one of our own, staff writer Victor Medina, as Reviewer of the Year (Category 29)! We've even included the ballot below so you can vote!
Votes must be submitted by copying and pasting the ballot into your personal email, making your choices, including your name, and sending it in. Votes for Reviewer of the Year are write-in only, so you must be sure to include Vic's name yourself under Category 29 when you vote. Pre-filled ballots are not allowed, so we can't do it for you! Remember, you must write in "Victor Medina, Cinelinx.com" yourself.
Every year, the Classic Horror Film Board recognizes the best in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy realm with the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. Fans of the genre can vote for their favorites in over thirty categories, and this year, Cinelinx would like to ask you to vote for one of our own, staff writer Victor Medina, as Reviewer of the Year (Category 29)! We've even included the ballot below so you can vote!
Votes must be submitted by copying and pasting the ballot into your personal email, making your choices, including your name, and sending it in. Votes for Reviewer of the Year are write-in only, so you must be sure to include Vic's name yourself under Category 29 when you vote. Pre-filled ballots are not allowed, so we can't do it for you! Remember, you must write in "Victor Medina, Cinelinx.com" yourself.
- 2/26/2013
- by [email protected] (Jordan Maison)
- Cinelinx
Chicago – Universal’s landmark line of Blu-ray releases under the banner of the company’s 100th anniversary continues with four more of the studio’s most beloved films — “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein,” “Airport,” “Harvey,” and “Sixteen Candles.” It’s clearly an eclectic bunch and a wonderful sampler platter of what this line of releases have offered Blu-ray owners. Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Bela Lugosi, and Molly Ringwald — it’s a star-studded quartet that is sure to have at least one release that appeals to the Blu-ray collector in your family.
In alphabetical order (star rating takes into account transfer & special features along with the film itself):
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Photo credit: Universal
“Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young...
In alphabetical order (star rating takes into account transfer & special features along with the film itself):
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Photo credit: Universal
“Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Synopsis:
Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young...
- 8/28/2012
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
For years now Island Of Lost Souls has been DVD’s most glaring omission from the Golden Age of Horror. It won the Rondo Award several times for Film Most in Need of DVD Released or Restoration , but last October, classic horror fans rejoiced when Criterion finally released the film. They were not disappointed and this year, not surprisingly, Island Of Lost Souls won the Rondo for Best Classic DVD.
Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau was one several shocking horror films from the early 30′s that helped advance the enforcement of the Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr.
Island Of Lost Souls (1932), the first adaption of H.G.Well’s 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau was one several shocking horror films from the early 30′s that helped advance the enforcement of the Hays Code, Hollywood’s self-censoring rules deeming “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it.”. It wasn’t Island Of Lost Souls’s radical scenes of horror (like Freaks) or the deviant sexuality (like the Frederick March version of Dr.
- 8/28/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
by Michael Juvinall, MoreHorror.com
As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal Studios announced they will be releasing what many believe to be the best horror/comedy of all time, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on blu-ray DVD combo pack this August. The film features classic monsters from the Universal stable such as the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) and even a cameo from the Invisible Man (Vincent Price).
Plot Synopsis:
Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur...
As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal Studios announced they will be releasing what many believe to be the best horror/comedy of all time, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on blu-ray DVD combo pack this August. The film features classic monsters from the Universal stable such as the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) and even a cameo from the Invisible Man (Vincent Price).
Plot Synopsis:
Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur...
- 6/22/2012
- by admin
- MoreHorror
As part of their 100th anniversary celebration, Universal is releasing a number of their classic titles on Blu-ray. We previously reported on the Blu-ray edition of Jaws and we’ll be getting some of the Universal Monsters on Blu-ray later this year.
One of Universal’s latest announcements is a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which features Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and a brief invisible cameo from Vincent Price.
Synopsis: Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur get...
One of Universal’s latest announcements is a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which features Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and a brief invisible cameo from Vincent Price.
Synopsis: Comedy meets horror when Bud Abbott and Lou Costello encounter Universal’s classic monsters in the frightfully funny Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The world of baggage handlers Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) is turned upside down when they receive the remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein (Glenn Strange) bound for the House of Horrors museum. When Dracula and Frankenstein escape, complete chaos ensues as Chick and Wilbur get...
