MGM Midnite Movies

Message

Cronenfly · #151 Post by **Cronenfly** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:35 pm

Can anyone weigh in on any of these (either from seeing the discs themselves or just the films):
House on Skull Mountain / Mephisto Waltz
Gorilla at Large / Mystery on Monster Island
Chosen Survivors / Earth Dies Screaming
Devils of Darkness / Witchcraft
The Food of the Gods
Blueprint For Murder/Man In The Attic
Yongary, Monster From The Deep/Konga
Return Of Dracula/The Vampire
The Phantom From 10,000 Leagues/ Beast With A Million Eyes
The Beast Within/Bat People

None of them look like sure things on first glance, but if there are any gems, I'd like to know. Anybody plan on buying them all?

EDIT- Is Mystery on Monster Island (AKA Monster Island) really as bad as is rumoured? That and Gorilla at Large seem like they could be a hoot (though it's too bad Gorilla isn't in 3D).

Lino · #152 Post by **Lino** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 12:56 pm

You might try checking out DVDdrive-In and read some of the reviews that are starting to pour in. Usually, they're all very informative and I always give them a read or two before making the obligatory dent on my credit card account.

Cronenfly · #153 Post by **Cronenfly** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:52 pm

Lino wrote:You might try checking out DVDdrive-In and read some of the reviews that are starting to pour in. Usually, they're all very informative and I always give them a read or two before making the obligatory dent on my credit card account.

Thanks, Lino: still no Gorilla at Large/Mystery on Monster Island, but I've enjoyed reading what's up so far.

manicsounds · #154 Post by **manicsounds** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 2:29 am

I was looking forward to Yongary, but it only has the dubbed version.....

Jameson281 · #155 Post by **Jameson281** » Fri Sep 21, 2007 5:26 am

manicsounds wrote:I was looking forward to Yongary, but it only has the dubbed version.....

For the plain and simple reason that the dubbed version is all that survives for the film; all original Korean elements are lost. The only thing known to exist of the original version is an incomplete theatrical print that only turned up recently, and which cannot be used because of perforation damage. Read the full story here

THX1378 · #156 Post by **THX1378** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:43 am

I saw Mephisto Waltz years ago. It's pretty much an updated version of the Faust tale by way of Rosemary's Baby. A little slow, not bad, but to me not worth owning. I haven't seen House on Skull Mountain since I was a kid and I don't remember anything about it, so it must be pretty forgettable. Food of the Gods ran one day on TCM and I liked it, but I don't know if I would own it. It is one of the better nature runs amok films from the 70's. I picked up Chosen Survivors / Earth Dies Screaming and watched Chosen. Remember seeing it when I was a kid and getting a kick out of the bats attacking the people, but now it's so dated and laughable for me that it lost some of the charm I remember. I want to pick up Devils of Darkness / Witchcraft after reading the good review that Drive-In gave it, and I still need to get Beast Within because I never picked it up when it was out as a stand alone release.

Lino · #157 Post by **Lino** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:44 am

For those of you that have bought the recent Vincent Price set: is the bonus disc worth the double-dipping? I ask this because I already have all the other movies and I only really want to buy Witchfinder General.

zombeaner · #158 Post by **zombeaner** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:32 pm

Lino wrote:For those of you that have bought the recent Vincent Price set: is the bonus disc worth the double-dipping? I ask this because I already have all the other movies and I only really want to buy Witchfinder General.

I think so, it is all new material, and I've watched it twice.

Lino · #159 Post by **Lino** » Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:17 am

DVDTalk reviews The Roger Corman Collection.

mogwai · #160 Post by **mogwai** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 7:41 am

Fox/MGM have created a website devoted to the Midnite Movie line, located here. Apparently a number of the out-of-print releases are available to order through the site.

Foulard · #161 Post by **Foulard** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 12:11 am

mogwai wrote:Fox/MGM have created a website devoted to the Midnite Movie line, located here. Apparently a number of the out-of-print releases are available to order through the site.

It's true--I ordered and received The Oblong Box/Scream and Scream Again and The Haunted Palace/ Tower of London back in November. Neither one is available through Amazon and the other usual online retailers.

patrick · #162 Post by **patrick** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 4:37 pm

The site is pretty cool, although of course the one Midnite Movie DVD I need (The Raven/Comedy of Terrors) isn't on there.

patrick · #163 Post by **patrick** » Sun May 04, 2008 3:41 pm

I just watched Blood on Satan's Claw on DVR, taken from its showing on TCM Underground a month or so ago - it had a nice letterboxed transfer, and opened up with an MGM logo. Here's hoping this sees a release as part of the Midnite Movie line, it seems like a perfect fit.

