Customer Reviews

The Dan Curtis Macabre Collection (Dracula (1973) / The Turn of the Screw (1974) / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968) / The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973))

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This package contains four films either produced or directed by Dan Curtis, creator of TV's "Dark Shadows." The most successful piece is "The Picture of Dorian Gray", featuring a moodier, more atmospheric interpretation than the classic film starring George Sanders (not yet on DVD, alas). The Dracula adaptation stars Jack Palance as the nefarious Count, and follows the novel much more closely than the Lugosi or Christopher Lee versions. Still, it's not as gripping as it could be.

Palance also stars as Jekyll/Hyde, and this film is easily the weakest of the bunch. Overlong and plodding, it never catches fire. Palance's understated performance is a plus, and there are several strong sequences, especially at the beginning, but towards the end it starts to drag.

The Turn of the Screw is excellent, a definitive adaptation of the Henry James novel. (The review below mentions an audio problem on this disc, but I didn't experience anything like that.) It's not often that I find a horror flick genuinely scary, but this one does the trick.

These films were (I believe) made for TV, so the video quality isn't great and the audio is mono. The films are also sold separately, so you're not forced to buy them all. But this package is the better value.

I'm simply reviewing the sound issue mentioned in a previous review, since the story and picture are great. I was hesitant to order this since a few reviewers stated that the 3rd & 4th discs(Dorian Gray & Turn Screw) were almost inaudible and further, MPI knew nothing about it. Well, i think its the old "failure to admit a mistake" stance on MPI's part. I received my set yesterday and not only is the sound fine on these last two discs, IT'S ACTUALLY LOUDER THAN THE FIRST TWO DISCS(Dracula & Jekyll). It seems they overcompensated for the problem of volume. With it comes a little more hiss, but i'd rather be able to hear these great movies. So order freely without fear.

The DORIAN GRAY and TURN OF THE SCREW discs presented me with the same audio problem described by other reviewers: the actors sound like thier mouths are full of cotton. I played the discs on several different DVD players with the following results: no audio problem on Sony players, inaudible dialogue on Panasonic players. (JEKYLL/HYDE and DRACULA discs played perfectly on ALL players.) Conclusion: DORIAN GRAY and TURN OF THE SCREW discs contain defect making the audio incompatible with some players. MPI continues to ignore the problem.

in the 70's dan curtis gave t.v. some of its best horror movies and shows,the 4 in this collection are the best.
1.dracula features jack palance as the count and it is a very nice production.
2.turn of the screw stars lynn redgrave as the governess to two possised children.
3.dr.jekyll and mr. hyde stars jack again and is a very good take on the oft told tale
4.the picture of dorian gray is good but to me is the weakest of the lot.
still a very nice collection of movies to run a cold streak up your back.

My Dan Curtis collection arrived in great condition. Such quick service too. Thanks a lot.

All four movies in this package are very well done - acting, direction, settings, and so on. I highly recommend it. Dracula seemed a bit short in parts, for one who has seen Nosferatu more recently than he has read the book, but the film probably sticks to the book more. Both Dracula and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde are well known to most people, I suppose; viewers will not be disappointed. I knew the story of The Picture of Dorian Grey, but had bogged down in the philosophy when I tried to read the book; it is satisfactorily nasty. Turn of the Screw eerily builds from a fairly mild puzzle to shock and horror at the end. I highly recommend the whole set.

One very bad feature which will affect only a small minority is the subtitles, which in Turn of the Screw and parts only of The Picture of Dorian Grey appear three seconds or more after the actor has finished speaking. In an exchange of dialogue, therefore, actors' reactions can come well before one reads the words they reacted to. Stupid spelling errors abound, such as vial deeds and fowl deeds, "country born and bread", and even "scarf" for "scoff" spoken in English (meaning deride, not the colloquial English in which they mean the same).

I remember watching all these on ABC's late-night "Wide World of Entertainment" back in the '70's. Palance is good as DRACULA, which actually does identify him as Prince Vlad, but too much of the story is
streamlined (no Renfield!). I don't recall much of TURN. Palance was great as JEKYLL/HYDE, as was Simon Ward as DORIAN GRAY. However, I am sad to see that the collection omits the truly touching FRANKENSTEIN with Bo Svenson as the most sympathetic portrayal of the Monster I've ever seen.

Wow I love Dan Curtis and his stuff but Disc #4 Taming of the Shrew is Audio Defective! The menu and Bonus Clip interviews have sound but the actual Movie sound is almost completely muffled and inaudible! I called 'Julie' at MPI and she said it was the first she'd heard of it. I wonder if just mine was defective or a glitch in their pressings. I'd like some more feed backs on this set to see if others have this same problem. Rinky Dink Quality is why I'm giving this set a low mark.