|
| Vincent Price: MGM Scream Legends Collection (The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Tales of Terror / Theater of Blood / Madhouse / Witchfinder General / Dr. Phibes Rises Again / Twice Told Tales) | 
 enlarge | Directors: Douglas Hickox, Michael Reeves, Sidney Salkow
Actors: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $24.39
You Save: $15.59 (39%)
New (39) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $24.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 21630
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 5
Running Time: 675
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.5 x 1.2
MPN: M108780
UPC: 027616087805
EAN: 0027616087805
ASIN: B000SK5ZFM
Theatrical Release Date: April 5, 1973
Release Date: September 11, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW & FACTORY SHRINK WRAPPED-I SHIP 6 DAYS A WEEK, USUALLY SAME DAY!!!
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The high baroque period of Vincent Price's career is well represented with this box, which offers seven horror-minded feature films and some supporting extras. If there were ever any doubt that Price was in on the joke, this collection would dispel it: in most of these movies he's having a ball, cheerfully sending up his own image--although the set also boasts perhaps his finest straight performance. Thanks to the previous likes of House of Wax and The Fly, Price had his horror cred well established, which is perhaps why he's already winking at the idea in the earliest movie here, 1962's Tales of Terror. The movie certainly has an impeccable horror pedigree: three stories by Edgar Allan Poe, adapted by Richard Matheson, and directed by Roger Corman. Price stars in all three, making a slow start with "Morella," then clicking into gear with Peter Lorre in a broadly comic "The Black Cat," and winding up with great liquefying make-up (and Basil Rathbone) in "The Case of M. Valdemar." The 1963 Twice Told Tales borrows Corman's triptych set-up with three Nathaniel Hawthorne stories, but the results are fairly dull. The best of the trio is the first story, in which Price and Sebastian Cabot sip a youth potion, with regrettable results. Witchfinder General (re-edited and known for years in the U.S. as The Conqueror Worm) is the gem of the collection, a truly harrowing film for which Price eschewed any hint of camp. He plays a 17th-century witchfinder, and the film pulls no punches in pointing out the sadism of his job (and the way religious paranoia is linked to misogyny). It's the best and final work by the promising director Michael Reeves, who died in 1969 from a drug overdose; he was only 24 when he made this film. From there, the set skips into Price's 1970s silly season. The Abominable Dr. Phibes was a surprise hit in 1971, and it's easy to see the appeal: Price goes over the top in his portrayal of a Phantom of the Opera type who exacts revenge by invoking the Old Testament plagues. Joseph Cotten and Terry-Thomas are in the cast. Dr. Phibes Rises Again isn't quite as madly focused--this time the doctor is in Egypt, looking for a way to revive his late wife--but the tongue-in-cheek spirit prevails. Those films paved the way for a similar but more inspired outing, and a movie Price spoke of as a personal favorite: Theater of Blood, a deliciously wicked thing about a ham actor who murders his critics. Not only does Price have a high old time reciting Shakespeare, he gets to knock off some wonderful victims: Robert Morley, Jack Hawkins, and Price's future wife Coral Browne among them. Diana Rigg is a welcome bonus. Madhouse rounds out the disc, an actively bad movie along the same lines; Price plays a horror-movie actor whose personal instability mirrors his film persona. The picture is ham-handed in every way, though it's good to see Peter Cushing toe-to-toe with Price. Also in the set: a Disc of Horrors, with an hour's worth of featurettes on the man. --Robert Horton
Product Description
This five-disc set contains the fan favorites THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN THEATER OF BLOOD MADHOUSE TALES OF TERROR TWICE-TOLD TALES and WITCHFINDER GENERAL.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 027616087805 Manufacturer No: M108780
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 Vincent Price DVD Collection Review August 6, 2008
Includes Price's best, as well as other, less known. The cost was minimal for value received. Only Anthony Hopkins has since paralleled Price's evil-insanity portrayal.
 Great Films by Horrors Greatest. Disc Breakdown Below. July 7, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This box set is a great add to any film lover's collection. The set is also great for those who are interested in Price's work but have yet to see much of it. I suggest watching the films by date. The last two films in the set are the most autobiographical of Price particularly Madhouse which has flash backs within the movie of actual Vincent Price films some of which you will have seen if you go in order by date. Although I feel Witchfinder General stands as a unique Price film and could be watched last. Lastly finish with the Vincent Price Collection of horrors disc which should be more interesting after the movies. The disc of horrors/Witchfinder general disc is the only DVD case containing two discs, even though it says a side and B side on the back on the DVD. All other DVDs are two sided discs with one film on each side.
THE DISCS:
The three short films in each film disc: Tales of Terror/Twice Told Tales.
