The Undying Monster – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1942
Director: John Brahm
Writers: Lillie Hayward, Michael Jacoby, Jessie Douglas Kerruish
Cast: James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher, Heather Thatcher, Aubrey Mather, Halliwell Hobbes

Release Date: November 22nd, 2016
Approximate Running Time: 63 Minutes 33 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"When Helga Hammond (Heather Angel, The Informer) hears about a legend whereby a male member of her family is about to be sacrificed every few years, she discounts the legend as nonsense. But when Helga's brother, Oliver (John Howard, Lost Horizon) is attacked by a horrific beast that is part man and part wolf, it appears that the legend is true. When Scotland Yard inspector (James Ellison, I Walked with a Zombie) investigates the link between the werewolf and the family, he discovers an even more shocking truth!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

The Undying Monster comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 14.2 GB

Feature: 12.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in great shape. Any source-related debris is minimal. Also, this transfer is sourced from the same restoration that was used for Fox’s DVD release. The image looks crisp, the contrast and black levels look very good, and there are no compression issues.

Audio: 3.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English, and included with this release are removable English subtitles. Though the audio sounds clean and balanced, things are limited range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an animated montage of images, a restoration comparison (3 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Concerto Macabre: The Films of John Brahm (16 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with film Historians Tom Weaver and Robert J. Kiss with Sumishta Brahm, daughter of John Brahm, and an audio commentary with film Historians Tom Weaver and David Schecter.

Other extras include trailers for The Lodger (1944) and The Black Sleep.

Summary:

The Undying Monster was Twentieth Century-Fox’s attempt to replicate what Universal Pictures did with their monster horror films from the 1930’s. The narrative revolves around a curse where family members for generations have died under suspicious circumstances. And there is a monster that roams the countryside near the family's estate that bolsters the curse.

Though The Undying Monster has many elements that are associated with the horror genre, the result is a film that is best described as a horror/mystery film, leaning more towards the latter. The bulk of the narrative is a whodunit scenario in which characters try to uncover the truth about what is going on.

Surprisingly, the performances are actually very good, and often exceed expectations. With the strongest performance being Heather Angel (Lifeboat) in the role of Helga Hammond, a woman whose family is plagued by untimely deaths. Her character's role in the investigation drives the narrative.

Though most B films from this era have their fair share of shortcomings, this is not the case with The Undying Monster, a film that maximizes its resources. The strong visuals give The Undying Monster an ample amount of atmosphere, and at just around sixty-three minutes in length, a briskly paced narrative ensures there is rarely a dull moment. Ultimately, The Undying Monster is a solid B film that does a great job of capturing the essence of Universal’s 1930’s monster films.

The Undying Monster gets a good release from Kino Lorber that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer