Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection (1932-1939, Warner Archive Collection, 6 Blu-rays, 4 NR, 2 G, 412 min.). The six films in this collection are tales of mad passions and even madder deeds. They are “Doctor X,” “The Return of Doctor X,” “Mark of the Vampire,” “The Mask of Fu Manchu,” “Mad Love” and “The Devil Doll.” The stars include Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lionel Barrymore, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Maureen O’Sullivan and, in an early supporting role, Humphrey Bogart.

Individual reviews of the six films and each’s bonus material follow.

Doctor X (1932, NR, 76 min.). Director Michael Curtiz is known for such classic blockbusters as “Casablanca,” “White Christmas,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood” and “Captain Blood,” but among his 178 credits are three horror films he made in the 1930s. They include the previously reviewed and Warner Archive released “The Mystery of the Wax Museum” (1933) and “The Walking Dead” (1936), plus this film, the first of the trio. Both this and “Wax Museum” starred Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray.

The film basically is a murder mystery with some pseudo-science thrown in, meaning an excuse for lots of laboratory equipment. There also is a “haunted” mansion. The situation concerns a series of six murders, with all the victims cut by an instrument only found at the Academy of Surgical Research, run by Dr. Jerry Xavier (Atwill). There also are traces of cannibalism with this killer, who has been dubbed the Moon Killer by the press. Snooping around the case is reporter Lee Taylor of The Daily World (Lee Tracy of “Dinner at Eight,” “The Best Man”), whose job might depend on the case.

Det. O’Halloran (Willard Robertson) agrees to let Dr. Xavier investigate his fellow professors, using his new, unconventional method that has something to do with a blood response if the crimes are recreated, while the suspects are cuffed to their chairs. The suspects include Prof. Duke (Harry Beresford of “David Copperfield,” “Anna Karenina”), who is in a wheelchair; Prof. Wells (Preston Foster of “I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang,” “The Last Days of Pompeii”), a student of cannibalism who is missing one hand; and Drs. Haines (John Wray of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Each Dawn I Die”) and Rowitz (Arthur Edmund Carewe of “The Phantom of the Opera”), both survivors of a shipwreck.

All move to Dr. Xavier’s creepy manse, along with his daughter Joan (Fay Wray of “King Kong”) and servants Otto (George Rosner, who contributed to the screenplay, uncredited) and Mamie (Leila Bennett of “Mark of the Vampire,” below). Reporter Taylor follows and sneaks into the mansion, as he wants to report on the investigation and has fallen for Joan. Curtiz adds humor to the dark film by including Taylor hiding in a room full of skeletons. Curtiz would reuse the hiding in the morgue sequence in a more terrifying way in “The Mystery of the Wax Museum.” There also is creepiness, with the use of synthetic flesh – although it sometimes just looks like mud.

The film was made in 2-Color Technicolor, with the green adding spookiness to the backdrops. The Blu-ray also includes the black-and-white version of the film, which was shot separately and has been unavailable for more than 30 years. There are two audio commentaries: one by Alan K. Rode, author-film historian of “Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film”; and the other by Scott MacQueen, head of preservation at the UCLA Film & Television Archive, who headed the film’s restoration. MacQueen also hosts a before-and-after look at the restoration (7:35). There also is a very good look at Curtiz’s three horror films with Rode (27:39). Grade: film 3.25 stars; extras 3.5 stars

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932, G, 68 min.). In one of my columns, while discussing Anna May Wong’s career, I mentioned Hollywood’s prejudice against using Asian actors in appropriate roles. This film is one such example, as Dr. Fu Manchu is played by Boris Karloff (“Frankenstein”; he also played Detective Wong in two films) and his daughter Fah Lo See is played by Myrna Loy (“The Thin Man” series).

