Review by Mikey Liked It for Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Rating:
To be concise and summarize – Great value! 50 movies (I paid about 25 bucks; so 50 cent movies – how can you complain?)

Transfer quality generally awful, most but not all are slightly out of focus (won’t notice on little tv!) but watchable. If you are a perfectionist you will not want this. Some scenes from some movies have been cut but nothing major so far (have seen maybe 26-27 so far). Sound generally poor, mono, (2 were in stereo). The B&W movies generally not so bad but many of the color films have serious quality problems IMHO. All are full screen; no wide-screen (that I have seen). This is OK since all movies before 1954 were approx. FF anyway. The ideal customer wants a sample of the 20′s-60′s Horror/Mystery/Action B movies with 3-4 real classics and 15+ total duds. Still, fantastic value. Absolutely no frills. All movies have small number of selectable scenes, no trailers or ANY other stuff. Packaging is 12 d/s single layer disks each in cardboard cd-type sleeve. None of the disks in my box was scratched (maybe lucky?).

Review by Sheila Chilcote-Collins for Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Rating:
I purchased this 50 DVD box set this past autumn (for Halloween) and have viewed all of the films. There are some GREAT CLASSICS mixed with fabulous SCHLOCK for a price that can’t be beat!Different horror genres including:Crusty, Creepy Creatures
Descend to the depths of the deep, dark ocean and encounter the “Phantom From 10,000 Leagues” and “Creature From The Haunted Sea”. Check out the cheesy and quite primitive special effects in “The Giant Gila Monster”. Rediscover terror of dogs dressed up in fur playing “The Killer Shrews”. Hold your breath to see which hick from the backwoods will actually survive “The Attack of the Giant Leeches”! Also the great “The Hunchback Of Notre Dame” with the fabulous Lon Chaney, Jr., “The Gorilla”, “Swamp Women”, “Atom Age Vampire”, “Beast Of yucca Flats”, “Black Dragons”, “Invisible Ghost”, “The Vampire Bat” with Fay Wray, “White Zombie” with Bela Lugosi and “The Bat” With Vincent Price!Majorly Maddening Madmen
Descend into insanity and weird funereal rites in Francis Ford Coppola’s first full-length feature “Dementia 13″. Be astounded at the scientific perversity of Jason Evers as he keeps the severed head of his fiancée alive in “The Brain that Wouldn’t Die”. Also includes, “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”, “The Monster Maker”, “Maniac”, “The Amazing Mr. X”, “The Tormented”, and “Bluebeard”.Cult Classics
Watch when Audrey II cries “feeeed me” in “Little Shop of Horrors”. Fear for the fate of humanity as flesh-eating zombies roam the earth in Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. Find out what it’s like to be “The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price and “The Last Woman On Earth” with Robert Towne. Go to the “Carnival Of Souls” with Candace Hilligoss, even!

Silent Horror Classics
Watch the amazing Lon Chaney in “Phantom of the Opera”, slinking through the cellars of the Paris Opera House. Marvel at the chilling Max Schreck in “Nosferatu”, giving a truly mesmerizing performance and the classic and futuristic, “Metropolis”. AND MUCH, MUCH MORE! I highly recommend this very cool and inexpensive box set for anyone who likes classic horror, cheesy schlock, Bela Lugosi or stylings of the great Ed Wood!Happy Watching!

Review by Rudolf Schmid for Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Rating:
For comments on quality see other reviews. Dates range from 1920-68; all B&W except 4 in color (see 3B, 9A, 10A, 11B).

