TERROR IN THE FOG--THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC

 

I still haven't written all the posts that I intend to on Eureka's MABUSE LIVES! Blu-ray box set, and the company's next major Krimi offering has already arrived. TERROR IN THE FOG--THE WALLACE KRIMI AT CCC is another sublime package, containing six mystery/terror/suspense films made in Germany during the early 1960s by producer Artur Brauner's CCC studio. 

The six films showcased in TERROR IN THE FOG were made as a response to the German Rialto Krimi series, based on the works of British thriller writer Edgar Wallace. The CCC company decided to base their Krimis on the writings of Wallace's son Bryan Edgar Wallace....despite the fact that the first film in this set, THE CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE, was adapted from a novel written by the father instead of the son. 

Confused? It's easy to be when one delves into the world of Krimi cinema. The CCC Krimis used many of the stars (and even some directors) that participated in the Rialto series, and many assume that the CCC and Rialto Krimis were all made by one company (much like folks who can't tell the difference between a Hammer or a Amicus 1960s horror film). 

The movies included in the TERROR IN THE FOG set are THE CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE, THE STRANGLER OF BLACKMOOR CASTLE, THE MAD EXECUTIONERS, THE PHANTOM OF SOHO, THE MONSTER OF LONDON CITY, and THE RACETRACK MURDERS. Each film is in its original running time and aspect ratio, and each has German and English voice tracks. All the films look fantastic, with razor sharp black & white picture quality, and they even have their original color main titles--a striking element that adds to their unique nature. (I know someone out there is thinking "If the main titles are in color, why didn't they make the entire movie that way??" In the immortal words of Lon Chaney Jr., "You don't understand!!") THE PHANTOM OF SOHO is presented in SD, but it still looks great. 

Just like the MABUSE LIVES! set, TERROR IN THE FOG has a boatload of extras, including intros for each film by Tim Lucas, audio commentaries by the likes of Kevin Lyons, Jonathan Rigby, Kim Newman, and Barry Forshaw, original trailers, featurettes, and a 60-page booklet containing stills and info on the films in the set. The set comes with two disc cases, each with two discs. The case sleeves are reversible, and this Blu-ray set is for Regions A & B. 

Most of the films in this set I had already seen, due to their appearance on DVD from good old Retromedia. Needless to say, those DVDs can't in any way compete with the presentation given the movies by Eureka. I've managed to watch all the films in this set, and seeing them in their original versions makes one realize how well-made they are. Due to the rareness of the German Krimis in English-speaking markets, and their lackluster home video releases, many assume they were cheap & silly--but they are decidedly not. The CCC Krimis in this set are a bit darker and seedier than their Rialto cousins, and their constant mixing of various genres holds the viewer's interest. 

I intend to write blog posts on the individual films in this set--that is, once I finish with the MABUSE LIVES! box. All the films in the TERROR IN THE FOG and MABUSE LIVES! sets deserve much more coverage than they have already gotten--for classic horror/sci-fi movie geeks, the German Krimis are kind of a last frontier, an unexplored area that provides plenty of discoveries and food for thought. Eureka has done a brilliant job with both of these sets, and I hope they have more entries from CCC on the way (I'd love for the company's DIE NIBELUNGEN remake to get an official Region A release).