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These three films come from the early 1930’s, when the idea of the horror film was just being created. Nobody had a firm idea of what it was. ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ has a couple of scenes from the original story, but the main focus is Lugosi’s Doctor M attempting to cross the blood of streetwalkers with that of his ape. (A man in a gorilla suit, with close-ups of a chimp at a misguided attempt at realism.) The story nods towards ‘The Cabinet of Dr Caligari’ with the plot and sets with a finale that anticipates the climax of King Kong. It’s also pushing at censorship with the implication of streetwalkers and a knife fight between two men. The Black Cat is actually the darkest of the three, with Boris Karloff as the military traitor, turned architect, turned devil worshiper. Lugosi, having been locked in prison for 15 years, travels there for revenge, with the boring young couple dragged into this. The film explicitly references the First World War with the smooth arch-deco house, built over a battlefield. Lugosi is good as the hero and has a great protagonist in Karloff as the smirking villain. (Did this character of an architect worshipping dark forces, influence the idea of Ivor Sandor in Ghostbusters?) With a notoriously violent for the time climax and showing a group of modern devil worshipers, this could have led to new avenues in horror films. The Raven feels like an early version of ‘Theatre of Blood’ with Lugosi playing an Edgar Allan Poe-obsessed surgeon obsessed by a dancer. Karloff, plays an escaped convict, mutilated by Lugosi to act as a henchman. Lugosi enjoys himself gloating over the fate of others and chewing the scenery, “Poe, you are avenged.” All of these films are great fun for fans of vintage horror, with a lot to re-discover. While the story of Bela Lugosi is a tragedy, his best work still survives.

Brilliant so glad I purchased this set.