Review - The Bela Lugosi Collection

     I I bought this collection from Amazon called The Bela Lugosi Collection. There are 5 movies on one double-sided disc. The down-side of the double-sided discs is that they are not printed making it hard to see what movie it is in your CD/DVD carrier. The upside is that 5 movies on one disc is economical to store, and you don't have to fuss with changing discs when watching multiple movies. The artwork on this package is phenomenal, especially the back which shows a collage of scenes from the movies.

In Review:

1) Murders in the Rue Morgue: This is a 30's movie of the same cinematic timber as White Zombie. The mad scientist/ghoul character gives Bela Lugosi a chance to do what he does best, act sinister! The movie is good, if only for the historical value.

2) The Black Cat: A 30's movie that, like Frankenstein, was way ahead of it's time. Futuristic, pop-culturish, interesting, provocative, suspenseful, and really just down right weird! Boris Karloff stars in this one as well; both he and Bela Lugosi get to play sinister acting characters. A good mysterious movie. Probably shouldn't be missed by fans of the aforementioned actors.

3) The Raven: Features Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist with the hobby of constructing and collecting Edgar Allen Poe torture devices, you'll never guess what happens then! Kinda draggy, but ok.

4) The Invisible Ray: Freatures Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi as competing scientists. The story is varied and involves some science-fiction and murder. This is my favorite movie of the collection.

5) Black Friday: Features Boris Karloff as a mad scientist and Bela Lugosi as a gangster. The movie is decent entertainment.