The Vincent Price Collection II
The Raven
Very loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, a magician is turned into a raven by a cruel sorcerer and seeks the help of another magician to confront and defeat him.
The minds that collaborated on this project is more impressive than the film itself. Roger Corman, Richard Matheson, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and a very young Jack Nicholson.
The pace of the film is excruciatingly slow, many of the jokes can hardly be called jokes, but there is something about the chemistry these actors have that make you laugh when you think you shouldn’t. It is the story behind the film which we are introduced to by Vincent Price himself from an old PBS interview which makes this a very fun viewing. To see these towering presences all working side-by-side from another generation of cinema is something very special to behold.
The Raven is presented in 1080p 2.35:1. There are good and bad parts to this transfer. The majority comes out looking exceptional, however, there are a few scenes that look as though they were upconverted from another source, leaving the footage extremely blurry. Many of the special effects scenes look rough, but the battle at the end between Vincent Price and Boris Karloff remains in relative good condition.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono and sounds great. The score is superb, and the dialogue is crisp and clear.
As for Special Features for The Raven, you’re going to see:
Introduction and Parting Words by Vincent Price
Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Raven
Corman’s Comedy of Poe
Promotional Record
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
The Comedy of Terrors
Business is bad for Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price), an undertaker that hasn’t had any customers for awhile. To create new clientèle, he murders people in their sleep in order to get money to pay a years rent on his place of business.
Despite the collaboration of most of the same people: Richard Matheson, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff, this film lacks in many areas. There really isn’t anything enjoyable about watching such a horrible man abuse his wife, try to poison his father-in-law on a daily basis, and treat his employee like dirt. It’s not just the lack of any likeable characters, the film also lacks a clear direction. Although dark in its satirical message, I just didn’t feel like this particular story was strong enough to warrant an hour and a half.
Vincent Price continues with his horror/comedy combination which is entertaining, and more light-hearted than I expected. “Horror is so closely allied with comedy” he says in his introduction, and I couldn’t agree more. He says he is asked why he decides to make these types of films, his response was simply he just has so much fun making them. In that I can respect this film and the actors in it. Regardless of how I felt about The Comedy of Terrors and its aesthetic value, it looked like the actors were having a lot of fun making the film.
The video is presented in 1080p 2.35:1. The picture quality jumps all over the place on this one. Some sections are clear, while others suffer from blurriness, and specks of dust/debris.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono. It sounds fine accompanied with the picture. The only real memorable sections are when the wife sings opera and nearly blows out the speakers singing a high pitch, off key note.
Special Features include:
Introduction and Parting Words By Vincent Price
Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Comedy of Terrors
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
The Tomb of Ligeia
An obsession with his dead wife causes problems between Verden Fell (Vincent Price) and his new wife Rowina Trevanion (Elizabeth Shepherd).
The Tomb of Ligeia is based on another Edgar Allen Poe story, and Roger Corman’s last of his Poe films. The gothic tone of this film is much different than the previous two films in this set, its theme of identity and self also sets it apart from the rest. It is an interesting story, and has an entertaining mystery.
One of the most interesting parts of this film, however, is the black cat that is present throughout. This has to be the most evil cat in cinema history. There are multiple cat vs. human battles that are cleverly done given the effects of the time.
The video is presented in 1080p 2.35:1. This is one of the weaker transfers of the set. There are consistent blemishes and scratches throughout, especially noticeable during the fox hunt at the beginning of the film, which looks like bad stock footage of a pack of dogs.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono, and includes an audio commentary with Elizabeth Shepherd and Roger Corman.
Special Features include:
Introduction and Final Words by Vincent Price
Audio Commentary by Producer/Director Roger Corman
NEW Audio Commentary with Elizabeth Shepherd
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
The Last Man on Earth
After a disease wipes out all of humanity, the last remaining man, Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) takes it upon himself to hunt down the creatures of the night they have turned into.
Based on the novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, this is the first of three incarnations of the story, the others being The Omega Man, and the aptly named I Am Legend. Although I am a fan of Charlton Heston, Vincent Price brings a lot to the character and gives a phenomenal performance. He doesn’t have many actual lines in the film, as the majority is told through voice over, so the acting is mostly shown through his face. You can see the loneliness and desperation in his eyes.
Many challenges movies that are adapted from books have is to capture the inner monologue of the characters, in The Last Man on Earth they remove this challenge by including a voice over through most of the film. At times it is distracting and pointless to a degree, as a lot of information can be given to us in other ways.
