Universal Monster Legacy Collection

[ERIN_LoJ]

Who here has picked this outstanding set up?

I got my grubby little hands on it just over a week ago. Have I actually watched it yet?? Well....actually, no, but....

The case itself is great. The statues aren't cheap plastic, are pretty durable, and have great detail. The box and the cases for all three monsters have eye-boggling artwork, and the setup is good for the price.

I have heard some complain about the 'cheapness' of the setup but havent found fault myself.

What does everyone else think?

[Klownzilla]

I love this set! Those polystone busts that come with were a great addition. Not only is it great to have the films in DVD form, but the commentaries that are available are great for offering insight into the making of it, as well as the documentaries.

[Saruman]

I bought it when it came out. Great films. Great busts.

It's worth owning just to have Bride of Frankenstein.

[Could Be Worse]

As much as I love the classics, I'm on a limited budget, so could only afford one of the sets. So I picked...The Frankenstein Legacy Collection. Satisfied? Yep.

[Zing!]

I bought the Dracula set that came with a 'Van Helsing' collectors tin attached to the back of it. When I pulled the tin off it left a sticky residue on the back of the slipcase. Anyone else have this problem, and if so, how do you get rid of the sticky goo (if that's even possible).

P.S. I also own the Frankenstein set and am planning on getting the Wolfman one as well. My only gripe with these is the fact that the classic 'Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein' was left off. If you're going to go to the trouble to assemble Universal Monsters into a comprehensive boxed set - then I damn well expect ALL incarnations of the monsters to be there - comedy or not! They could have left off the two sub-par werewolf flicks (Werewolf of London and She-Wolf of London) and included the Abbot & Costello movie instead, making for a much better collection in my opinion. It would make more sense to include this movie for another reason - as 'A&C Meet Frankenstein' showcases the only other time Bela Lugosi played Count Dracula.

It seems odd to me that Lugosi only appears in one movie in the Dracula set, yet he is featured on the front cover. Obviously he IS Dracula and always will be - at least as far as Universal (and myself) are concerned. And rightly so - but that brings me back to Abbott & Costello. Although it seems unlikely, some fans may not know of this movie and will be missing out on one of the greatest comedies of all time, and one the best monster-fests ever put to screen (even better than House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula!)

[Living_Dead_Dude]

Check out this really cool news!!

Fangoria writes:
"Fango has learned that Universal Home Video has three more Monster Legacy Collections set to follow the recent successful DVD packages devoted to Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man. Debuting October 5 will be disc sets dedicated to the Creature from the Black Lagoon (including the first film and the DVDebuts of REVENGE OF THE CREATURE and THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US), the Mummy (the Karloff original plus THE MUMMY'S HAND, THE MUMMY'S TOMB, THE MUMMY'S GHOST and THE MUMMY'S CURSE) and the Invisible Man (the James Whale classic along with the disc premieres of THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS, THE INVISIBLE MAN?S REVENGE, THE INVISIBLE AGENT and THE INVISIBLE WOMAN). Each set will include at least some of the extras from the previously released DVDs. October 19 sees Universal's video release of VAN HELSING, the big-budget monster mash starring Hugh Jackman. No details on that DVD are available yet, but an extensive special edition can no doubt be expected."

cool or what?!! - suprised how quick they've followed up on these, just in time fer' Halloween, maybe they'll be more to follow if we buy these ones up just as quick (wanna see a "Poe" boxset!! but I'm being greedy). Just hope they're not rush jobs and they at least retain the extras the OOP single dvd's had

so far I only have the Frankenstein set (saving up the money for the others) great set!! - and I'll deffinately wanna be picking these up...

[Zing!]

Wow - that's great news! I was hoping a 'Mummy' Legacy collection was in the works, as I have never been able to find those movies after they went OOP. I never much cared for the 'Invisible Man' movies, but the 'Creature From the Black Lagoon' flicks would be pretty cool. I just hope the 'Mummy' collection doesn't contain any references to the crappy Stephen Sommers/Brendan Fraser 'Mummy' movies like the first three sets reference 'Van Helsing.'

[Living_Dead_Dude]

Originally posted by Zing!
I just hope the 'Mummy' collection doesn't contain any references to the crappy Stephen Sommers/Brendan Fraser 'Mummy' movies like the first three sets reference 'Van Helsing.'

