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1 comments about Threshold of Terror: Bluebeard / House on Haunted Hill.

1. WHAT IT IS:
   
   Usually, one expects less than nothing from these cheap, public-domain double features. This is an example of a pleasant surprise.
   
   SAVE THE BOX BECAUSE:
   
   Save the box, because that is the only case that comes with this DVD!
   
   HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL:
   
   This is certainly a classic of the genre starring Vincent Price. This version is B/W and Fullscreen, 75 minutes. A 3-star horror classic without gore.
   
   ABOUT THE TRANSFER:
   
   The transfer for the "House On Haunted Hill" was not nearly as good as the "Warner Brothers", Widescreen, BW release that I last saw this movie on. However, it played in "Fullframe" about the way a VHS transfer would, with acceptable sound and video, though a little dark at times. There was no bouncing or flutter or excessive artifacts on the film. One would assume that he/she was watching the movie on cable by the quality of the transfer.
   
   BLUEBEARD:
   
   This very creepy John Carradine horror vehicle is a real sleeper. Basically, it is a "Boston Strangler"-in-Paris film made 60 years ago. It is a worthwhile film to see, definitely a 3-star film, and again, without the gore or profanity that one finds in more recent offerings from this genre.
   
   ABOUT THE TRANSFER:
   
   Not as good as the first, but the bouncing stopped after the opening credits and some artifacts and fading persisted throughout this 60-year-old film. Still, it was quite watchable.
   
   MECHANICAL MONSTERS:
   
   This original "Superman Cartoon" played even better than either of the feature presentations. This is a very good transfer of a nearly 60-year-old cartoon.
   
   BOTTOM LINE:
   
   At around $5.00, it is very well worth the price.

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2 comments about Monsters and Madmen: The Brain That Wouldn't Die / Beast of Yucca Flats / Arctic Giant.

1. This twin bill includes two "Monsters And Madmen" features plus one Superman in "Arctic Giant" cartoon.
   
   FIRST AND BEST FEATURE IS "THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE
   
   A "B" MOVIE SLEEPER FOR THE BRAIN DEAD!
   
   "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" is definitely a large step up from "The Beast of Yucca Flats", but how much of a compliment is that?
   
   NOT IN THE RUNNING FOR WORST B FILM EVER:
   
   This film is watchable even though it runs for 80 minutes and has quite a bit of dialogue in it. Let's say it promises more than it delivers, but the possibility of the delivery looms until the very end when indeed something of a horrific event does finally take place.
   
   WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?:
   
   Joesph Green doesn't waste any time in his direction of "The Brain That Wouldn't Die". It begins on an operating table with action and dialogue of a philosophical nature. The theme of the film is established at the onset -- just how far can we humans go playing God without suffering dire consequences.
   
   The rest of the film plays out as a "Science Goes Amuck" formula with some sexploitationist detours which are not altogether unentertaining, but do detract from the seriousness of the film. Of course, there is decent pacing and a building of tension as the clock ticks. The brain can only be kept alive for "48-60 hours" before something must be done, but then there is more B-film stuff as the plot does thicken. We have henchmen and experiments gone amuck in the foreground as our anti-hero deals with the crisis of the brain that wouldn't die. We have our anti-hero scientist scoping for a body to replace his fiancee's who has just a head, but no shoulders.
   
   All the while, things are happening in the basement as the brain of this sweet girl turns into an evil thing with fiendish designs and desire only for revenge against the man who is trying desperately to put her head back on a body. Preferably, a really nice one, but only if he can find one quickly thereby helping science in the process. His fiancee has enlisted the aid of an unseen fiend in the closet and his arrival waits till the explosive climax, although he has already killed the scientist's henchman through an opening in the door where he is fed. The end is hardly unexpected, but shows more than the usual effort for this type of film, especially in the realm of imagination.
   
   When all is said and done, this is definitely a "'B'-MOVIE SLEEPER FOR THE BRAIN DEAD"!
   
   
   If you are still interested, the second feature is "The Beast of Yucca Flats"
   
   THANK THE DIRECTOR FOR THE 53 MINUTE RUN TIME!,
   
   I must admit to buying this on DVD for the sole purpose of determining whether I felt it was the worst feature motion picture of all time. There are quite a few to choose from, but this film seems light years ahead of a pack made up of such epics as "The Slime People", "The Green Slime", "Robot Monster", "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and a few more.
   