In the black-and-white film, both Fu Manchu and British Museum authorities are after the tomb of conqueror Genghis Khan, believed to be located at the edge of the Gobi Desert. Fu Manchu wants Khan’s mask and sword so he can rally the Asian peoples against the West. The British, led by Nayland Smith (Lewis Stone of “Grand Hotel,” “The Courtship of Andy Hardy”) of the British Secret Service, not only want the tomb’s contents for the British Museum, but also to keep them out of Fu Manchu’s hands. Sir Lionel Barton (Lawrence Grant of “Son of Frankenstein,” “Werewolf of London”) is to head up the British excavation, only Fu Manchu’s spies abduct him.

That leaves MacLeod (David Torrence of “Mutiny on the Bounty,” “Charlie Chan in London”) and Von Berg (Jean Hersholt of “Heidi”) to carry on the mission, accompanied by Barton’s daughter Sheila (Karen Morley of “Scarface,” “Pride and Prejudice”) and her apparent boyfriend Terry Granville (Charles Starrett, who played the Durango Kid in “The Desert Horseman,” “The Return of the Durango Kid,” “The Fighting Frontiersman”). The rescue mission seems more into digging up the mask and sword, than rescuing Barton, however.

Once the British have the mask and sword in hand, Granville offers to exchange them for Barton, only to be taken prisoner himself. While Barton is subject to torture under a giant bell, Granville, Fah Lo See’s future plaything, is whipped while bare-chested and given a drug that makes him follow Fu Manchu’s orders, and naturally, Sheila Barton is to be sacrificed to the gods.

The film comes with audio commentary by film historian Greg Mank, a pre-film warning about racial stereotyping and two vintage Merrie Melodies cartoons, “Freddy the Freshman” (6:54) and “The Queen Was in the Parlor” (6:46). Grade: film 3 stars; extras 2 stars

Mark of the Vampire (1935, G, 60 min.). Despite Bela Lugosi walking around as if he were Dracula – billed as Count Moro -- this feature from director Tod Browning (“Dracula,” “Freaks”) is actually a detective story, a remake of his lost film, “London After Midnight” (1927) with Lon Chaney. The film belongs to Lionel Barrymore as occult expert Prof. Zelin, who tries to help Police Inspector Neumann (Lionel Atwill) discover who has killed Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert). With two puncture marks on his neck and the body drained of blood, the supposition is that it is the work of a vampire, and for three-quarters of the film, there are several vampires skulking about the mansion. Both attending Dr. Doskil (Donald Meek) and Baron Otto von Zinden (Jean Hershalt) insist on the vampire theory.

The film’s plot is very flimsy, but Lugosi has some good moments and there is a fun search of the dungeons beneath the castle. According to the audio commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, the preview version was 20 minutes longer, but then trimmed by censors. Other extras, from 1935, are the short, “A Thrill for Thelma” (18 min.), from the “Crime Does Not Pay” series, and a Happy Harmonies cartoon, “The Calico Dragon” (7:57). Grade: film 2.75 stars; extras 2.5 stars

Mad Love (1935, NR, 68 min.). This film marked Peter Lorre’s U.S. film debut. Lorre had made “The Man Who Knew Too Much” with Alfred Hitchcock the previous year and “M” with Fritz Lang in 1931. He went on to star in “Casablanca,” “Arsenic and Old Lace” and “The Maltese Falcon,” among many others.

Here, Lorre plays famous Parisian surgeon Dr. Gogol, who becomes obsessed with stage actress Yvonne Orlac (Frances Drake of “The Invisible Ray,” “Les Miserables”). He has attended 47 straight performances and is dismayed to learn that Yvonne is quitting the theater to move to England to be with her composer husband, Stephen Orlac (Colin Clive of “Frankenstein,” “The Bride of Frankenstein”). Gogol is devastated by the news, but buys the wax statue of Yvonne that had been in the theater lobby.

