Suitably ... C H I L L I N G ! (The Vincent Price Collection (3 DVDs))

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	The Vincent Price Collection (3 DVDs)
Date:	12/10/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, entertaining, classic films

Disadvantages: Not the best quality

With my 40th birthday coming up, I was given some money, which I chose to spend on buying some classic films on DVD from Amazon UK. On one of the film yahoogroups I am on, we recently discussed how good old horror movies were and I remembered especially liking two Vincent Price films - The Fly and House of Wax. This led to my searching for his movies on Amazon and I ended up purchasing The Vincent Price Collection for £4.98.

The boxset comprises three films - House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Bat (1959) and Shock (1946). All three are black and white films which look as if they've just been recorded off the telly! The quality is not as good as I would have hoped for, but if they had been remastered, they wouldn't have been so cheap, I suppose. Anyway, they are certainly watchable and I enjoyed each one.

Vincent Price had a long career with IMDB listing 181 credits from 1938 to 1993, the year of his death. His tall, slim build and silky voice made him ideal for the horror and thriller genres and he was equally good in both.


HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL

House on Haunted Hill is a mixture of several genres - murder, horror and thriller - and Vincent Price is suitably menacing as usual. Frederick Loren (Price) is an eccentric millionaire who invites five people to spend the night in a haunted house. If they succeed, Loren will give them $10,000 each. The five all need the money, but is it worth it, when their very lives could be at stake?

It is a believable film with good characters you come to care about. It isn't clear whether it is a horror with 'real' ghosts or whether it's more realistic and we are dealing with murder. This keeps you guessing as to who is behind it all and what is going on. This holds the interest and means you excuse the slightly dodgy special effects, which haven't aged too well.

Overall, the film is worth seeing and the effects were okay; they didn't take too much away from the story.

7/10


THE BAT

The Bat stars Vincent Price (as Dr Malcolm Wells) and Agnes Moorhead - who you might recognise from Bewitched - as successful author, Cornelia van Gorder. This is a murder mystery. A murderer nicknamed The Bat is on the loose, who kills by lacerating the victim's throat, but who is he? A million dollars has gone missing too and all these events seem to lead to the mansion where Cornelia van Gorder is living. The cast gather there - but surely one of them is The Bat? And they must all be in danger?

The film was good, again featured several strong character performances and kept me guessing throughout. It has a very effective use of light and dark, to create a moody, atmospheric and frightening backdrop. The music is also used brilliantly to heighten the tension.

This is a fun and entertaining film which holds your interest and keeps your mind ticking over to solve the whodunit.

7/10


SHOCK

This is the oldest film, being made in 1946 and features a young looking Vincent Price without his trademark moustache! It is also the worst quality with some sound issues as well, but I soon got into it and the problems receded into the background.

This is a psychological thriller and beautifully performed throughout. The plot is an intriguing one - Mrs. Janet Stewart turns up at a hotel waiting for her husband, Lt. Paul Stewart. While alone in her hotel room, she witnesses a murder. The doctor diagnoses her with shock and asks for the expert opinion of a psychiatric doctor - Dr. Richard Cross (Vincent Price) - who just happens to be the murderer! Will Dr. Cross be able to silence Janet, before his crime is discovered?

This was quite a straight-forward film, no real special effects, but again good use of the black and white and lighting (or lack of). Well-acted, involving and a gripping story, this one was my favourite of the three.

8/10


OVERALL

While The Vincent Price Collection DVD boxset has some quality issues, I was pleased with it for the cheap price. Three films for under £5 can't be bad and I enjoyed each of them. Price is a great character actor and I will look out for more of his films to watch in the future.

Summary: A cheap boxset of three Vincent Price films