# Universal Horror DVD Legacy Collections **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 8, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172 "2004-05-08T12:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/1 "2004-05-08T12:24:25Z")
Has anyone bought any of these yet? There’s the Frankenstein Legacy Collection the Dracula Legacy Collection and the Wolf Man Legacy Collection. I’ve never been a ga-ga Univeral Horror fan, but I do think Bride of Frankenstein is one of the best movies ever. So, when I saw the new DVD collection on sale for just $21.95 I thought hey, might as well- I’d pay $21.95 just for Bride of Frankenstein alone so the rest is icing on the cake. The collection includes: Frankenstein Bride of Frankenstein Son of Frankenstein Ghost of Frankenstein House of Frankenstein As a wee tike I always enjoyed watching these movies on Saturday afternoon T.V. but haven’t given them much thought since- there’s lots that I enjoyed as a wee tike that I’m not terribly impressed with today. With as many Monster Films as Universal put out in the 30’s/40’s I just figured most of them had to be crap. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed every one of the films included in this DVD collection. They aren’t all as good as B of F, but they all have great elements about them. (Once we lose Karloff as the Monster we gain Lugosi as Ygor- awsome! Then Karloff returns, not as the Monster, but as a new mad scientist in House of Frankenstein- I love him in House! Such a great performance!) So, now I’m thinking of going back to buy the Dracula and Wolfman sets while they’re still on sale. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/2 "2004-05-08T13:01:13Z")
O.K. I just looked the other two up. The Dracula Legacy Collection includes: Dracula Dracula (Spanish Version) Dracula’s Daughter Son of Dracula House of Dracula The Wolf Man Legacy Collection includes: Werewolf of London The Wolf Man She-Wolf of London Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man I don’t know most of these films. Any insight would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/3 "2004-05-08T15:16:11Z")
I bought the Frankenstein set because of _Bride_ (plus at CostCo it was less than $20), though the first one’s worth owning too, for that price. The others I haven’t seen for ages but don’t remember being too impressed–still, it’ll be fun to give them a second chance. I won’t buy any of the others, primarily because I already have the earlier Universal _Dracula_ release (w/the Lugosi, the Spanish one, and the Glass score) and I don’t think any of the _Wolf Man_s were good after the first. Off-topic, but I was in attendance for the world premiere in London of the Kronos Quartet and Philip Glass performing his _Dracula_ score live with the film–kinda strange, because they used a translucent screen to project on, and they performed behind the screen, so you were watching them and the movie at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/4 "2004-05-08T15:19:39Z")
I’m gonna get the set, haven’t yet but I am curious- why is Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein not included? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/5 "2004-05-08T15:24:36Z")
Dracula’s Daughter & Son of Dracula are pretty darn good- as is F Meets the Wolf Man- no way I’m passing any of the sets. Gotta say that while I generally like Philip Glass’s music (except for the his South Park Winter composition _G_), it does not belong in the Lugosi DRACULA- dammit, I know Tschaikovsky in a fit of precognition wrote Swan Lake knowing it would be essential to a future Dracula film (tho I think he wrote it long before 1897 so he also had precog about the book DRACULA also _L_). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/6 "2004-05-08T15:29:09Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Dracula’s Daughter & Son of Dracula are pretty darn good- as is F Meets the Wolf Man- no way I’m passing any of the sets. > > Gotta say that while I generally like Philip Glass’s music (except for the his South Park Winter composition _G_), it does not belong in the Lugosi DRACULA- dammit, I know Tschaikovsky in a fit of precognition wrote Swan Lake knowing it would be essential to a future Dracula film (tho I think he wrote it long before 1897 so he also had precog about the book DRACULA also _L_). Maybe I’ll give those above a shot one day. I’m always amazed how many DVDs people buy–I only have a (relative) few and they’re only for movies I _really_ want. I can’t argue with you about Glass and _Dracula_. The main thing I found frustrating was that Browning indulges in great moments of silence, but the Glass score is incessant–it never lets up. He’s done some terrific work for film (_Candyman, Kudun_, Errol Morris films), but this one didn’t work for me (though I’m still glad I got to see the performance). ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/7 "2004-05-08T16:22:42Z")
