Fox Horror Classics Collection [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

 

 

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the movies have been well reviewed by a previous reviewer,so i will let you know about the extras."hangover square"has two commentaries,one features actress faye marlowe,both are by film historians.It also has a featurette on laird cregar(20mins),a vintage radio show,trailer and galleries."the lodger" has a commentary,making of featurette(16mins),radio show,restoration comparison,trailer and galleries."the undying monster"has a featurette, on director, of all three movies,john brahm(15mins),restoration featurette,trailer and galleries but sadly no commentary.A very tidy package indeed.

Beautifully packaged in slim cases, well designed covers and interesting bonus features, including commentaries, documentaries and radio versions from the period. The films are classy productions holding the suspense and atmosphere well and what hasn't been mentioned in the product descriptions is that each of the three DVD's in the package contains a couple of photographic post cards depicting scenes from the film, in addition to a glossy pamphlet about the Fox horror classics. The Lodger (1944) and Hangover Square (1945) feature the great acting talents of Laird Cregar, while the were wolf featured Undying monster (1942) despite not a lot happening has some atmospheric well shot horror themes. Three noir classics that did not disappoint. (Keith Pickering)

The Undying Monster

Many superstitions are based on fact.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

John Brahm's film is an adaptation of the novel written by Jessie Douglas Kerruish. Following the success for Universal with The Wolf Man a year earlier, 20th Century Fox clearly saw an opportunity to cash in on the renewed interest in Lycanthropic creatures. Brahm's film deals with one such legendary creature that is said to terrorise members of the cursed Hammond family. Roping in master photographer Lucien Ballard, Brahm sets the film up with the creepy ancestral home atop of a cliff, the sea on one side, the foggy moor on the other. Then with minimal budget and a cast of largely minor players-and a short 23 day production schedule, Brahm crafted a tight, eerie mystery that deserves far better appraisal than it's currently getting.

Atmosphere is of paramount importance when making a Gothic type picture, The Undying Monster has it by the bucket load. Aided by Ballard's adroit skills, Brahm excellently uses shadows and light to garner unease, be it the interiors that are gorgeously designed, or the foggy exteriors perhaps hiding dark secrets, atmosphere is high quality here. The film has been chided in certain quarters for either being too talky, or for daring to be jovial at times. Yes these charges are fair if one is expecting an outright horror film and not the creepy mystery that it actually is. This is no boo jump bonanza, the creature is purposely kept from us so as to keep us, and the characters wondering when, or if, it will show up. Thus the conversations become crucial and of high interest. Something that hasn't helped the film either is its title, why they didn't go with the first muted {and English title} name, "The Hammond Mystery" is probably due to the afore mentioned attempt to cash in on The Wolf Man. As you can see, one screams out that the film is about a monster who can't be killed, the other sounds like it's an Agatha Christie who done it?. You understand their reasonings, it's just very misleading and hasn't helped the films reputation to flow.

It's a cracking mystery film that has horror elements involved in its plot. More like The Hound Of The Baskervilles than The Wolf Man, it none the less is 63 minutes of 1940s Gothic joy. 8/10

The Lodger

Your beauty is exquisite.

Victorian London, Whitechapple, and some maniac is slaughtering women with stage backgrounds. Could it be, that the mysterious Mr. Slade who has rented the upstairs rooms from Mrs Burton, is the man known as Jack the Ripper? This part of London is cloaked in fog, the cobbled streets damp and bearing witness to unspeakable crimes, the gas lights dimly flicker as the British Bobby searches in vain for Bloody Jack.

The scene is set for what is to me the finest adaptation to deal with the notorious murderer, Jack the Ripper. A remake of the Alfred Hitchcock silent from 1927, this adaptation of the Marie Belloc Lowndes novel not only looks great {Lucien Ballard's photography creating fluid eeriness} but also chills the blood without ever actually spilling any. It's a testament to John Brahm's direction that the film constantly feels like a coiled spring waiting to explode, a spring that is realised in the form of Laird Cregar's incredibly unnerving portrayal of Mr Slade.

