Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 21, 2025

Eureka recently released Mabuse Lives!, a really fun box set featuring six early to mid-sixties efforts that reintroduced the enigmatic title character to global audiences, including the first film in the series which offered a "return visit" from "founding Mabuse director" Fritz Lang. A number of the supplements on that set allude to some of the films in this set, since both the Dr. Mabuse productions and these so-called Wallace Krimi films were the brainchild of one Artur (also spelled as Arthur) Brauner, a German impresario who founded Central Cinema Company (CCC) in 1946 as his nation was in the throes of recovering from the disasters of World War II. Brauner was an absolutely fascinating man as is evidenced not just by his studio's output, but also his own personal history, a lot of which is discussed in passing by his energetic daughter Alice, who is featured in interviews included both in the Mabuse Lives! set and this one as well. One of Brauner's early producing "revelations" was that while, yes, he could produce "message" films that were important to him, he needed to fund those efforts with other less portentous offerings that would appeal to a broader demographic. Therefore, as Alice mentions, while his earlier career had a number of rather interesting and distinctive films that may not have had mass market appeal, Brauner actually had to wait until after series like the Mabuse and Wallace Krimi franchises raked in enough dough for him to really concentrate on films about a central focus of his, the effects of the Holocaust on European Jews. And in fact part of Brauner's entrepreneurial spirit was keeping track of other studios' successes, perhaps none more so than more or less direct competitor Rialto Film. When Rialto had huge hits with their line of Edgar Wallace krimi films, Brauner rather smartly if perhaps just a bit deceitfully entered into a deal with Edgar's son Bryan Edgar Wallace for the rights to that Wallace's writing, but probably more importantly, to that Wallace's name, which then allowed Brauner to market films with a supposed Wallace imprimatur that quite frequently had next to nothing (and in some cases, absolutely nothing) to do with Wallace.

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

The Curse of the Yellow Snake Blu-ray review

The Strangler of Blackmoor Castle Blu- ray review

The Mad Executioners Blu-ray review

The Phantom of Soho Blu-ray review

The Monster of London City Blu-ray review

The Racetrack Murders Blu-ray review

Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. Note that Eureka! has packaged several of these films two to a disc.

Additionally, this is another box set that makes a very handsome companion piece to Mabuse Lives!, with another sturdy slipbox (with a J card) enclosing two keepcases and a really beautiful perfect bound booklet with some great writing.

Terror in the Fog: Wallace Krimi at CCC Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another really fun set that admittedly offers films that are not undiscovered classics, but which still help to define a certain nook of "franchise" filmmaking in the early to mid-sixties. Eureka! offers generally solid technical merits and some really appealing supplements on the discs, and as with their Mabuse set, the packaging and non disc swag is also nicely done. Recommended.