Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection [Blu-ray]

The Universal Classic Monsters are among the finest cinematic masterpieces ever to grace the screen, and this collection represents a must-have in the libraries of both horror fans in particular and cinema fans in general. In fact, one could call it a near-perfect collection.To be sure, not all of these classic films are as fine of masterpieces as the most famous of them. We all know Dracula, Frankenstein, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the others, but we don't necessarily remember all of their sequels. Partly that's because the sequels don't quite live up (with a few exceptions) to the original films. But at the same time, the entire Universal Monsters franchise is so foundational to cinema horror that it's worth revisiting and remembering even the weaker entries in the collection (even the weakest of which is still quite a good film).The collection itself is the perfect addition to any horror film library even though it has a couple quirks. For one thing, this boxed set is just a repackaged collection of each individual monster's collection, which results in a couple of the films being duplicated within the collection. For example, the films House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein appear in both the Dracula and the Frankenstein cases because both monsters appeared in those films. That's certainly not a flaw in the collection (and one could even argue it's a virtue, because it means each monster's case is complete in case you wanted to watch through the entirety of one monster's films in order), but it does indicate that the discs themselves don't contain anything new to this particular collection that you wouldn't already have if you'd purchased the individual monster collections earlier.The one thing that is unique to this collection is the small booklet containing some of the history of the Universal Monsters. While I bought the collection for the movies and not for the extra booklet, I was quite pleased to find it's actually a well-produced little document and it was a pleasure to read through some of the history.Arguably the only flaw in the collection is that it takes certain liberty with the word "complete." For instance, this collection does not contain Lon Chaney's 1925 silent The Phantom of the Opera, though it does contain the 1943 technicolor remake starring Claude Rains. However, while it may not be complete by the strictest definition, it is certainly a near-complete collection, and well worth owning. It would make a perfect gift for any horror fan.

This box set was more than I even imagined. It's really a collection of collections, any one being fantastic on their own. This is actually an amazing production by Universal and whoever their home media partners are. The box, booklet, and individual blu ray sets are top notch. If you're a movie fan, monster fan, or just want to get hyped for your next trip to Universal Studios, this is worth every penny. My household is all set for Halloween movies forever!

I love this collection, definitely a five-star purchase, with one very minor caveat. First, the good news: This collection really does give you everything -- every iteration of every classic Universal horror franchise, right down to the "Abbott and Costello Meet..." series -- in lovely clean prints (so far; I haven't watched all of them yet). In fact, it claims there are 30 films, but there are actually 31.The slightly less good news: These started as individual sets that were packaged together, so there's some overlap. Dracula and the Wolf Man are both in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," so you'll get three copies of that film. You'll also get two copies of "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man," three copies of "House of Dracula," etc. So although you do get 31 titles, you'll end up with 38 actual movies. Not a terrible thing, but you may consider it unnecessary clutter.

I'm very happy with the quality of the picture, it's so good they almost looks like a new black & white films! House of Frankenstein appears 3 times in the different sets, which is kind of overkill. I do wish they included more of the Abbott and Costello films and maybe the 1925 version of Phantom of the Opera as a companion to the 1943 film as part of the set. Could be I'm just OCD but overall, this is a great set on bluray.

Classic horror, Universal got it right oh so long ago

I bought the Blu-ray version of this set for $69.49 when it was on 54% off discount, as i have been holding off buying this set for 2 years in the hope that ALL of these films would be offered in the 4k Blu-ray format but that does not seem to be the case as there has been a 2 year gap and no new 4k versions have been announced for the rest of these films so i pulled the trigger and bought this set to compliment my 2 4k Blu-ray sets of the main 8 films. The picture and sound quality is excellent on all of these films and i am very happy with this set at this price!!!.

The classics have risen in this masterful blu ray boxed set. I'm very pleased with this purchase and am so excited to have all these fine films in one place!The book is impressive. Also one thing to mention is that a lot of the films are repeated within some of these cases (For example the Abbott and Costello ones) which makes this great for travel. Instead of taking the whole boxed set you can just grab one or two cases and still get a lot of variety.A few problems I noticed were:Plastic cases seem thin and cheap and I wish the films were packaged better. Some of the discs will easily fall out of their clips. I wish they spent a bit more money on the packaging.I dislike that 2 of the cases are clear and the rest are coloured blue. It looks like a mistake even though I know it's intentional. Looks lame and unprofessional.For those reasons I will give it 4/5 stars.I've very excited to dive into this fantastic cinema and bonus material.