I have an earlier collection - “The Universal Monster Box”, which include: Dracula The Mummy Frankenstein Bride of Frankenstein Wolf Man Phantom of the Opera The Invisible man Creature from the Black Lagoon. I feel that I’m pretty set with those when it comes to classic monster movies. Sort of a ‘Best of’ cross section of what they did for a couple of decades. Of course, this was the first time they were digitally remastered and released on DVD, so I payed about $150. Color me a mark for cheap publicity. I just payed way too much for the Pink Panther box, which will probably be $19.95 in a year or so. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/8 "2004-05-09T07:37:58Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > I don’t think any of the _Wolf Man_s were good after the first. I remember L.C.Jr.'s Lawrence Talbot as being one of my favorite characters when I was very young watching these movies on Saturday afternoon T.V. _House of Frankenstein_, in the set that I’ve bought already, has reminded me of just how much I like him in that role. In the Wolf man set, however, he only appears in two of the four films (_Wolf Man_ and _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_). I am not familiar with either of the _. . . of London_ films, any reviews would be appreciated. > [@FriarTed](#): > > Dracula’s Daughter & Son of Dracula are pretty darn good Thanks! These are two that I am not familiar with. You might have just talked me into the Dracula set. I mean jeez, most _single_ DVDs are at least $21.95! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/9 "2004-05-09T16:45:11Z")
You better get the Wolf Man set, because your Frankenstein collection won’t be complete without _Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man_ and _House of Dracula_. I dislike the original Lugosi Dracula, but _Dracula’s Daughter_ has some fine stuff in it. And the Spanish version of _Dracula_ is just amazing…includes the bodacious Lupita Tovar in the main female role, and some real babes as Drac’s Wives. …hey, quit lookin’ at me like that. _Dracula_ is all _about_ sex. I assume I’ll be buying all three. Haven’t seen _Ghost of Frankenstein_ or _Werewolf of London_ since I was watching “Big Chuck and Houlihan” as a kid in Cleveland. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/10 "2004-05-09T16:50:43Z")
I missed out on most the original releases because at $24.99, the individual films were too pricey, so I kept waiting for a reduction. WhenUniversal took the films off the market in March 2002, I had only bought _Dracula, The Mummy_ and _Bride of Frankentein_. What really hacked me off is that the 2-movie discs, like **Dracula’s Daughter/Son of Dracula** , were only out for 6 months before they went on moratorium. This time I took no chances; I bought the Monster Legacy Collection Set with the figurines the day it came out. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/11 "2004-05-09T17:00:16Z")
Just bought all three, plus the busts! Yippee! …when’s the _Mummy_ set due out? I want the original, plus _Hand, Tomb, Ghost_, and _Curse_! Roll up a big tanna-leaf doobie and kick back with Kharis. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/12 "2004-05-09T17:46:27Z")
Bienville: > [@](#): > > I am not familiar with either of the \*. . . of London \* films, any reviews would be appreciated. I have not yet seen _She-Wolf of London_, but I enjoyed _Werewolf of London_. It actually pre-dates the Lon Chaney movie by 6 years. It has a slightly different take on lycanthropy than the Chaney films. It centers around two scientists searching for a magic flower that causes and cures lycanthropy. No mention of silver bullets. If you saw the movie _Wolf_, the hairy-face-and-fangs makeup that Jack Nicholson and James Spader wore in that movie was an homage to the makeup Henry Hull wore in _W of L_. I pre-ordered the boxed set of all 3 collections a couple of months before they actually came out. I had not intended to get the busts, but what the heck. 14 films for 60 bucks was too good to pass up. Now if they will just get the Mummy and Black Lagoon collections in the pipeline… ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/13 "2004-05-09T19:38:32Z")
What are the bonus features on these sets ? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/14 "2004-05-10T16:40:54Z")
