Warner Bringing Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Them!, Mighty Joe Young, and Son of Kong to Blu-ray for the First Time Ever
Warner Bros is dipping into the vaults to bring a quarter of creature features from the golden age of cinema into the modern era of blu-ray. Mark your calendars for the Warner Special Effects Collection.
Beast from 20,000 Fathoms – The progenitor for Godzilla yet to come; Eugene’s Lourie’s classic 1953 monster movie based on a Ray Bradbury short story introduced the world to a ferocious dinosaur awakened from Arctic slumber by atomic testing that cuts a path of destruction through the North Atlantic en route to wreaking havoc in New York City. Ray Harryhausen’s top-notch stop-motion effects work contributed to making this one of the seminal genre films of the era.
Them! – James Whitmore tangles with giant ants spawned by atom bomb testing in New Mexico that threaten the entire world (but mostly New Mexico and Los Angeles). Oscar-nominated special effects and that unsettling giant ant chirping sound made this 1956 classic the greatest of all the atomic age giant bug movies.
Mighty Joe Young – Not the Charlize Theron remake from the Nineties; this is the original 1949 classic about a young girl and the gargantuan gorilla she helped raise getting exploited by the entertainment industry until the mighty monkey finally runs amok. Boasting Academy Award-winning special effects by Willis O’Brien and his then apprentice Ray Harryhausen.
Son of Kong – The 1933 sequel to the original masterpiece sees the men who captured King Kong return to Skull Island where they encounter the 8th Wonder of the World’s friendlier yet still monstrous son.
Each movie will be released individually on October 6th for about $20 each. For those that want them all, the quartet will also be available together in specialized set under the title Warner “Special Effects” Collection. That set retails for $54.95.
Seems to me they could have come up with something a bit more colorful to call this given the fantastical nature of the four films involved.
No info yet as to what, if any, extras will included on the discs. But we have an idea what the set packaging will look like.
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