Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

I bought this dvd to show my students after having read Frankenstein, well, both the students and I found the movie laughably bad. Yes, some of that is due to the technological limits of the time, but some of the other problems are inexcusable (why are Victor and Henry's names switched? Why does the movie start of the way it doe?, etc.) All and all, it is a movie I wished I would have rented rather than purchasing because it is doubtful that I will ever use it in my classroom again.

Given that I already own The Monster Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Dracula / The Wolf Man) (busts and all), I hemmed, hawed, and read other reviews prior to purchasing the 75th Anniversary Edition. However, an Amazon seller listed an offer I couldn't refuse, so I bit and, all things considered, have no cause for regrets.
The Good: First, the print looks and sounds better than the previous releases. Nice and clean with deep blacks, good contrast, and very little damage, the video is solid and a pleasure to watch. However, I'm especially appreciative of the audio remastering--it sounds terrific for the first time (at least in my opinion).
A treasure trove of juicy extras are included, the jewel in the crown being Kevin Brownlow's Universal Horror, which I've caught on TCM. Also to be found are Karloff: The Gentle Monster, Monster Tracks (informative pop-ups that appear throughout the feature; I especially enjoyed this one), The Frankenstein Files, a corny-but-cute short (that presages Fractured Flickers) called Boo!, archives including still photos and posters, a theatrical trailer, and two commentary tracks--the only extras I haven't explored. I think the goodies alone are worth investing in the upgrade (despite getting a bit repetitive at times). The various subtitles include English, and the disks are dual-layer--a welcome upgrade from the cheapo "flippers" used in Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of).
The Bad: Enough for a one-star demerit. Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is Universal, and not the B-studio described by Gloria Stuart in one of the documentaries as being "like a family," but the gouging, skinflint mega-conglomerate of today. So rather than assemble a perfect package, Universal presents a cheesy one instead. I opened the case and discovered that neither of the trays was affixed to the backing; the glue had come loose...but not before it had torn some of the art behind it in the process. I was pretty much able to line them up for re-gluing so that the damage didn't show, but that didn't repair the breaks that had occurred in the trays themselves. In addition, I detected a tumor-like lump on the back of the case. "Biopsy" revealed a blob of silicone adhesive. I carefully removed the product information sheet that had been so sloppily applied (clearly, Universal has found a way around child labor restrictions) and saw that it concealed a beautiful rendering of Karloff as The Monster. Predictably, the fact that the other side of this sheet could have been put to better use as a chapter index, didn't occur to whoever designed the packaging. A pity--touches such as this mark the distinction between a good marketing effort and a great one. Also, the aforementioned Monster Tracks can be difficult to read if they appear over credits; more attention should have been paid to this. And finally, Universal Horror? It's also included with Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series), so if you buy both (likely), you're paying twice for redundancy. Did I mention "gouging?" Add to that, "contempt for customer base."
Bottom line: if you find this at a price that seems fair and are debating whether or not you need yet another Frankenstein on your shelf, don't. Fans wanting the best print available need this one, otherwise the previously linked Legacy Collection, which includes all of the titles in the series, represents good value...that is, if Universal has managed to fix the problems that resulted from using cheap disks when the Collections premiered. Between the two sets, the needs of just about every fan can be met.