We recently reported that Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M For Murder will be hitting Blu-ray, and in fact, a number of Hitchcock thrillers are slated to arrive on Blu-ray this fall.
One Hitchcock classic I’m particularly looking forward to watching on Blu-ray is Psycho, which many consider the beginning of the modern horror film genre. Nevertheless, the original Universal monsters that laid the groundwork shouldn’t be overlooked.
I saw the original Universal horror films, namely Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf-Man, and The Invisible Man, when I was a little kid on television, and I’ve loved them ever since.
I still enjoy watching the star-making performances of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney Jr., the black and white camerawork, and so much more. I bought the classic Universal collection when it came out on DVD, and now they’ll be available in greater definition than ever with Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection.
As Cinema Blend tells us, this collection will have the original 1931 Dracula, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and The Phantom of the Opera. This collection will be out on October 2, and includes 12 hours of bonus features.
The movies are all digitally restored, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon is finally going to be available for home viewing in 3D. I just saw Creature in 3D at a revival screening last year, the first time I’d ever watched the film in 3D, and it was really a terrific experience. It’s never been available in 3D for home viewing before, which is just one special treat you’ll get with this collection.
All of this coincides with Universal’s 100th anniversary, and it’s very fitting that the classic monsters are going to be available again – all shiny and restored. Remember, it’s the classic monsters that made Universal a major company in the 30’s, and kept them in business when times were difficult. Horror and the movie business have come a long way since, but the classics are still great fun to watch today, and it should be wonderful to see them looking better than ever.
