Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Caveat Emptor!!, May 28, 2002
By A Customer
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
More confusing than scary, December 26, 2000
By A Customer
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Part comedy, part horror, completely ridiculous, December 10, 2002
Scared to Death is a bad movie, a really painfully bad movie, yet it is not wholly unwatchable (although I daresay I will never watch it a second time). This film is the only color movie Bela Lugosi made, and that is about the only good thing I can say about it. Lugosi was only slightly past his prime in 1947, but his acceptance of a role in this ludicrous waste of celluloid is a sure sign of the problems that plagued him in his final years. At times, he is almost a caricature of himself, running around in a black cape reminiscent of his Dracula attire. In his role as a hypnotist with an unsavory past, he is rather inexplicably accompanied by the same dwarf featured in The Corpse Vanishes-I have no idea what his diminutive associate has to do with this film, though, because he is basically forgotten by the screenwriters, the cast, and the audience halfway through the action. I will say very little about the plot (such as it is) of this film. The movie starts in an autopsy room, and the corpse of a young lady on the slab serves as the narrator of events; throughout the movie, the music is cut awkwardly cut off and on around return shots of the cadaver, which is most annoying. The whole film suffers from horrible editing. What I found most bothersome about this movie was the fact that the moviemakers apparently couldn't decide if they were making a horror movie or a comedy. There are some horror elements here-a mysterious, unexplained death, the repeated appearance of a figure wearing a green mask outside the windows, a few blows delivered to unsuspecting heads, and the very appearance of Lugosi on the cast list. Then again, the dim-witted family of the deceased, the stereotypical, nosy reporter and his airheaded lady friend, and the shameless antics of the private cop on the premises all come together to make sure the film comes off as utterly foolish. The cop is sort of funny for awhile, but his act gets unbearably tiresome long before the magical and long-awaited words The End appear on the screen. It's almost impossible to explain this movie; it's one of the most ridiculous films I have ever suffered through. I think the only people who might get a single ounce of enjoyment out of Scared to Death are devoted Bela Lugosi fans such as myself. Even we have to grin and bear it for over an hour, though, as this film represents one of the nadirs of Legosi's career. At least I can take some comfort in the knowledge that Legosi was made to look less foolish than all of his fellow cast members.
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