DVD Review: Monster Legacy Collection (Dracula, Wolfman, Frankenstein) (B)

Monster Legacy Collection

Dracula (1931)
Directed by Tod Browning
Starring Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler and Dwight Frye
MPAA: UR
Grade: B

Review by Bobby Nashville

The kind folks at Universal have released a slew of monster movie classics under the monker The Legacy Collection and one of the best of the bunch is Dracula. We're talking about the original version here with Bela Lugosi doing his best, um...Bela Lugosi and lots of dark, creepy german expressionist lighting everywhere.

My only beef with this film is it's slow pace and rather stilted acting. At times you wonder if everyone was on ludes during filming and to be frank, now that the full truth of Bela Lugosi's drug habit is out in the open, who knows? This film hits all of the vampire themes that one has since come to expect: the stake through the heart, moving around only at night, and of course some good old blood drinking andd neck biting.

The Monster Legacy version of this film also includes three sequels (nice) including Dracula's Daughter (1936), Son of Dracula (1936) and House of Dracula (1945).

The Wolf Man (1941)
Directed by George Waggner
Starring Claude Rains, Lon Chaney Jr., Warren William, Ralph Bellamy and Bela Lugosi
MPAA: UR
Grade: B-

Review by Bobby Nashville

The Monster Legacy collection also includes the Wolf Man, a rather underrated classic that features the incredible Lon Chaney as the title character. Chaney plays Larry Talbot, who returns to his father's castle (there' always a castle in this old movies) and gets a little freaky after visiting a gypsy fortune teller.

The Wolf Man has a little better pace than Dracula (for my tastes) and Claude Rains is brilliant as usual. The Monster Legacy DVD of this movie also includes Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, She-Wolf Of London, and Werewolf of London.

Frankenstein (1931)
Directed by James Whale
Starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke and John Boles
MPAA: UR
Grade: B+

Director James Whale directed both Frankenstein and the equally wonderful Bride of Frankenstein (included on the Monster Legacy collection). While a little slow, it blends the horror that one comes to expect with the sensitive feelings of a man born a monster.

Boris Karloff is of course, fantastic as as the monster Frankenstein and Colin Clive is not bad playing the mad doctor F. The Frankenstein collection, including The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) and House of Frankenstein (1944) is one of the best. If you are looking to brush up on the horror classics, then certainly grab this excellent collection