Customer Reviews

The Phantom Creeps [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Phantom Creeps, Bela Lugosi's final movie serial, holds a special place in my memories for being the first complete chapterplay I had seen. I had seen portions of others but never a complete one before this. Lugosi steals the serial as Doctor Alex Zorka, a brilliant scientist who has made a series of inventions from a meteorite he found in Africa--via footage from "The Invisible Ray" for the Africa sequence. He wants to sell his secrets to the highest bidder, but the US Government wants to stop him. What is unusual for this serial is that I feel that Zorka was initially the good guy of the story before the US and a spyring start looking for his secrets and thus hounding him into insanity. The DVD for this is painful. The print used retains the Commonwealth (TV?) logo instead of the normal Filmcraft or Universal logo. Sound is muddy at quite a few places. Picture will be dark in a few places--sometimes in a daytime scene. They use only one set of opening credits for the 12 chapters. Normally, Universal would use a opening which showed the main cast for its first 3 episodes while the remaining episodes would use an opening that merely lists who the actors were. It is this second opening that is on the DVD and is only used once for all 12 chapters. There are no extras on this disc, such as a trailer, although you can choose to play it all at once or select an individual chapter. There is an insert with information on Lugosi. There are better VHS copies out there and in my own collection at one time I had an actual film print which had the Universal logo. I can't really recommend this DVD unless you don't have a copy of this serial at all. I wouldn't buy another disc from Whirlwind Media, the releasers of the disc, unless it was an extremely rare serial that probably would not be released any other way. Now if only Universal would get off its duff and start releasing their own serials instead of letting people with Public Domain prints do it, I might be a little bit more happy.

What a load of old cobblers. No, I'm not complaining about the storyline and quality of The Phantom Creeps (after all, what do you expect for under $7?) What I'm irate about, and what every DVD purchaser around the world should also be concerned, is the way the distributor - Vintage Home Entertainment - has superimposed its logo watermark in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Not just once to establish the copyright ownership, but ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SERIAL. I don't want my attention distracted with a logo emblazoned across the picture... and if I had known I wouldn't have spent my money on it. I hope this is not a sign of things to come with DVD releases - 'cause if it is, I ain't gonna buy anymore. The quality of the print, by the way, is woeful. Shocking quality and constant jumps where the film has been joined after breaking. I'll never buy another DVD from this mob again... this is possibly the worse DVD I've ever purchased... and I'm a big Bela Lugosi fan!!!

From David Wicks - Australia

Fun Serial with Bela Lugosi at his evil best as Dr Zorka. Alpha has broken this 12 chapter serial into 2 separate DVD's for sale. This disk contains chapters 1-6. When I first starting watching this disk, I cringed during Chapter 1 as the quality was quite poor with lots of scrathes and some splicing. I thought, "Here we go again with a substandard Alpha release!" Then, to my surprise, chapters 2-5 were quite good. Still nothing like you would get from the Roan Group, but on par with Sinister Cinema or Retro Media. Chapter 6 falls in closer to the poor quality of chapter 1, however.

If you are a Lugosi fan and want a low cost version of this series, then take a chance on the Alpha release. If you are a Lugosi fan who wants to collect the best possible prints of his films, then skip this Alpha release. The disk contains no extras, but does have a chapter stops for each serial chapter.

The scene where the robot enters the kitchen with arms flailing behind the distracted G-man is one of the most beautiful and moving scenes in all of motion picture history. Well worth the price of the film.

The devisualizing belt and random ray guns don't harm the airtight plot any, either. Adults only; stupid and/or serious folks should probably watch a Bruce Willis movie instead.

