'The Bela Lugosi Collection'

'The Bela Lugosi Collection'

In Celebration of the Legendary and Mysterious Horror and Sci-Fi Star

Comes to DVD September 9, 2005 with Five Of the Actor's Best Films Plus Exclusive Bonus Features from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Studios Home Entertainment is thrilled to salute one of the most revered and enduring horror film stars of all time with the unveiling of "The Bela Lugosi Collection." With his dark handsome features, exotic accent, and suave but mysterious manner, Lugosi simultaneously frightened and charmed moviegoers for over five decades, appearing in everything from classic gore flicks to eerie sci-fi thrillers. Finally, five of his finest horror films -- many co-starring sinister superstar Boris Karloff -- are available for one great price. "The Bela Lugosi Collection DVD," featuring "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Black Cat," "The Raven," "The Invisible Ray," and "Black Friday," is available September 6, 2005. Priced at $26.98 SRP, the collection also features original theatrical trailers plus special, collectable packaging.

The Legacy Of The Man Behind The Cape Lives On

Hungarian-born Bela Lugosi rocketed to international fame after starring in the 1931 film "Dracula" -- a role he had played several years earlier on Broadway. The enormously successful film helped usher in a new era of horror movies and Lugosi's charisma and mysterious aura set the standard by which all future silver screen vampires would be judged. His captivating talent for playing the villain netted him a career playing a myriad of monsters, murderers and mad scientists in film and television. Since his death in 1959, Lugosi's popularity and status as a cult figure have continued to grow, aided in no small part by Martin Landau's Oscar(R)-winning portrayal of the actor in Tim Burton's 1994 critically acclaimed film "Ed Wood."

Spine-Tingling Bonus Material

As a special bonus, "The Bela Lugosi Collection DVD" also includes the original theatrical trailers for "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Invisible Ray" and "Black Friday."

Synopses

"Murders in the Rue Morgue"

Based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a haunting atmospheric classic heavily influenced by the German Expressionist classic, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari." A deranged scientist, Dr. Mirakle (Bela Lugosi), searches Paris for a prospective bride for his pet gorilla. Inviting young ladies to his sinister laboratory, he injects his victims with gorilla's blood and then disposes of their ravaged bodies through an ingenious trapdoor. Mirakle settles on a beautiful young woman (Sidney Fox) to be his gorilla's mate, kidnapping her from her fiance Pierre Dupin (Leon Ames). But just as the young lady is about to be sacrificed in the name of unholy science, a frantic Dupin locates his betrothed and rescues her from unspeakable evolutionary experiments.

"The Black Cat"

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi star in this shocking horror classic of Satanism and murder. A bus crash on a lonely Austrian road compels American honeymooners Joan (Jacqueline Wells) and Peter Alison (David Manners) to spend the night at the house of Herr Poelzig (Karloff), a sinister looking man engaged in an intense death-feud with Dr. Werdegast (Lugosi), whom the couple met on the Orient Express. Poelzig's attention to Joan, and her uncharacteristic behavior, compel the couple to pack their bags until they learn they are being held captive. Trapped in the mausoleum-like house, the Alisons discover that Poelzig functions as a high priest at Black Mass, and he has chosen Joan to be the Devil's bride. Shrugging off the effects of a strong narcotic, David finds labyrinthine pathways which house coffins containing the corpses of beautiful young women, each guarded zealously by a black cat. David breaks into the ensuing Mass and attempts to free Joan while Werdegast discovers Poelzig's unspeakable treachery in an unforgettable climax.

"The Raven"

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi star in this macabre horror classic inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Dr. Richard Vollin (Lugosi) is a brilliant but unstable surgeon with a morbid obsession for instruments of torture. He saves the life of Jean Thatcher (Irene Ware), a beautiful young socialite injured in an automobile accident, and becomes increasingly attracted to her. The girl is frightened by his advances and complains to her father, Judge Thatcher (Samuel S. Hinds), who tells Vollin to leave her alone. When escaped killer Edmond Bateman (Karloff) approaches the surgeon for a new face, Vollin agrees only after convincing Bateman to assist him in his sinister plan of revenge. The doctor ultimately becomes the victim of his own wicked schemes when Bateman realizes Vollin has no intention of remaking his disfigured countenance in this elaborately produced shocker.

