This collection is comprised of some of Bela Lugosi's not so well known roles in which he did not play Dracula. But it also contains some of the finest acting on his part and some of the worst and all are overlooked or overshadowed in favor of his Dracula role.
The films are all black and white, off beat and are horror films in nature. They are good quality films visually, nicely restored and the sound is good. There is one disk in this collection, double sided.
We start the rampage with Murders in the Rue Morgue, an interpretation of Edgar Allen Poe's classic, and we find Lugosi as a mad scientist looking for a human bride for his gorilla. Gorilla finds girl, gorilla kidnaps girl, mad scientist injects girl with gorilla blood, girl dies, repeat till we get to the star, then boyfriend tracks them down, kills mad scientist and gorilla. Gorilla always loses girl. Actually, it's not all that bad. Love the faces on Bela as the mad scientist. It's amusing if nothing else.
The real reason to purchase this collection is the second film The Black Cat. Staring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, with Karloff as the Priest of Satan and he plays the part very well. That stare – that glower... he is so totally a minion of Satan. Oh, the cat-phobic Lugosi is a scream. This is a classic chiller; sit on the edge of your chair film. Not to be missed.
At times you have to wonder about this collection. Some of these films Karloff is just as strong a character as Lugosi is and you got to wonder - why did they call this the Lugosi collection?
Another very good reason to buy this collection and probably the best offering of this collection is The Raven. Here again we are treated to the magical chemistry of Lugosi and Karloff at it's very finest. This is set in a very art deco photographed film of two enemies, one woman and torture and incredible horror. This one will leave you stunned in its ability to shock. A classic, not to be missed.
The Invisible Ray again presents us with the Lugosi/Karloff duo, with Karloff as the misshaped doctor who is afflicted with a "deadly touch" and Lugosi as the mad scientist who tries to cure him. Not as good as the other two offerings, but it is one of those "mad doctors go mad" films.
Last entry here is Black Friday. This is the final Lugosi/Karloff entry, and it involves brain surgery, two friends, gangsters and hidden money. This one plays with a more of a "Jekyll and Hyde" flavor, with Karloff in the split personality role. To be honest, Karloff is the movie, with Lugosi in almost a "walk in" part. The acting is good, the film is not bad - but not the best and this makes it not one of the better movies in this collection.
Overall, for the two films mentioned, this is well worth the purchase. You can not find these films on their own (at least at the time I purchased this collection you couldn't), and with the other films thrown into the mix, this isn't a bad collection of Lugosi films, though all but one also features Karloff, so it could be called the Lugosi/Karloff collection. Collectors of classic horror films will not want to miss this disk from their collection.
Bela Lugosi is known as the master of evil in the horror-film genre. His range as an actor in this realm knew no boundaries and his legend lives on in...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.