Saturday, January 10, 2015

DVD Review - Scared Silly: 13 Classic Horror Comedies



Scared Silly: 13 Classic Horror Comedies
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Ava Gardner, Bela Lugosi, Jack Haley
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00OU4MTD8
Running Time: 15 hours 27 minutes
Rating: PG / NR / R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

To kickoff the 2015, Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing a 3-disc set Scared Silly: 13 Classic Horror Comedies on Tuesday January 13, 2015, featuring Bela Lugosi, Jack Haley, Dick Miller, The Ritz Brothers, Dick Purrcell, John McCafferty and many other great actors.

One of the highlights from this set is the 1989 horror-comedy My Mom's A Werewolf, which I recall watching on Showtime in the early 90s. With the PG rating, one might think this was a family film, but I wouldn't let any young viewers watch it. The plot involves a bored housewife (played by Susan Blakely) attempting to have an affair, but it is bitten by a werewolf (played by John Saxon). As she starts to transform into a werewolf herself, it is up to her teenage daughter and friend to save the day. Yes, the special effects in the film is a low-budget one and the plot is a little cheesy, but it is still a likeable film. The picture quality on the film is pretty good compared to others in the set.

The only rated R film in this set is Deathrow Gameshow (1987), an unrated satire horror flick about death row convicts competing against each other in a life or death game show, where the winner gets to live. Things take an even twister turn when the game's host Chuck Toedan's life is threatened by a hitman that is hired by a deceased death row convict's family.

The other films include two East End Kids movies - Spooks Run Wild (1941) & Ghost On The Loose, The Gorilla (1939) staring The Ritz Brothers, the original Little Shop Of Horrors (1960), Creature From The Haunted Sea (1961), The Creeping Terror (1964), Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1966), One Body Too Many (1944), A Bucket of Blood (1959), King Of The Zombies (1941) and Treasure Of Fear (1945).

It wouldn't surprise me if some of you have seen these title on other DVD sets in recent years. Most  of the titles are in the public domain, though a few are owned by Crown International Pictures, resulting in films being repackaged and released multiple times. Sadly, the ones that fall in the domain territory don't have the best picture quality because the studios uses a copy of the film (even VHS copies) that are then transferred to DVD format.

Though these aren't the best movies ever made, I still enjoyed watching a handful of them this week, especially My Mom's A Werewolf. I'm giving the Scared Silly: 13 Classic Horror Comedies three out of five. If you are looking for remastered film quality, please look elsewhere, but if you are looking for 13 films for a cheap price, then you'll definitely want this set.


*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.


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