Russell, Elizabeth

The Val Lewton Horror Collection with Martin Scorsese Presents Val Lewton Documentary (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie ... / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark)

"He rescued me and restored my soul" Boris Karloff said about working Val Lewton the Hollywood genius who fused light and dark the bizarre and everyday into hypnotic gems that transcended the horror genre. Martin Scorsese produced and narrates this documentary that features insightful analysis on screen interviews with Lewton collaborators and--best of all--clip after clip from his work: The Cat People (Lewton's RKO debut which singlehandedly pulled the struggling studio into the black) The 7th Victim The Body Snatcher I Walked with a Zombie and many more. The studio brass gave Lewton shoestring budgets lurid titles and a degree of creative freedom. Lewton gave the world art.System Requirements:Running Time: 87 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/BIOGRAPHY Rating: NR UPC: 085391156727 Manufacturer No: 115672

Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People

Val Lewton's name is synonymous with the subtlest, most mysterious brand of horror filmmaking in Hollywood's golden age, and the nine horror classics he produced at RKO between 1942 and 1946 constitute the most remarkable cycle of creativity in B-movie history. He and director Jacques Tourneur scored with both a popular hit and a masterpiece in 1942: Cat People. The story involves a pretty young Serbian woman in Manhattan (Simone Simon) convinced that her ancestors had practiced animal worship during the Middle Ages--and that she herself might shape-change into a lithe, ravening panther if her passions were aroused. The film is uncannily successful in keeping the viewer guessing whether this is a phobia borne of morbid obsession and sexual repression, or a genuine, horrific possibility. There are two sequences of matchless artistry and almost unbearable suspense--a lonely, echoing walk through pools of lamplight alongside Central Park, and a late-night swim in a deserted indoor pool--that build to throat-grabbing climaxes and remain milestones in the history of screen horror. The Curse of the Cat People (1944), a sequel that is not quite a sequel, is a pretend-horror movie that's really a contemplation of the fragility of childhood. --Richard Jameson

The studio gave Val Lewton small budgets and lurid pre-tested film titles. Lewton working with rising filmmakers and emphasizing fear of the unseen turned meager resources into momentous works of psychological terror. Directed by Jacques Tourneur Cat People is the trailblazing first of Lewton's nine horror classics. Simone Simon portrays a bride who fears an ancient hex will turn her into a deadly panther when she's in passion's grip. Simon returns in The Curse of the Cat People a sequel in title and a landmark study of a troubled child in fact. Robert Wise makes his directing debut co-helming a gothic-laced mix of fantasy and fright so astute it was used in college psychology classes.Running Time: 143 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR UPC: 053939724424

Isle of the Dead / Bedlam

The most celebrated star in the history of screen horror headlines these two atmospheric works filled with producer Val Lewton's trademark mix of mood madness and premeditated dread. Boris Karloff shares a quarantined house with other strangers on a plague-infested perhaps spirit-haunted Isle of the Dead. St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum in 1761 London is the setting for Bedlam. Karloff gives an uncanny performance as the doomed overseer who fawns on high-society benefactors while ruling the mentally disturbed inmates with an iron fist. Mark Robson who edited three films for Lewton and directed five guides both films.Running Time: 151 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 053939724226

The Corpse Vanishes

So's Your Aunt Emma Aka Meet the Mob

''Incomparable comic character actress Zasu Pitts is Emma, a spinster who is called "Aunt" by all who love her. To the great disapproval of her old maid sisters, Emma pines for the late "Gentleman Jim," and dreams of her youth when she was romanced by the legendary boxer.

Emma reads about "Gentleman Jim's" troubled son, Mickey O'Banion, and his upcoming championship fight with Tiger Wilson. Emma heads out to the big city on a mission to help the boy, who, if things had turned out differently, might well have been her son.

In the city, Emma is mistaken for notorious lady gangster Ma Parker and becomes innocently involved in a mob war. Assuming the identity and attitude of the hard-boiled Ma Parker, Emma realizes that she will be better able to help Mickey's career in disguise.

A rich comedy thick with intricate complications and a triumphant star performance by Zasu Pitts, So's Your Aunt Emma is a touching character study of a sweet little old lady who sets things right after many years of living in the shadows of her fading memories.

Starring: Zasu Pitts, Roger Pryor & Warren Hymer
Directed by: Jean Yarbrough

DVD Details:

• Run Time: 62 minutes
• Number of Discs: 1
• Originally Released in 1942
• Black & White
• No region encoding; For global distribution.

Invisible Ghost/The Corpse Vanishes

128 minute double feature film DVD.

Horror Classics 07: Corpse Vanishes/The Devil Bat

The Corpse Vanishes--Lorenz (Bela Lugosi) kills innocent women to keep his wife young by pumping their blood into her body. Perhaps the most horrific of Bela Lugosi's Monogram series, it is also the silliest in many ways, especially when the audience finds Bela sleeping in a coffin for no discernable reason. 1942 - USA - 64 min

The Devil Bat--Features Bela Lugosi as a chemist who plots an elaborate revenge scheme on his business partners, whom he feels have cheated him out of his share. To this end he creates giant mutant bats to kill rip them into shreds. 1941 - USA - 67 min - B&W

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

The Corpse Vanishes [Region 2]

The Curse of the Cat People [Region 2]