The Legacy Collections: Dracula, The Wolf Man, and The Mummy
- Dracula. Directed by Tod Browning. Starring Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan. 1931. 1:15 min.
- Dracula (Spanish Version) . Directed by George Melford. Starring Carlos Villarias, Lupita Tovar, Pablo Alvarez Rubio, Barry Morton, Carmen Guerrero Manual Arbo, Eduardo Arozamena.1931. 1:42 min.
- Dracula’s Daughter. Directed by Lambert Hilyer. Starring Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill. 1936. 1:12 min.
- Son of Dracula. Directed by Robert Siodmak. Starring Louise Allbriton, Robert Paige, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Craven, Edward Bromberg, Samuels Hinds and Long Chaney, Jr. 1943. 1:21 min.
- House of Dracula. Directed by Erle C. Kenton. Starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Martha O’Driscoll, John Carradine, Lionel Atwill, Onslow Stevens, Glen Strange, Jane Adavis, Ludwig Stossel. 1945. 1:07 min.
- The Mummy. Directed by Karl Freund. Starring Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Bramwill Fletcher, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan. 1932. 1:14 min.
- The Mummy’s Hand. Directed by Christy Caranne. Starring Dirk Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford, Cecil Kellaway, Eduardo Channelli, George Zucco, Tom Tyler. 1940. 1:10 min.
- The Mummy’s Tomb. Directed by Harold Young. Starring Dick Foran, John Hubbard, Elyse Knox, George Zucco, Wallace Ford and Turhan Bey. 1942. 1:01 min.
- The Mummy’s Curse. Directed by Leslie Goodwins. Starring Long Chaney, Jr. Peter, Coe, Kay Harding, Martin Kosleck, Virginia Christine, Kurt Katch. 1944. 1:01 min.
- The Mummy’s Ghost. Directed by Richard le Borg. Starring Long Chaney, Jr. John Carradine, Ramsey Amis, Barton MacLane, George Zucco, Robert Lowery. 1944. 1:01 min.
- The Wolfman. Directed by George Waggner. Starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Warren Williams, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Evelyn Ankers. 1941. 1:10 min.
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Directed by Roy William Neill. Starring Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Ilona Massey, Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwell, Maria Ouspenskaya,. 1942. 1:14 min.
- She-Wolf of London. Directed by Jean Yarbrough. Starring Don Porter, June Lockhart, Sara Haden, Jan Wiley, Lloyd Corrigan, Dennis Hoey, Martin Kosleck, Eily Malvon, Frederic Worlock. 1946. 1:02 min.
- Werewolf of London. Directed by Stuart Walker. Starring Henry Hull, Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, Spring Byington, Carl Williams, Lawrence Grant. 1935. 1:15 min.
Reviewed by TG Browning
I’m going to give the entire Legacy Collection a rating of five stars out of five, simply because of presentation, completeness, and historical value. All of the movies have been restored and have extensive additional features with them. They are packaged in a dark, dark green cases and each comes with 2 DVD’s, one of which utilizes both sides of the DVD.
The title movies are all classics of the horror/supernatural genre and anyone who is interested in horror, must already be familiar with them. The commentary is enormously interesting and contains a vast compendium of information that would be difficult to come by in any other way than this collection. For example, the fact that the shooting of both English/American version of Dracula and the Spanish version of Dracula were done simultaneously, using the same sets. The Spanish version was shot at night after the American/English shooting had finished. Both were based upon the play that had been run on Broadway, starring Lugosi.
Of the three packages, I think I like The Mummy collection the best, perhaps because they had a fluidity and obvious relationship to each other. While some might declare it a rip-off that some scenes from a previous movie are incorporated into later movies, I found that to be a nice, unifying touch and don’t see it as a draw back.
Several of the movies can only really be termed silly and in point of fact, all of the films are what I suppose one would call Grade-B movies. I have to confess a fascination with Grade-B movies, however, and anyone who does enjoy the rather touching naiveté of the early days of horror and science fiction films, will definitely find each package a sweet deal.
Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney, Jr. dominate these movies, but they’re not the only well known stars. Warner Oland, better known as Charlie Chan, shows up in one of the Wolf Man movies. Other notables or near-notables are Lionel Atwell, June Lockheart, Spring Byington and Henry Hull. John Carradine is another name familiar to horror fans, as is Boris Karloff.
Strongly recommended for any collection.
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