Search - Horrible Horrors Collection, Vol. 2 on DVD

Maniacs! Monsters! Claymation! Snakes! Polyester!

Robert I. Hedges | 02/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This set was a wonderful and campy Christmas gift, and features eight almost unbelievable films of varying quality, all of which have oddball quirkiness sure to satisfy the pickiest B-movie lover. There are eight features on two DVDs, and the films vary from merely silly, to over-the-top laugh-out-loud horrendous. The films are from varying time periods and the quality of the transfers varies drastically from good ("Don't Answer the Phone") to awful ("Stanley.") Little matter; people who love cheesy movies will be well satisfied with this collection.

"Don't Answer the Phone" is a creepy story of a messed up Vietnam veteran photographer who enjoys strangling women. It is more serious than the rest of the collection, and is not laughable at all due to content issues.

"Terrified" is a rather contrived B-movie about a lunatic burying people alive in a graveyard, and spawns the eternal question: why do teenagers from bad Hollywood productions in the 1950s feel compelled to check out graveyards at night? It has some creepy moments, but overall I was not terribly terrified.

"Blood of Dracula's Castle" is easily my favorite of the set. I watched it several times because of one thing: John Carradine. John always adds a special something to his roles, but here he is a butler who worships the great god Luna and serves the Count and Countess Dracula. John is at his prime here as the gaunt specter of death (who also makes dinner and drinks): he steals every scene he is in, which is most of them. The guy they got to play Dracula may be the worst Count in movie history: he reminds me more of Ross Martin than Count Dracula. The movie is a laugh-out-loud grade-Z riot, and justifies the purchase of the DVD by itself. While at least John Carradine doesn't sing in this one, the film does star the most annoying couple of the decade. In short, this film is a must see.

The other two standouts on the set are "Stanley" and "The Crater Lake Monster." I had heard of "Stanley," and about how legendarily bad it is. The rumors are true. It is a wonderful bit of schlock cinema about Stanley, a very naughty rattlesnake, and his relationships with the human race. The movie is a William Grefe tale of vengeance, and features lots of snakes in squalid locations in the Everglades. The pace is tough to endure, and sometimes time may seem to be flowing backwards. Do not panic: this is a normal reaction to "Stanley." It has among the worst production values in screen history (although it is certainly not Grefe's worst film) and the acting ranges from bad to worse. All in all it is a grade-Z horror movie delight.

"The Crater Lake Monster" is one of the most amateur of all productions, and features easily the worst clothes, hair, and accents in the collection. The premise is that a meteor lands in a lake in Oregon and the heat from it hatches a dormant dinosaur egg. Any bad movie fan knows that the locals of the small, isolated town will be snacked upon shortly (Kevin Bacon did this in the much better "Tremors" several years later.) The monster appears to be cardboard in close-up, and there are plots about boat rentals, prehistoric cave art, magic, and banjo music. The acting is awful, and the direction is both predictable and plodding. In sum, this is a fun movie to laugh at, but scary? No way.

"Nightmare In Wax" is moody and atmospheric. It's about a guy having an affair that goes a bit mental and commits serious mayhem. It's not well conceived or executed, so I disliked it as serious art, and it has a subject so dark as to not be enjoyable as camp.

The other two films, "Blood Mania," and "The Devil's Hand," were middling; nowhere near the highs of Carradine in Dracula's castle, or the lows sprinkled generously throughout the set. I give the set four stars overall; people who love monster movies of dubious quality will like the set, and the price is unbeatable, especially considering some of these films (notably "Stanley") are extremely difficult to find elsewhere."

Good for Campy Horror

Mark I | Chicago, IL | 05/02/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The quality of the films vary, but are still watchable. The Crator Lake Monster is hillarious. An actor trying to look and sound sophisticated, fake English accent and all. Clay-mation monster, backwoods brothers...it has it all. Every film has its own reason to watch it. Oh the Horror! Very enjoyable."