I'm assuming we'll be hearing about Fox/MGM's Halloween plans shortly.

Person · #164 Post by **Person** » Sun May 04, 2008 5:44 pm

Blood on Satan's Claw is a fine horror film, I feel. Patrick Wymark is one nasty bastard in this film! Ken Russell's then-regular DP, Dick Bush did the lighting and he helped bolster the visual strength of the film. The AB UK transfer is good, but is non-anamorphic. The extras on that disc are very good, too. A R1 edition is long overdue.

Adendum: The comments at the bottom of this DVD Times review from the reliable Mike Sutton indicate that the master that ABUK used was made by MGM USA. Remember those days when MGM would randomly forget to transfer transfer in 16x9 ? Looks like this one fell foul of that fuck-fest. The TCM screening may well be from the same 4x3 source. But maybe not. As ever, time will tell.

AlanBrom · #165 Post by **AlanBrom** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 6:48 am

Write to MGM to Please Release SEs of TWINS OF EVIL, HANDS OF THE RIPPER and VAMPIRE CIRCUS!

MGM really needs to get back on the ball and release the Hammer Classics TWINS OF EVIL, HANDS OF THE RIPPER and VAMPIRE CIRCUS on DVD. I see these are all airing uncut on the HD channel, Monsters HD, which means that they have already been newly transfered. They all carry the MGM logos. The transfer on TWINS is quite stunning and looks better than any of the foreign DVD releases.

With so many Hammer films coming out this year, MGM needs to be aware of these and their impending releases. They could also do special editions as all the directors (John Hough, Peter Sasdy and Robert Young) are alive and well, and several have done commentaries before. Many of the main cast members of these films are alive as well.

I contacted MGM/Fox, and the gave me a contact. Her name is Julia Simmons, and the e-mail address if [email protected]. I urge anyone who wants these released (or any other classic horror that MGM is avoiding) to shoot her an e-mail. And yes, I know these are available on DVD in other countries, but I am talking about Region 1 releases with the superior MGM transfers (and some of us don't like PAL speed-up!).

MGM also holds rights to a number of other horror and B movie classics that need DVD including BURN WITCH, BURN!, THE CREEPING UNKNOWN, MASTER OF THE WORLD, THE CRIMSON CULT, BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW, THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN and many others!

AlanBrom · #166 Post by **AlanBrom** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:26 am

There's a new Midnite Movies campaign over at DVD Drive-In. Looks like due to Fox's inclinations, MGM has no classic horror on the DVD schedule this year.

manicsounds · #167 Post by **manicsounds** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 1:50 pm

No, I don't have any news.... I doubt we will see any releases forthcoming anytime soon.

Anyway,
I'm about 20 minutes into "Invasion Of The Star Creatures", and it truly is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Other 50s 60s SciFi films may have been unintentionally funny, but for this film, it is unintentionally NOT funny!

I guess they were trying to make a parody of the Sci Fi craze, but the comedy is just downright terrible! It's not a generation thing (that I think), as in the 50s and 60s there was good comedy, but this is just bottom of the barrel comedy. And in modern terms, like "____ Movie" funny. (Epic Movie, Date Movie, etc)

Doesn't make me laugh... it's more of a curiosity than anything else now. If only I could appreciate it for what it is....
I REALLY should flip the disc to Side B to watch "Invasion of the Bee Girls"....

HarryLong · #168 Post by **HarryLong** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 2:38 pm

manicsounds wrote:Anyway,
I'm about 20 minutes into "Invasion Of The Star Creatures", and it truly is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Other 50s 60s SciFi films may have been unintentionally funny, but for this film, it is unintentionally NOT funny!

I wish I could get my hands of the original script for this one. I got acquainted with Jonathan Haze a bit over a year ago & whatever transpired on this film was so painful for him he still won't say much about it. (I think the film was made without his knowing about it by some folks who got hold of a copy of the script.) Jonathan has turned in some very skilled comic performances & I just can't believe his script is as bad as the film (and you're right, the film is painfully bad).

starmanof51 · #169 Post by **starmanof51** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 8:01 pm

manicsounds wrote:I REALLY should flip the disc to Side B to watch "Invasion of the Bee Girls"....

Yes, you should.

Site Menu