Tales of Terror (1962) 5/5
The only film of in the box by director Roger Corman who Price has teamed up with on many occasions to produce some of their best work such as The Masque of the Red Death / The Premature Burial and The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum. Both have made great films separately but together they made a great team and Tales of Terror is yet another example. Terror is Based on Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Terror and the screenplay was written by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man), Tales of Terror is a trilogy of macabre tales starring Price in all three. The strongest of the three is The Black Cat starring Peter Lorre opposite of price and he does a great job as a drunken husband who seeks revenge on his unfaithful wife. The first tale is the weakest but it does get stronger from there. Hopefully this film will lead you to other Corman/Price films and other films by the director such as X.
THE DVD: On the back of the DVD Tales of Terror's running time is listed at120mins but actually is just shy of 90minutes. The DVD is presented in widescreen 2:35:1 with a mono audio track.
Twice Told Tales (1963) 5/5
More of the same of Tales of Terror but this time it is three shorts based on tales written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These three shorts are equally great with no clear favorite as each film could appeal to a different viewer.
THE DVD: Presented in widescreen 1.66.1 with a mono audio track
The disc with the features disc: Witchfinder General/Vincent Price Coll. Disc of Horrors
Witchfinder General (1968) 5/5
The most brutal of the films which could be the first exploitation/torture film, although it has an actual story to go along with it and an ending reminiscent of Hooper's 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2-Disc Ultimate Edition). Price's character Matthew Hopkins goes from village to village as an official witchfinder. Town's leaders pay him to accuse and execute those thought to be witches but he runs into some opposition from a soldier whose lover he has violated. This is also based of an Edgar Allen Poe work and was directed by Michael Reeves. Reeves and Price butt heads on this one which is talked about on the disc of horrors disc. It would appear Reeves did beat some of the mannerisms out of Price as he gives a different feel to this role then any of the others in the set.
THE DVD: The only DVD to have special features. Audio commentary with producer Philip Waddilove and actor Ian Ogilvy and a Witchfinder General: Michael Reeves' horror classic featurette. Presented in widescreen 1.85:1 and a mono audio track.
Vincent Price Collection Disc of Horrors (2007) Watch this last: 4/5
There are three features on the DVD. Vincent Price: Renaissance Man - Historians and critics talk about his plays, art collecting, films, his cooking, basically about his life. The Art of Fear and Working with Vincent Price are the other two features.
The Phibes Disc: The Abominable Dr. Phibes/ Dr Phibes Rises Again:
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) 5/5
The film tells the story of Dr. Phibes seeking revenge on a group of surgeons he holds responsible for his wife's death. As one critic points out in the disc of horrors we are all born with a bit of psychotic in us but we mature however Dr. Phibes has never matured he is still that psychotic child. The movie has that 70s real feel and bloody deaths although they are much more creative than most films of the time. This is the most unique and eccentric of the Price films.
I call Dr. Phibes an influencer of horror films and one of the best in this set. It is also similar to Theater of Blood which is also included. There is a biblical theme and order to Phibes' murders much like David Fincher's Seven (New Line Platinum Series). There are creative kills that could have influenced the more recent horrors such as The Final Destination Thrill-Ogy (Final Destination/ Final Destination 2/ Final Destination 3), Hostel, and saw movies throughout. The killer in the saw movies almost seems modeled after Phibes. Elaborate and lavish sets with a feel of Kubrick and like Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange [Blu-ray] released the same year Over the Rainbow is used in the same out of place fashion as Singin in the Rain was. There are also some bumbling Scotland Yard detectives to provide a bit of humor much like Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy released the following year also a great film.
THE DVD: Presented in widescreen 1.85:1 and yet another mono audio track.
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) 4/5
This sequel picks up literally where the last one left off and even gives a recap of the first film. This time Phibes main goal is heading to Egypt to bring his wife back to life as he dispatches those that get in his way. It's an entertaining horror adventure.
THE DVD: Presented in widescreen 1.85:1 with a mono audio track.
The autobiographical films disc: Theater of Blood/Madhouse
Theater of Blood (1973) The only R rated film. 5/5
A small time Shakespearean play actor (Price) believed to be dead comes back to take vengeance on the critics who trashed his work, by following the death scenes of his plays in the order he played them. Again we have creative kills with that 70s exploitation look with gore and blood throughout. During one of the kills of The Merchant of Venice I thought Price's makeup looked like Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street (Infinifilm Edition), maybe it inspired Wes Craven.
THE DVD: Presented in widescreen 1.66:1 with mono audio.
Madhouse (1974) 4/5
This is the most autobiographical film in the set. Price plays Paul Toombes a horror star whose fiancee is brutally murdered. The viewer nor Paul even knows if he did it and he loses his job and a bit of his mind only to return twelve years later to TV. This is a fun film for Price fans as it is a mixture of his films. The plot is somewhat reminiscent of House of Wax particularly the ending. Literally Paul Toombes films are played throughout during interviews and banquets and they are actual Vincent Price films such as The Pit and the Pendulum and Tales of Terror. Tales of Terror even seems to have the same effect on Toombes as it did Price's character in that film.
