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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 0043396162334
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Item Dimensions: 100
Label: Sony Pictures
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 1.0FrenchSubtitled
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
MPN: D16233D
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: October 17, 2006
Running Time: 262 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 1935
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Boris Karloff was to the Horror Movie what Fred Astaire was to the Musical: the epitome of class and style. No matter how grisly the circumstances he d rise above them with talent poise and even charm. And here for the first time on DVD are four of his finest chillers from his peak years in the 1930s and 1940s all demonstrating his amazing range. In The Black Room he plays twin brothers one good one evil naturally in a small country where beautiful women seem to turn up missing. The Man They Could Not Hang and Before I Hang present him in his classic Mad Doctor persona as forward-thinking scientists who run afoul of the law and become crazed killers. And in The Boogie Man Will Get You he sends up that image in a delightful farce that also stars Peter Lorre (M) and Larry Parks (The Jolson Story). It s a collection all fervent classic-horror fans have been eagerly waiting for!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 043396162334 Manufacturer No: 16233
Amazon.com:
Boris Karloff made his fame during the great horror cycle at Universal Pictures in the 1930s, but he also flaunted his iconic status at other studios. At Columbia, Karloff etched a handful of good mad doctor roles (notably The Devil Commands, available on a separate DVD) and other oddities. Four of these mostly low-budget pictures are gathered in this two-disc set--which, if not a collection of classics, is nevertheless a real boon for Karloffians.
Although it is called the Icons of Horror Collection, the "horror" is more macabre mood than monster mash. The best (and best-looking) film in the set, 1935's The Black Room, is a wonderfully lurid costume romp with Karloff in a dual role: twin brothers who inherit a baronage but live under a family curse. One is good, one bad, and happily enough, the bad brother has the upper hand. Karloff is in terrific form, and the film features a secret chamber (complete with torture pit) that provides just the right Gothic oomph. Director Roy William Neill later did Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
The Man They Could Not Hang, from 1939, is a solid mad-scientist picture. Karloff's Dr. Savaard has perfected a re-animation process, but the police arrest him before he can revive a student--and so the doctor is sentenced to death for murder. The hanging isn't a problem, not when the doctor's assistant has the process down pat, and now Karloff can take elaborate revenge. Before I Hang (1940) opens a similar vein, with Karloff once again sentenced to death and this time conducting experiments in prison (aided by Edward Van Sloan, filmdom's original Van Helsing). However, using a murderer's blood in the secret serum proves a fatal mistake.... These cheaply-made films are solid enough programmers of the era, and surprisingly literate--although it would be a stretch to call them scary.
The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) goes the comedy route, spoofing Karloff's image as a white-haired gentleman who should not be allowed to run experiments in the basement. An Arsenic and Old Lace vibe prevails (Karloff had been starring in the stage production), and the labored comedy has Karloff and Peter Lorre using boarders at an early-American hotel as subjects for experiments. Larry Parks and "Slapsie Maxie" Rosenbloom co-star. Lorre, who's in his slim Maltese Falcon period, is as sly and peculiar as ever; of course, he and Karloff would team up again for more horror-comedy in the 1960s: The Raven and Comedy of Terrors. --Robert Horton
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Before I Hang: 3 out of 10: Boris Karloff stars as Dr. Kevorkian in this expose of stem cell research gone wrong.
Okay maybe that is not completely accurate but one might certainly think along those lines as a doctor found guilty of a mercy killing is sentenced to hang despite his promising youth serum.
Karloff quickly finds himself in a prison experimenting with the blood of a recently hanged killer the clock ticking against his own execution. He injects himself with the serum it works the governor pardons him and he goes off to save the world. Actually that is not completely accurate as well. Apparently the blood came from the prisoner "Abby Normal" and Karloff starts getting that look in his eyes and his over-sized handkerchief out of his pocket and the population of the movie starts dropping precipitously.
The movie is poorly directed and despite some initially good albeit rushed ideas it quickly falls into the old blood memory turns man into killer nonsense. The pacing is bizarre with a ton of plot simply explained through voice-over (the hanging verdict in particular seems unlikely as shown) in the first half the second half with Karloff stalking the elderly drags.
