It would come as no surprise to Val Lewton that even after 70 years his movies are still being marketed as horror films. That was how they first came into being. He surely would be surprised and thrilled that they are so highly regarded today for at the end of his short life (he died at 46), he viewed his life with some regret and his career as a failure. They are horror films in name only especially by today’s standards but that has always been the case even in the 1940s when they first appeared.
As has often been proclaimed elsewhere, they are dark psychological dramas with occasional supernatural overtones. They are film noir before film noir became fashionable. While some of the look of the films was on account of the tight budgets, there is no question that they have the appearance that Val Lewton wanted. If you ever get the opportunity to read FEARING THE DARK: THE VAL LEWTON CAREER by Edmund G. Bansak, you will see excerpts from Val Lewton’s early writing style which says in words what his movies would later visualize.
This set is the same as the 2005 one with the exception of the new documentary narrated by Martin Scorsese. It goes hand in hand with the original documentary SHADOWS IN THE DARK. As another reviewer stated, be sure and save the documentaries for last so that the surprise elements of the films won’t be given away. Also watch the original documentary first. Even though they are not coupled on the DVDs this way, the ideal method for watching the films is in the order that they were made so that you can see how they evolved and watch how the supporting players switch characters and personalities over the course of the nine films.
The original order is 1) CAT PEOPLE, 2) I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, 3) THE LEOPARD MAN, 4) THE 7TH VICTIM, 5) THE GHOST SHIP, 6) THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE, 7) ISLE OF THE DEAD, 8) THE BODY SNATCHER, 9) BEDLAM. Val Lewton’s movies aren’t for everyone especially the hardcore horror fans of today but if you allow yourself to enter their world and to work their magic, then you will come back from these dark fairy tales having witnessed a cinematic miracle.
The Capsule Critic 