I see that Frankenstein (1931): The Legacy Collection is going to be released soon. I've heard that there are the definitive early horror movies to own. To be honest the only Frankenstein type movie I've seen is "Young Frankenstein" by Mel Brooks. Are these movies very old and cheesy, or are they geniunely good films that have good replay value?

TIA

If you like the current slice and dice films, you won't like these classics. If you liked Young Frankenstein, you may appreciate this set. Bride of Frankenstein is the best of the lot.

I haven't seen Frankenstein in a long time, but I think a modern viewer has to make some allowances for this movie. Boris Karloff's portrayal of the creature is iconic, and has influenced the portrayal of film monsters to this day. For that reason alone, if you're a horror fan, you should at least rent it. But some of the rest of it can be slow going or look somewhat silly today (Colin Clive's performance is a bit overwrought). This was an early sound move (1931) and some of the scenes and dialogue seem awkward, probably due to the newness of working with the sound equipment. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) is much more fluid. Also, BoF has one of the great scores by Franz Waxman, whereas F doesn't have any music at all (not sure if this was by the filmmakers's choice or due to technical problems with recording music at the time).

BoF is the major reference point for Young Frankenstein, although there are allusions to the others (F, Son of ... and Ghost of ...), so renting BoF might be the best introduction to these classics. It's generally regarded as the best of the Universal horror films of the 30s. I've seen it recently and it has a number of great moments, not necessarily all scares but humor and pathos as well. Keep in mind that it's almost 70 years old ... I don't mean lower your expectations, just adjust them a bit and I think you'll enjoy these.

obscurelabel,

I appreciate your input. I would say most all of the films in my DVD collection are newer movies. However, some films are just timeless. For example, Laurel & Hardy. I have the Artisan DVD release and love this disc! The comic shorts and movies are hiliarious despite being very old. In the same way, perhaps I'll enjoy Frankenstein Legacy Collection for being a classic, timeless piece of entertainment which essentially set the stage for all other horror movies to come, the same way Laurel & Hardy set the standard for comedy. Maybe my analogy is weak, but I will go into the experience with this mindset.

Bride of Frankenstein was a great, wildly creative movie, but I still prefer the original Frankenstein as a sharp, tight horror movie. It's probably my favorite of the Universal monster classics, along with Dracula and The Invisible Man.

While I still enjoy some of the 40's Universal horror movies, those are definitely more dated and B-movieish, IMO----I think the ones of the early 30's hold up really well as timeless classics. Real works of art.

I agree that the original Frankenstein is abit 'creaky' based on the newnes of sound & such then. So it was never my all time favorite. But I still appreciate it and it has it's moments of greatness.

But 'Bride..' truely delivers as one of the all time great pieces of horror filmmaking. It holds up remarkably well today as terrific entertainment,great direction,editing,pacing,humor,drama & pathos.

I have not seen the other sequels though. But I can not wait to own this set!