Universal has given classic horror fans another treat in 2005 as part of their 'Franchise Collection', this time they offered; The Bela Lugosi Collection with five of Lugosi's most-wanted films, although given he's in four of the five films, this could as easily have been the 'Lugosi/Karloff' collection. Being that the longest of the five films included with this collection is less than ninety (90) minutes, Universal housed all five films on a single, two-sided disc. There once again was a few issues with many copies of the collection, but I was able to score a flawless collection on my second try.
As for the films, they all look quite sharp and as all are in black and white, the sharpness is especially nice to have. All five films are presented in their original full frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and sadly, there are only trailers for bonus features. These films are some of the best from Lugosi and Karloff and have long been wanted by their fans.
Murders In the Rue Morgue:
In this Edgar Allan Poe tale, Lugosi searches Paris for a 'bride' for his pet gorilla. Lugosi begins injecting female victims with gorilla blood in an effort to find the perfect mate and then rids himself of the bodies through a trapdoor in his laboratory. When he happens upon the perfect woman/mate, he is in a race against time, as her fiance is on his trail. A nice mix of sci-fi and horror, this could be the weakest of the five films, in my own opinion.
The Black Cat:
I'll go on record as saying this is probably my favorite Lugosi/Karloff film, it just works on every level and it's a nice change of pace to see Karloff as the villain and Lugosi as the hero. Based on another Poe tale, this takes a slightly different approach to Poe's work and this has some wonderful imagery as a result. Honeymooners Joan and Peter Allison (Julie Bishop and David Manners) are involved in an accident and find themselves along with fellow passenger Dr Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi), at the home of Hjalmar Poelzig (Karloff) a famous architect and someone from Werdegrast's past.
The Raven:
More Poe, Lugosi and Karloff! Dr Vollin (Lugosi) is a brilliant neurosurgeon who is obsessed with the works of Poe and torture devices. After he saves the life of a young dancer who has been severely injured in a car accident, he becomes totally infatuated with the young woman (Irene Ware). Her Father (Samuel S Hinds) and fiance (Lester Matthews) are more than a little concerned about Vollin's obsession and in an effort to do away with those standing in his way, Vollin engages the help of Edmond Bateman (Karloff), a criminal needing a new identity. Vollin performs surgery on Bateman that guarantees the criminal will be only too willing to help. This is another fave of mine.
The Invisible Ray:
Dr Janos Rukh (Karloff) returns from an expedition to Africa and invites several colleagues to his home to tell them of his discovery of a meteorite which is made of an unknown element. The team travels to Africa where Rukh is exposed to the strange meterotie/radiation and begins to 'glow' in the darkness and kill anything he touches. One of his fellow travelers and friend, Dr Benet (Lugosi), works to find an antidote for the 'glowing' and 'touch of death', but with serious side-effects. When paranoia sets in, Rukh accuses the expedition team of trying to steal his discovery and begins killing each team member. This seems more of a Karloff film than Lugosi, but still, the pair make for a fine team and this is a better film than I'd originally hoped for.
Black Friday:
This film opens with Dr Ernest Sovac (Karloff) being led to his execution and on the way, he hands one of the reporters covering the execution his journal and we see what lead to this brilliant brain surgeon becoming a death row inmate. Professor Kingsley (Stanley Ridges) is a close friend of Dr Sovac's and Kingsley is dying. Sovac performs an illegal operation that transplants part of an injured gangster's (Lugosi) brain into his friend. Following surgery, Kingsley shows signs of a Jekyll-Hyde personality and Sovac learns of the gangster's hidden fortune and begins to pressure Kingsley to recall memories of the gangster and where the half-million dollar fortune is hidden. This film blends sci-fi, horror and a gangster film all in one and does it in a most enjoyable way. Once again, Lugosi's role is quite small in this film, but as he always did, he makes the very most of his onscreen time.
It's difficult not to recommend this collection of films, mainly because it showcases some of the very best of Lugosi and Karloff pairings and shows the range of acting these two greats were capable of. For anyone who thinks of Lugosi as only Dracula or Karloff as only Frankenstein's Creature, check this collection out, you'll have a whole new respect for these two actors. This collection of five films is very reasonably priced or if you're still not convinced of adding this to your collection, by all means, rent it!