Customer Reviews

Scared to Death [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

You don't need to be told about this film, you just want to know if this is the DVD to buy.
YES, it is. The quality of this print is astounding. It's beautiful, sharp and clear, and even the TRAILER for the film (included on the disc) is in good shape.
Under ordinary circumstances I'd be happy with the quality of this print and trailer (and even with the quality of the transfer), but considering what a cheap little public domain title SCARED TO DEATH is, and the fact that the quality of this DVD label's products varies wildly, I am stunned. I think you will be, too.

Bela Lugosi had a notable career during the 1930s--but success of his landmark performance in the 1931 DRACULA combined and his exotic appearance and accent left him typecast, and during the 1940s he found work increasingly difficult to obtain. By the mid-1940s he was so greatly pressed that he began to accept work in low-budget independent movies. Among the first of these was the 1947 SCARED TO DEATH, a film often described as the only color movie in which Lugosi appeared. This is not strictly true: although he was not the star, Lugosi also appeared the color 1930 VIENNESE NIGHTS--but given that both films are so little known it's hardly worth arguing about.

The story begins with a clever idea: a woman's body lies on a slab in a morgue and through flashback she relates the way in which she was murdered. Sad to say, though, this clever idea is not only badly executed, it also happens to be the only clever idea in the entire show. The plot, such as it is, concerns a doctor with a questionable background whose son has married a woman with a questionable background (our soon-to-be corpse.) The family is suddenly descended upon by the doctor's brother, a hypnotist (Lugosi, of course) with, yes, a questionable past. Throw in a surly maid, a mean dwarf, a newspaper reporter, a dumb blonde, and a green mask that keeps floating in front of the window and you have SCARED TO DEATH.

The only saving grace in this nonsense is the cast. Although he receives star billing, Lugosi's role might be better described as the second lead; whatever the case, and in spite of a truly ridiculous script, he gives the role more sparkle than you would expect. The film also includes a number of character actors who like Lugosi shone most brightly in the 1930s--George Zucco, Nat Pendleton, and Joyce Compton--and they too deliver more than the silly script actually allows.

Even so, the charms of the cast cannot raise SCARED TO DEATH above the level of slightly-less-than-mediocre, and for the most part watching the movie is an uphill battle. Lugosi would go on to make one or two more films for major studios, most notably the 1948 ABBOT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, and he would make a few television appearances as well, but for the most part SCARED TO DEATH would mark the beginning of his career's rapid slide into the likes of BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA and his wildy dire association with the notorious Ed Wood in such appalling (and accidentally hilarious) films as GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE.

For the sake of Lugosi, Zucco, Pendleton, and Compton I'm giving SCARED TO DEATH three stars, but truth be told it really doesn't deserve more than two, and that's throwing roses at it. Although it does have a few moments--and I do mean a very few--this is one Lugosi film that is best left to diehard fans.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Buyers should avoid the Republic version of this film, which is sheer butchery. It has been severely edited (the entire opening sequence has been removed), and the original color has been replaced with "digital color", which means that it has been "colorized", with predictably poor results. There are better versions out there, so don't waste your time and money on this hackneyed mess.

For devotees of "bad movies," this film is a must-have. Despite the presence of horror-film stalwarts Lugosi and Zucco, this one is terribly boring, in large part because the plot is so badly muddled that it is virtually incomprehensible. By this time, both Lugosi and Zucco, despite their impressive acting talents, had become fixtures in third-rate horror features. In addition to the poor scripting and direction, the color is atrocious. It appears as if the entire film was carelessly thrown together, with no regard for continuity or plot progression, and is noteworthy only as Logusi's sole color film. As a serious drama, it fails miserably; however, the illogic and ineptitude which define this production make it a collector's item for those who savor Grade-Z gems like this one, a masterpiece of pure poverty-row hackery. As bad as it is, it deserves one star for the sheer nerve required to film and release it.

My 5-star ranking is, of course, directed at confirmed Bela Lugosi and/or George Zucco fans.

Here we have a great old film (although it is shot in color of a sort, pretty garish at times but definitely watchable) which essentially manifests a 1930s newspaper murder-comedy skit. It even features a window-peeping indigo-tinted pseudo-zombie who appears with gratifying frequency.

The Story: There are curious happenings at the office and estate of a sinister physician [Zucco]. The doctor's lamentable daughter-in-law relates this sordid tale in retrospect... from her autopsy slab in the local morgue.

Lugosi, in a classic cape and hat, plays a sinister figure from the doctor's past. He shows up along with his [pun coming] sidekick, a deaf-mute dwarf who much mirrors a miniaturized version of Arnold Swartzenegger. So as you might detect, this film has it all for fans the classic horror genre, including a fairly goofy script tenoned with marginal (but still endearing) melodramatic acting.