   I have come to the conclusion that if this film were a little longer and gory it would have won the title of worst film. However, to its credit, there is no real gore, just old-style TV violence [people get shot, but don't bleed or suffer]. Also in its favor, there is no nudity or really cheezy special effects. Basically there is just nothing going on to be interested in and the filming is very dark and the sound is buzzy. There is no dialogue to speak of, just a drunken-sounding narration that seems to make little sense. In the end, I found myself wondering if the 81-minute-long "Creeping Terror" might be a better candidate for worst film, but I will have to see that one again.
   
   If you can find this film for nearly no cost as I did you might consider buying it for the campy value of having it. Though this film is not terribly insulting to the viewer, it does strain the viewer's attention span for each and every one of its 53 minutes of run-time.
   
   The "Superman Cartoon" is definitely a plus and is in about the same condition as the rest of the DVD insofar as the transfer is concerned - OK.
   
   
   ABOUT THE DVD:
   
   This is a decent single-layer transfer and is relatively glitch-free for a promotional public-domain product. You get alot for the money here, but the outer box is the only case you get so don't discard it. Target was running an after Halloween sale on this series DVDs, 4 for $1, so this DVD cost .25 cents plus tax. On the basis of the extreme value, I have given this DVD a 3 star rating, but the first film is worth 3 stars while the "Beast of Yucca Flats" rates just 1 star and is the worst film I have ever seen. It is rated #2 on the "Internet Movie Database's" "Bottom 100 films" list and deserves that lowly rating.



2. You're usually asking for trouble when you purchase a super-inexpensive DVD--but this PC Treasures double feature release is remarkably good in terms of quality, if not necessarily so in terms of content.
   
   Cult favorite THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE is the winner of the two films offered here, a film that was considered so distasteful in 1959 that the passage of three years and several cuts was required before its release in 1962. Seen today, it is hard to imagine how anyone could have taken it seriously even back in the day; it is indeed both lurid and lewd, but it is also remarkably ludicrous in its tale of a mad doctor who keeps his girl friend's head alive after a car crash. But the doctor is picky about the new body: he wants one built for speed and takes to cruising disconcerted women on city sidewalks, haunting strip joints, visiting body beautiful contests, and hunting down cheesecake models in search of endowments that will raise his eyebrow.
   
   Leading man Jason Evers plays the rougeish doctor as if he's been given a massive dose of spanish fly; Virginia Leith, the unhappy head, screeches and cackles in spite of the fact that she has no lungs and maybe not even any vocal chords. Busty babes gyrate to incredibly tawdry music, actors make irrational character changes from line to line, the dialogue is even more nonsensical than the plot, and you'll need a calculator to add up the continuity goofs. On the whole THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE comes off as even more unintentionally funny than an Ed Wood movie.
   
   The 1961 BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS, however, is an entirely different matter, and is often described as the single worst B movie ever made. BEAST was filmed without sound and dialogue was dubbed into the footage afterward. In order to accomodate this, the camera usually photographs characters in long shot; cuts off their heads; shows characters listening instead of speaking; or just has the so-called actors cover their mouths at various moments. While this may sound good for a laugh, it isn't, and sad to say it is actually the single most interesting thing about the film.
   
   The story, such as it is, concerns a runaway Russian scientist played by Tor Johnson, no less, who stumbles into an atomic test area and is most unfortunately transformed into... well, into Tor Johnson beset by bad make up. He kills off a couple of people and local police pursue him. One of the police officers takes to the air, where he mistakes an innocent man for the Beast, and spends quite a lot of time shooting at him. And so on. Yes, some bad films are amusing to watch. YUCCA FLATS is not among them.
   
   Bearing in mind that both BRAIN and BEAST were made on the cheap and that even the first run prints were probably nothing to write home about, I can say that the transfered offered here are actually quite good. If you want some cult fun, BRAIN is a good choice and I give it four stars. If you are determined to see just how bad BEAST is, well, I give it zero stars and don't say I didn't warn you. The DVD also includes ARCTIC GIANT, a cartoon in which we find Superman required to save girl reporter Lois Lane from a defrosted dinosaur; it too is in good condition and is amusing in an old fashioned sort way. Recommended if you're in the market for any of these titles.
   
   GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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