The Fly Collection 1958, 1959, 1965 Fox Home Entertainment   Buy It Now

The Fly; it’s a movie that I think everyone is familiar with on some level. Many might know if simply as the remake that was done back in 1986 starring Jeff Goldblum which was followed up three years later by a sequel. The Fly is once again being remade and slated for a 2008 release, and while the 80’s version of the films have been released, twice over at this point, but the originals have had a less than stunning DVD release, at least until now.

The Fly Collection isn’t the remake of the classic films, and in fact any versions of The Fly from the 80’s are no where to be found. Instead, this collection is the original version of the films released back in the 50’s. The Fly, in case you aren’t already familiar with the truth behind the movies, is based on the short story by George Langelaan, and his horror laden science fiction masterpiece attracted the attention of Hollywood. The influence of The Fly, the original series of films, is become so great that you’ll find it in pop culture if you look hard enough. Everything from The Simpsons to a number of video games has at one point made some reference to the movie showing just how influential it has become.

The original movie, The Fly, terrified audiences back in 1958 and was made for the surprisingly low budget of $500,000, a paltry sum today when compared to what films cost today. In the film, scientist Andre Delambre (David Hedison) is working with a teleportation devise and during his experiment; he’s unaware that a fly has managed to find its way inside. Unfortunately for Delambre, his DNA is mixed with that of the fly, resulting in a horrific mutation. This is not what the remake follows as we see the character in the 1986 version slowly transform into a hybrid, but here the mutation is immediate and Delambre tries to find a way to reverse what has happened to him.

The Fly has that classic, “giant monster” type of horror theme, taking the monster movie feeling that was present in the 30’s with Universals monster movies and mixing in some of that post World War II, atomic era fear, though this time instead of radiation creating a giant monster that destroys a city, you simply have a man who has become a beast thanks to technology. The Fly also has that famous twist ending where Delambre meets a final, unavoidable fate, a fly now helplessly caught in a spider web as Vincent Price, taking on the role of Andre’s brother François Delambre, looks on in horror. Ironically, director Kurt Neumann would commit suicide shortly after a screening of The Fly, a tragic loss indeed, and Neumann would never know the impact that the film would have on audiences of the late 50’s nor the impact that the movie would have in decades to come.

In 1959 The Fly would return to terrify movie goers once again in Return of the Fly. The film is set 15 years after the original and has some similarities to The Fly II, namely that there is a son. However, in Return of the Fly, Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey) is experimenting with the very thing that cost his father his life, and the phrase “like father, like son” becomes very applicable as Philippe finds himself a horrific half-man, half-fly mutation. Price reprises his role of François Delambre. What you may not know about Return of the Fly is that originally the film was shot in color but was released in black and white, retaining that classic, B-horror movie quality that is so often seen in films of the era.

We can accused Hollywood today of trying to give people too much of a good thing, and the success of the first two Fly movies later would lead to yet another, the third and final installment, Curse of the Fly. Price is no where to be found thankfully, but the idea behind this film remains nearly identical. Like teens seen in slasher films in the 80’s, people just don’t’ learn their lesson, and in the 1965 sequel, the descendants of Delambre have learned about Andre’s experiments and once again try and replicate what he has done. However, despite the title, there’s no real “fly” seen in the film, but instead it works on physical disfigurement.

The Fly Collection includes all three of the original films of course, this time around in those handy, ThinPak cases. The Fly and Return of the Fly has seen release before as a double feature release back in 2000, but this marks the first time that Curse of the Fly has been released, at least domestically, though honestly, it’s the lesser of the three films though it does act as a rather interesting, though uninspired, footnote to the franchise. The Fly includes commentary with David Hedison whereas Return of the Fly and Curse of the Fly have no special features at all, at least not on the DVD itself, though the bonus disc is a different story.

That’s right; the collection includes a bonus disc that will have you buzzing. If you have ever watched Biography on A&E, or on the Biography Channel, you will find an episode that talks about the life of Vincent Price, a man who is a legend in the horror industry even after his passing and will never be forgotten. It doesn’t talk just about his role in The Fly but many of the films that Price was involved in as well as his early life. The Fly however odes have a bonus feature that discusses the impact that the movie had on audiences. There is also a sub-menu which has a Fox Movietone News item about the movie, the original press book that allows you to select article and then by pressing enter, you can read the information or facts about the movie. There are also trailers, posters and lobby cards, behind the scenes and production photos. Return of the Fly includes trailers and television spots, a look at the lobby cards and posters, and a photo gallery. Curse of the Fly contains these same thing as well as a look at the press book, which is set up just the one found for The Fly. Also, the DVD includes a mini-booklet that contains more information about the movie and each DVD has an insert that replicates the theatrical posters for the respective films.

It’s been 50 years since The Fly terrified audiences, and while the film will be remade again and again, the original still stands the test of time and is an undeniable classic that has influenced not only pop culture, but other movies over the decades. With three movies plus the bonus disc, you couldn’t ask for much more and if you’ve only seen the remakes, it’s time to take a trip into the world of the bizarre and see what has inspired other film makers to retell the tale.

-mike-