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How The Grinch Stole Christmas [1966]

starring: Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, June Foray
directed by: Ben Washam, Chuck Jones

Release Date November 26, 2001
Need I say more? Dr. Seuss, directed by Chuck Jones and narrated by Boris Karloff!

It is a faithful re-telling of Dr. Seuss's classic story that copies the art and most importantly retains the word play. It even has some good songs if you like that kind of thing!

The Grinch, bitter and selfish steals Christmas away from the Whose. Disguising himself as Santa, he sneaks down to the Whose to take everything Christmassy, and everything else. But will that stop Christmas? Is he beyond enjoying the season himself? What happens when little Cindy Loo Who, who returns his spiteful act with an act of kindness itself...

If your only point of reference is the recent film (never mind) this is much (much) better. ... Read More:

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The Raven [1963]

starring: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, Olive Sturgess
directed by: Roger Corman

Release Date October 20, 2003
It states that this DVD is 2.35 widescreen. This is incorrect, it actualy plays at 1.85 widescreen. The picture quality is still good, but not as good as it would of been at 2.35. It^s still a very good light comedy though.

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The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty [1947]

starring: 'Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Ann Rutherford
directed by: Norman Z. McLeod

Release Date
One of the funniest movies movies I have ever seen, good old fashioned clean fun. I highly recommend watching this movie, even if you are not a fan of classic cinema. Look out for the tea cup and the dog biscuits, both have many people in tears from laughing so much.

CD-Charts Position 4
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Frankenstein [1931]

starring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan
directed by: James Whale

Release Date November 01, 2005
James Whale's 1931 film of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of those `museum piece' movies that are still regarded as all-time greats, especially by more senior critics, but which can prove to be a bit of a slog for today's audiences. Of course, the movie was a trend-setter in more ways than one, and features one of cinema's all-time finest performances from Boris Karloff as the tragic Frankenstein Monster, whilst Whale's straight-faced direction, the splendid sets, the awesome make-up, and Colin Clive's hysterical turn as Henry also contribute to the movie's overall effect.
Unfortunately, the effect of the film is lessened by the generally mediocre scripting and several below-average supporting performances. Mae Clarke is weak as Henry's bride Elizabeth ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Black Cat [1934]

starring: Bela Lugosi, Julie Bishop, Boris Karloff, David Manners
directed by: Edgar G. Ulmer

Release Date October 29, 2007
"I go to visit an old friend," says Dr. Vitus Werdegast to Peter and Joan Alison, the young newlyweds he meets on the train moving through a rain-swept night. Their destination is the small, picturesque village of Vizhegrad that had been the site of a horrendous battle during the Great War. They board a bus and the driver tells them, "All of this country was one of the greatest battlefields of the war. Tens of thousands of men died here. The ravine down there was piled twelve deep with dead and wounded men. The little river below was swollen red, a raging torrent of blood. And that high hill yonder where Engineer Poelzig now lives was the site of Fort Marmorus. He built his home on its very foundations. Marmorus, the greatest graveyard in the world." Then the bus swerves and crashes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Scarface [1932]

starring: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, George Raft, Boris Karloff
directed by: Howard Hawks

Release Date December 26, 2005
"I go to visit an old friend," says Dr. Vitus Werdegast to Peter and Joan Alison, the young newlyweds he meets on the train moving through a rain-swept night. Their destination is the small, picturesque village of Vizhegrad that had been the site of a horrendous battle during the Great War. They board a bus and the driver tells them, "All of this country was one of the greatest battlefields of the war. Tens of thousands of men died here. The ravine down there was piled twelve deep with dead and wounded men. The little river below was swollen red, a raging torrent of blood. And that high hill yonder where Engineer Poelzig now lives was the site of Fort Marmorus. He built his home on its very foundations. Marmorus, the greatest graveyard in the world." Then the bus swerves and crashes ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Old Dark House [1932]

starring: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Lilian Bond, Ernest Thesiger
directed by: James Whale

Release Date August 21, 2006
What a great and weird film...scary, funny, unsettling, sophisticated. And the Femm family..."They were all godless here. They used to bring their women here - brazen, lolling creatures in silks and satins. They filled the house with laughter and sin, laughter and sin. And if I ever went down among them, my own father and brothers - they would tell me to go away and pray, and I prayed - and left them with their lustful red and white women." "The fact is, Morgan is an uncivilized brute. Sometimes he drinks heavily. A night like this will set him going and once he's drunk he's rather dangerous." "Have a potato?" Ernest Thesiger as Horace Femm is a movie unto himself. The film stars one of my favorite actors, Melvyn Douglas, as a skeptical, somewhat disallusioned and reluctant hero.
... Read More:

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Classic Frankenstein Triple - Frankenstein/Bride Of Frankenstein/House Of Frankenstein

starring: Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, Colin Clive
directed by: Rowland V. Lee, James Whale

Release Date June 04, 2007
Tried all over the place to get the 2 disc Frankenstein/Bride of Frankenstein, and eventually gave up and ordered this instead. Bit of a risk this, because the 2-disc extras looked so good, and they aren't mentioned in the product details, but happily, when it arrived, it included the same extras as that edition. I suppose you wouldn't expect Universal to do completely new pressings, but it's nice to find out they haven't. Obviously, "Son of Frankenstein" (and "Ghost of Frankenstein" for that matter) would have been preferable to "House of Frankenstein" in such a set, but then if I wanted all the Universal stuff I'd be going for the Universal Monsters Legacy set anyway. All-in-all, a good way to get hold of the original, and arguably the best, two Frankenstein movies.

CD-Charts Position 9
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Son Of Frankenstein [1939]

starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone
directed by: Rowland V. Lee

Release Date May 05, 2008
The opening scene when Wolf (Rathbone) arrives in Frankenstein, the village named after his infamous father, is quite atmospheric, as the train negotioates a petrified, gnarled landscape. And Lugosi's performance as Ygor is inspired though predictably hammy. Lionel Atwill delivers a memorable and believable performance as Inpector Krogh (lampooned affectionately in Young Frankenstein). But that's about all to commend this film. I love Rathbone in his Sherlock Holmes role, but I'm afraid I think his performance here is well over the top. Some scenes make me cringe in fact.He later castigated this film as a 'penny dreadful' but I'm afraid he's more than a few quid dreadful here.
Karloff's monster is now reduced to a speechless dummy wearing a grubby fleece, denuded of any emotional expression. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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The Raven [1935]

starring: Irene Ware, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews, Boris Karloff
directed by: Lew Landers

Release Date October 29, 2007
This film is something of a triumph for Bela Lugosi, who steals the plaudits for his maniacal depiction of love crazed Poe obsessed surgeon Dr Vollin. After saving the life of a 'beautiful' young lady, Jean Thatcher, following a road accident, he falls in love only to be spurned by her and reprimanded by her father ( the canny Judge Thatcher. Did the scriptwriter like Mark Twain or something?). He decides to exact revenge using Poe derived torture devices with the help of escaped convict Edmond Bateman(Karloff), who comes to him seeking face altering surgery but is deliberately disfigured in a ploy to enlist his assistance.
Ignoring some absurdities, for example, Jean Thatcher's frankly crap ballet dancing show lauded as brilliant, or the inept notion that the Lenore of Poe's 'Raven' was real ... Read More: