This is a amazing collection of anxiety pictures made by MGM and Warner Brothers during the Thirties. Neither studio was renowned for scare pictures, but the ones they did gain are unforgettable to fans of the genre as well as gradual night movie addicts. Following is a synopsis of the films contained in the collection:
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THE Shroud OF FU MANCHU (MGM, 1932) – Boris Karloff is wonderfully creepy as Sax Rohmer’s deplorable genius, Dr. Fu Manchu. It would not be the last time Karloff played a Chinese, as he later starred as Mr. Wong in Monogram’s coarse budget detective series later in the decade. The residence concerns a rush between favorable guy Lewis Stone and Fu Manchu to accept the tomb of Ghengis Khan. If Fu Manchu gets there first he will contain the magical relics placed there which, in turn, will allow him to enslave the world. Witness for a young Myrna Loy in a luscious turn as Fu’s diabolical, and scantily-clad, daughter.
DOCTOR X (WB, 1932) – A helpful early trouble by Michael Curtiz concerning the “Moon Killer” murders in which the victims are strangled, cannibalized and surgically dissected under the light of the pudgy moon. Wise-cracking reporter Lee Tracy traces the clues to a spooky seaside mansion, where Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill) and his colleagues are conducting unfamiliar experiments. Made in early two-strip Technicolor, the film is wonderfully atmospheric, and the sets themselves will linger in your mind. Aside from the irritating Lee Tracy as reporter Lee Taylor, the acting is crisp and to the point. Atwill in particular is eerie. Fay Wray is satisfactory as Xavier’s daughter. I won’t give any more of the status away, but unbiased remember the phrase “synthetic flash.” Once heard, it will linger in the mind always.
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MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (MGM, 1935) – Tod Browning’s remake of his “London After Midnight” with Bela Lugosi as the vampire, Count Mora, and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Newman. In the recent, both roles were played by Lon Chaney. The state concerns the death of Sir Karell Borotyn, who appears to have been killed by vampire Count Mora. Fearing that the vampire’s next victim will be Borotyn’s daughter, Irena (Elizabeth Allan), vampire expert Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore) is called I to protect her and shed some light on the goings-on. Ogle for Carroll Borland as the Count’s daughter (a role played by Edna Tichenor in the new) .
MAD Admire (MGM, 1935) – One of the astronomical plots in dread film history, and one that has been repeated many times. Colin Clive plays the smart concert pianist Stephen Orlac, whose hands are crushed in a bid accident. His wife, Yvonne, is a famous stage actress whose ardent admirer is Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) . Although she rejected Gogol previously, she is forced to gape his wait on in restoring her husband’s hands. Gogol replaces Orlac’s hands with those of executed knife thrower Rollo, and the fun begins. Clive is his usual tortured, neurotic self and Lorre is luminous as the oily monomaniacal Gogol. Pauline Keal, in her book on Citizen Kane, stated that Welles copied Lorre’s seek for the older Kane.
THE DEVIL DOLL (MGM, 1936) – Tod Browning’s last huge film is about as respected Parisian banker (Lionel Barrymore), who is framed for robbery and slay and sent to Devil’s Island. Years later he escapes in the company of a scientist who has discovered a contrivance to shrink living things to one-sixth their novel size. Barrymore finds a novel employ for the scientist’s discovery as a means of revenge on those who had framed him.
THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X (WB, 1939) – The distinguished Humphrey Bogart punishment recount! After years of complaining about his one-dimensional gangster roles, it was said that Jack Warner decided to sing Bogie a lesson and build him in the role of a vampiric lab assistant who needs freshly drained blood in order to end alive. Bogart is a hoot in pasty-faced white makeup and a grey trudge through his hair. Wayne Morris play the wise-cracking reporter who exposes Bogie as the killer. (Tough job considering the makeup) . See for Olin Howard (Jensen the drunk in Them! and the Blob’s first victim) as the undertaker. This film has never before been released on either VHS or DVD, so it is a welcome score for scare fans and Bogart fans as well
Classic panic fans should grab Warner Bros up-coming “Hollywood Legends of Panic” collection, featuring 6 classics “current to dvd,” including my personal approved, “Ticket of the Vampire” coming October 10, 2006! Titles include:
“The Devil Doll” (1936) : Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore) was a respected banker in Paris when he was framed for robbery and kill by bent associates and sent to Devil’s Island. Years later, he escapes with a friend, a scientist who was working on a contrivance to lop humans to a height of mere inches (all for the estimable of humanity, of course) . Lavond however is consumed with hatred for the men who betrayed him, and takes the scientist’s methods encourage to Paris to sincere painful revenge.
“Dr. X” (1932) : A monster lurks as Fresh York newspaperman Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) investigates one of the “Moon Killer” murders, in which the victims are strangled, cannibalized and surgically incised under the light of the bulky moon. The hump leads to the cliff side mansion of Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill), where the doctor and his colleagues conduct a unusual experiment. Fay Wray of “King Kong” fame plays the proper doctor’s daughter, Joan Xavier.
“The Return of Dr. X” (1939) : Unique York newspaper reporter Walter Barnett (Wayne Morris) finds himself out of a job after he claims to have found actress Angela Merrova (Lya Lys) dreary in her apartment – only the next day she showed up alive and threatened to sue the paper. Sure to investigate he discovers her involvement with a odd doctor (Humphrey Bogart) who is an expert on human blood. Barnett then finds a connection to a series of horrible murders where the victims were all found drained of blood.
“Effect of the Vampire” (1935) : Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) appears to have been killed by Count Mora Bela Lugosi), a vampire believed to haunt the local village. Now his daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the Count’s next target. Enter Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires who is sent to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell’s death.
“Aroused Worship” (1935) : In Paris, the large surgeon Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) falls madly in appreciate with stage actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake), and his ardor disturbs her quite a bit when he discovers to his dread that she is married to concert pianist Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive) . Shortly thereafter, Stephen’s hands are badly crushed in a stutter accident- beyond the power of standard medicine. Intelligent that his hands are his life, Yvonne overcomes her dread and goes to Dr. Gogol, to beg him to wait on. Gogol decides to surgically graft the hands of executed murderer Rollo onto Stephen Orlac, the surgery is successful but has awful side-effects…
“The Conceal of Fu Manchu” (1932) : Englishmen hasten to rep the tomb of Ghengis Khan. They have to net there rapidly, as the sinister genius Dr. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously remarkable relics, he and his diabolical daughter, Fah Lo Watch (Myrna Loy) will enslave the world!
Also of interest is Universal Studios September 19, 2006 release of “The Boris Karloff Collection,” featuring 5 Karloff classics, “Night Key,” “The Shadowy Castle” “The Climax,” “The Unique Door,” and “Tower of London.” With Warner Bros and Universal Studios releasing these classic collections, the production values should be very high and the dvd transfers should be at their best! These films could never possess up against today’s CGI and computer generated blooming for “special effects.” However, the acting talent and the wonderful “atmosphere” of these films, as well as those released in the improbable “Val Lewton Alarm Collection,” and the Universal Studios’ “Legendary Monster” collections are far noble to today’s artificial talents.
Many of these “boxed sets” bear films that have been long overdue for a dvd release. It’s nice to peep them finally making it to dvd! Now if only we could have the 1960 b&w jungle voodoo classic “The Leech Woman,”(1960) and a “Hammer Anxiety Collection Volume 2″ featuring more broad Hammer Studio classics, including the ultra-creepy “The Gorgon,” my expectations in classic anxiety will be somewhat met.
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