Another thing you must take into account is that the vampires portrayed in this film are more similar to the type in Nosferatu and not the type in True Blood or any other recent portrayal. They are lethargic, can’t stand their reflection, allergic to garlic, the old school kind. The creatures they become have been portrayed very differently in each incarnation of the book.
The video is presented in 1080p 2.35:1. The transfer has imperfections and scratches, but as it is in black and white these aren’t terribly noticeable.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono. It is a strong audio track, no problems noticed throughout the viewing.
I had hoped to have more special features on this one, as it was one of my favorites. We get a very short conversation with Richard Matheson, but he doesn’t go in depth with some of the problems he had with the story, such as the casting of Vincent Price and the story itself, which lead to him taking a pseudonym as writer of the film. I would have also liked another talk with Vincent Price. Sadly, there are no more introductions on the set. What you are going to get for this film is:
Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Last Man on Earth
Still Gallery
Audio Commentary with Authors David Del Valle and Derek Botelho
Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
Dr. Phibes (Vincent Price) is back for more sick and twisted traps as he travels to Egypt in attempts to resurrect his dead wife.
For those who haven’t seen the first film, which I must include myself in that category, there is a short and sweet recap of who Dr. Phibes is, and why he kills.
In some strange way this film is like a combination of Phantom of the Opera and Saw. A hideously disfigured Dr. Phibes spends most of his time playing his organ, the rest of the time he kills people with fiendishly clever traps.
Due to his disfigurement, Dr. Phibes cannot speak. Instead, Vincent Price mimics throat movements of speech but never opens his mouth, and through an invention of Dr. Phibes his voice is broadcast for others to hear. This means his voice is a voice over the entire time. It becomes confusing as it is hard to distinguish if he is actually saying these things aloud or if this is some sort of inner monologue, which he seems to do a lot of.
On its own, the film lacks in many areas. There is a lot of exposition for what little story there is. What makes it worth watching is the ways Dr. Phibes dispatches his victims. They are definitely unique and well done. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a good eagle attack, but they do one here and its surprisingly gruesome.
The video is presented in 1080p 1.85:1. There are consistent scratches throughout, definitely not the best transfer of the set.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono. It sounds fine, especially the screams during the horrific death scenes.
There are no real extras here, only:
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery
The Return of the Fly
Fifteen years after the events of the accident that claimed the life of his father, Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey) learns the truth from Francios Delambre (Vincent Price) and tries to recreate the experiment which turned his father in to The Fly.
Filmed only a year after the original, the creators took everything that was good about the first and made sure it was broken down to its simplest form teleported away never to be seen again.
I considered the original more of a science fiction story, character driven and less dependant on horror and shock value. The Return of the Fly leans more toward the horror type film of that era, which means huge, terrifying monsters choking random people to death.
For some reason, they choose to enlarge the head of The Fly significantly, no doubt believing that bigger head equals bigger screams. What it succeeds at is creating a silly looking creature that is hard to take serious. We spend more time watching the bumbling actor in the mask stumble over set pieces and holding up his top-heavy head than being frightened.
The video is presented in 1080p 2.35:1. The film looks pretty good. There are several noticeable roller scratches that are prevalent in some of the scenes, but being in black and white the picture looks good in blu-ray.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono. The sounds works well, the music and screams are loud and chilling.
Extras on this film are going to include:
Audio Commentary with Actor Brett Halsey and Film Historian David Del Valle
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Still Gallery
House on Haunted Hill
Frederick Loren (Vincent Price) invites five people to a party at a haunted house, offering ten thousand dollars to all those who agree to stay the night.
House on Haunted Hill has a great mystery at its core, which is the strongest point of this film.
With a total run-time of 75 minutes, you feel that you don’t quite get the entire story, however. One by one people start to die, but the mystery is revealed far too quickly.
Regardless, this is Vincent Price at his best. He is perfectly cast for this role, a good book end for the set.
The video is presented in 1080p 1.78:1. It has quite a few blurry shots at the beginning, with a few noticeable scratches throughout. Overall, the quality is good.
The audio is presented in DTS Master Audio Mono. The screams are piercing, and there are a lot of them. Everything sounds good here.
On this disc you’ll see some of the overall features of the set. This includes:
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Steve Haberman
Theatrical Trailer
Vincent Price: Renaissance Man Featurette
The Art of Fear Featurette
Working with Vincent Price Featurette
Overall, this set is a great start to anyone wanting to get to know Vincent Price and his mark on the history of horror. There is a good mix of the different types of films he made, and will no doubt have you wanting more.
