Monster Mania

Starring:Ingrid Pitt, Cassandra Peterson, Martine Beswick, Jack Palance
Director: Kevin Burns (III)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Description

Host Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, brings viewers on an adventure of monstrous proportions. With razor-sharp teeth, deadly claws and giant feet, giant movie monsters have left their oversized imprints in film history. The terrifying one-hour special Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania showcases such films as King Kong and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, examining why giant monsters frighten us and why cultures from American to British to Japanese are so obsessed with the monster phenomenon. Highlights include spectacular clips and trailers from The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), Mighty Joe Young (1949), Tarantula (1955), Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966), Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and many more; interviews with producer and special effects supervisor Ray Harryhausen, director and author Don Glut and numerous film critics and historians.

Customer Reviews:

"The bigger they the BIGGER they are".......2004-03-13

No stone was unturned when this document was made. This monster
mash originally aired on AMC's "monsterfest" a few years ago and
hosted by "Lost in space" television star Billy Mumy
This near hour long program covers all aspects of the big beast
on the movie and TV screen as well as Myth and folklore. From thier
primevil beginnings of George Miele's Trip to the moon & Lost world
to such recent nightmares as Starship troopers & Mighty Joe young.

In between, movie historians,technicians and seasoned authors give their "matter of fact" views on how the giant monster films
have not only progressed thru out the years but also we the film
goers have changed from the coming of world war II thru the drive
in craze, the television invasion and so fourth. Everytime I get
to watch this disc I end up watching"Attack of the crab monsters"
or"Earth vs. the spider" right after. Peppered with endless clips
this dvd is a must for any true giant monster movie collector.

ONE OF THE BEST MONSTER COMPS!!.......2001-11-20

This is an excellent DVD. If you want to see all of your favourite atomic age (and beyond) monsters in one place without sitting through the familiar plots and dialogue of the original movies, this is the place to come. A quick fix of giant insects and tarantulas, 50 ft women and astounding colossal men. Teenagers taking on gargantuan gila monsters and monster spiders, Godzilla and his Toho buddies, Harryhausen creatures.......there is a lot here in this fast-moving doco narrated by Billy Mumy and hosted by Elvira, looking as enticing as ever!!. In fact, the only problem with this disc is that it ends too quickly!! It would have been great if the 56 minute running time could have been stretched another 30 minutes with a few choice trailers but don't get me wrong....there is a lot of ground covered here with the many movie clips and short interview segments. It's so good you don't want it to end. Great picture quality, too. Trailer comps usually feature scratchy, often faded, film clips. Not so here! The pictures are sharp and clear. Do yourself a favor and buy it NOW. Me, I'm gonna watch it again.

Average customer rating:

The evolution of the horror film.
Astonishing, simply astonishing!

Monster Mania
Starring: Ingrid Pitt , Cassandra Peterson , Martine Beswick , and Jack Palance
Director: Kevin Burns (III)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Bride of Monster Mania #2
Attack of the 50 Ft. Monster Mania
100 Years of Horror
Hollywood's Legends of Horror Collection (Doctor X / The Return of Doctor X / Mad Love / The Devil Doll / Mark of the Vampire / The Mask of Fu Manchu)
The Addams Family - Volume One

ASIN: B00005OCL7
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Description

Monster Mania traces the evolution of horror films, featuring footage from dozens of classic and contemporary favorites. From mummies to mutants, from phantoms to aliens, Monster Mania packs a crypt-full of terrifying ghouls into this chilling overview of classic, big-screen monsters. Lock your windows and bolt your doors - Monster Mania is on the loose! Highlights include dazzling clips from all-time horror favorites Nosferatu (1922), The Fly (1958, 1986), Halloween (1978), Alien (1979), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) and many more; a rare look at Thomas Edison's Frankenstein (1910); a glimpse of the early special effects of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925); spectacular clips from comedy classics Young Frankenstein (1974) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975); and never-before-seen home movies of horror superstar Boris Karloff. Hosted by Jack Palance.

Customer Reviews:

The evolution of the horror film........2004-06-14

People loved to be scared...that's a simple fact of life. The makers of this documentary, Monster Mania, delve into the reasoning behind that, if only a cursory look, as they highlight almost a hundred years of monsters in the cinema, starting with clips from Thomas Edison's ten minute rendition of Frankenstein (1910), all the way into the 90's with Francis Ford Coppola's remake of Bram Stroker's Dracula (1992).

The documentary starts off with the early screen scares, horror movies during the silent film era, given a decent amount of time to Lon Chaney, The Man of a Thousand Faces, before focusing on such stars as Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff during Universal's reign in the 1930's a king of scary movies with German impressionist influenced releases like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, and others. Following this we take a look at some of Universal's competition within the horror movie genre, as it seemed there was enough to go around, given the audience's insatiable appetite.

Next, with the world on the brink of WWII, fictitious screen monsters seem to take a back seat to real life monsters, as America is drawn into the conflict. Oh, the monsters are still there, lurking in the background, some even coming forth, as did The Wolfman (1941), but it wasn't until the mid to late 50's that the classic monsters really made a comeback broadcast on an amazing new device that no home could be without called television. This introduced a whole new generation to the creatures that scared their parents some 20 years earlier.