DISK (12 2-sided disks total):

1A: Carnival of Souls (1962) 84 minutes. Starring: Candace Hilligoss

1A: Atom Age Vampire (1960) 87 minutes. Starring: Alberto Lupo

1B: Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) 75 minutes. Starring: Robert Towne

1B: Nightmare Castle (1965) 101 minutes. Starring: Barbara Steele

2A: Black Dragons (1942) 64 minutes. Starring: Bela Lugosi

2A: Invisible Ghost (1941) 61 minutes. Starring: Bela Lugosi

2B: One Body Too Many (1944) 75 minutes. Starring: Bela Lugosi

2B: White Zombie (1932) 67 minutes. Starring: Bela Lugosi

3A: Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) 62 minutes. Starring: Ken Clark

3A: The Screaming Skull (1958) 68 minutes. Starring: John Hudson

3A: Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) 53 minutes. Starring: Tor Johnson

3B: The Terror (1963) COLOR 83 minutes. Starring: Jack Nicholson

3B: Revolt of the Zombies (1936) 65 minutes. Starring: Dean Jagger

4A: The Giant Gila Monster (1959) 74 minutes. Starring: Don Sullivan

4A: The Fatal Hour (1940) 68 minutes. Starring: Boris Karloff

4B: Dead Men Walk (1943) 65 minutes. Starring: George Zucco

4B: The Mad Monster (1942) 77 minutes. Starring: George Zucco

5A: Maniac (1934) 67 minutes. Starring: Bill Woods

5A: Metropolis (1927) 115 minutes. Starring: Gustav Frolich

5B: The Vampire Bat (1933) 69 minutes. Starring: Melvyn Douglas

5B: The Ape (1940) 62 minutes. Starring: Boris Karloff

5B: The Monster Maker (1944) 65 minutes. Starring: J. Carrol Naish

6A: The Killer Shrews (1959) 70 minutes. Starring: James Best

6A: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) 92 minutes. Starring: Jason Evers

6B: Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde (1920) 67 minutes. Starring: John Barrymore

7A: Bluebeard (1944) 73 minutes. Starring: John Carradine

7A: The Corpse Vanishes (1942) 64 minutes. Starring: Bela Lugosi

7B: Night of the Living Dead (1968) 90 minutes. Starring: Judith O’Dea

7B: Doomed to Die (1940) 67 minutes. Starring: Boris Karloff

8A: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) 79 minutes. Starring: Lon Chaney

8A: The Indestructible Man (1956) 70 minutes. Starring: Lon Chaney Jr.

8B: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) 100 minutes. Starring: Lon Chaney

8B: Nosferatu (1922) 63 minutes. Starring: Max Shreck

9A: Swamp Women (1955) COLOR 73 minutes. Starring: Mike Connors

9A: The World Gone Mad (1933) 70 minutes. Starring: Pat O’Brien

9B: Little Shop of Horrors (1960) 70 minutes. Starring: Jack Nicholson

9B: Tormented (1960) 75 minutes. Starring: Richard Carlson

10A: The Monster Walks (1932) 60 minutes. Starring: Rex Lease

10A: Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967) COLOR 90 minutes. Starring: Tamro Kawaji

10B: The Gorilla (1937) 67 minutes. Starring: The Ritz Brothers

10B: A Shriek in the Night (1933) 66 minutes. Starring: Ginger Rogers

11A: Bloodlust (1961) 68 minutes. Starring: Robert Reed

11A: The Amazing Mr. X (1948) 78 minutes. Starring: Richard Carlson

11B: Last Woman on Earth (1960) COLOR 71 minutes. Starring: Robert Towne

11B: The Bat (1959) 80 minutes. Starring: Vincent Price

12A: House on Haunted Hill (1958) 75 minutes. Starring: Vincent Price

12A: The Last Man on Earth (1964) 86 minutes. Starring: Vincent Price

12B: Dementia 13 (1963) 75 minutes. Starring: William Campbell

12B: Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1956) 80 minutes. Starring: Kent Taylor