Yer, I'm with ya on that, leave room for some REAL features and keep Sommers away from these classics. I do remember thinking though before I heard this news that I wish he'd make a third Mummy so that a Mummy set could come out (stone away!!), I guess that's not nescessary now though

[drdash]

i'm definitely looking forward to the creature set. my alltime favorite universal horror fil is creature from the black lagoon.

ciao
drdash

[Mog]

Yeah, I want this collection. But one question. Is it incredibly tainted with Van Helsing? Because that would ruin it for me, since I really didn't like that movie.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Which set, and what do you mean tainted?

The one that's out now, shows the films and extras pertaining to THOSE films. It does have a Van Hesling sticker on some of them though saying, "What Van Hesling was inspired on" or soemthing :rolleyes:

Eh well, for folks who didnt dig Van Hesling, at least the movie got Universal to release all these legends from its vaults

[Zing!]

No, there's not too much Van Helsing material to be found in the Legacy collections - just a small featurette about ten minutes long of S. Sommers discussing how the vintage movies inspired him. Just ignore it like I do - it doesn't detract in anyway from the overall package.

[APzombie]

What will Sommers say with the new line of Universal Monstars? They weren't in Van Helsing. He'd be like "The Invisible Man is a huge inspiration and has shaped the way I am seen in Hollywood... invisible."

[Cushing]

This collection is just terrific . They really take me back to my childhood sitting in front of the tv being thrilled by the original monsters . All I can say is " Gimme more ! "

[Zing!]

I just picked up "The Wolf Man Legacy Collection" last night and wanted to say that the documentary on disk 2: "Monster by Moonlight" is fantastic! For $20 it's worth picking up for that alone! Lots of insight into the history of Chaney's Wolf Man character (mainly from the first film and it's sequel - they kind of breeze past his next three outings), and lots of cool behind-the-scenes stills with Chaney and make-up maestro Jack Pierce.

In my opinion there are only two drawbacks to the Wolf Man Legacy set - no "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (which I've commented on in an earlier post). Universal should have included the last bow of these great characters on one of these sets - and the Wolf Man one has room to spare. Better to include that than the other two werewolf movies that are on disc 2. The next drawback is no commentary for "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man." What a bummer - I would have loved to hear an insider's take on this film's troubled production. Why was this left off? Laziness or just an oversight? I suppose we'll never know.

Anyway - despite those flaws - this is an outstanding set and well worth picking up. Can't wait for the Mummy Legacy to hit the shelves!

[Zing!]

By the way - does anyone know if there are any easter eggs hidden in these DVD's?

[ERIN_LoJ]

Sorry Zing, not that I've heard.

I agree with you on wanting some Abott & Costello placed in there, the empty slot for the Wolfman would have been perfect.

[Psychocandy]

I wandered over to Play.com to check if there was any sort of imminent R2 release of the box set. There is. There's a problem though. It's almost £100. Jesus...that's way more expensive than the R1 release. Something else I found a little perturbing is the presence of four more movies in the R2 box set. The Invisible Man, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, The Phantom Of The Opera and The Mummy are included. This suggests to me that they are not planning to release the additional legacy collections in the UK. I guess i'm just gonna buy the R1 release. I'd have preferred R2 but i'll be damned if i'm paying double what it costs in the US. Once again...we Brits get shat upon.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Sorry to hear that :(

Thank God for multi-region players.

Now I just need to get one ;)

[drdash]

just recently got the first 3 sets. just finished the dracula set and i am on house of frankenstien in the frankenstien set. i really forgot how much i love these movies. really brings me back to when i was a kid and watching them late at night on tv. definitely can't wait for the next 3 sets.

ciao
drdash

[heretic]

Does any one know of a R1 or R2 Release of phantom of the opera in such a set, I know its not be annouced in the next 3 to come out ivisisible man / creature from the black lagoon / mummy does this mean this one will be left out? Also does any one know if the 3 new sets to come out will come in a single box set to go with the 6 disk set that came out earlier of drac / frank / wolf ?

I made that sound more complicated than it needed to be

:rolleyes:

thanks

[ERIN_LoJ]

No. Although there's not an official word Ive seen yet, with the release date this month (or is it November???) and no word on it being another 'set', it's safe to say there wont be. I have really kept my eye open for the possibility and have checked about every source I could think of regularly. No sellers have it either for advance order, although they have the individual offers.