A weak film that starts of strong and quickly goes nowhere.
The Boogie Man Will Get You: 6 out of 10: If Ma and Pa Kettle ever did Arsenic and Old Lace it would be this movie. Very very silly and occasionally quite funny the Boogie Man has a couple of big faults. The supporting cast is mixed at best and the ending is a mess.
It also has two great assets, Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. Karloff is spot on as the bumbling well meaning murdering scientist. Whose experiments on traveling salesman to create super-soldiers for the war effort are both well meaning and quite homicidal.
Peter Lorre is hilarious as the Mayor, Police Chief, Undertaker, Notary, excreta. He dresses in a three piece suit with a Siamese kitten in his pocket to which he coos in German.
Watching these two together is pure entertainment and certainly worth a viewing. The rest of the movie is light, frothy, derivative, and occasionally irritating. Just watch the stars at work and forget the rest.
Rating: -
This set is a winner from the moment you lay eyes on it! The designers of the package did a very good job; there's a very nice moody look to the slipcase, as well as the art on the individual disc cases. They have a nice "retro" feel to them that is great to behold.
The movies are basically arranged in order of quality; "The Black Room" is easily the best film in the set, while "The Boogeyman Will Get You" is far and away the weakest. "The Black Room" features one of Boris Karloff's most celebrated performances, and with good reason. Without spoiling the plot for those who have yewt to see the movie, what begins as a dual role for the master actor becomes considerably more complex as the film really gets rolling. This performance ranks right up there with the like of Cabman Gray in "The Body Snatcher," Imhotep from "The Mummy," and the Frankenstein Monster as some of Karloff's very best work.
"The Man They Could Not Hang" kicks off the often overlooked, yet much-maligned "Mad Doctor" series. Each film in the series featured a very similar basic plot, with Karloff portraying a scientist who performs experiments for the betterment of mankind, is forced for some reason to cease them, only to resume his work at the earliest opportunity, with disastrous results. This is the best film in the series, with Karloff's Dr. Savaard returning to exact revenge on those who condemned him. He gives a marvelous performance, elevating a script that is merely decent to the level of riveting entertainment. If you only watch one film from the "Mad Doctor" series, make it this one!
"Before I Hang," the third film in that series, is not on the level of it's predecessor in this set. It still has plenty to offer the fan of films from this era, as a very atmospheric thriller with a few truly great scenes. Karloff's performance as the reluctant murderer is obviously the highlight, and his metamorphosis before each murder is wonderfully done. He repeats the same little ritual each time, allowing the tension to build in the viewer, until the actual murder is almost a sweet release. The feeling of impending doom mounts until the final act.
"The Boogeyman Will Get You" seems to be very much in the vein of "Arsenic and Old Lace," without the same level of quality. Karloff's absent-minded, accidental murdering scientist and Peter Lorre's jack-of-all-trades Sheriff are a great pair, however, and honestly make the whole affair worth watching. They display the kind of chemistry in this film that made their future teamings in films such as "The Raven"(the 1960s version, with Vincent Price and a very young Jack Nicholson) and "The Comedy of Terrors" (with Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone) so enjoyable.
For fans of classic horror movies, there is no shortage of DVD collections out there. It can be tough to decide which ones are worth adding to your collection. This release from Columbia is certainly a worthy purchase, and a bargain at this price. Devotees of Karloff, in particular, can't go wrong!
Rating:  -
Fantastic set of some of Karloff's Columbia films. Great prints and great films. Sony has been very negligent in getting out Columbia's older films of the 30's and 40's. They have some other Peter Lorre films and many mysteries that should be made available, especially in sets.
Rating:  -
I won't comment here about the fine picture and sound quality of these films, as other reviewers have done so and very well too, or about the quality of the films themselves. But, as a French buyer, I wanted to warn potential buyers that THERE ARE NO FRENCH SUBTITLES to the films on this set, contrarily to the product description on amazon. If non-english speaking Karloff fans are interested in this box set, they should know what the product is really like. Have a nice day.
Rating: -
An excellent collection of rarer Karloff fright films. The surprise is the comedy THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU which is a delight. A good set at a great price.
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