Plot: What’s it about?
These days, horror movies seem to be on the slide, with minimal new blood to be seen, outside of some weak, inferior productions. But there was a time when horror movies were among the top draws at the box offices, as people would line up to be thrilled, chilled, and scared stiff. And while some bad horror movies were around even then, a good number of them were well crafted and featured excellent stars. At that time, audiences had a number of top notch horror staples to watch, ones that were a sign of a good, eerie experience. From the classic age of horror, you had stars like Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney, Jr., while later years would introduce Peter Lorre and Vincent Price. Karloff (Frankenstein) was well known for his monster performances, but had superb range and also had numerous dramatic roles. Lugosi (Dracula) had a refined, upscale presence, but he could still raise the spooks with the best of them. While his father cast a huge shadow, Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolfman) was able to have a dazzling career of his own, taking on roles of all kinds in horror cinema. Peter Lorre (The Raven) was as creepy as you want, while Vincent Price (The Last Man on Earth) went on to become perhaps the ultimate horror icon. In this release, you will learn more about these five men, who left their stamp on cinema on the whole, but especially left their mark in the world of horror cinema.
As I love horror movies, this release was a treasure trove of content and is loaded with worthwhile insight. Image has released these programs Heroes of Horror, a two disc collection that offers an immense value. A total of five documentaries are included here, each of which focuses on one of the stars I discussed above. The programs include Boris Karloff: The Gentle Monster, Lon Chaney, Jr.: Son of a Thousand Faces, Bela Lugosi: Hollywood’s Dark Prince, Peter Lorre: The Master of Menace, and Vincent Price: The Versatile Villain. The stories of these men are quite interesting, whether you’re a fan of horror movies or the movies in general. After all, these five men are some of the most famous genre stars of all time, so their careers impacted and influenced generation after generation of audiences. The pieces each run around forty-five minutes, so there is ample time to cover all the bases. And these are not brisk, fluff pieces either, as each one is informative and entertaining, without fail. I have seen more than a few biography pieces, be it documentaries or books on these men, but even so, I found some new insights in these programs. So even if you think you’ve seen it all before, don’t miss this great release. If you’re a horror movie nut or just a movie buff, Heroes of Horror is well recommended.
Video: How does it look?
The programs are presented in full frame, as intended. A wide selection of material is used in these programs, which of course, means that the visuals are a tad inconsistent. In addition to new interviews, which look excellent, we have a lot of vintage elements on showcase, from interviews to still photos to promotional materials. As time has taken a toll on some of that material, you’ll notice grain and nicks, but the elements still look more than passable. And since some of this stuff isn’t easy to track down, it is worth a slight step down in video quality, since we’re able to see some of the rare material here. So if you’ve seen this style of documentary before, with various sources employed, then you know about what to expect. All in all, I have no real complaints to lodge in this case, as I think the visuals look quite good.
Audio: How does it sound?
These were made for television documentaries, so all we need is a basic and effective presentation in terms of audio. That is just what we’re given here, which means all the elements come across in fine fashion. The movie clips sound good also, since most came from simple, mono soundtracks in the first place. Richard Kiley’s (they spared no expense) narration is crystal clear however, so every last word is clear and audible. The dialogue is crisp in the interviews, though time has taken a toll on some of the vintage materials used in this piece. In the end, the audio sounds solid and given the material, that proves to be more than adequate.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A wealth of vintage materials can be found on these discs, such as trailers for some of all five men’s films, promotional featurettes, interviews, and more unusual items. A highlight is a piece with Vincent Price, in which he discusses his new fine art collection at Sears, which is a treat to see and makes a wonderful inclusion. Over two hours of bonus materials can be found here, which means there is a lot of worthwhile content.
