5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Dracula conspires with a mad doctor to resurrect the Frankenstein Monster.
Starring: J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney Jr., Anthony Eisley, Regina Carrol, Russ TamblynHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection.
Disc Six of The Masterpiece Collections offers two films with only rather tangential connections to each other, in that each feature the time
honored horror cliché of a "mad scientist". 1971's Dracula vs. Frankenstein is arguably among the better known titles in Adamson's
filmography, while Brain of Blood at least offers some
"backstage" interest in terms of its production ( Brain of Blood is one of the films in this set which has already received a Blu-ray release
from Severin, in both a standalone version and as part of The Hemisphere Box of Horrors).
Dracula vs. Frankenstein is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. There's pretty bad damage during the opening, with noticeable print through and what almost look like wide vertical stripes of milky white floating through the frame. Starting with some of the Vegas material, the palette can look a little ruddy or even orange at times. There's some noticeable flicker in an early scene with Jim Davis and Regina Carrol. This is another feature in this set where there are intermittent but kind of curious moments (like at circa 17:43) where the image suddenly looks less saturated and clear for a second or two. A lot of the dark material doesn't have much shadow detail and grain, which is already pretty gritty, spikes to pretty noisy levels in the darkest scenes (as in the big showdown at the climax of the film). The palette improves at least marginally after around the 45 minute mark, but stylistic conceits like some blue tinted material don't support much in the way of fine detail.
Dracula vs. Frankenstein features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that is one of the better overall sounding tracks in the set, with a relative absence of damage, and a really fun score by William Lava (while I don't think it's an actual theremin being used, there are some "theremin like" effects in some cues). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. English subtitles are available via the button on your remote.
Dracula vs. Frankenstein was a pretty big hit in its day, but it's basically nonsensical and frankly doesn't even deliver much in the way of scares. Still, in typical Al Adamson fashion, it's often so completely bizarre that it's a ton of fun to watch. Video has some issues, but audio sounds fine, and this film has some of the better supplements in The Masterpiece Collection set.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Space Mission to the Lost Planet / Vampire Men of the Lost Planet
1970
1967
The Creature's Revenge / The Oozing Skull / The Undying Brain
1972
1969
1983
1984
1959
Collector's Edition
1978
2007
1978
1958
1982
1955
Horror Planet
1981
1955
1957
1959
1958
1958
1964