The Mansion of Madness

Director: Juan Lopez Moctezuma
Studio: Echelon Entertainment 2
Product Type: DVD

Customer Reviews:

Not as advertised -- and I can't take it Bach!.......2006-10-17

Its DVD packaging claims that CRAZED "features a fully nude lesbian scene between Daisy Duke herself Catherine Bach and critically acclaimed character actress Leslie Caron." I don't know how you define "fully nude," but I would say it means ...duh...full nudity, not mere toplessness. CRAZED, which is being sold on the basis of this non-existent scene, not only lacks the promised full nudity from Bach -- *nobody* at all is fully naked. Furthermore, *there is no lesbian love scene at all* between any characters in this film! Troma, right on the package, says that "because of this notorious scene, CRAZED has become one of the most sought-after movies on the cult-film circuit!" What scene?! There is one small bit featuring Bach and Caron in a bedroom, but it cuts away while they are *fully-clothed*. In another, Bach is only topless, and only for a few seconds. There is no "notorious scene" in CRAZED -- only notoriously bad picture quality, the likes of which Troma has become known for, when it comes to the older films they unapologetically slap on DVD with little respect for the source material or customer. A more quality-cognizant company would explain on the package that the film was mastered from a poor print, so the buyer knows what he's (not)getting. Troma has released some fun films of its own in pristine condition, but the vast majority of its "golden oldies" look like they were pulled out of Lloyd Kaufman's toilet. In CRAZED, there is a glitch or two in the picture that makes it look like a used video tape (which seems to have been the source). Unfortunately, DVDs are one of the few goods for which the misled consumer has no recourse. Once you open a DVD, no store will take it back on the basis of not-as-stated. Is that fair? What if you bought a dozen eggs and the carton contained 10? What if you purchased an "antique" that was sold to you on the basis of being 100 years old, but it was only a replica? I work hard for my money (never meaning to quote Donna Summer), and I resent the false claims made by Troma for CRAZED. Either Troma doesn't verify what's written on its own DVD packages or it knowingly misleads buyers with false promises of non-existent scenes just to part them with a couple of ten-dollar bills. It's a shame, because the movie itself is an arty erotic curio that would otherwise be worth owning.

Faded and washed out picture quality........2005-11-11

Awful looking photography. I did not enjoy watching this film because the picture was so faded. Hopefully they will redo this DVD some day.

Average customer rating:

An unsetteling and thrilling expression of madness!
A GOOD "BAD FLICK"
Surreal Entertainment

The Mansion of Madness
Starring: Claudio Brook , Arthur Hansel , Ellen Sherman , Martin LaSalle , and David Silva
Director: Juan López Moctezuma
Manufacturer: Mondo Macabre
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis / El Topo / The Holy Mountain)
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ASIN: B0007GP6S8
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Description

Like Jodorowsky's EL TOPO, which features many of the same cast and crew, MANSION is a wild, psychedelic nightmare, imbued with the freewheeling vibe of the late 1960s.

Based on a story by famed horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, the film is set in a kind of kingdom of madness - a huge insane asylum presided over by notorious brigand, Raul Fragonard. He has locked up the institution's director and set the lunatics free. A visting journalist uncovers the secret behind the Mansion of Madness, but soon finds himself on trial before a host of crazed lunatics - whose ultimate aim is world domination. EXTRAS: Featurette on the film's director (15 mins)

Interview with director Guillermo del Toro (Blade 2; Hellboy) who talks about the film, its director and star Claudio Brook (12 mins)

Original theatrical trailer (4 mins)

Audio options include a Spanish language version with optional English subtitles and an English language version An image gallery consisting of the original material used to promote the film in the US, including posters and stills

Customer Reviews:

An unsetteling and thrilling expression of madness!.......2007-05-02

I just rented this movie and watched it. I must say from 30 years of horror and sub-culture cinema under my belt, that I truly loved this film. It does take you through a range of emotions. The composition of this film, the very bizzare and lucid camera angles, the very worn and dark atmosphere of the locations and scenery, was done better than most american standards today.
Some people make movies, others art. This film is, regaurdless of it's insane subject matter, a very beautiful and highly interesting directoral debut.
I won't go into the story, other than to say the script is so ludicrous that it borders on reality. In other words: It's so strange and bizzare that it becomes a work of art. I watched the documentaries...then purchased this and his second film: "Alucarda". It is not for everyone I'm sure. But if you enjoy a visually stunning film with a very disturbed,and yes...humorous plotline. I highly suggest a watch.
If your a fan of dark and subversive cinema, classic horror and the macabre.
I'd really give this one a look.

