Fox Horror Classics 2 1932, 1942, 1946 Fox Home Entertainment   Buy It Now

The first Fox Horror Classics set was nothing short of a treat for serious fans of classic horror and suspense, featuring three films by director John Brahm.  Not necessarily a household name amongst the casual horror fans of today, Brahm might be most recognized for his contributions to the original Twilight Zone, with the episode “Time Enough At Last” standing out as a clear pinnacle of his work.  A chance to see some of his earlier film works, all three of them being great examples of filmmaking in that time, was a wonderful gift from the Fox Studios.  Nearly a year later and the Fox vaults have opened again, promising to bring more outstanding films back into the light of day for a hungry and loyal fan-base of classic appreciators as well as offering the younger horror hounds of today a glimpse into how it all began…a glimpse at an arguably far more pure time of moviemaking.  But does this new triple film collection live up to the quality of its predecessor?  Without a doubt!

Taking a more varied approach, this collection features the works of three different filmmakers, allowing for a wide variety of genres and styles to be represented.  Each film brings with it a cast of the biggest names of their day, from Bela Lugosi to Walter Huston, from Vincent Price to Gene Tierney.  But wait…what was that I was saying about a “variety of genres”?  Isn’t this supposed to be a horror box set?  Well, yes and no.  In the time of these films, back in the 30’s and 40’s, there were far less recognized genres of film than we have today (and a lot less worrying about it!).  Sure, the movies being made were all over the map, but without the over 100 years of filmmaking that we have behind us today, it was a lot less necessary to group things into categories in order to attract fans.  The long and short of it was that if a movie scarred the moviegoers…it was a horror film.

What we have included in this set are three films which range from gothic romance to fantasy adventure, with only one of them truly falling square within the realm of “horror”.  But the two things that each of these movies does have in common is a level of quality and entertainment far above their peers of the time, and a few good frights to be found in the middle of it all.  Chandu the Magician (1932), Dr. Renault’s Secret (1942) and Dragonwyck (1946) are the three treasures being unearthed for this collection; each of them promising characters, themes and settings that are sure to strike a chord with monster movie buffs, creature feature fanatics, and everyone else who enjoys a good dose of murder and mystery.

Bela Lugosi is back to the bad as the villain Roxor in Chandu the Magician.  While not always named amongst his most well known or loved films, this appearance is Bela at his best; fresh out of Murders in the Rue Morgue and White Zombie and just before the beloved Island of Lost Souls.  Pure menace and creepy-cool, Roxor is the mad nemesis to Chandu, a Westerner who has studied and mastered the mystical and hypnotic arts of the East Indian yogi masters.  When Roxor sets his sights on a new death ray being developed by scientist Robert Regent, Chandu may be the only man alive who can stop him.  Eager to put an end to Roxor’s madness and bid for total world domination, Chandu must come to the aid of Regent and his family, who have been close friends of Chandu since before his spiritual journey in India.

Against the backdrop of Egypt’s largest city, Cairo, and the sacred temples of Egypt’s history, Chandu will magic his way against all odds alongside his friend Princess Nadji and Albert Miggles, a drunken acquaintance from Chandu’s long-ago days in the military.  If Lugosi delivers the maniacal evil to this film, then it is the beautiful Irene Ware (Nadji) that gets the blood flowing and the sidekick stylings of Herbert Mundin (Miggles) which will split your sides and bust your gut with laughter.  Lead actor Edmund Lowe almost doesn’t stand a chance against the supporting cast he was set up with, but does manage to carry scenes which could have been so absurd as to be totally farcical. 

Based on a radio serial featuring not only the same characters, but the same storyline, Chandu the Magician feels very akin to its inspiration.  Complete with mini-climaxes and a frantic tendency to jump back and forth between characters and locales, the pedigree of radio scripted action/adventure shines through loud and clear.  It is hard to imagine supernatural adventure films such as The Mummy or Raiders of the Lost Ark (admittedly an attempt to recapture the essence of the matinee serials) without Chandu breaking that ground (along with The Shadow radio program) so many years ago.

Moving from adventure to mystery, the next film brings things a little further into the realm of recognized horror.  Dr. Renault’s Secret is a very straight forward affair.  Dr. Larry Forbes arrives at the French home of his fiancé’s uncle Dr. Renault; a man who is pioneering work in a field they both work in…anthropology.  While Forbes (Sheppard Strudwick) and his bride-to-be Madelon (Lynne Roberts) set about preparations for their journey to America and upcoming wedding, things take a macabre turn when a man is killed…a murder which was apparently meant for Forbes himself.  All signs point to either the stammering man-servant Noel, who has an attraction for the beautiful Madelon himself or the ex-convict gardener, who is hatching some sort of nefarious plan.

