December Giveaway and Announcement

Dr. Gangrene announces his latest giveaway for the month of December, as well as a new announcement about an upcoming special YouTube Series. Open to US lower 48 residents only. Good luck!

Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection

GREATEST HORROR FILMS IN HISTORY TO BE RELEASED IN UNIQUE 30-FILM DVD SET

 

 

(Los Angeles, Calif. July 23, 2014) — They informed our dreams and nightmares, each and every one. Brilliant actors, craftspeople, and filmmakers combined to deliver these indelible characters who may have died on screen, but they will surely live forever. They are the one and only Universal Classic Monsters.

Now, for the first time ever, all 30 Universal Pictures' Classic Monster films will be available together on DVD in the "Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection," available on September 2, 2014, showcasing every original film featuring Hollywood's most iconic monsters, including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Phantom of the Opera and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Everyone knows the names of the great actors who delivered the performances which made the films magnetic in unprecedented fashion: Karloff, Lugosi, Chaney, Jr., Rains, Hull, Lanchester, Rathbone, Carradine, Chapman. Their cinematic presence both individually and collectively stand tall in singular fashion through film history.

With hours of bonus features as well as a 48-page book featuring behind-the-scenes photographs, original posters, rare correspondence and more to enhance the viewing experience, Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection includes the following genre masterpieces:

 

Dracula (1931)

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Frankenstein (1931)

Phantom of the Opera (1943)

The Mummy (1932)

Son of Dracula (1943)

The Invisible Man (1933)

The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

Werewolf of London (1935)

House of Frankenstein (1944)

Dracula's Daughter (1936)

The Mummy's Curse (1944)

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

House of Dracula (1945)

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

She-Wolf of London (1946)

The Mummy's Hand (1940)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Invisible Woman (1940)

Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Invisible Agent (1942)

 

BONUS FEATURES:

• Behind the Scenes Documentaries
• The 1931 Spanish Version of Dracula
• Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Jack Pierce Featurettes
• 13 Expert Feature Commentaries
• Archival Footage
• Production Photographs
• Theatrical Trailers

The Times they are a Changin... are Video stores a thing of the past?

I tell you what I miss… I miss mom and pop video stores. They are all too quickly becoming a thing of the past.

My favorite video store was a place called Video Depot that was located just around the corner from my house. It was run by two brothers (identical twins, actually) who knew most of their customers by name. They rented VHS and DVD movies as well as video games. They went out of business last year and I tell you, it was heartbreaking to see it go. I miss walking in to rent videos or check out the new releases and being greeted with “Hey, Larry what’s new?” from one or both of them, or their dog running out from behind the counter to greet customers, or seeing other people I knew renting videos there. It was a real community place and I miss it.

But I understand the decision. They just couldn’t compete with Netflix, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster and Redbox. The Hollywood Video in Hendersonville has become the latest casualty. They are closing shop this month, and I wonder if perhaps Blockbuster isn’t far behind it. We still have Redbox’s around town, but I really dislike those dispenser style rental kiosks. They are so impersonal, and waiting in line behind someone indecisive at one of those things is excruciating.

Fortunately there is still one other video rental place in town called Captain Video. It is part of a local chain of stores, but it still has that independent feel to it. In addition to renting videos they also have tanning beds. Yep, you read right, tanning beds. That’s a throwback to the 80’s, ain’t it? Who uses tanning beds nowadays? Apparently plenty of people in Hendersonville, TN as there always seem to be more people getting microwave tans than movies when I’m there. Nowadays I rent all my videos from Captain Video to help support them. Their older movies are just one dollar each for a 5-day rental. Not bad, plus their selection is better than Redbox and I don’t have to wait for my movie in the mail like you do with Netflix. Over the past year they dumped all their VHS tapes and only carry DVDs now, which is fine, but I sure would like to stumble on a place that had VHS tapes for rent, just for the nostalgia factor if nothing else.

Over the next few years we may just see the complete demise of video rental stores and that’s a shame. I think we may even see the end of physical movie copies, with everything turning digital. Instead of buying DVDs in cases we’ll buy downloads onto hard drives. I guess that’s the nature of technology, it’s ever-changing, but I still hate to see the mom and pop shops close.

Universal Sci-fi ULTIMATE Collection Volumes 1 & 2

Got an update today from Scott Essman at Universal about an upcoming DVD release. In the seemingly never ending quest from Universal to repackage previously released material comes their latest release, The Classic Sci-fi Ultimate Collection. In fairness, though, it is a tremendous collection of films in one set. No word on extras, if any, and the retail price is kinda high, but for those folks who missed out on the first collection, which now is selling for as much as $150.00 used or more, (there is a new set listing for $375.00 on Amazon right now) this is their second chance to get these films at a reasonable rate. Here's what Scott had to say:

Universal has set The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Volumes 1 & 2 for release on DVD on 5/13 (SRP $59.98). The set will feature 10 films on 6 discs, including Tarantula, The Mole People, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Monolith Monsters, Monster on the Campus, Dr. Cyclops, Cult of the Cobra, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis and The Leech Woman. All will be in their original aspect ratios, and the widescreen films will be anamorphic.