Reviews

Being the film that catapulted Vincent Price into the horror hall of

fame, House of Wax was one film that needed to see the light of

day on DVD. The wait was worth it! As a bonus, WB threw in the

original Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) with Lionel Atwill (Son

of Frankenstein) and Fay Wray (King Kong) directed by none other

than Michael Curtiz (Casablanca). A very early 2-color film that

holds up well today, MOTWM is definitely a must see for fans of

House of Wax. A second bonus feature, while only two minutes

long, is an unbelievable film shot at its premiere. Among other

noteworthy guests caught on film, Bela Lugosi is captured walking

up the red carpet in his Dracula cape sporting a man chained in a

gorilla suit! The picture quality of House of Wax is dynamite! Rich textures and

colors have been brought out by the transfer that make it appear

as if it were shot yesterday. The crystal clear transfer sets the bar

for other horror classics yet to see a DVD release. This disc is

most certainly a must for any Vincent Price fan!

Perhaps the strangest film to come out of Hammer Studios, The Lost Continent is literally like watching two movies in one. Similar in format to Tarantino's From Dusk 'til Dawn, the film shifts from a taut "mutiny on the bounty" type nautical drama play (with a little funky late sixties weirdness thrown in) to a whacked out sci-fi freak show complete with corny monsters, strange & hostile plants, an unnaturally large breasted woman, a child King, an oddball religious cult, and balloon-type thingies to keep the characters afloat on the marshy alien wetlands! Whew! Talk about your shift in gears! A must see for fans of oddball cinema. And to think it came out of Great Britain . . .

I have to admit, I was a bit worried when I picked this baby up, but it shocked me for sure when I watched it. The awesome box cover pulled me in, but the movie is actually really good. Despite not having either Cushing or Lee, this film holds up because of the cast's seriousness and a very cool monster. Much like all mummy films, the curse to those that disturbed the mummy's tomb carries the plot of this sucker. That along with some drama about a "rich heartless father vs. handsome moral son" relationship and the girl mixed up in it and blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah . . .Who cares? We just wanna see mummies killin', right? And kill he does. Watch the close up of the centuries-old dust falling from his opening eyelids. Classic Hammer!

This is one of Vincent Price's best films! Adapted from a terrific novel by Richard Matheson, The Last Man on Earth is a perfect showcase for Price's talents. Known for his suave speaking voice, Price deftly handles a script that is nearly one long voice over. The story of a last human fighting legions of zombie/vampires is classic and timeless. It's fun to watch and adheres to the novel much more than big budget remake The Omega Man with good ol' Chuck Heston. I also prefer the B&W imagery to the splashy colors of Omega's exploitation-y film. My only complaint is that no one has remastered this film for DVD in all of its widescreen glory. The only version available is on a Diamond Double Feature with House on Haunted Hill and is full screen. Widescreen re-master or not, as far as Price films go, it's a perfect 10!

What a great film! Wonderful Mario Bava/Barbara Steele collabo with a look and feel of the old Universal monster movies. The story is not without flaw but interesting enough. The atmosphere is peerless and the stunning B&W photography will blow you away! This beautiful film suffers only from its dubbing, which is actually quite good but still way too strange for me. Why watch someone's lips move to different words, huh? I can read, so where's the subtitles and the REAL actors voices/lines? If the original language track was restored this film would definitely be a 10. As is though, its hard to deny the creepiness prevalent here that precedes any horror movie of its time.

This film lacks just about everything. A good story, a cool monster, a decent actor--all are absent from this baby! It is really a test of endurance to see if you can get through it. I picked it up because A. It was cheap and 2. it had a snow monster! Snow monsters are my personal favorite, which is tragic considering that nobody makes movies about them. In fact, the best screen Yeti yet is the Wampa from Empire Strikes Back . .. and it wasn't even a Yeti! The special effects are so terrible that the cornball director used the same exact shot of the monster over and over and over again. Nevertheless, three scenes stand out in my mind: 1. An attack on a female victim in a black alley 2. The monster seen weaving in and out of cattle carcasses in a meat plant 3. Coolest of all, this scene shows the monster trying to break out of the container that brought him to the US from the so-called Himilayas. Check out Wilder's Phantom from Space for a better time.

Phantom from Space is a rare little treat for classic monster movie/sci-fi fans. The first half is incredibly dull with not a single monster sighting for about 25 minutes! Instead of thrills, the beginning offers a set-up of the boring police/news reporter/government agent business that seems to permeate many old moster flicks. BUT, once you get to the good stuff it really holds up well. It's always fascinating to watch the old invisibilty tricks harking back to Universal's Invisible Man. And check out that cool space suit! The ending tops all, thought, with a really cool effect that finally lets the viewer see the man behind the mask. Alpha Video has a release of this film on DVD with spectacular, color cover art, a quite nice print of the film, and a budget savvy price of around $5-$6 bucks! Definitely worth the price of admission for classic monster fans!