SUMMARY TABLE
Various aspects of each disc will be rated and briefly commented upon. Ratings are all out of 10.
For more information on each title, click on any of the title logos below.

TITLE
VIDEO
AUDIO
MENUS
COMMENTARY
DOCUMENTARY
OTHER EXTRAS
THE MOVIE
FINAL RATING

VIDEO: 5. Very grainy, poorer quality than previous laserdisc release.

AUDIO: 8. Good sound. MENUS: 9. Green-tinted, nicely animated. COMMENTARY: 9. By Scott MacQueen. Pleasant and easy to listen to. DOCUMENTARY: 9. "She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein" by David J Skal, hosted by Joe Dante. 39 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 7. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link THE MOVIE: 10.
CRITICS AVG: 9.40. Transcends its horror genre to become one of the great classic films of all time.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.30

VIDEO: 7. Slightly high contrast. AUDIO: 8. Good sound, and naturally the Glass score has excellent sound. MENUS: 7. Red-tinted, nice but awkward when choosing which version of the film to watch. COMMENTARY: 9. By David J Skal. Extremely informative. DOCUMENTARY: 8. "The Road to Dracula" by David J Skal, hosted by Carla Laemmle. 35 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 10. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link, Spanish version, new score by Philip Glass THE MOVIE: 9.
CRITICS AVG: 7.99. Atmospheric with a great Lugosi performance, but belies its stage play origins.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.25

VIDEO: 9. Restored image is very good. AUDIO: 10. leaned-up sound is amazing. MENUS: 9. Blue-tinted and nicely animated. COMMENTARY: 8. By Rudy Behlmer. Nicely in-depth. DOCUMENTARY: 8. "The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster" by David J Skal, hosted by David J Skal. 45 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 9. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailers, web link, "Boo!" short film THE MOVIE: 8.
CRITICS AVG: 8.66. Unforgettable and menacing with plenty to think about.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.71

VIDEO: 7. Average but good for a 1932 film. AUDIO: 7. Decent, perhaps a bit muddy at times. MENUS: 9. Colorful and nicely designed, with a subtle animation. COMMENTARY: 6.
By Paul M Jensen. Fairly dull, often describing what we're seeing.
DOCUMENTARY: 10.
"Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed" by David J Skal, hosted by Rudy Behlmer. 30 minutes.
OTHER EXTRAS: 7. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link THE MOVIE: 10.
CRITICS AVG: 8.51.
Romantic with a terrific opening and a stunning performance by Karloff.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.06

VIDEO: 10. Very nice; sharp and clean. AUDIO: 10. Excellent sound for its vintage. MENUS: 9. Green-tinted, nicely done. COMMENTARY: 10.
By Tom Weaver. Very conversational, fast paced and fun.
DOCUMENTARY: 9.
"Monster by Moonlight: The Immortal Saga of the Wolf Man" by David J Skal, hosted by John Landis. 32 minutes.
OTHER EXTRAS: 7.
Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link
THE MOVIE: 10.
CRITICS AVG: 8.48.
A combination of wonderful fantasy and horror elements, and an excellent cast.

DVD FINAL RATING:

9.19

VIDEO: 10. Very sharp and clean. AUDIO: 10. Sound quality is excellent. MENUS: 9. As usual, nicely done. COMMENTARY: 10. By Tom Weaver. Excellent, simply packed with information and fun tidbits. DOCUMENTARY: 10. "Back to the Black Lagoon: A Creature Chronicle" by David J Skal, hosted by David J Skal. 39 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 7. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailers, web link, recommendations THE MOVIE: 8.
CRITICS AVG: 7.41. A classic monster and a classic monster movie.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.93

VIDEO: 7. Not too bad for its vintage. AUDIO: 7. Mostly clear, but understandably not perfect. MENUS: 9. Same here, nicely done. COMMENTARY: 8. By Rudy Behlmer. A tad dry, but still interesting and informative. DOCUMENTARY: 8. "Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed" by David J Skal, hosted by Rudy Behlmer. 35 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 6. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, web link THE MOVIE: 8.
CRITICS AVG: 8.77. Fascinating especially for Rains' performance.

DVD FINAL RATING:

7.72

VIDEO: 10. Far better than any previously available version. Gorgeous color.
AUDIO: 10. Sound is great, which is a good thing for this movie!
MENUS: 9. Nicely done as usual.
COMMENTARY: 9. By Scott MacQueen. Very good but can't compete with the outstanding documentary! DOCUMENTARY: 10. "The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked" by David J Skal, hosted by Scott MacQueen. 51 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 7. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link

THE MOVIE: 9.
CRITICS AVG: 7.12. Excellent production values and acting, and even the comic relief is pleasant.

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.89

VIDEO: 9. Nice and sharp, seems a little dark though. AUDIO: 9. No real complaints, it just doesn't seem like a 10 to me. MENUS: 10. An amusing animation adds something extra. COMMENTARY: 9. By Gregory W Mank. Entertaining and interesting. DOCUMENTARY: 9. "Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters" by David J Skal, hosted by David J Skal. 33 minutes. OTHER EXTRAS: 7. Archive, production notes, cast and filmmakers, trailer, web link

THE MOVIE: 9.
CRITICS AVG: 8.15. Quite funny and doesn't mock the monsters too badly!

DVD FINAL RATING:

8.77

Click here to see the introduction page.

Click here to see logos for other classic horror films.

© 2000 by Steven W Hill. Contact me at shillpages66@hotmail.com.