Review by Michael McCuiston for Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Rating:
First off, I have not seen all 50 movies, only about 28 so far. But I have some opinions on this package already. The movies come on 12 double-sided DVDs with the contents clearly marked on the inner ring of each disc. Each DVD comes in a cardboard sleeve with the movie’s description printed on it. The menus are basic, scene selection is awkward but if you just want to watch the whole movie, it works fine. The quality of the picture and sound vary considerably. Some of the movies are a bit blurry with muddy sound and some missing frames, but all were watchable to me. Some of the movies are outstandingly clear both in picture and sound, such as ‘Beast of Yucca Flats’ (which may be the worst movie I have ever seen).
The silent movies have a musical soundtrack, but it doesn’t really go with the action. “Doctor Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’, for instance, sounds like someone put a Bach organ recital CD on and just let it play. I don’t understand why ‘Metropolis’ was included in a horror package, but it’s a good movie.
I know I sound as if I didn’t like this set, but I have found it very entertaining and there is more variety to the selections than I expected. There are some real standouts, such as ‘Carnival of Souls’ that make this set worthwhile if you are of a mind to enjoy old movies.
I rated it three stars because the quality of the transfers could be improved on quite a bit; but really if you factor in the price, it is an enormous bargain. I plan to get several of the other 50 movie sets.

Review by Danno for Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack Collection
Rating:
If you’re the type of person who loved staying up late at night to watch obscure horror movies, this DVD set is probably right up your alley. Virtually every film collected here started off as a Double Feature and then ended up as the Late Late Movie on local TV. There are some geniune classics here, like ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘Carnival of Souls,’ as well as a large assortment of worthwhile cult oddities like ‘The Brain that Wouldn’t Die’ and ‘Nightmare Castle’ and Saturday afternoon schlock like ‘House on Haunted Hill.’ And, of course, there’s Bela Lugosi in the eerie ‘White Zombie,’ along with several of his weaker efforts.

I highly recommend this DVD set but would like to offer a few caveats that aren’t totally clear from the product description.

1)A handful of these films (like ‘Nosferatu’ and ‘Phantom of the Opera’)are silent movies. If you don’t like silent movies this is a drawback. They also don’t have extended or interesting musical scores added to them. I suggest turning the sound down and listening to something by Goblin or Tangerine Dream instead

2)Only four of the fifty films are in color. These include ‘The Terror’ and ‘Monster from a Prehistoric Planet.’ Ironically these are among the weakest films.

3)For the most part, these are well-worn TV prints. There are plenty of visible scratches in many of the films, and lots of harsh mono sound. To me, these flaws are part of the charm of these old movies in the same way that pops and crackles on old vinyl are charming. You might not agree. I’ve seen cleaner versions of ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘Carnival of Souls’ elsewhere, but I doubt that the original negatives still exist for most of these movies, so restoration might be impossible. Regardless, if you’re hoping to see the gorier, sexier versions of Italian dubbed shockers like ‘Atom Age Vampire’ and ‘Nightmare Castle,’ you’re out of luck, my friend.

4)Some of these films, like ‘Vampire Bat’ and the Mr Wong movies starring Boris Karloff, are really supernaturally-themed mysteries rather than true horror films.

I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying this collection of low-tech, old school creepy movies. They may be for an acquired taste, but if you collected Famous Monsters as a kid you’ll want to snatch up a copy of this set while they last!

Review by R. Christenson for Bee Movie (Mandarin Chinese Edition)
Rating:
I’ve seen all of the animated features since Toy Story, and liked this one better than most. It’s not as funny as Shrek, and overall not as good as Monsters Inc or Finding Nemo, but certainly in the better half, comparable to Cars, Ice Age, and Over The Hedge. During the first twenty minutes or so it seemed like it might offer nothing better than a series of Bee jokes, which I see has resulted in some negative reviews here. But the story develops as an allegory for frivolous lawsuits, but it’s the bee who brings the frivolous lawsuit here, so it doesn’t jump on the Hollywood blame-humans-first bandwagon, which is refreshing. Some of the results are predictable, some funny, but not preachy or trite. There’s at least one lawyer joke that had the audience in stitches, along with several other funny jokes.

Review by Terri for Bee Movie (Mandarin Chinese Edition)
Rating:
We took our kids to see this movie and they all loved it. I liked it because they didn’t include sexual innuendos like the Shrek movies I’ve seen. That always makes me angry that this type (sexual innuendos) of writing has to be included in what is supposed to be a children’s movie. Anyway, this movie is great for small children as well as bigger kids. The jokes are funny, and my kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Although at one point it seemed rather weird that a bee can sue humans, it all fell into place in the end. We all have to realize that this is animation, not real life, so no real life acting should be portrayed. They all did a wonderful jobs doing their parts, especially Jerry Seinfeld. Well done! I will be buying this when it comes out.