- 6/20/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Island Of Lost Souls
1933 B&W 70mins
Criterion
There’s not much to be said about the film that hasn’t already been said. This adaptation of Wells Island Of Dr. Moreau is one of the absolute pinnacles in the classic horror genre. One of the most notable things about this film is how much its tone contrasts with that of the Universal horror movies of the same era. This film is far darker in its subject matter (vivisection, rape, bestiality) and has an overt air of sexuality that Universal films tended to stay away from. But enough about that, on to the disc itself.
The transfer itself really does stand with the best that Criterion has done. Anyone expecting a transfer clean of all dirt and scratches is setting themselves up for disappointment (and I can’t imagine why anyone would want this film in that “clean” of a version,...
1933 B&W 70mins
Criterion
There’s not much to be said about the film that hasn’t already been said. This adaptation of Wells Island Of Dr. Moreau is one of the absolute pinnacles in the classic horror genre. One of the most notable things about this film is how much its tone contrasts with that of the Universal horror movies of the same era. This film is far darker in its subject matter (vivisection, rape, bestiality) and has an overt air of sexuality that Universal films tended to stay away from. But enough about that, on to the disc itself.
The transfer itself really does stand with the best that Criterion has done. Anyone expecting a transfer clean of all dirt and scratches is setting themselves up for disappointment (and I can’t imagine why anyone would want this film in that “clean” of a version,...
- 11/11/2011
- by The ED-itor
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
The eighth annual Rondo Hatton Awards have come to pass, and we have all the results for you, including one winner who we're kind of shocked about ... us!
That's right, kids, your love has carried us over once again, and we're both proud and humbled to announce that Dread Central has won the Rondo Award for "Best Website". Honestly? We were honored just to have been nominated. Being up against twenty-nine other quality sites, we never thought we'd win. You guys have no idea how much this means to us as we've always considered the Rondos to be reserved only for the very best in our genre. To be revered as one of "those" for even just a fleeting moment is something we consider to be prestigious in the highest regard.
But make no mistake ... even though technically we are the actual recipients of it, this award belongs very much...
That's right, kids, your love has carried us over once again, and we're both proud and humbled to announce that Dread Central has won the Rondo Award for "Best Website". Honestly? We were honored just to have been nominated. Being up against twenty-nine other quality sites, we never thought we'd win. You guys have no idea how much this means to us as we've always considered the Rondos to be reserved only for the very best in our genre. To be revered as one of "those" for even just a fleeting moment is something we consider to be prestigious in the highest regard.
But make no mistake ... even though technically we are the actual recipients of it, this award belongs very much...
- 4/6/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
We here at Famous Monsters love the Rondos, and who wouldn’t?
Begun in 2002 by David Colton and Kerry Gammill over at the scare-tastic Classic Horror Film Board, the Rondo Awards are dedicated to honoring achievements in classic horror, recognizing everything from “Best Movie,” to ”Best DVD Commentary” to “Best Horror Host.” Lucky winners receive a beautifully sculpted bust in the likeness of famed horror star Rando Hatton (The Pearl of Death, House of Horrors), for whom the award is named. And now, every year, the cool ghouls of the internet come together to celebrate the best and brightest in the world of classic horror, science fiction and cult films.
The best part is that anyone can vote. Your voice matters! As a fan of all that is classic horror (and surely that is you, fair reader, for who else would frequent the abode of the Ackermonster?), it is your...
Begun in 2002 by David Colton and Kerry Gammill over at the scare-tastic Classic Horror Film Board, the Rondo Awards are dedicated to honoring achievements in classic horror, recognizing everything from “Best Movie,” to ”Best DVD Commentary” to “Best Horror Host.” Lucky winners receive a beautifully sculpted bust in the likeness of famed horror star Rando Hatton (The Pearl of Death, House of Horrors), for whom the award is named. And now, every year, the cool ghouls of the internet come together to celebrate the best and brightest in the world of classic horror, science fiction and cult films.
The best part is that anyone can vote. Your voice matters! As a fan of all that is classic horror (and surely that is you, fair reader, for who else would frequent the abode of the Ackermonster?), it is your...