When Stephen’s hands are crushed in a train accident, Yvonne appeals to Gogol to save his hands. Instead, Gogol substitutes the hands of knife-throwing killer Rollo (Edward Brophy), who just had his head chopped off by guillotine for his crimes. The film does have its amusing moments, as when Stephen discovers that while he has lost his touch at piano, he is excellent at throwing knives. Also, Gogol’s usually tipsy maid Francoise (May Beatty), who goes around with a giant parrot called Josephine on her shoulder, mixes up the real Yvonne with the wax Yvonne. Then too, Gogol is fond of playing the organ.

The film opens, similar to “Frankenstein,” with narration that the film may be too intense for audiences, then a fist smashes the title. The same story, under the original title “The Hands of Orlac,” has been made two other times, in 1924 and in 1960. The bonus feature is audio commentary by Steve Haberman. Grade: film 3.75 stars; extra 2.5 stars

The Devil Doll (1936, NR, 79 min.). Two escaped convicts from Devil’s Island successfully elude police. One is Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore of “Key Largo,” “It’s a Wonderful Life”), who has served 17 years for financial crimes he did not commit. His main purpose in escaping is to exact revenge of his three bank business partners, who were the real criminals, and possibly clear his name, so his elderly mother (Lucy Beaumont) and daughter Lorraine (Maureen O’Sullivan of “The Thin Man,” six “Tarzan” films with Johnny Weissmuller) will no longer suffer hardships due to his name.

The other escapee is Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), who has developed a process of miniaturizing living creatures, with a plan to shrink all the world’s population so there would be six times the amount of food available. (All right, we know the process is fantastical, but did he ever think how tiny people would be able to grow all the world’s food?) Marcel brings Lavond to his wife Marlita (Rafaela Ottiano of the scary eyes), who has continued his experiments.

Marcel soon dies and Lavond takes over, disguising himself as elderly Madame Mandelip and opening a toy store in Paris that specializes in life-like dolls. He then uses miniature people, whom he can control by telepathy, to kill two of his foes and force the third to confess. Meanwhile, Lavond works with his daughter’s suitor (Frank Lawton as taxi driver Toto) to make her life better.

The trick photography/miniature work by special effects genius Leonard Smith is superb. The film comes with audio commentary by film historian Dr. Steve Haberman and film historian/filmmaker Constantine Nasir; and two classic Looney Tunes cartoons, “Milk and Money” with Porky Pig (8:09) and “The Phantom Ship” (7:36). Grade: film 4 stars; extras 2.5 stars

The Return of Doctor X (1939, NR, 62 min.). This is a semi-sequel to 1932’s “Doctor X,” notable for casting Humphrey Bogart (“Casablanca,” “The Maltese Falcon”) in his only horror film role. Bogart plays the sinister-looking, rabbit-caressing Quesne, secretly Doctor Xavier, who works on blood research with Dr. Francis Flegg (John Litel of “Nancy Drew: Detective,” “They Died with Their Boots On”). The wrinkle is Doctor X had been electrocuted by the state and now he is secretly killing people with the rarest blood type to sustain his revived body.

The story centers around Morning Dispatch reporter Wally Garrett (Wayne Morris of “Paths of Glory,” “Kid Galahad”), who has an interview set up with theatrical star Angela Merrova (Lya Lys), only to arrive at her hotel room and find her stabbed to death. Instead of calling the police, Garrett calls his editor and the paper runs his exclusive. Only the next day, the very-much-alive Merrova is suing the newspaper for $100,000, which gets Garrett fired.

Sure of what he saw, but perplexed, Garrett dogs both Merrova and Detective Roy Kincaid (Charles C. Wilson of “It Happened One Night”). Garret also goes to his friend, Dr. Mike Rhodes (Dennis Morgan of “Christmas in Connecticut,” TV’s “21 Beacon Street”), who works at the hospital with Dr. Flegg. Flegg is trying to develop synthetic blood to help his reanimated subjects.

