Fans of recent horror sometimes dismiss the old black and white films as rather childish in their scares. Well let it be known that Murders in the Zoo opens with an image that probably gave your great grandmother nightmares for decades. This pre-code film from 1933 has a big game hunter (Son of Frankenstein‘s Lionel Atwill) so upset at guys who flirt with his wife that he gets immediate revenge on an assistant who might have kissed her. This scene was so intense that Svengoolie warned younger viewers. Later in the films, various animals were let loose in a zoo. This was before Hollywood cared about being careful with animals. The Mad Doctor of Market Street has Atwill looking to raise the dead. The Strange Case of Doctor Rx has Atwill tangled up with a serial killer investigation. The Mad Ghoul has a scientist investigating Mayan nerve gas. It doesn’t star Atwill, but you get Milburn Stone, beloved as Doc on Gunsmoke. These four titles were previously released as burn on demand DVD-Rs. But now you can see their nightmares in Blu-ray as part of Universal Horror Collection Vol. 2. This is a fine collection for the Svengoolie lover who thinks they made them scary in the black and white days. Here’s the press release from Scream Factory with the bonus features:
SCREAM FACTORY PRESENTS
UNIVERSAL HORROR COLLECTION VOL. 2
ON BLU-RAY™ JULY 23
Los Angeles, CA – A collection of mad doctors and murderous fiends want to go home with you… Universal Horror Collection Volume 2 is coming to Blu-ray on July 23 from Scream Factory. The collection is loaded with extras, including new commentaries, and a new featurette.
Undertake four tales of terror from the archives of Universal Pictures, the home of classic horror! This collection includes such horror stars as Lionel Atwill, George Zucco, David Bruce and Evelyn Ankers. A maniacal hunter and collector of wild animals uses them to dispose of rival and enemies in Murders in the Zoo. An unhinged scientist flees the San Francisco police and continues his bizarre experiments on a remote tropical island in The Mad Doctor of Market Street. A mysterious avenger is murdering acquitted criminals while dabbling in brain transplants in The Strange Case of Doctor Rx. And a doctor’s experiments with nerve gas turn his assistant into a grave-robbing freak in The Mad Ghoul.
MURDERS IN THE ZOO
· NEW Audio Commentary with author/film historian Greg Mank
· Still Gallery
MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET
· Theatrical Trailer
· Still Gallery
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX
· NEW Gloriously Wicked: The Life and Legacy of Lionel Atwill
· Still Gallery
THE MAD GHOUL
· NEW Audio Commentary by film historian Thomas Reader
· Still Gallery
About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform media company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Shout! Factory Films, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.