Laird Cregar, as evidenced here, was a fine actor in the making. Sadly troubled by his weight and yearning to become a true matinée idol, he crashed dieted to such a degree his poor 28 year old heart couldn't cope with the shock. After just 16 films, of which this was his second to last, the movie world was robbed of a truly fine performer, a sad story in a long line of sad incidents that taint the Hollywood story.

George Sanders and Merle Oberon {as police inspector and Slade's infatuation respectively} engage in a less than fully realised romantic strand, and Cedric Hardwicke dominates all the scenes that don't feature the might of Cregar, but really it's the big mans show all the way. Creepily enhanced by Hugo Friedhofer's score, The Lodger very much feels like an exponent of film noir. The atmosphere hangs heavy and the sense of doom is palpable in the extreme, it comes as something of a relief when the ending finally comes, as it's time to reflect and exhale a sigh of relief. Deviating from the novel, something which has over the years annoyed purists, The Lodger shows its hand very much from the off, but it in no way hurts the picture, if anything the exasperation at the supporting characters induces dry humour. The kind that comes in the form of nervous giggles out there in the dark, but rest assured, this is no comedy, it's a creepy classic from a wonderful era. 9/10

Hangover Square

Passion and obsession are deadly partners.

This is the story of George Harvey Bone who resided at number 12, Hangover Square. London S.W. in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The British Catalogue Of Music lists him as a Distinguished Gentleman........

1944 saw producer Robert Bassler, writer Barré Lyndon, director John Brahm and leading actors George Sanders and Laird Cregar, make the terrific and atmospheric The Lodger. Here just one year later all parties are back for this loose adaptation of Patrick Hamilton's novel of the same name. Hamilton was the guy who gave the world Angel Street {Gaslight} and Rope's End {in film form it became Hitchcock's experimental Rope}. Much like The Lodger, Hangover Square is a thriller set in a foggy dimly lit London. With Cregar {Bone} again playing a shady and tormented character befuddled by his own mental state.

This was to be Cregar's last film before he died as a result of a heart attack, believed to have been brought about by his crash dieting and stomach reducing surgery. Cregar would not live to see Hangover Square released, and most upsetting is that he would not see the critical acclaim that his chilling and touching performance garnered. Watching both The Lodger and Hangover Square in sequence, one can see the vast difference in stature of the actor. With both films showcasing what a talent Cregar was, with that, both films are equally a fitting tribute and also a sad eulogy.

In the mix on photography duties comes Joseph LaShelle {Laura}, who may not be in the class of The Lodger's Lucien Ballard {who also helped out on Laura apparently}, but LaShelle's London is equally atmospheric and integral to the skin itching story. With the film based around a tortured composer it was a masterstroke getting Bernard Herrmann to score the picture. Creating the "Hangover Square Concerto" in just six weeks, Herrmann's music is suitably dark and makes for an impacting alliance with LaShelle's edgy London backdrop. John Brahm's direction is smooth and contains camera work of the highest order, especially as he and LaShelle had their work cut out with an excellent climatic indoor fire sequence {the biggest ever filmed at the time}. Linda Darnell {what a pair of legs}, George Sanders, Glenn Langan and Faye Marlowe all contribute to what is a top notch production.

Hangover Square, a captivating tale about passion, obsession, insanity and murder. 8/10

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5.0 out of 5 stars FOX HORROR CLASSICS
EXCELLENT MOVIES!!! LAIRD CREGAR'S EXTREMELY GOOD AND EXUDES SUBTLE MENACE!!! HE REMINDS ME OF JAMES DEAN IN THE WAY HE DIED VERY VERY YOUNG JUST AS HIS (DEANS) CAREER WAS TAKING... Read more

Published on 13 Jan 2010 by D. C. Liburd

5.0 out of 5 stars A reeeeeeeal chiller of a flick
This is without doubt an outstanding film. The direction is excellent, the storyline just brilliant and the supporting cast adds the icing in the cake. Read more

Published on 27 Nov 2009 by K. Stawpert

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine acting by Laird Cregar in two, and creepy atmosphere in all three. Not bad.
Hangover Square:
Can Hollywood make an engrossing movie about a murderous schizophrenic who is a big, fleshy sad sack? Read more

Published on 27 Oct 2007 by C. O. DeRiemer

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