The Dan Curtis Macabre Collection (Dracula (1973) / The Turn of the Screw (1974) / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968) / The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973))

Rating:
Summary: One-half defective set.
Review: The five starts go to Jack Palance's movies only: Dracula (1973) & Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968). I might have given the other two five stars, if I could have actually heard them. They have nearly nonexistent audio tracks even though their visuals look fine.

I remember Jack Palance as Dracula in the first film, and frankly it disturbed me so much as a child that I only watched it again recently. Palance, like Louis Jourdan, managed to pull off an incredibly compelling bestial yet noble Dracula; but whereas Jourdan leaned slightly more towards the nobility side, Palance leaned more toward the bestial. Indeed menacing hardly does him justice. At times the character, as he interpreted it, almost seemed to have a preternatural animalistic quality to it in how he reacts to the cross, panther like, pacing back and forth, staring down his arch nemesis with those dark, wild, feral eyes...

Then when you watch the second Palance movie, you are not only struck by Curtis' excellent take on the Stevenson story, but also by the radical departure of Palance's character interpretation. It's like day and night. In this story the menacing supernatural creature of darkness is gone, and in it's place is a fascinating dual role expertly executed by Palance, one an approachable human being with no menace or darkness, the other a vicious brute.



Rating:
Summary: Excellent Value
Review: This package contains four films either produced or directed by Dan Curtis, creator of TV's "Dark Shadows." The most successful piece is "The Picture of Dorian Gray", featuring a moodier, more atmospheric interpretation than the classic film starring George Sanders (not yet on DVD, alas). The Dracula adaptation stars Jack Palance as the nefarious Count, and follows the novel much more closely than the Lugosi or Christopher Lee versions. Still, it's not as gripping as it could be.

Palance also stars as Jekyll/Hyde, and this film is easily the weakest of the bunch. Overlong and plodding, it never catches fire. Palance's understated performance is a plus, and there are several strong sequences, especially at the beginning, but towards the end it starts to drag.

The Turn of the Screw is excellent, a definitive adaptation of the Henry James novel. (The review below mentions an audio problem on this disc, but I didn't experience anything like that.) It's not often that I find a horror flick genuinely scary, but this one does the trick.

These films were (I believe) made for TV, so the video quality isn't great and the audio is mono. The films are also sold separately, so you're not forced to buy them all. But this package is the better value.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Value
Review: This package contains four films either produced or directed by Dan Curtis, creator of TV's "Dark Shadows." The most successful piece is "The Picture of Dorian Gray", featuring a moodier, more atmospheric interpretation than the classic film starring George Sanders (not yet on DVD, alas). The Dracula adaptation stars Jack Palance as the nefarious Count, and follows the novel much more closely than the Lugosi or Christopher Lee versions. Still, it's not as gripping as it could be.

Palance also stars as Jekyll/Hyde, and this film is easily the weakest of the bunch. Overlong and plodding, it never catches fire. Palance's understated performance is a plus, and there are several strong sequences, especially at the beginning, but towards the end it starts to drag.

The Turn of the Screw is excellent, a definitive adaptation of the Henry James novel. (The review below mentions an audio problem on this disc, but I didn't experience anything like that.) It's not often that I find a horror flick genuinely scary, but this one does the trick.

These films were (I believe) made for TV, so the video quality isn't great and the audio is mono. The films are also sold separately, so you're not forced to buy them all. But this package is the better value.

Rating:
Summary: Defective Set???
Review: Wow I love Dan Curtis and his stuff but Disc #4 Taming of the Shrew is Audio Defective! The menu and Bonus Clip interviews have sound but the actual Movie sound is almost completely muffled and inaudible! I called 'Julie' at MPI and she said it was the first she'd heard of it. I wonder if just mine was defective or a glitch in their pressings. I'd like some more feed backs on this set to see if others have this same problem. Rinky Dink Quality is why I'm giving this set a low mark.