A GOOD "BAD FLICK".......2007-03-10

If the budget for this movie was over $10,000 or so it must have been spent on recreational drugs for the cast. From the start it looks to be a total waste but actually improves as the story unfolds, sometimes pretty funny and creative. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys cheap "cult classics", although it might be a little over priced. I'm sorry I didn't see it in the 70s when the Acid would have given me a different perspective.

Surreal Entertainment.......2005-01-28

The first entry in the short film career of director Juan Lopez Moctezuma, The Mansion of Madness is a fine example of South of the Border Surrealism, and as such, shares more of a kinship with the works of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Fernando Arrabal, than with Moctezuma's later film (also on DVD) Alucarda. Based in part on Edgar Allan Poe's The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Feather, The Mansion of Madness tells the story of Gaston (Arthur Hansel) who, having recently returned from abroad, travels to an asylum nestled in the heart of a secluded forest. During the opening voice over, Gaston reveals that it was in this remote asylum that his father died, and under the guise of meeting with the head of the institution (a doctor named Maillard who employs unorthodox methods of treatment for patients) Gaston hopes to uncover the mystery shrouding his deceased father. However, this initial motivation is quickly abandoned once Gaston is given a grand tour of the sanitarium by the infamous "Dr. Maillard" (played with psychotic abandon by Claudio Brook) resulting in the discovery that the lunatics are actually running the asylum, and that the real Maillard and his staff are being held captive.
Unlike Alucarda, the premise of The Mansion of Madness provided Moctezuma with a concept in which to explore his Surrealist inclinations, and let his crazed imagination run wild. The film also reveals Moctezuma dabbling with absurd humor, the results of which are quite funny, and again help solidify his association to Surrealism. Although this film marked his directorial debut, Moctezuma's direction seems confident, his artistic vision clear, and he does not display many of the telltale signs of a novice director. In addition, the cinematography is of a high caliber, as are many of the performances from a very large cast. In this type of a story the mise-en-scene is crucial and thankfully the locations are wonderful, helping to create a palpable atmosphere of decay, and yes, madness. Perhaps due to the freewheeling nature of the narrative, the film does tend to lag on occasion. However, there is enough going on throughout to hold the viewer's interest, and the final fifteen minutes (highlighted by inmates performing a synchronized chicken dance) are well worth waiting around for.
This is another fine release from Mondo Macabro, featuring a great film transfer and a Spanish audio track with English subtitles. The handful of extras include - a director bio, the U.S. trailer, an interview with director Guillermo del Toro (also on the Alucarda disc) who discusses Moctezuma and actor Claudio Brook, an essay on the film, a director filmography, and a Mondo Macabro trailer highlighting past, present, and future releases.

Average customer rating:

The Fall of the House of Usher
Fall of the House of Usher a great film ruined
The avant-garde masterpiece
Film-buff beware!
Best Classic Poe Tale Ever!!!!!!!!!!

The Fall of the House of Usher
Starring: Jean Debucourt , Marguerite Gance , Charles Lamy , Fournez-Goffard , and Luc Dartagnan
Director: Jean Epstein
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Avant Garde - Experimental Cinema of the 1920s & 1930s
Les Vampires
Vampyr
Un Chien Andalou
Pandora's Box - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B00005ABVH
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Description

As his beautiful young wife Madeleine dies slowly of some dread ailment, fevered artist Roderick Usher asks his old friend Allan to keep him company in these morbid times. Shortly after Allan arrives, Madeleine dies--or does she? As Roderick himself succumbs to the melancholy, noises from Madeleine's tomb cry out--Death is not the end! Working from several of Edgar Allen Poe's stories, French avant-garde visionary Jean Epstein crafted one of the most highly acclaimed and internationally renowned film adaptations of Poe. Co-directed with surrealist filmmaker Luis Bunuel and starring Abel Gance's wife as the undead Madeleine, this 1928 classic is a true feast for the eyes and proof positive that the German Expressionists did not have a corner on the Gothic horror market. Newly mastered from a 35mm preservation positive, with a soundtrack by acclaimed music historian Rolande de Cande adapted from medieval music.