"The Invisible Ray"

On a scientific expedition to Africa, Dr. Janos Rukh (Boris Karloff) discovers a meteorite containing an unknown element a thousand times more powerful than radium. Contaminated by his contact with the element, Rukh finds himself killing everyone he touches. His friend Dr. Benet (Bela Lugosi) develops an antidote, but its effects are short-lived and result in unintended side-effects. Suspecting everyone of wanting to steal his secret, Rukh becomes increasingly unable to control the urge to kill and eventually goes insane. No one is immune to the effects of The Invisible Ray in this classic chiller.

"Black Friday"

Boris Karloff plays brain specialist Dr. Sovac, who illegally transplants part of injured gangster Red Cannon's brain into the head of his dying friend Professor Kingsley (Stanley Ridges). The operation saves Kingley's life, but transforms him into a Jekyll-Hyde who is sometimes his timid self, sometimes the vicious Cannon. When Dr. Sovac discovers Kingsley's dual personality -- and learns the dead gangster had hidden away $500,000, he's determined to locate the money via the part of Red's brain that still lives. Manipulated by Sovac, Kingsley descends into a horrifying abyss as he alternates between killing those who crossed Cannon and reverting to his own meek personality. Fine acting is one of the joys of this chiller that also features Bela Lugosi in a vivid appearance as a gangster. Nightmarish twists and fast-wheeling action make this a first-class thriller.

CAST & FILMMAKERS ("Murders in the Rue Morgue") Director: Robert Florey Screenwriters: Tom Reed, Dale Van Every Based on the Story by: Edgar Alan Poe Adapted by: Robert Florey Additional Dialogue by: John Huston Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr. Associate Producer: E.M. Asher Cinematography: Karl Freund Art Direction: Charles D. Hall Editor: Milton Carruth Cast: Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Ames

CAST & FILMMAKERS ("The Black Cat") Director: Edgar G. Ulmer Screenwriter: Peter Ruric Screen Story: Edgar G. Ulmer, Peter Ruric Based on the Story by: Edgar Allan Poe Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr. Supervising Producer: E.M. Asher Cinematography: John J. Mescall Editor: Ray Curtiss Cast: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Jacqueline Wells, David Manners

CAST & FILMMAKERS ("The Raven") Director: Louis Friedlander Screenwriter: David Boehm Contributing Screenwriters: Michael L. Simmons, Dore Schary, Guy Endore, Clarence Marks, Jim Tully, John Lynch Additional Dialogue by: Florence Enright Based on the Story by: Edgar Allan Poe Executive Producer: Stanley Bergerman Producer: Carl Laemmle, Jr. Associate Producer: David Diamond Cinematography: Charles J. Stumar Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino Editor: Albert Akst Original Music: Clifford Vaughan Cast: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Irene Ware, Samuel S. Hinds

CAST & FILMMAKERS ("The Invisible Ray") Director: Lambert Hillyer Screenwriter: John Colton Story: Howard Higgin, Douglas Hodges Executive Producer: Fred S. Meyer Producer: Edmund Grainger Cinematography: George Robinson Art Direction: Albert S. D'Agostino Editor: Bernard W. Burton Original Music: Franz Waxman Costume Supervisor: Brymer Cast: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff

CAST & FILMMAKERS ("Black Friday") Director: Arthur Lubin Screenwriters: Curt Siodmak, Eric Taylor Contributing Writer: Edmund L. Hartmann Associate Producer: Burt Kelly Cinematography: Elwood Bredel Art Direction: Jack Otterson Editor: Philip Cahn Original Music: Samuel Lerner, Ben Oakland, Hans J. Salter, Frank Skinner Costume Design: Vera West Cast: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Stanley Ridges

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD Street Date: 9/6/2005 Pre-Order Date: 8/2/2005 Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. Price: $26.98 SRP Selection Numbers: 28295 Number of Discs: 1 Running Time: 5 Hours and 40 Minutes Layers: Dual/Dual (Double Sided) Aspect Ratio: Full Frame (1:33:1) Rating: NR Technical Info: English Dolby 2.0 Mono/Captioned; French Subtitles; Spanish Subtitles

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