UNIVERSAL CLASSIC MONSTERS: COMPLETE 30-FILM COLLECTION. The Hollywood originals are all collected here in even-eerier HD _ Boris Karloff's "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy," Bela Lugosi's "Dracula," Claude Rains' "The Invisible Man," Lon Chaney Jr.'s "The Wolf Man" and "Creature From the Black Lagoon," along with their sequels ("Bride" and "Son" of Frankenstein), spinoffs ("Dracula's Daughter") and spoofs (three Abbott & Costello monster-coms). There's also Rains' forgettable '40s version of "Phantom of the Opera," maybe because it's in color. But it was actually Universal's blunt black and white that helped its fright flicks endure, with remastered HD making them yet more chillingly immediate. The seven creature cases boxed here have also been available individually, while the primary titles plus "Bride" were previously compiled in 2012's eight-disc "Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection." Bonus features retained from those earlier releases cover the gamut _ making-of, actor/creator profiles, archive material, commentaries, more. Plus 46-page booklet with movie histories, profiles, legacy essay; $150 Blu/$120 DVD, Universal.
DVD calendar:
Out now: "Ghosted" (Fox; made-on-demand, order online)
Oct. 16: "Ash v Evil Dead" complete series (Starz)
