Not Rated; 10 hours 55 minutes; $14.98

I think I might have mentioned a time or two on here about my love for old horror movies, especially the ones made by Hammer Films. Well, with that being said, you can probably guess why I was excited when I learned that Mill Creek Entertainment would be releasing the 26-part documentary series "100 Years Of Horror" hosted by the late, great horror-icon Christopher Lee.

Originally released back 1996, "100 Years Of Horror" chronicles the history of horror movies from the early 1900s to the late 1970s. I'm not for sure why it was called "100 Years" when the producers skipped over the the films from the 1980s. Most of the movie clips featured are from the classic Universal monster flicks, Hammer Films, and other low-budget creature films. It features interviews with Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, and Claude Rains. Additionally, there are interviews with Bela Lugosi, Jr.; Boris Karloff's daughter, Sarah Karloff; and Claude Rains' daughter, Jessica Rains.

The series was produced, written and directed by Ted Newsom, who created BBC's Flesh And Blood-The Hammer Heritage Of Horror.

The episodes on the 3-disc set are:

Classic Horror: 4 Movie Collection
Directors: Arch Oboler, John Brahm, Leslie Kardos, Anthony Bushell
Starring: Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Victor Jory, William Phipps
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00WV7TOPC
Running Time: 5 hours 13 minutes
Rated: R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

As a kid, I looked forward to every October as AMC has their horror film marathons for Halloween, but this was back when the channel didn't have commercials and when they actually played classic films. For us diehard horror fans, we have to turn DVDs & Blu-rays to find the older flicks.

Recently released on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment is the Classic Horror: 4 Movie Collection, Featuring four nearly forgotten films - Five (1951), The Mad Magician (1954), The Man Who Turned To Stone (1957) and The Terror Of The Tongs (1961). There are no extras or special features on the two-disc set.

Far by the best on this two-disc set is the post-apocalyptic film called Five. Set directly after an atomic bomb has went off, the film tells the story of four men ( William Phipps, James Anderson, Charles Lampkin and Earl Lee) and a pregnant woman (played by Susan Douglas Rubes) trying to survive. While it was critically panned upon it's original release, over the years it has received praise for it's dark atmosphere.


Strange things are happening in a women prison in The Man Who Turned To Stone. After several suspicious inmate suicides, social worker Carol Adams (played by Charlotte Austin) seeks the help of psychiatrist Dr. Jess Rogers (played by William Hudson) to help unravel the mystery and discover the real murderers.


In a somewhat-remake of The Stranglers of Bombay, the 1961 Hammer Film "The Terror Of The Thongs" centers on Captain Jackson Sale (played by Geoffrey Toone) seeking revenge against the mysterious secret Red Dragon Tong crime family, whom murdered his daughter. This rarely-seen film is considered to be politically incorrect due to the fact that several Caucasian actors portrayed Asian characters, including actor Christopher Lee.