Collectible Time: Film Masters' Tormented Special, Blu-ray Edition

Allied Artists/Bert I. Gordon's Tormented is sheer, modernized Poe (for cool circa 1960). It's cowritten by Gordon with noted, sci-fi scribe, George Worthing Yates, though is much more subtle in its scares than the filmmakers' giant-monster terrors, forging a slow-burn, psychological vantage, as Richard (Creature from the Black Lagoon/It Came From Outer Space) Carlson's jazz pianist, Tom Stewart, wrestles with the "tell-tale" specter of a woman he wouldn't rescue, played with revengeful relish by Julie Reding. (Tormented's additional cast furthers its quality, presenting an impressive who's who of both lead and character actors, including Lugene Sanders, Gene Roth, Susan Gordon, Joe Turkel, Vera Marshe, Lillian Adams and Harry Fleer [who's dubbed by famed narrator, Paul Frees.]) 

Film Masters has just released this perennial, drive-in/UHF staple in a 4K transfer taken straight from its 35mm elements, accompanied by terrific extras: a Ballyhoo Motion Pictures documentary by Courtney Joyner; a visual essay by the Flying Maciste Brothers; a full-color booklet on the film's production by Tom Weaver; a commentary track by Gary Rhodes and Larry Blamire; an archival interview with Gordon; restored, original and recut trailers; a Mystery Science Theater 3000 roast of the film; plus the unaired, pilot wraparound of Gordon's Famous Ghost Stories, which included an edited cut of Tormented, hosted by Vincent Price.

In addition to its Poe allusions, Tormented holds a thematic kinship with George Stevens/Theodore Dreiser's regret-ridden A Place in the Sun, but because of its seashore (Cape Cod) relegation, it feels even more so like a jazzy counterpart to Curtis Harrington's Night Tide (thanks in no small part to Albert Glasser's tense, trumpeted score). I do hope that Film Masters considers Night Tide for restoration, but for now, having Tormented receive the royal treatment is more than a step in the right direction. In fact, its a spectral dream come true. 

Delve in, my friends. Tormented is the type of macabre masterpiece that demands possession and guarantees revisitation. 

HAPPY 70TH, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

On February 12, 1954, one of the all-time greats graced the silver screen and in trendy 3D, no less: Creature from the Black Lagoon.

This monumental, monster classic was directed by Jack Arnold, who helmed It Came From Outer Space and would go on to magnify The Incredible Shrinking Man, with a crackerjack script by Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross. Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning play the emoting Gill-man, the former on land, the latter in water. And the Gill-man sports iconic detail, thanks to his designer, Millicent Patrick and costume-makers, Chris Muller and Jack Kevan; and as for that in-depth photography which coddled his hijinks, beyond exquisite: in fact, some of the best 3D ever to kiss celluloid. 

In addition to Browning and Chapman, Creature's cast presents an indelible ensemble: Richard Carlson, Richard Denning, Whit Bissell, Nester Pavia, Antonio Moreno, leggy Julia Adams and her equally leggy understudy, Ginger Stanley. The characters prove edgy and nuanced, and the Gill-man wouldn't be as frightful or forlorn if not for their presence. 

What more can I say that hasn't already been said about this box-office sensation? Creature from the Black Lagoon was and remains a Universal Studios' dream come true, a bridge between the old, monster regime and what then became the long-running new. It's a cherished production that's held up well, and if you've any doubt, give it a whirl, or a re-whirl, as it were. There's no way to come away unsatisfied, even seventy years after the trailblazing fact.

Collectible Time: It Came from Outer Space (Universal Essentials Collection)

Jack Arnold's It Came from Outer Space is an incontestable classic. Based on a premise by the great Ray Bradbury (and scripted by Harry [Creature from the Black Lagoon] Essex), the movie was a 3D extravaganza when it was released in 1953, but through "flat," televised showings over the decades, it solidified its spot as a character-driven, fear-of-the-unknown masterpiece. 

The Universal Essentials Collection has just launched a Blu-Ray/HD box set of the classic, which has aficionados ecstatic. 

The package includes  

1) Blu-ray & HD transfers of the movie

2) An alternate, 3D print on Blu-ray

3) The theatrical trailer

4) Commentary by film historian, Tom Weaver

5) "The Universe According to Universal" documentary

6) A 34-page booklet, highlighting on-set photos, promotional imagery and artwork

7) A reversible sleeve with original poster artwork

8) 4 promotional, art cards 

9) A film-cell replica

10) A numbered certificate of authenticity 

It Came from Outer Space is not only revered for Arnold's taut direction and Bradbury/Essex's reflective concept, but it holds an impressive cast, which includes Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Russell Johnson, Kathleen Hughes, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Edgar Dearing and George Eldredge. Each gives a nuanced performance, which drives the fable's uncanny, desert-alien draw. 

The cyclopean design for the desperate, crash-landed creatures (at least the one that manifests) is unforgettable and even more so when viewed in 3D. Actually, the movie's entire, 3D approach is exceptional and is considered one of the best examples of the audience-grabbing gimmick.

It Came from Outer Space: The Essential Collection should be part of every film buff's library and can be ordered at Amazon and other fine, film-based vendors. Buy It today!