Sooooo...looks like no other collectors set :( Cant figure out the reasoning behind this. I would have nabbed it in a second.

Havent heard anything about phantom of the opera releases yet, sorry. I would love those though

[heretic]

Originally posted by ERIN_LoJ


Havent heard anything about phantom of the opera releases yet, sorry. I would love those though

:( I was hoping this would have a release

Does anyone know why this is? was the film made by some one else and I've just got it wrong? thanks for any help.

[Zing!]

Release date is October 19th - Woooohoooooo! Can't wait to pick up the Mummy Legacy Collection!

[Ratlehed]

I will be grabbing the Creature set Tues.

[Pink Corduroy]

I slobbered when I first saw a picture of the Frank/Drac/Wolf box set and busts online. It's the only thing I requested for my birthday, which is in a week--i.e., the far too distant future.

I love these movies. As a kid I'd be all alone in the house, curled up under a blanket with my eyes glued to the TV watching "House of Frankenstein," "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," etc., etc. The series always grew sillier with each installment, but I gobbled them up. I took them very, very seriously. :)

[Zing!]

From here on out until the end of the month it's nothing but monster movies, costume parties, halloween decorations, carving pumpkins, and even more monster movies! That Universal is FINALLY releasing these movies again after what seems like forever makes this Halloween really exciting! I love this time of the year!

[heretic]

Whats the transfer like of these disks thats a lot of films to pack onto a few disks does it affect the picture quality?

thanks in advance

[Zing!]

This may just be my TV, but the Dracula Legacy Collection seemed a bit washed out. Frankenstein and Wolf Man DVD's looked okay. I have yet to see the Mummy, Creature, or Invisible Man sets. In general, I would say these are cleaned up about as well as they can be. I'm satisfied, although I can't stand the Philip Glass score on 'Dracula.' To enjoy this movie, I have to watch the original version without music.

[Pink Corduroy]

I'd like to hear the opinions of people who've gotten the second wave of box sets (Creature, Mummy, Invisible Man). How are the extras? I love the documentaries on the first wave. And how do the transfers look? And has anyone noticed any technical glitches? I've heard a couple complaints about skipping discs in the first wave, and my Dracula Disc 1 also does it. (I'm trading it in for a new one next pay day.) Besides that, they're beautiful box sets and I've had a ball revisiting these movies over the past few nights. Can't wait to pick up the next set.

[Ratlehed]

I picked up the creature set. I watched the original and the sequel. The transfers for both films are very good. The sounds also good. Theres only one documentary but I didnt watch it yet. It also includes the trailers for all 3 films and they werent cleaned up so you can see how the films would have looked years ago.

[Zing!]

Picked up The Mummy Legacy Collection in time for Halloween - again, the transfer of all the films is about as good as they are going to be for films that are 60 years old. The 'Mummy Dearest' documentary was outstanding - although they seemed to skim over the later sequels, with most of the running time dedicated to discussing the Karloff/Freund original. This is definitely worth picking up.

My only complaint is with the movies themselves - with each sequel basically being a re-hash of the same damn story (forbidden love, entombed alive, archeological dig, curse is released, mayhem ensues). And how is it that damn mummy can just walk around in broad daylight without ever being seen? And how come it limps along dragging one leg, but always manages to outrun the angry mob? Oh well...

:D

[Pink Corduroy]

Studies show that under the influence of marijuana, the last three Mummy movies ("Tomb," "Ghost," and "Curse") are the most hilarious movies of all time. Unfortunately recreational marijuana use is illegal here, so I can neither confirm nor deny these findings.

Just picked up all three second-wave sets, and think they're wonderful.

[Zing!]

I just received the Creature From The Black Lagoon Legacy Collection DVD as an early Christmas gift last night, and I have to say... outstanding! I hadn't seen 'Creature' in probably ten years - and I was amazed at how well it stands up today! The cinematography is top notch for a horror/sci-fi film made in the '50's, and the creature is better than a lot of CGI crap we see these days. I'm looking forward to watching the sequel: "Revenge of the Creature," and I'm very curious indeed to see how "The Creature Walks Among Us" plays out. I would also like to add that the 'Creature Feature' documentary is fantastic, with lots of insight into all three movies (the docs on these tend to skim over the sequels) and gives wonderful details on the actual Creature costume. I highly recommend this collection to all!