This isn't the finest Zucco (The Flying Serpent and The Black Raven) or Lugosi (Chandu the Magician (1932) and Plan 9 From Outer Space) film available on DVD but it's plenty good enough for folks who can hardly get enough of these two stellar cult horror icons.

For a tongue-in-cheek good time, don't miss this entry. Highly recommended for fans of the genre.

"Scared to Death" is one of the best movies, I ever watched. George Zucco and Bela Lugosi are at their best. Everybody has something to hide, so everyone is a potential victim of blackmail. If you want suspense and mystery, then this movie is for you. However, the seller, videoluvr has sent me a defective tape, that I have to constantly re-adjust the tracking. Try enjoying a film with the tracking all screwed up every four to seven minutes. The movie is one of the best, but please refrain from purchasing from this vendor.

This is one of Alpha's better looking releases. There are some minor issues with the picture quality, but overall looks pretty decent. Interesting cast makes for a lot of fun.

This is a lovely horror flick - the emphasis on the word "lovely". Never even occasionally scary, it feels like reading an old Mickey Mouse in a Haunted Castle comic. At moments the film gets really hypnotic for some weird reason, and even though it's rather laughable, it's quite memorable. Mind you, this is one of the very few old horror movies in color (the others being "Mystery of the wax museum", "Doctor X" and "Dr.Cyclops" - I hope I got the names right). Moody and stylish late night play. My DVD (not sure if it is the same as advertised here since the cover art doesn't show) has quite good picture quality.

"Scared to Death" (1947) is a bizarre mixture of horror, mystery and comedy. The low-budget production remains notable for being the only color film to star Bela Lugosi (who wears his Dracula cape in yet another red herring role). Another unique distinction is the jarring flashback structure - with narration provided by a dead woman in the city morgue! The B-movie cast includes George Zucco, Molly Lamont, Angelo Rossitto and the archaic comic relief of Nat Pendleton. Running 67 minutes, "Scared to Death" benefits from Bela's striking Cinecolor presence and its decidedly weird atmosphere. Not a particularly good film, but a watchable curio.

Passport Video presents "The Bela Lugosi Box - 15 Frightful Films" (1942) --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Béla Lugosi was the stage name of actor Béla Ferenc Dezs' Blaskó (October 20, 1882 - August 16, 1956) --- Lugosi was born in Lugos, Hungary, at the time part of Austria-Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), the youngest of four children of a baker --- best known for his portrayal of "Dracula" in the American Broadway stage production, and subsequent film, of Bram Stoker's classic vampire story.

Late in his life, he again received star billing in movies when filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr., a fan of Lugosi, found him living in obscurity and near-poverty and offered him roles in his films, such as "GLEN OR GLENDA?" (1953) (in which his role made no more sense than the rest of the movie) and as a Dr. Frankenstein-like mad scientist in "BRIDE OF THE MONSTER" (1955), during post-production of the latter, Lugosi entered treatment for his addiction, and the premier of the film was ostensibly intended to help pay for his treatment expenses. The extras on an early DVD release of "PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE" (1959) include an impromptu interview with Lugosi upon his exit from the treatment center, which provide some rare personal insights into the man --- this was one of Lugosi's most infamous roles was released after he was dead. Ed Wood (Director) features footage of Lugosi interspersed with a double --- Wood had taken a few minutes of silent footage of Lugosi, in his Dracula cape, for a planned vampire picture but was unable to find financing for the project --- Wood later conceived of Plan 9, Wood wrote the script to incorporate the Lugosi footage and hired his wife's chiropractor to double for Lugosi in additional shots --- notice however the "double" is thinner than Lugosi, and covers the lower half of his face with his cape in every shot --- Leonard Maltin (Famous Film Critic) was quoted - "Lugosi died during production, and it shows."

Lugosi died of a heart attack on August 16, 1956 while lying in bed in his Los Angeles home. He was 73 --- Bela Lugosi was buried wearing one of the many capes from the Dracula stageplay, as per the request of his son and fifth wife, in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California --- Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his famous cloak; Bela Lugosi, Jr. has confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, arrived at their decision independently.

BIOS:
1. Bela Lugosi (aka: Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó)
Date of birth: 20 October 1882 - Lugos, Austria-Hungary. [now Lugoj, Romania]
Date of death: 16 August 1956 - Los Angeles, California
2. Edward D. Wood Jr. (Director, Writer and Producer)
Date of birth: 10 October 1924 - Poughkeepsie, New York
Date of death: 10 December 1978 - North Hollywood, California

This collection of "The Bela Lugosi Box - 15 Frightful Films" (1942) --- still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years --- but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten ... Plus the half-hour tribute "100 Years of Horror: Bela Lugosi", hosted by Christopher Lee --- and a great job by Passport Video for this release --- looking forward to more of the same from the '20s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video, stay tuned once again for more remarkable films from the vaults of classic television and Hollywood during the Golden Era of Entertaiment.

Total Time: 1034 mins on DVD ~ Passport Video #5260 ~ (9/05/2006)