Soon, as the Cold War developed, along with the atomic bomb, this brought forth a slew of new monsters of the radioactive and glowing kind, along with those of the interstellar kind, as paranoia within society grew, and our suspicion of outsiders grew. We also get to see a pop art revival of the classic monster characters, a marketing blitz, and prime time appearances of spooks in the likes of The Munsters and The Addams Family. Also presented is the resurgence and popularity brought on by the English Hammer Studios as they remade the classic monster movies in vivid color (it's the blood, baby) and created new legends in the horror genre with names like Cushing and Lee.

We then movie into the area of modern day horror, where the monsters, while having a somewhat normal appearance, are no less horrific than the creations brought to life so very long ago. Probably the most recognizable being Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Perkins in their chilling presentation of Norman Bates in the 1960 classic Psycho. Shortly after this the documentary acknowledges the rise of the slasher movie, and highlights the on the use of technology to bring forth realism and visceral effects we enjoy, or sometimes don't, within horror movies today. The documentary winds up looking at the re-emergence of the classic monsters with new versions of the wolf man, Dracula, and Frankenstein being enjoyed by today's audiences. It just seems to show that while tastes do change, the classics don't, and still have the ability to give the audiences what they crave in good, old fashion scares.

The documentary is introduced by Elvira, and then hosted by Jack Palance, and really, who better to do so...he is looking all of his age, but his voice exudes a very sinister quality under its' silky tones. I kept waiting for him to say, "Believe it...or not!" This whole thing appears to be something made for presentation on AMC (American Movie Classics) and runs just over an hour. I was impressed in the great amount of movies covered, from the genre's early beginnings all the way to present day, hitting on the crucial periods within the history of the horror movie, choosing appropriate examples to illustrate elements within the genre. But, seeing as the documentary was only an hour, many parts were not as in-depth and detailed as I would have liked, but this is still an excellent introduction to horror in general within the movies. And I do love the artwork on the case, paying homage to Famous Monsters of Filmland, a magazine that was the place to get information about the genre from the 60's and 70's.

If you enjoy horror movies in general, and want to familiarize yourself with its' beginnings on the silver screen, then this is a pretty good place to start. From here, one can focus on particular periods, collecting source material in the forms of books and even the films themselves. The documentary does examine what our fascination is with being scared, but given the time restraints, we don't get that deep into it. If you found this enjoyable, there are two follow up releases, Bride of Monster Mania (which focuses on women within horror films), and Attack of the 50ft Monster Mania, which deals with the over-sized element within the horror genre.

Cookieman108

Astonishing, simply astonishing!.......2001-10-26

Well, I thought I had seen enough of horror movie documentaries after watching the cheeseball BOOGEYMEN dvd. What a disappointment.

But I decided to take a chance on MONSTER MANIA. I mean come on. The layout for the cover with the gorgeous artwork is unbeatable. This dvd lays real nice next to my Universal Monster box set.

But we've all been tricked by fancy packaging right? Not on this super dvd.

I loved it. This is hands down a must for anyone who needs or wants serious horror history. The quality of the dvd looks to have been taken great care of like someone's own child.

Elvira is hot as ever, and Jack Palance is the narrators of narrators.

If you want some good clean monster fun, and a good inside look on future dvd monster movies for your collection, this is the perfect insight for you.

Description

Bride of Monster Mania chronicles the evolution of women in horror films from hapless victim to empowered heroine - and specifically how some of these films reflected the changing role of women in society - featuring a sensational array of footage from silent films, classic horror, contemporary favorites and state-of-the-art science fiction. Prepare for the most bewitching collection of female-driven horror unleashed on the screen. Highlights include spectacular clips from all-time horror favorites Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Exorcist (1973), The Stepford Wives (1975), Carrie (1976) and many more; a glimpse at ultimate sci-fi heroine "Ripley" as played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997); enchanting footage of Dracula's alluring feminine counterparts in Dracula's Daughter (1936), The Brides of Dracula (1960), Twins of Evil (1971) and many more. Hosted by Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Customer Reviews:

ITS ABOUT TIME.......2007-05-07

I first saw this during AMC's Monsterfest a few years ago. And what took
so long for female horror characters to be recognized. I bought this a
month ago when I noticed it was available. This DVD helped as being a guide to discovering other horror movies. And Elvira as host added that touch. The DVD describes how woman shapped horror movies from the silent films to today. I do highly recomend this DVD for all horror fans.

Average customer rating:

Motorcycle Mania

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Motorcycle Mania 3 - Jesse James Rides Again
Motorcycle Mania 2 (Full)
Sturgis Uncensored
Motorcycle Mania, Vol. 1
Monster Garage - Season Three

ASIN: B0002H4K34

Product Description

West Coast Choppers was born in the early 1990s, and quickly established its, and his, reputation as a celebrity motorcycle manufacturing facility. He started the shop in a small dusty corner in a friend's garage, with no loan, no partners, and only a glimmer of the future. Slowly, painstakingly, and with great sacrifice, Jesse built his future empire, and continues to build his bikes the same way. By hand, from the ground up. West Coast Choppers now employs over 50 people, and builds bikes ranging from $50,000-$150,000, for such clients as Shaquille O'Neal and Kid Rock. In 2002, "Monster Garage" (2002) debuted on The Discovery Channel, bringing Jesse squarely to the forefront of reality television. With him as the host and team leader of the show that features custom hot-rodding at its absolute most bizarre, Jesse's West Coast Choppers has become an integral part of the program, as the Monster Garage team often utilizes Jesse's shop and machinery to help them meet the challenges of the weekly show. Conveniently, the warehouse that serves as Monster Garage's set is located mere blocks from West Coast Choppers' Long Beach location.

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