[miceland1]

I got the box set of three and loved every single one. I had not seen many of the sequels. My favorite sequel was easily She-Wolf of London. That was such a great film! I man it really was very ahead of its time and in many ways better than the original Wolf Man.

I just got the mummy set but have yet to watch it. I don't think I will get the Crature for the Black Lagoon nor Invisible Man sets. I was not really as enamored with those two. The Mummy I though was good enough to be released with the orginal set. But that is just marketing.

Does anyone know if they plan to release other monsters as a part of this set?

Jekyll and Hyde maybe?

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by heretic
Whats the transfer like of these disks thats a lot of films to pack onto a few disks does it affect the picture quality?

thanks in advance

I'm not a DVD expert like some people. I don't understand what all those fancy words mean and how they can be picked up....but I do know from reading reviews that many have been impressed with the clean up, and that this is the best these films have looked.

The audio for Frankenstein, especially, seems amazing and well-done!

The movies really aren't squeezed together like you'd think. You have 2 discs, one of them double sided. So with five movies, there's up to 2 per disc (or side) so that's not bad, especially since back then movies were shorter.

[ERIN_LoJ]

As of two days ago, I finally have all of these now. This will be a special treat for me as Creature from the black lagoon, the invisible man, and The Mummy were all blind buys. That's right - Ive never seen them :( Had to take a gamble, though, trying to build a collection of these and have a shelf laid out for them. There's reasoning and logic mixing with my bank account for ya :)

So far I havent had problems with glitches but havent checked out the new sets yet, just the original 3...will let people know if I find anything.

As for Phantom of the opera, would think they would release that too, and yes, almost positive Universal has the rights...

[MadmanMARZ]

Why wasn´t the release of The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Invissible man released in a box with busts like Dracula , Wolfman and Frankenstein...
It would have been great to own and have them in my shelf :)

[ERIN_LoJ]

I think the last three weren't released in the cool set because Universal wanted to break our hearts and crush our dreams.

If I were more stylishly creative, I would try to make a spoof box set just for the shelf to sit by the other one :)

[miceland1]

If I recall the first box set was released before the realse of Van Helsing to get you all whipped up about the new movie.

The second set was released later. I think after Van Helsing had hit and left theaters. By that time the love afair was over so no need to try so hard with the busts of the second trio.

It was a shame about Van Helsing. It's not that they don't make them like the used to, it's that the can't make them like they used to.

[ERIN_LoJ]

Another influencing factor was all the bitching fans did about the set. Discs came loose and were damaged from the cases sitting up (even though they were well cushioned) and many box sets were sent back for replacement. The comments on Amazon, dvd forums, etc, show how bad this was when it was released. I guess sometimes people just have to bitch, and this time it was a nightmare for Universal :( They went through a tough time with the set and its response.

[miceland1]

Well I loved the set of 3. I loved having the orginals on DVD. I loved the sequels. I loved the figureines. I'm really happy with the set.

I haven't gotten all the additional sets of TCFTBL and Invisible Man but I did pick up the Mummy set. I liked the extras especially hearing from fans and afficionados who have spent lifetimes dedicated to these movies.

[Ratlehed]

I got the original box of 3 and the Creature box. I didnt have any problem with discs coming loose or the packaging. I thought the sets where done quite well. You get a few movies and pretty many extras for a good price.

[ERIN_LoJ]

I think one of the draculas was loose but not scratched. I get this from other dvd purchases though and dont blame the set. A lot of people complained though, which is a shame for such a great deal and effort on a studios part for a change

[spacemonkey]

I purchased the Dracula and Frankenstein sets and was more then happy with them. I finally got to see all those classics that Id missed.

My favorite of all was Bride of Frankenstein but Im sure thats the case with many people.

I just bought the Bela Lugosi collection and Ive gotten have way through them. Those movies can get extremely silly at times and have this b-flick feel to them, but heck, they are fun to watch. So far Ive checked out "THe Black CAt" wich was great fun, watching Lugosi going crazy at the end and "The Raven" with Lugosi killing his guests using devices that appear in Poes stories and poems.

Ive still to see the rest. But Id say its a good buy for Universal fans.

[miceland1]

I cant think of Lugosi without thinking of Ed Wood with Martin Landau as Lugosi.

So beautiful and sad.