Product Details

• Actors: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lionel Barrymore
• Directors: Charles Brabin, Charles Vidor, Karl Freund, Michael Curtiz, Tod Browning
• Writers: Abraham Merritt, Allen C. Miller
• Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: October 10, 2006
• Run Time: 412 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GRUQJW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,037 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

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HOLLYWOOD'S LEGENDS OF HORROR COLLECT - DVD Movie

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85 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Forgotten 30's Horrors of MGM and Warners, August 10, 2006

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Edward Garea "Edward Garea" (Branchville, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu) (DVD)

This is a wonderful collection of horror pictures made by MGM and Warner Brothers during the Thirties. Neither studio was noted for horror pictures, but the ones they did make are unforgettable to fans of the genre as well as late night movie addicts. Following is a synopsis of the films contained in the collection:

THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (MGM, 1932) - Boris Karloff is wonderfully creepy as Sax Rohmer's evil genius, Dr. Fu Manchu. It would not be the last time Karloff played a Chinese, as he later starred as Mr. Wong in Monogram's low budget detective series later in the decade. The plot concerns a race between good guy Lewis Stone and Fu Manchu to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan. If Fu Manchu gets there first he will possess the magical relics placed there which, in turn, will allow him to enslave the world. Look for a young Myrna Loy in a delightful turn as Fu's diabolical, and scantily-clad, daughter.

DOCTOR X (WB, 1932) - A good early effort by Michael Curtiz concerning the "Moon Killer" murders in which the victims are strangled, cannibalized and surgically dissected under the light of the full moon. Wise-cracking reporter Lee Tracy traces the clues to a spooky seaside mansion, where Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill) and his colleagues are conducting strange experiments. Made in early two-strip Technicolor, the film is wonderfully atmospheric, and the sets themselves will linger in your mind. Aside from the irritating Lee Tracy as reporter Lee Taylor, the acting is crisp and to the point. Atwill in particular is eerie. Fay Wray is good as Xavier's daughter. I won't give any more of the plot away, but just remember the phrase "synthetic flash." Once heard, it will linger in the mind always.

MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (MGM, 1935) - Tod Browning's remake of his "London After Midnight" with Bela Lugosi as the vampire, Count Mora, and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Newman. In the original, both roles were played by Lon Chaney. The plot concerns the death of Sir Karell Borotyn, who appears to have been killed by vampire Count Mora. Fearing that the vampire's next victim will be Borotyn's daughter, Irena (Elizabeth Allan), vampire expert Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore) is called I to protect her and shed some light on the goings-on. Look for Carroll Borland as the Count's daughter (a role played by Edna Tichenor in the original).

MAD LOVE (MGM, 1935) - One of the great plots in horror film history, and one that has been repeated many times. Colin Clive plays the brilliant concert pianist Stephen Orlac, whose hands are crushed in a train accident. His wife, Yvonne, is a noted stage actress whose ardent admirer is Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre). Although she rejected Gogol previously, she is forced to seek his help in restoring her husband's hands. Gogol replaces Orlac's hands with those of executed knife thrower Rollo, and the fun begins. Clive is his usual tortured, neurotic self and Lorre is brilliant as the oily monomaniacal Gogol. Pauline Keal, in her book on Citizen Kane, stated that Welles copied Lorre's look for the older Kane.

THE DEVIL DOLL (MGM, 1936) - Tod Browning's last great film is about as respected Parisian banker (Lionel Barrymore), who is framed for robbery and murder and sent to Devil's Island. Years later he escapes in the company of a scientist who has discovered a way to shrink living things to one-sixth their original size. Barrymore finds a new use for the scientist's discovery as a means of revenge on those who had framed him.

THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X (WB, 1939) - The famous Humphrey Bogart punishment picture! After years of complaining about his one-dimensional gangster roles, it was said that Jack Warner decided to teach Bogie a lesson and put him in the role of a vampiric lab assistant who needs freshly drained blood in order to stay alive. Bogart is a hoot in pasty-faced white makeup and a grey streak through his hair. Wayne Morris play the wise-cracking reporter who exposes Bogie as the killer. (Tough job considering the makeup). Look for Olin Howard (Jensen the drunk in Them! and the Blob's first victim) as the undertaker. This film has never before been released on either VHS or DVD, so it is a welcome find for horror fans and Bogart fans as well

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS: LUGOSI! KARLOFF! LORRE! BARRYMORE!, July 24, 2006

By 

Forrest C. Hopson "StarWatcher" (Burnsville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu) (DVD)

Classic horror fans should grab Warner Bros up-coming "Hollywood Legends of Horror" collection, featuring 6 classics "new to dvd," including my personal favorite, "Mark of the Vampire" coming October 10, 2006! Titles include:

"The Devil Doll" (1936): Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore) was a respected banker in Paris when he was framed for robbery and murder by crooked associates and sent to Devil's Island. Years later, he escapes with a friend, a scientist who was working on a method to reduce humans to a height of mere inches (all for the good of humanity, of course). Lavond however is consumed with hatred for the men who betrayed him, and takes the scientist's methods back to Paris to exact painful revenge.

"Dr. X" (1932): A monster lurks as New York newspaperman Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy) investigates one of the "Moon Killer" murders, in which the victims are strangled, cannibalized and surgically incised under the light of the full moon. The trail leads to the cliff side mansion of Dr. Xavier (Lionel Atwill), where the doctor and his colleagues conduct a strange experiment. Fay Wray of "King Kong" fame plays the good doctor's daughter, Joan Xavier.