Soon a dead animal is found murdered and before long, more people begin to disappear.  Someone is killing everyone that the two love-birds come in contact with, and while the local constable has his theories, the truth may be far beyond anyone’s thinking.  Anyone, that is, except you the viewer!  At just under and hour long, Dr. Renault’s Secret comes off as a fairly predictable episode of The Twilight Zone.  Some shallow misdirection and rushed backstory give this Island of Dr. Moreau rip-off a definite television episodic feel, but some decent acting from the entire cast and especially the tender performance from actor J. Carrol Naish as the misunderstood man with a secret past and a depressing future make it enjoyable all the same.

Lastly, we have Dragonwyck, which as of right now is just about my favorite Vincent Price appearance ever.  Yet again, this film is not in the top billing on the resumes of its cast, but certainly deserves to be.  All gothic style and substance, the flashing lightning, ghostly piano music, stone hewn halls of the giant manse and wonderful late 19^th century costuming all add to this film’s greatest asset…its atmosphere.  Set against the little remembered fight between entitled land owners and their mistreated and ill-rewarded working class serfs just before America’s huge settlement push into the West, Dragonwyck is the story of a young girl with big fantasies…a girl who just might embody the adage “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it”.  Hardly content with her dusty and drab life as a farmer’s daughter and tired of the oppression of her overly religious father’s fanatical faith, Miranda (Gene Tierney) leaps at the chance when she is summoned by a distant relative whom she never even knew existed.  It seems that this immensely wealthy land owner Nicholas Van Ryn (Price) is in need of a governess for his daughter, but to be honest, Miranda would rush to his aid no matter what the calling…anything to leave her present life behind.

No sooner does Miranda arrive then she begins to fall for Nicholas, swept off her feet by his well-bred charm and sincere acceptance of her station and class.  When his wife suddenly dies, of what had appeared a mild common cold, Nicholas begins to show affection for Miranda as well.  Giving in to the infatuation within herself, Miranda is blinded to the path she has taken; however, she soon begins to see a whole new side to the lavish luxury of Van Ryn’s lifestyle as he ruthlessly handles his workers, callously avoids contact with his own daughter, hides dark secrets from his past and threatens the wellbeing of Dr. Turner, Miranda’s only true friend since her arrival at Dragonwyck manor.  Too bad she realizes this all a little too late... 

Price’s performance ranges from downright charming to intensely disturbing, setting the tone for the film’s progression from delightful story to inevitable nightmare.  Many have portrayed both madness and monster, but few could possible exert the control over their characters and inject them with as much sympathy as Price manages to do with Van Ryn.  I have loved Gene Tierney since I first sat amazed at her poise and beauty watching The Ghost and Mrs. Muir years ago as a child.  All these years later and I still sit fascinated in that same way when she is on screen.  A true gift to the film of her day, Tierney does as much to carry this film from dime-a-dozen to cinematic greatness as the “Merchant of Menace” Price could ever do.

And there you have it.  It might not be 100% horror by today’s standards and each of these films might not give you a fright, but these are each classics nonetheless; making this collection a welcome release for any appreciator of classic cinema.  Also of note, is that this is not a hastily thrown together collection of empty releases, simply to garner a couple bucks from those who see value in multi-movie packs.  Chandu the Magician and Dragonwyck have never been on Region 1 DVD before, so this is a big deal for any fan of these films.  Dr. Renault’s Secret has been on DVD before, but the release was sub-par and to be honest, at only 58 minutes, I am not sure it would warrant its own disc.  No worries now, as buyers are getting a triple scoop of classics here.

But this set goes beyond delivering three previously hard (or impossible) films to find, and tacks on bonus material to each one!  Commentary appears on all three films, and let me tell you, these films each have a wealth of trivia and behind-the-scenes goodies that have never before surfaced.  There are featurettes on each disc, as well as restoration comparisons to show just how far these films have come from their original prints.  There is also a great still gallery for each film, which wouldn’t carry much weight when added to the films of today, but are an amazing way to see some of yesterday’s greatest actors doing some of their best work.  Dragonwyck gets a few extra treats with some broadcast recordings of the radio play based on the film/book, performed by the actors themselves, as well as an isolated score of the wonderful music.  It becomes clear, seeing all of the bonus materials together, that Fox is releasing these films with love and care, and not just to cash in on some of their older titles.

I do feel it fair to state again that the content of these classics is hardly horror by today’s standards, but with the ability to look past the grit of the 70s, the slashers of the 80s, the high-concept/low-inventiveness of the 90s and the torture porn that is all the rage right now, there is a lot to enjoy and respect here.  Branch out a little, treat yourself to some guilty pleasures, or just challenge your acceptance of those “old” movies you’ve always heard about and never given a chance.  It really doesn’t matter who you are, just know that you should check this out.  Bigger, brighter and bolder doesn’t always mean better…sometimes less is a whole lot more.

-aaron-