To start off, this is a 2012 release that was offered on both DVD and Blu-ray. I chose the latter, since I was given a Blu-ray player last year, and have been eager to start building up a Blu-ray collection. (It may sound corny, but one of the things I like about Blu-rays is how durable they are. DVDs in our household always seem to end up getting scratched no matter what we do, but I've been assured that the Blu-rays will be much more scratch-resistant.) Now, you can find this in a few places online--I was able to find it in stock on Amazon and WalMart's websites among others--but the price offered varies greatly. MSRP is about $149.95, and the average price it sells for is about $90-odd dollars. I lucked out and found a like-new copy on eBay for $65 with free shipping. I want to offer a word of caution to everyone: be cautious when buying anything media-related on eBay. Always check the item description carefully, and look at the seller's feedback! You don't want to get stuck with some crappy bootleg set. Ask the seller for pictures and further information if you're suspicious. The longer you've been around on eBay, the better you get and figuring out if things are legit or not, but reminding people never hurts.
The set itself is simply beautiful, and looks like a collector's edition. It comes in a sturdy chipboard box, which is black and printed with the images of the classic Universal Monsters in metallic silver. It is simple and very tasteful. There are two different images, one on each side. (I forgot to take a picture of it, though.) Inside this artbox is a 48-page book and the Blu-ray discs in a very interesting holder.
It's shaped like a book, with a hard cover. The cardboard sleeves holding the Blu-rays are the "pages." They display the original movie posters and list all of the bonus features located on each disc. The set is advertised as having over 12 hours of bonus features, and looking at the lists, I can believe it. There are commentaries, interviews, trailers, mini-documentaries, and even two bonus films; the 1931 Spanish-language version of Dracula and the 3D version of The Creature From the Black Lagoon. (Obviously, you will need a 3D-capable Blu-ray player and TV to take advantage of it.)
The collectible book provides biographies of the actors and principal staff from the movies, as well as brief descriptions of the filming process. There are tons of scans of the various movie posters, and a timeline of the movies' releases.
I will confess that while I enjoy watching movies, I'm no cinephile. I've read the reviews for this box set on Amazon and other movie forums, and confess that I don't understand half the terms bandied about. All I can tell you is from my viewpoint as a regular ol' Jane on the street, so take it for what you will. So then: picture and sound quality. I own Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man as DVD copies (they came included with my copy of Van Helsing--yes, I love cheesy movies!), and I immediately set out to compare them. The picture quality of the Blu-ray set is very good. Everything is clear and sharp. The sound quality is very good, as well. No hissing or crackling here!
This also might sound weird, but I love the menus. They are clear and easy to navigate, but are also attractive and well-done, with clips from the movies smoothly integrated. There was a lot of effort putting into making this an attractive set, and it shows. Given that you get eight movies--technically 10 if we're counting Creature in 3D and Spanish Dracula--as well as all the special features and the booklet, you really get your money's worth. (Especially if you can find it for a little cheaper than $90!)
Now, I do want to point something out: as I might have mentioned earlier, Universal is putting out a Universal Monsters DVD set this year that contains 30--yes, count 'em, 30--of the Universal Monsters movies. It's comparable to their earlier Legacy sets, which were DVD sets that contained the core classic movies and their sequels and spinoffs. This new 30-film collection beats the Legacy sets, though, in that it not only contains all of those films in one slim package, but also includes some other related films, such as the Abbot and Costello parody films. Fans who do not care for Blu-ray and who would like to have the sequels and spinoff movies would be best served looking this up instead of the Blu-ray set, in my opinion. It is a comparable price point but contains far more content.
I am fairly confident that Universal will, at some point in the near future, release their 30-film collection on Blu-ray as well. Perhaps not for a few years, though, in order to keep the costs down to a reasonable amount. But for now, I feel that this "Classic Monsters" Blu-ray collection is a great addition to my beginning Blu-ray library.
Miss Scarlett suggests: Blu-ray collectors who enjoy classic monster films may want to check this out, keeping in mind the possibility of a future re-release with more content.