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present..."The Phantom Creeps" (1939) (Dolby digitally remastered), a 12 Chapter cliffhanger from a thrilling suspenseful Universal serial featuring a good cast, but Bela Lugosi is at his very best in this twist and turn original story, Lugosi keeps the adrenaline going and makes this mediocre serial a top notch flick....story line asks these questions, what strange experiments is Dr. Alex Zorka (Bela Lugosi) performing in his very secret laboratory and to what end will this bring to the world as we know it...can assistant Monk (Jack C. Smith) keep the fine Zorka from releasing his eight foot giant robot friend upon the entire cast and crew of Universal Pictures...is there such a thing as inivisiblity, suspended animation and weapons of mass-destruction, well only Lugosi can answer all these questions...will our hero Captain Bob West (Robert Kent) and girl report Jean Drew (Dorothy Arnold) be able to cope will all the ins and outs of Lugosi's villianous plans...why is Zorka planning to carry onboard deadley explosives then chart his travel log over the ocean....doesn't sound good to me, an you're correct there's trouble afoot.....don't leave the theater until the final chapter is over and done with "To Destroy the World"....just remember double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...hitting the bull's eye with excitement...don't miss a single spine thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's Ford Beebe and Saul A. Goodkind, associate producer Henry MacRae, supervised by J. Laurence Wickland, screenplay by George Pympton, Basil Dickey and Mildred Barish, original story by Willis Cooper, dialogue director Lyonel Margolies, musical score by Charles Previn, Franz Waxman, Frank Skinner, stunts by David Sharpe, Tom Steele and Bud Wolfe...the cast includes Bela Lugosi (Dr. Alex Zorka), Robert Kent (Capt. Bob West), Dorothy Arnold (Jean Drew), Edwin Stanley (Dr. Fred Mallory), Regis Toomey (Lt. Jim Daley), Jack C. Smith (Monk), Edward Van Sloan (Jarvis-spy chief), Dora Clement (Ann Zorka), Anthony Averill (Rankin/henchman), Hugh Huntley (Perkins/Mallory's lab assistant), Eddie Acuff (Mac/AMI agent), Roy Barcroft (Parker/AMI agent), Al Bridge (White Rose sailor), Lane Chandler (Henchman with Rankin), Edmund Cobb (Army sergeant), Lee J. Cobb (Road crew foreman), Karl Hackett (Brown/henchman-secretary), Charles King (Policeman), Monte Montague (Signal tower operator), David Sharpe (Schooner sailor), Tom Steele (Train conductor), Forrest Taylor (Black/henchman), George Magrill (Thug-Pilot)..........special footnote, to many collectors this serial reunites Bela Lugosi and Edwin Stanley from their first meeting in the film "Dracula" (1931), all serial-buffs should find "The Phantom Creeps" very rewarding and entertaining, Lugosi gained fame when he played "Count Dracula" in the legendary 1927 Broadway stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, continued for three years, and was subsequently, and memorably, filmed by Tod Browning in 1931, establishing Lugosi as one of the screen's greatest personifications of pure evil.........meanwhile back to our Universal Serial which is always good till the last drop and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

BIOS:

1. Bela Lugosi (aka: Be'la Ferenc Dezso Blasko)

Birth Date: October 20, 1882 - Lugos, Hungary.

Died: August, 16 1956 - Los Angeles, California, USA. (heart attack)

CHAPTER TITLES:

1. The Menacing Power

2. Death Stalks the Highway

3. Crashing Towers

4. Invisible error

5. Thundering Rails

6. The Iron Monster

7. The Menacing Mist

8. Trapped in the Flames

9. Speeding Doom

10.Phantom Footprints

11.The Blast

12.To Destroy the World

If you're into vintage serials as I am, why not pick up a copy of the following titles from VCI Home Video:

VCI CLIFFHANGER TRAILERS:

1. Adventures of Red Ryder (Don "Red" Barry)

2. Adventures of the Flying Cadets (Bobby Jordan)

3. Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe)

4. Captain Midnight (Dave O'Brien)

5. Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere (Judd Holdren & I. Stanford Jolley)

6. Dick Tracy's G-Men (Ralph Byrd)

7. Don Winslow of the Navy (Don Terry)

8. Don Winslow of the Coast Guard (Don Terry)

9. Drums of Fu Manchu (Henry Brandon)

10.Fighting Kit Carson (Johnny Mack Brown)

11.Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (Buster Crabbe)

12.The Green Archer (Victory Jory)

13.Jungle Girl (Frances Gifford)

14.Jungle Jim (Grant Withers & Raymond Hatton)

