3 Classic Horrors Of The Silver Screen - Vol. 2 - A Bucket Of Blood / House On Haunted Hill / The Ghoul (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	3 reminders that films can stand alone, without modern special effects .
Disadvantages:	Viewers might miss seeing in colour and hearing in stereo .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Three classic horrors of the silver screen. It says it on the box, and that is exactly what they are - three classic horrors. The Ghoul is the oldest. It was made in1933. A Bucket of Blood was made in 1960, with House on Haunted Hill debuting two years before it. These are old films and were made when special effects was in its infancy. Days when people bled tomato ketchup and ghosts flew around on almost invisible wires.

If you are thinking of buying this DVD, you will probably realise all of this already and not be too disappointed by the lack of modern technical wizardry.

These days it is not unknown for the special effects to be the carrying force of a film. Special effects are a poor substitute for storyline though. No need to worry about that here. Without that particular crutch to lean on, the story has to stand alone. Helped on a little by atmosphere.

Three Classics comes on one disc and if you watched all three films, back to back, it would only take around 218 minutes. What you don't get is any bonus footage or features. What you do get is a no nonsense main menu that gives you just one choice - which film to watch first. Select your film and away you go..

When you are watching a film you can fast forward or reverse the footage like with any other DVD. Unfortunately the films are not split up into chapters, though, and you therefore can't skip through the action. Some people might find this annoying, but hey, they are only short films anyway.

A BUCKET OF BLOOD is the first film. Roger Corman produced and directed it, and Dick Miller is excellent, in the starring role of Walter Paisley. Walter waits tables in an artsy café that is frequented by poets and artists. Walter comes across as being a little gormless and sad. It is hard not to feel a little sorry for him, in fact, watching him being pushed around by the club's owner, Leonard, and seeing him being ridiculed by some of the clubs' patrons.

Walter is also an aspiring sculptor and dreams of being accepted by his peers, achieving something, and gaining recognition. Unfortunately his talents don't quite come up to his expectations. The turning point comes for Walter when his landlady's cat, Frankie, gets caught in the hollow wall cavity of his home. In an effort to free the unfortunate feline Walter stabs a knife into the wall, but kills the cat in the process. To hide Frankie's body, Walter covers it in clay - knife and all. The finished result is so good that he shows it to, Carla the next morning. Carla is an artist that frequents the club and Walter is in love with her. While Carla is looking at Walter's work Leonard comes out and sees them. "What's it called," he asks, looking at the sculpture. "Dead Cat?" Walter replies. "Dead Cat?" Leonard repeats, " That's its name? Well it certainly looks dead enough." Leonard Puts 'Dead Cat' on display in the club, people like it, and Walter is on the up. But will anyone notice that, as Walter's exhibits grow in number, that the clubs' clientele is shrinking?

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. This is probably the most atmospheric of the three films, and is my favourite. The house is very spooky looking inside, and I for one would not want to take bed and breakfast there. The background music is also equally spooky and it is, perhaps, a key factor in sustaining the films atmosphere.

At the start of the film there is a moments silence and a blank screen. The moment seems to stretch, and then there is a scream, followed by moaning and the sound of rattling chains. Next, a face floats into view: "The ghosts are moving tonight, restless, hungry. May I introduce myself? I'm Watson Pritchard. In just a minute, I'll show you the only, really haunted house in the world." Watson owns the house and has only ever spent one night there. When they found him the next morning he was almost dead. Morgan's face floats away and is replaced by that of a suitably sinister looking Vincent price, who introduces himself as Frederick Loren. He has rented the house so that his wife can give a haunted house party. Five guests have been invited, and if they stay the night -survive the night - they will get$10 000. Guess what? They all could do with the money and decide to stay.

There are plenty of cobwebs in the house and ceilings that drip blood. Organs play themselves and chandeliers swing and fall. Even a little romance is added to the mix. If that is not enough, there's a skeleton as well. Okay, it may dangle more than walk, but I didn't mind. Old or not this film did manage to make me jump once or twice. Thrills, chills a little romance and a lot of candles flickering in dark passageways. This film is an oldie, but also a goodie, and I much prefer it to the 1999 remake.

THE GHOUL. In the final film on the disc Boris Karloff plays Professor Morlant. Morlant lives in an old house with his Scottish butler, he believes in the religious ways of ancient Egypt. A dying man, the professor has spent most of his fortune on buying the Eternal Light - a stone stolen from an Egyptian temple. Lying on his deathbed, Morland has his butler bandage the stone into the palm of his left hand. He has had an Egyptian tomb built in the garden and will be interred there. The bushy eye-browed professor believes that, on the night of the full moon, he will rise from his tomb. Then he will offer the Eternal Light to the god Anubis. If his offering is accepted he will be granted eternal life.

On the night of the full moon, the professor does, indeed, rise again. If the professor looked bad on his deathbed., he looks worse now. Not only are his eyebrows having a bad hair day, the rest of him, not to be left out, has followed suit. Staggering from his tomb, Morlant realizes that the Eternal Light has been stolen from his hand. He lurches into the night, in search of the stone, and killing anyone that gets in his way. There are one or two twists in the tale and some people are not what they seem. Although this isn't my favourite of the three films, I still enjoyed watching it and will let you into a secret: This one does have a happy ending.

Three classics of the silver screen. They are just that, no more, no less. Worth the money? Yes. Worth watching? Definitely. But bare in mind that you are not buying a modern film, with modern effects.