Customer Reviews:

The Fall of the House of Usher.......2007-06-20

Epstein's sterling adaptation of the well-known Poe story today remains one of the most haunting and visually adventurous horror movies of the silent era. Certainly, the film's expressionistic use of slow-motion techniques and eerie settings owes a lot to the presence of surrealist Luis Buñuel, who served as assistant director. Gance (wife of French director Abel) is radiant, too, even as a shrouded specter. With its lurid, foggy air of mystery and demented otherworldliness, "Usher" is a triumph of the gothic sensibility.

Fall of the House of Usher a great film ruined.......2007-03-23

I looked forward to receiving this film from the moment I ordered it, having a great interest in early European Cinema, particularly French and German Cinema, this was going to be a treat to behold.
I had no worries about the lack of extras, or a glossy booklet, the original French titles were enough, then I heard the voice! All of the titles and inter-titles are spoken in English, aaaahhhhhrrrrggghh! Imperialistic, cultural vandalism. This is a French film, and a silent french film at that. To watch it is like having an idiot sat behind you who talks all the way through the film, I was waiting for him to tell me the ending just before it happened. I cannot imagine the thought process that came up with this.

In summary, a great film, a visual treat, but totally ruined.

The avant-garde masterpiece.......2006-08-05

This is an amazing visual treat and an excellent adaptation of Poe's classic, at once haunting and captivating although some liberty has been taken with the story replacing the Usher sister with a wife. Special mention should be made of the haunting music score that accompanies the movie.

Film-buff beware!.......2005-07-27

I can't believe I'm writing a negative review of a French classic I should revere! But here are the facts. Since my childhood, I have been impressed by a still in Henri Agel's "Histoire populaire du cinéma" depicting Madeline's funeral from this film. It shows black-clad gentlemen in stove-pipe hats photographed from a distance carrying a coffin, surrounded by cathedral-like trees with the superimposed image of lighted candles adding to the solemnity. I was impressed by both the technical achievement and the atmospheric result. Unfortunately, if ever there was a film whose stills are superior to its viewing, this is it! Watching this pristine print for the first time, I was disappointed by many elements: the tampering with Poe's story (where his themes boil down to Roderick's poor choice of real estate), the imitation of Murnau's "Nosferatu" (arrival at the inn, reluctance of peasants to drive the newcomer to the estate); the expressionistic acting (it's really very, very bad); the gratuitous quirkiness (books cascading off their bookshelves, windows that stay open at all times even during a full storm, a revived woman we are expected to believe has walked a great distance and even swam a lake after waking up in a family tomb miles away from her castle, a doctor whose character or purpose is never explained, copulating frogs, an owl that may or may not be stuffed); the overwhelming feeling of boredom; the shoddy artistic direction, especially in the use of miniatures to suggest the castle and its demise, the night sky, the bogs, the fog, the storm, etc., all bad. Worst of all, perhaps, is the music on this DVD by Roland de Candé (not "Rolande de Cande" as written up everywhere) which is an unoriginal hodge-podge of borrowings from undistinguished recordings of John Fahey-like mediaeval music and electronic-sounding "madhouse" noises (probably pinched piano wires) that sound atrocious and misguided and rob the film of any gothicness, dignity or solemnity it might have preserved otherwise. "Pelléas et Mélisande", this ain't! The only way it could have been made worse, I suppose, would have been commissioning Philip Glass to write a little something (brrrr!). The film is interesting because of its historical value, its photography, editing and superimpositions, which may or may not have been daring for the time - but in 1928, I seriously doubt it. That does not make it a masterpiece and not even a film I'd like to own or watch twice.

Best Classic Poe Tale Ever!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-02-16

This one is really cool I mean I read alot of Stories by Edgar Allan Poe Because I am a big fan of Poe and even though I would say that The Fall of the House of Usher was one of my Favorite Stories of all time and I really like this movie. And it really has beautiful Music to this and This one is very silent but you may have heard that this is what Movies where like back in the 1920's!

Average customer rating:

The Mansion of Madness

Manufacturer: Echelon Entertainment 2
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

This horror, suspense thriller, based on Edgar Allen Poe's "Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon", takes place within the confines of a famous mental asylum whoses acclaim is known due to the remarkable research of Dr. Tarr.

Average customer rating:

The Mansion of Madness

Manufacturer: Echelon Entertainment 2
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Product Description

This horror, suspense thriller, based on Edgar Allen Poe's "Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon", takes place within the confines of a famous mental asylum whose acclaim is known due to the remarkable research of Dr. Tarr.

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