15.Lost City of the Jungle (Russell Hayden & Keye Luke)

16.Mandrake the Magician (Warren Hull & Dick Curtis)

17.Miracle Rider (Tom Mix & Tony Jr)

18.The Painted Stallion (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)

19.The Phantom (Tom Tyler)

20.The Return of Chandu (Bela Lugosi)

21.Riders of Death Valley (Dick Foran, Leo Carrillo & Buck Jones)

22.Secret Agent X-9 (1937) (Scott Kolk & Henry Brandon)

23.Secret Agent X-9 (1945) (Lloyd Bridges & Keye Luke)

24.Sky Raiders (Donald Woods & Billy Halop)

25.Undersea Kingdom (Ray "Crash" Corrigan)

26.Winners of the West (Dick Foran, Harry Woods, Roy Barcroft & Charles Stevens)

27.Zane Greys "King of the Royal Mounted" (Allan "Rocky" Lane)

28.Zorro's Cliffhanger Collection (Reed Hadley, John Carroll & Linda Stirling)

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "The Phantom Creeps" (1939), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 265 mins on 2 VHS ~ VCI Entertainment 1723 ~ (11/01/2000)

Here are chapters 7-12 of the cheesy Bela Lugosi serial Phantom Creeps. Remember, the price of these Alpha titles should tell you something. The video quality here varies greatly from chapter to chapter. There are many scratches and the pictures jumps a little in places. This is a great serial and if you want a cheap copy, this Alpha version is okay. If you are a collector, however, wait for a better version.

Serials are an acquired taste; even so, the great serials, such as SPY SMASHER and CAPTAIN MARVEL, transcend changes in style and continue to provide as much amusement today as they did when first show. THE PHANTOM CREEPS is, alas, not in that class--there is fun to be had, but it is more a matter of camp humor than general enjoyment.

The general story concerns Dr. Alex Zorka (Bela Lugosi), who has created a number of devices of awesome power: robot spiders that self-destruct, causing the person nearest them to fall into suspended animation; a belt that provides its wearer with invisibility; and a monsterous robot that seems indestructible. These devices are essentially powered by a meteor that Zorba has recovered on an expedition to Africa, and with them he plans to rule the world!

Well, okay, it's not exactly inspired, and the basic problem Zorba has is his own incompetence at bumping off the various American agents and the various international spies who are attempting to obtain the meteor. Still, it has its moments of grace, most particularly in the form of Lugosi himself, who is always fun to watch. The spiders are also fun and the robot, which is vaguely racist in appearance, is a hoot and a half. Film buffs will have fun noticing that the footage of the meteor's discovery is culled from THE INVISIBLE RAY; the serial also uses bits of THE VANISHING SHADOW and news reel footage of the Hindenberg disaster.

The Alpha Volumes 1 & 2 release is actually the Commonwealth re-release of the Universal serial, so it is without the Universal logos one would expect; it does, however, preserve the chapter headings. The print is hardly pristine: muddy looking at worst, mediocre at best. Overall, recommended to hardcore serial and Lugosi fans, but best given a miss by everyone else.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

i bought this becouse it was sopposed to be a serial. they spliced it together as a movie. i like the cliff hangers. none to be seen. also the color was green not black and white and the sound was terrible.

"The Phantom Creeps" (1939) is 12 chapters of Universal serial hokum. In other words, it's a lot of fun. Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Zorka to the hilt - assisted by Universal's vast catalog of stock footage and classic music scores. The final chapter is particularly memorable, as mad scientist Lugosi gleefully brings down the Hindenburg. Universal did not make the finest serials, but "The Phantom Creeps" remains one of the studio's better efforts.

A DETECTIVE [ROBERT KENT] MUST STOP A DIABOLICAL SCIENTIST [BELA LUGOSI] ARMED WITH A DEADLY METEORITE. NOT AS GOOD AS SOME OF THE OTHER SERIALS I'VE SEEN, BUT THIS ONE IS JUST FINE. IF YOU'RE A FAN OF BELA LUGOSI OR OF THE OLD SERIALS, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS ENJOYING THIS. BEWARE OF MUCH SHORTER EDITED VERSIONS.