Review by thejoelmeister for Bee Movie (Mandarin Chinese Edition)
Rating:
Jerry Seinfeld has been away from the spotlight for some time now and 2007 marks the year of his return – but only as a voice in a computer animated film. While the premise is unique, the approach is generic, and the excellently animated, poorly executed family film will have difficulty avoiding the already popular classification that Bee Movie is indeed a B-movie.

Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) is an average bee approaching adulthood, who must decide upon a job in the hive. The catch is that once he chooses his job, he must keep it for the rest of his life. Unsatisfied with the monotony of working in the hive, he ventures outside where he meets a human woman, Vanessa (Renée Zellweger), who saves his life. Indebted, he breaks the Cardinal bee rule: never talk to humans. At first Vanessa has difficulty accepting the talking bee, but the two soon spend quite a bit of time together and Barry gets overly comfortable as she reveals that she is a florist. Enamored with Vanessa, despite the interspecies barrier, Barry learns that humans have been stealing honey from bees and selling and eating it. Infuriated, he sets out to sue the honey company, with the help of Vanessa and his bee pals.

Apparently bees drive cars, they are all cousins, and they can use their antennas as cell phones. The comical world the creators have devised for the bees is perhaps the most creative aspect of the film. Many parallels reside with Barry’s rebellious teen years and human childhood, as specifically referenced by a sensationally hysterical homage to The Graduate. From voting the queen bee into monarchy, to pollination, to insects on windshields and their attraction to lights, many of the typical insect behaviors are addressed and translated into humorous gags – supposedly their thinking is shockingly similar to humans.

The animation (from Dreamworks, the studio that brought us Shrek) as always continues to excel in its realism, from the cartoon movements and facial expressions of the characters, to the nearly flawless reflections and refractions of the inanimate objects and background environments. Barry gets stuck to a tennis ball and batted around in slow motion, and sucked into the engine of a car: both scenes and many more are executed with amazing editing and stunning camera movement that can only be achieved in computer animation.

Hysterical character designs and voice acting also add to the fun, with jocose performances by John Goodman, Patrick Warburton, Chris Rock and even voice cameos by Michael Richards (who many joked would play the role of an Africanized bee) and Larry King as Bee Larry King. What doesn’t work as well is the execution of the story. The film often contradicts itself with the reactions of the humans to talking bees, and with what Barry is capable of realistically doing as nothing more than a heavily personified insect. Some of the jokes elicit laughter, but most are on an unexpectedly low intelligence level, and ultimately the many entertaining bits are specifically aimed at younger audiences. As is often with computer animated films, visual perfection oftentimes overshadows the time spent trying to devise an enticing story, and Bee Movie falls in with the too-kid-friendly films that are quickly forgotten.

- Mike Massie

Review by Matthew Kunka for Bee Movie (Mandarin Chinese Edition)
Rating:
I didn’t care that this movie came out as Jerry Seinfeld is sometimes overhyped as being funny, when in reality, most the time he isn’t. I decided to rent this because a few other new releases were sold out at the video store. I get home, watch it and within minutes, am floored laughing. With a good message and superb humor, I went out today and bought this movie. I love it and if you appreciate cartoons with a good message, get this!

Review by J. Lomprey for Bee Movie (Mandarin Chinese Edition)
Rating:
My husband and I really enjoyed watching this with our 4 year old daughter and almost 2 year old son. The picture quality is excellent (very vivid and bright) which kept my son’s attention. There were funny parts throughout the entire film. I thought the overall concept of the movie was great. I thought the voices were great and loved Renee Zellwegers character the best. I can’t wait to buy it on DVD. Both of my kids really enjoyed it and now I will have something other than Curious George that my 2 year old can watch without getting bored. Can’t wait to watch this movie again and again. Great for the whole family!