- 3/16/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
Their names are synonymous with classic horror films. Together, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff presented an unbeatable tag team of terror. For over 25 years they dueled for horror superiority with films such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, White Zombie, The Bride Of Frankenstein, Mark Of The Vampire, and dozens of others. Film historian Greg Mank, the foremost expert on classic horror of the 1930s and 1940s, takes horror fans on an incredible journey through the lives of these two icons of the silver screen in Bela Lugosi And Boris Karloff: The Expanded Story Of A Haunting Collaboration.
In a volume nearly 700 pages long, Mank looks at their films both individually and together, as well as their personal and private lives and relationships. Over the years Mank has conducted interviews with hundreds of personalities related to classic horror including many surviving stars, crewmembers, and the families of the stars. With Mank’s work,...
In a volume nearly 700 pages long, Mank looks at their films both individually and together, as well as their personal and private lives and relationships. Over the years Mank has conducted interviews with hundreds of personalities related to classic horror including many surviving stars, crewmembers, and the families of the stars. With Mank’s work,...
- 10/20/2009
- by [email protected] (Tim Janson)
- Fangoria
Some months ago, Starlog contributor Gregory William Mank (along with Charles Heard & Bill Nelson) issued Hollywood’S Hellfire Club: The Misadventures Of John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn & “The Bundy Drive Boys” (Feral House, tpb, $22.95). We’ve now bought and read it—and beyond its charming, dissolute Drew Friedman cover, it’s a joyful, wild party of a book, examining the alcohol-soaked misadventures of a coterie of hard-living actors and others in Hollywood’s 1930s and ’40s glory days.
In addition to those famed constant drinkers Barrymore, Fields and Flynn, the loose-knit Hellfire group included genre great John Carradine, Topper’s Roland Young, character actor star Thomas Mitchell (Stagecoach, Gone With The Wind), British thespian Alan Mowbray (the touring Shakespearean of My Darling Clementine), young Anthony Quinn, eccentric artist Sadakichi Hartmann and writers Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler. Near the tail end of the group’s existence, Vincent Price was also an ad hoc member.
In addition to those famed constant drinkers Barrymore, Fields and Flynn, the loose-knit Hellfire group included genre great John Carradine, Topper’s Roland Young, character actor star Thomas Mitchell (Stagecoach, Gone With The Wind), British thespian Alan Mowbray (the touring Shakespearean of My Darling Clementine), young Anthony Quinn, eccentric artist Sadakichi Hartmann and writers Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler. Near the tail end of the group’s existence, Vincent Price was also an ad hoc member.
- 8/28/2009
- by [email protected] (David McDonnell)
- Starlog
I can’t think of a better time to be a horror fan than during the months of September and October. It’s when the studios try to capitalize on the spookiest time of year by releasing genre catalogue titles – many of them for the first time on DVD. That’s exactly what Warner Bros. has lined up with today’s announcement.
DVD Active reports that four Karloff and Lugosi classics will make their DVD bow on October 6, 2009. Warner Home Video has officially announced Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics, which includes "The Walking Dead" (1936), "Frankenstein - 1970" (1958), "You’ll Find Out" (1940), and "Zombies on Broadway" (1945). The 2-disc set should retail at around $26.98. The only extra material will be a commentary by historian Greg Mank on "The Walking Dead" and a commentary on "Frankenstein - 1970" by historians Charlotte Austin and Tom Weaver.
Always nice to get some more golden era genre flicks on DVD,...
DVD Active reports that four Karloff and Lugosi classics will make their DVD bow on October 6, 2009. Warner Home Video has officially announced Karloff & Lugosi Horror Classics, which includes "The Walking Dead" (1936), "Frankenstein - 1970" (1958), "You’ll Find Out" (1940), and "Zombies on Broadway" (1945). The 2-disc set should retail at around $26.98. The only extra material will be a commentary by historian Greg Mank on "The Walking Dead" and a commentary on "Frankenstein - 1970" by historians Charlotte Austin and Tom Weaver.
Always nice to get some more golden era genre flicks on DVD,...
- 6/18/2009
- by Masked Slasher
- DreadCentral.com
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