The Christopher Lee Collection [Limited Editon] [4 Discs] [DVD]

It's time once again for one of horror's greatest icons with Blue Underground's The Christopher Lee Collection box set. Containing four of his Harry Alan Towers-produced classics from the late '60s B-film era, the set showcases three of his collaborative efforts with cult director Jess Franco (The Blood of Fu Manchu, The Castle of Fu Manchu, and The Bloody Judge), along with Circus of Fear, restored for the first time on American soil. With all of the films boasting their full European cuts and gorgeous 16 x 9 widescreen presentations (all 1.66:1, except for The Bloody Judge's 2.35:1 letterboxed picture) and crisp Dolby Digital Mono tracks, Blue Underground continues their track record of excellence with all films presented in their definitive versions. Starting with 1966's Circus of Fear disc, the film has been restored from a British color negative, finally displaying its brilliant color scheme and 22 minutes of deleted footage that the original disastrous black-and-white American print destroyed years ago. In addition, a long-lost eight-minute sequence found in a storage vault has been added in, completing director John Moxey's vision for this macabre tale, as evidenced on his commentary track with Blue Underground's David Gregory. The disc also contains four various trailers, talent bios, and the usual quality poster and stills gallery cult fanatics have come to expect from the company that caters to them with each release. Unfortunately, a small batch of the set included a faulty Circus of Fear disc, though it can be easily traded in through the company's website (www.blue-underground.com). Extras on the box continue with the story of the Fu Manchu series recounted in "The Rise of Fu Manchu" (15 min.) documentary on the Blood of Fu Manchu disc and also in "The Fall of Fu Manchu" (14 min.) on The Castle of Fu Manchu DVD. Both David Gregory-helmed features include candid interviews with the director and star, with wonderful bits thrown in from actress Tsai Chin and producer Harry Alan Towers himself. Each disc also contains their respected trailers, poster and still galleries, The Facts of Dr. Fu Manchu notes, talent bios, and in-depth liner notes on the inside of the box's sleeve from Video Watchdog's esteemed editor-in-chief Tim Lucas. Finally, exclusive to this set is The Bloody Judge, the grisly tale of 17th century witch hunts and the infamously cruel Judge George Jeffreys. Once again, director Franco and his star Lee lend their thoughts on the film and the real history behind the film's main character in the 25-minute "Bloody Jess" featurette. Not only is this the longest documentary on the disc, but the extras it includes are a joy too -- with one six-minute deleted scene taken from a video bootleg of a very rare Spanish print (picture quality isn't the best, but kudos to them for including it). In fact, various versions of the film seem to be a theme, with four additional alternate scenes from different prints around the States and Europe being included as well. The fun doesn't stop there, with three trailers and a TV spot awaiting you in the Extras menu, along with one of the most impressive poster and still galleries for a cult disc this year -- featuring separate sections on Posters, German and U.S. Lobby Cards, Publicity Stills, Behind-the-Scenes Stills, U.S. Press Book, Soundtrack Booklet, and its multiple Video Box artwork. Definitely the most packed of all of the films in the set, it's the exclusive capper for The Christopher Lee Collection and another ingenious box to go alongside Blue Underground's Spaghetti Western Collection and the controversial Mondo Cane Collection.