> [@detop](#): > > What are the bonus features on these sets ? Trailers, commentaries by film historians, and documentaries for the major films (_Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Bride of_) and just trailers for the lesser-known films. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/15 "2004-05-10T23:11:15Z")
Thanks for the info **gobear**. Just another question, are these the original trailers or those of re-releases ? ---
**Author:** ![Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Siddhartha\_Vicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siddhartha_Vicious)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/16 "2004-05-10T23:36:44Z")
What’s so good about the Bride of Frankenstein? I’ve never seen it. I did buy the Dracula set this weekend, though I haven’t even opened the plastic wrap on it yet. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/17 "2004-05-11T01:07:34Z")
> [@detop](#): > > Thanks for the info **gobear**. Just another question, are these the original trailers or those of re-releases ? They’re a mixture; some are Realart releases from the 50s and others are original. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/18 "2004-05-11T01:19:01Z")
> [@Siddhartha Vicious](#): > > What’s so good about the Bride of Frankenstein? I’ve never seen it. Hoo boy…where to start? Directed by James Whale, the (ahem) “flamboyant” director who was doing “camp” decades before “camp” was even invented. With his all-star cast of bizarro Brit character actors: Ernest Thesiger, Colin Clive, Una O’Connor, Elsa Lanchester, E.E. Clive, Dwight Frye, etc. Boris Karloff’s BEST perf as the Monster…he learned to TALK, and had some excellent lines. “Love dead. Hate living.” Doctor Praetorius. Arguably the greatest character in any Universal horror movie. Great set pieces, including the Monster hangin’ out with the blind hermit, and the Monster captured by the villagers in a delightfully blasphemous parody of Jesus’ Crucifixion. Absolutely dandy climactic Creation scene: Kenneth Strickfadden at his very best. “Dunt tetch thet leeevuh! Yewl blow us all to ehtahms!!!” ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/19 "2004-05-11T02:45:07Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > Hoo boy…where to start? > > Directed by James Whale, the (ahem) “flamboyant” director who was doing “camp” decades before “camp” was even invented. With his all-star cast of bizarro Brit character actors: Ernest Thesiger, Colin Clive, Una O’Connor, Elsa Lanchester, E.E. Clive, Dwight Frye, etc. > > Boris Karloff’s BEST perf as the Monster…he learned to TALK, and had some excellent lines. “Love dead. Hate living.” > > Doctor Praetorius. Arguably the greatest character in any Universal horror movie. > > Great set pieces, including the Monster hangin’ out with the blind hermit, and the Monster captured by the villagers in a delightfully blasphemous parody of Jesus’ Crucifixion. > > Absolutely dandy climactic Creation scene: Kenneth Strickfadden at his very best. > > “Dunt tetch thet leeevuh! Yewl blow us all to ehtahms!!!” And what about Franz Waxman’s score? And the opening, with Elsa Lanchester (who plays the Bride) as May Shelley telling the sequel to Percy Shelley and Lord Byron? ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172/20 "2004-05-11T05:23:20Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > Just bought all three, plus the busts! Yippee! > > …when’s the _Mummy_ set due out? I want the original, plus _Hand, Tomb, Ghost_, and _Curse_! Roll up a big tanna-leaf doobie and kick back with Kharis. Although I purchased Dracula/Spanish Dracula a few years back, I jumped at the chance for this collection as soon as I heard about it. I bought them from Universal; turns out that Amazon is about $20 cheaper. At any rate, they’re still behind in prodcution, so I’m waiting for that nasty backorder to go away. I ordered mine on April 26th–hopefully they’ll be here soon. These things are what turned me on to horror movies in the first place. I used to stay up with my grandmother until 1:00 in the morning watching these movies and, later, the [Hammer-directed](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0001FVEAY/qid=1084252803/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl74/104-9904844-9234321?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846) Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee. And I, too, can’t wait until they release the Mummy legacy collection. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/universal-horror-dvd-legacy-collections/244172.md?page=2)