Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Three little known but effective horror films from a major hollywood studio complete this box set. Last year MGM released some of their little known horror films and now Fox has followed suite.
None of the these titles have been on DVD before, and even rarely on VHS. They occasionally showed up on the lackluster Fox Movie Channel a few years ago at odd hours of the early morning. It was on such an occasion that I encountered "The Lodger". This is a top notch effort which rests comfortably between the Gaslight thriller and the classic horror film. Cregar plays the villain with an off kilter, understated creepiness that was way ahead of it's time and could be called the screen's first serial killer performance.
The cinematography looks better and more atmospheric than what Universal was shoving out in the mid 40s'. Fog bound London streets and dimly gaslit interiors play with the viewers sense of claustrophobia. You almost feel as trapped by the heavy atmosphere as Cregar's character. Lodger is no doubt a lost classic of psychological horror.
I have to disagree with other reviewers that "Undying Monster" is the poor cousin of this set. "Hangover Square" feels more like a re-make of Lodger than a film of its own right. But Undying Monster takes us to the dark, atmospheric Sea coast. The sparse sets and jagged cliffs and caves work beautifully here. We have Jane Eyre meets Bram Stoker. A family curse is the plot engine to drive the lush monochrome cinematography. In fact Undying Monster boasts some of the best shots of the set, particularly the opening interior shot as the moon streams into a tudor drawing room. It looked great on the badly duped VHS copy I've had for years. On DVD it promises to be stunning. The titular Monster is not revealed until near the end, so forget about it and soak up the atmosphere. There is an interesting sequence near the end, all done in long shot as if you were a passerby. It's effective and helps cover the lack of make up talent Fox had for horror films.
These films were rarely seen even back in the days of Late Night Creature Features. Universal's films are better known, and MGM's more highly regarded by critics. But these lost Fox Horror films can now find an audience of their own and be appreciated for the loving cinematography.
If you're tired of the bad Hollywood "horror" films lately, which bear more resemblance to a series of snuff films rather than anything else, this box set is for you. Curl up on your couch with the DVD remote clutched in your hand. Be sure to darken the room, and quiet the mind. The intelligence and atmosphere of these gothic horrors will soon overcome the decades they have sat waiting in Fox's vault to return to the screen.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Fox Horror Classics Collection (The Lodger / Hangover Square / The Undying Monster) (1944)
Disc 1: HANGOVER SQUARE**Full-Frame Feature B&W **Commentary by Film Historian/Screenwriter Steve Haberman and Co-Star Faye Marlowe**Commentary by Richard Schickel **The Tragic Mask: The Laird Cregar Story **Hangover Square Vintage Radio Show - Performed by Vincent Price **Restoration Comparison **Trailer **Concertos Macabre: The Films of John Brahm **Restoration Comparison **TrailerDisc 2: THE LODGER **Full-Frame Feature - B&W **Commentary by Film Historians Alain Silver & James Ursini **Man in the Fog: The Making of The Lodger **The Lodger Vintage Radio Show - Performed by Vincent Price **Restoration Comparison **Trailer **Still GalleryDisc 3: THE UNDYING MONSTER **Full-Frame Feature - B&W **Concertos Macabre: The Films of John Brahm *Restoration Comparison **Trailer **Advertising Gallery **Still Gallery
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