THE DVD: Presented in widescreen 1.66:1 with a mono audio track.
Great Movies, but * BEWARE * of MGM Disc - Cutting Error ! June 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Vincent Price is at his best in these shows; that is, those that were viewable in this packaged assortment. While the movies presented here are certainly 5 stars, MGM did NOT cut the DVD's for The Abominable Dr. Phibes and Dr. Phibes Rises Again! I purchased two different copies of these DVD's : One from Amazon - the one this review is written for - and another - also produced by MGM - at a DVD store where I live. In both cases, the Dr. Phibes movies were NOT transferred to the DVD during the MGM 'cutting' process: all that appears is the MGM logo, and nothing else. I tried these discs in three different DVD players, and still, nothing.
If you enjoy Dr. Phibes as much as I do and want to buy discs that work, buy from a merchant that is selling his old working versions. Otherwise, you're taking a chance, since apparently MGM cut some disks, but did not cut others.
PRICE-LESS January 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Each generation has their heroes of horror. The first circled around names like Karloff and Lugosi. Today's generation revels in names like Jason, Michael and Pinhead. And during the sixties? We grew up with Vincent Price.
MGM has just released a DVD box set of several classics by actor Vincent Price, known for his well toned voice and sinister yet dashing looks. Most horror fans loved him for the Roger Corman directed Edgar Allan Poe films that he did. But the films represented here offer a bit more.
The box set contains 4 discs: 1-TALES OF TERROR (based on the works of Poe) and TWICE TOLD TALES (based on the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne), 2-THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN (two must have movies for all Price fans). 3-THEATER OF BLOOD (one of Price's favorite roles) and MADHOUSE and 4-WITCHFINDER GENERAL (also released under the name THE CONQUEROR WORM) and DISC OF HORRORS which contains three documentary looks at Price, his work and his life.
Each of these films, with the exception of WITCHFINDER GENERAL, has been released previously but not in a boxed set. And WITCHFINDER GENERAL, a much hailed film, has never seen release until now. The film chronicles events surrounding real life witch hunter Matthew Hopkins in the Middle Ages as he abuses his legal powers eventually leading to his downfall. While some view this as a high mark in British horror films, I found it a bit slow moving and not one of Price's best efforts. It did offer a rather brutal amount of violence for a film shot in the 60s and for that might make it worth watching.
Of the set (and moving past the classic Phibes films which deserve an entire article all their own) I have found that MADHOUSE was a neglected film that deserves seeing. Price stars as a Hollywood horror star that loses his mind after the death of his wife. Years later, a producer wants to resurrect not only the star but the character he played, Dr. Death, for TV. When things begin happening on the set, you are left to wonder has he really recovered or has he gone insane, now a killer stalking the cast and crew?
While many think of this as not much of a movie, it does offer tons of entertaining fun and Price playing a character that is basically himself. The film offers chills that young ones could handle and a story that is interesting, leaving the identity of the killer till the very end and then offering a twist to top that.
If you've never seen a Vincent Price film, you're not a true horror fan. And there is little better place you will find to start than with this box set. It's not only worth watching, it's worth adding to your collection.
The King Of The House Of Usher December 17, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Johnny Depp has said that aside from his budding friendship with Tim Burton the main reason he did Edward Scissorhands was for the chance to work with the legendary Vincent Price in what turned out to be his last film appearance. He was that kind of actor. On screen he commanded the screen like no other horror star of his generation with the possible exception of Boris Karloff. He reveled in his roles. And he rose indomitably (pardon the pun) to the occasion again and again. From the forties through to the eighties. Add to this the fact that he was a much sought after character actor in films of the late thirties and forties and even into the fifties with The Ten Commandments. As to this product.
None of the films are his greatest and none are his worst. Included are the two Dr. Phibes films which sparked yet another revival of his career late in the game. They are coy and filled with demonic glee that only Price could deliver. And this mind you is behind a frozen mask and with limited vocal delivery. The Audience knew intimately the man behind the mask and applauded his last great screen performances for what they were -tongue-in-cheek nods to his career. God Bless Tim Burton for giving him the proper send-off he so richly deserved in Edward Scissorhands. And passing the gauntlet (again pardon the pun) as it were to Mr. Depp at the same time. Depp's Sweeney Todd should ensconce him alongside Price and Karloff in this kind of depraved tormented characters they specialized in.
This set is well worth having. Nothing Price ever did lets you down. He always gave it his all. Other actors laughed at him and called him the Canned Ham of Horror, but his career went on and on while theirs fell by the wayside. You be the judge. Buy it. I dare you.
|
|
|
 Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