While Bogart could have done more, and he only shows up a third-of-the-way into the film, his look is sufficiently creepy here and the film is worth watching. Extras include audio commentary by director Vincent Sherman (this was his directorial debut) and author/film historian Steve Haberman, plus two cartoons, Merrie Melodies’ “Dog Gone Modern” (7:26) and Looney Tunes’ “Porky’s Hotel” (6:48), starring Porky Pig. Grade: film 3.5 stars; extras 2.5 stars

Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it

Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour aka The Sleeping Cardinal (United Kingdom, 1931, Film Masters Archive Collection, Blu-ray, NR, 81 min.). The film is based on two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s tales, “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House.” In the atmospheric production from England’s Twickenham studios, card cheat Ronald “Ronnie” Adair (Leslie Perrins of “The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes”), of the diplomatic service, is forced into carrying stolen money through customs in Paris. As a diplomat, his luggage is not searched. However, the night before the trip, Adair is found shot in the head and suicide is suspected by Inspector Lestrade (Philip Hewland of “Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Rembrandt”).

Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Wontner of 4 other Sherlock Holmes film, 3 TV “Hamlet” films) believes Adair was murdered and that he was being forced to act on behalf of Professor Robert Moriarty (Norman McKinnel of “Fanny Hawthorne”). Holmes also believes Moriarty is behind two bank break-ins in London and Berlin during which apparently nothing was stolen. Holmes thinks the real cash was replaced by counterfeit bills.

At one point, Moriarty visits Holmes and unsuccessfully threatens him, after luring away both Dr. Watson (Ian Fleming of 3 other Sherlock Holmes’ films, TV’s “The Forsythe Saga”) and housekeeper Mrs. Hudson (Minnie Rayner of 3 other Sherlock Holmes films). Grade: film 3 stars

Get Carter (1971, Warner Archive Collection, 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, R, 111 min.). Director-screenwriter Mike Hodges' classic crime drama stars Michael Caine (“The Dark Knight,” “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” “Funeral in Berlin,” “Alfie”) in one of his career-best roles as ruthless London gangster Jack Carter, who is on the hunt for those responsible for his brother's mysterious death in a car accident. Carter travels north by train – during the opening credits – to Newcastle to investigate.

Caine, who does a 2000 audio commentary with Hodges and cinematographer Wolfgang Sischinsky, says that having grown up in one of London's poor districts, he knew gangsters and many of those he knew later turned to crime. The film is filled with seedy hangouts and murky alliances, a view Caine understood, and Caine expressed it on screen with a quiet intensity.

Carter is an enforcer for two London mobsters, the Fletcher brothers, Gerald and Sid (Terence Rigby and John Bindon), likely modeled after the infamous Krays. In the opening scene, he sits with the Fletchers and Gerald's girlfriend, Anna (Britt Ekland), as they watch black-and-white porno slides. The Fletchers are telling Jack not to go to Newcastle, his home town in the north, but Jack is adamant that he will attend his brother's funeral and investigate the so-called accident.

The film often is confusing as Hodges omitted from his screenplay parts of the novel that explained who is who and provides Carter’s backstory. Carter pushes his way in and out of bars, clubs and private homes filled with men who want him to leave well enough alone and take the next train back to London. Along the way, he eliminates the occasional transgressor.

The local crime boss, Cyril Kinnear (John Osborne, screenwriter of “Tom Jones”), with whom the Fletchers do business, is polite but unhelpful, and his chauffeur, Eric Paice (Ian Hendry of “Repulsion,” TV’s “The Avengers”), an old acquaintance of Jack's, is hostile. Cliff Brumby (Bryan Mosley of TV’s “Coronation Street”), a big-time businessman who owns most of the area's arcades, first tries to get Carter to leave town, then tells him Kinnear had his brother killed and offers him cash to kill Kinnear, who is trying to muscle in on Brumby's business. Brumby has a spectacular death.

Several times, Hodges does back-and-forth quick cuts of two contrasting scenes, including Linda driving a car and having sex with Carter.