"The Return of Dr. X" (1939): New York newspaper reporter Walter Barnett (Wayne Morris) finds himself out of a job after he claims to have found actress Angela Merrova (Lya Lys) dead in her apartment - only the next day she showed up alive and threatened to sue the paper. Determined to investigate he discovers her involvement with a strange doctor (Humphrey Bogart) who is an expert on human blood. Barnett then finds a connection to a series of gruesome murders where the victims were all found drained of blood.
"Mark of the Vampire" (1935): Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) appears to have been killed by Count Mora Bela Lugosi), a vampire believed to haunt the local village. Now his daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the Count's next target. Enter Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires who is sent to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell's death.

"Mad Love" (1935): In Paris, the great surgeon Dr. Gogol (Peter Lorre) falls madly in love with stage actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake), and his ardor disturbs her quite a bit when he discovers to his horror that she is married to concert pianist Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive). Shortly thereafter, Stephen's hands are badly crushed in a train accident- beyond the power of standard medicine. Knowing that his hands are his life, Yvonne overcomes her fear and goes to Dr. Gogol, to beg him to help. Gogol decides to surgically graft the hands of executed murderer Rollo onto Stephen Orlac, the surgery is successful but has terrible side-effects...

"The Mask of Fu Manchu" (1932): Englishmen race to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan. They have to get there fast, as the evil genius Dr. Fu Manchu (Boris Karloff) is also searching, and if he gets the mysteriously powerful relics, he and his diabolical daughter, Fah Lo See (Myrna Loy)will enslave the world!

Also of interest is Universal Studios September 19, 2006 release of "The Boris Karloff Collection," featuring 5 Karloff classics, "Night Key," "The Black Castle" "The Climax," "The Strange Door," and "Tower of London." With Warner Bros and Universal Studios releasing these classic collections, the production values should be very high and the dvd transfers should be at their best! These films could never hold up against today's CGI and computer generated fair for "special effects." However, the acting talent and the incredible "atmosphere" of these films, as well as those released in the wonderful "Val Lewton Horror Collection," and the Universal Studios' "Legendary Monster" collections are far superior to today's artificial talents.

Many of these "boxed sets" contain films that have been long overdue for a dvd release. It's nice to see them finally making it to dvd! Now if only we could have the 1960 b&w jungle voodoo classic "The Leech Woman,"(1960) and a "Hammer Horror Collection Volume 2" featuring more great Hammer Studio classics, including the ultra-creepy "The Gorgon," my expectations in classic horror will be somewhat met.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great set of 1930s Horror Classics, November 7, 2006

By 

Barbara (Burkowsky) Underwood (Tumut, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu) (DVD)

Being a fan of early cinema and unusual films with clever plots, I was particularly pleased with this set of 6 films; packed neatly in slim cases with nice artwork and bonus features such as expert commentary to 5 of the 6 films. Each film is different and has its own unique highlights; some of which are obvious due to the legendary stars in each one; others are brought out in the audio commentary track which also gives excellent background information on the film's cast and crew, as well as the film industry and newly-emerging Horror genre in general. Although the cover boasts "6 Masterworks of Terror", it's unlikely that any modern-day viewer would find them terrifying, but no doubt for audiences of the 1930s these films were quite a sensation, and due to their high quality of production, direction or acting, can rightly be viewed as classics or prime examples of 1930s horror/thriller/mystery movies.

Far more than merely intending to shock and frighten audiences, these films still have a busy plot and interesting story, albeit unrealistic and even a bit silly at times. My personal favourites are "Mad Love", based on an earlier silent film, "The Hands of Orlac" about transplanting the hands of an executed murderer onto a pianist whose hands were injured in an accident, (echoes of Frankenstein here) and although the story is interesting enough in itself, Peter Lorre is simply brilliant as the mad doctor. His uncanny bald-headed appearance is already unnerving, and he uses his foreign accent to its absolute creepiest effect. And in the same league, Boris Karloff as the evil Fu Manchu is the best I've seen him so far, making this exaggerated character almost believable, and certainly very entertaining. I found the commentary to "The Mask of Fu Manchu" particularly interesting for its detailed explanations of censorship and how many scenes had been removed at some time. Fortunately, this is the complete and restored version, and putting political correctness aside, simply great fun to watch.

Another personal favourite is "The Return of Doctor X" with Humphrey Bogart in an early role before he found fame when he usually played the role of a villain. In this film he is very convincing as the strange, pale-faced doctor's assistant, experimenting with the use of synthetic blood to restore and sustain life - some intriguing ideas taken from both scientific work and the vampire legends. I also enjoyed the commentary to this movie which features a lengthy interview with the film's director, Vincent Sherman, who at age 99 can still vividly recall and tell of his experiences in early Hollywood. Also very intriguing and worth mentioning is "Mark of the Vampire" which is a remake of a lost silent film "London After Midnight" starring the legendary Lon Chaney, but is not at all what one would expect of a Chaney film. In fact, "Mark of the Vampire" is meant to keep you wondering and guessing til the very end; much in the same vein as "Cat and the Canary" and other slightly comical mystery whodunits. Last but not least, Lionel Barrymore puts in a very entertaining performance in his old woman disguise as he plots revenge on former associates with the means of more freaky science in "The Devil Doll". Sound and picture quality on all 3 discs is very good, and I'm sure this set will satisfy most early cinema or 1930s film enthusiasts, not to mention horror-genre fans as well, of course.