Extras include a second audio commentary from 2022 by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw; a 2022 introduction by Caine (2:30) and his 1971 introduction (46 secs.); an hour-long conversation with Hodges (with all the film clips excised); an interview with Petra Markham, who played Doreen, Carter’s niece (21:53); Jonny Tunk discussing Roy Budd’s music (17:07); Tony Klinger discussing his father, producer Michael Klinger (24:09); and a music trailer featuring Budd (3:41). Grade: film 4 stars; extras 3.75 stars

Sordid Lives (2002, Wolfe, Blu-ray + DVD, R, 111 min.). Three generations of a dysfunctional family in a small Texas town gather for a funeral in this comedy by writer-director Del Shores, based on his play (from which most of the cast came from). The accidental death of the elderly family matriarch came during a clandestine meeting in a seedy motel room with her much younger, married neighbor, G.W. Nethercott (Beau Bridges of “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” TV’s new “Matlock”). The woman's family must deal with their own demons while preparing for what could be an embarrassing funeral.

The fatal accident occurred when matriarch Peggy tripped over G.W.’s detached pair of wooden legs while leaving the bed to use the bathroom. As she fell, her head hit the sink.

Most of the action takes place in three settings. G.W. is drowning his sorrows at a bar with fellow patron Odell Owens (Earl H. Bullock of “Die Hard 2”). The bartender is Wardell Owens (Newell Alexander of “Astro Boy”). In one of the funniest scenes, G.W.’s upset wife, Noleta (Delta Burke of TV’s “Delta,” “Designing Women”) and friend LaVonda DuPree (Ann Walker of TV’s “Sordid Lives: The Series”), having just seen “Thelma & Louise,” storm into the bar with weapons and force the three men to strip to their underwear and dance together.

The second set is the trailer of sisters Noleta and Latrelle Williamson’s (Bonnie Bedelia of 2 “Die Hard” films) aunt, where the three discuss the family. The third is the various therapist offices that Latrelle’s gay actor son Ty (Kirk Geiger of “Karate Kill”) visits. He has had 27 therapists. One of Ty’s flashbacks is of him performing nude, among other nude men, in a play, with his parents in attendance.

The other major character is Earl “Brother Boy” Ingram (Leslie Jordan of TV’s “Will & Grace”), a transvestite who has patterned his life after Tammy Wynette. He has been locked away in a psychiatric hospital for 23 years thanks to Wardell’s attack on him. Earl’s therapist, Dr. Eve Bolinger (Rosemary Alexander), is so desperate to prove she can convert homosexuals that she tries to force Earl to have sex with her.

Spread throughout the film is Olivia Newton-John (“Grease,” “Xanadu”) as Bitsy Mae Harling, who performs country songs. At the film’s end, the cast does a fun lip-synch version of Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad.”

Extras include audio commentary by Shores and cast members, including Geiger and Alexander; an interview with Shores (11:48); and interviews with cast members Bridges, Beth Grant and Alexander (24:03). Grade: film 3 stars; extras 2.5 stars

The Jester from Transylvania (2024, Gemini Entertainment, Blu-ray, NR, 97 min.). Until an explanation in the final five minutes, the film is incomprehensible, making it a difficult slog.

Screenwriter Michael Cunningham (Emmet J Scanlan of TV’s “Kin,” “MobLand,” “Peaky Blinders”) is on his way to meet film director Charles Pennington (Michael Ironside of “Starship Troopers,” “Total Recall,” “Scanners”) at a hunting lodge in the Transylvanian mountains, when he almost hits Touchstone (Jordan Prentice of “In Bruges,” “Howard the Duck”), who describes himself later as the ghost of a 500-year-old court jester.

Cunningham is accompanied by James, who tries to kill Michael at one point. In fact, soon several hunters also are trying to kill Michael, as the film builds up the violence.

The film is said to be inspired by the ancient legends of the Carpathians. It features a special appearance by European icon Franco Nero (“Django,” “Die Hard 2”) as One-eye.

The sole extra is a lengthy behind-the-scenes look (48:39). Grade: film 2 stars; extra 2.25 stars