​Movie magic: stocking up for a hi-def Halloween

There are plenty of more artistic, edifying, or thought-provoking films to watch, but genre films tend to be the cinematic equivalent of comfort food, that can be returned to repeatedly for an entertaining hour or two.

The crisp clarity of a high-definition image makes the attraction to revisit favorites even stronger. Genres may be westerns, musicals, action-adventures, mystery-thrillers, or others, but this time of year tends to inspire watching horror/sci-fi movies, and especially those from the 1930s through the 1960s.

Four years ago Universal Pictures came out with their “Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection,” an excellent nine-film Blu-ray set including beautiful high-definition editions of “Dracula” (1931), “Frankenstein” (1931), “The Mummy” (1932), and more, through 1954.

This month, in plenty of time for Halloween, they have just released Blu-ray sets of recently-restored films comprising two of their golden-era 1930s-40s classic horror series of sequels: the eight-film “Frankenstein Complete Legacy Collection,” and “The Wolf Man Complete Legacy Collection” with seven films, four of which overlap with the “Frankenstein” set, so only three additional films if you get both. Each also includes the first of the series for collectors who do not already have the “Essential Collection.” I may review these Legacy Collections, or at least portions of them, sometime in upcoming weeks.

But Universal wasn’t the only major studio doing stylish horror-thriller fantasies in the 1930s, or the only ones featuring Bela “Dracula” Lugosi, or with restored films available on Blu-ray. Fox Film Corporation jumped on the Lugosi bandwagon in 1932, and the result can now be enjoyed and reexamined at leisure in full 1080p.

Not too many Fox films from before its merger with 20th Century have survived the ravages of time, decomposition, and vault fires, and even fewer are on video, much less Blu-ray.

“Chandu the Magician” (1932) was just released to Blu-ray last month and coincidentally premiered in theatres the week of September 30, 1932. While not a major prestigious classic, it is a prime example of solid, polished studio filmmaking, capitalizing on the horror genre that had recently shot to popularity the year before, but blending in various other elements for box office appeal. It’s not so much a standard horror film as it is an exotic adventure fantasy with generous doses of the supernatural, science-fiction, and of course romance, inspired by a hit radio show of the same title.

A major draw for audiences, then and now, is the casting of horror icon Bela Lugosi in one of his most memorable roles as the gleefully insane evil villain Roxor, who has set up headquarters in an ancient Egyptian temple and does not want simply to conquer the world. He wants to destroy it and humanity along with it! This he hopes to accomplish by acquiring a powerful death-ray that has been perfected by otherwise mild-mannered scientist and family man Robert Regent, played by silent screen veteran Henry B. Walthall.

It just so happens that Regent’s brother-in-law Frank Chandler (the top-billed Edmund Lowe) has been in India studying mysticism and the art of illusion, and is a magician known as “Chandu” (pronounced “Shawn-doo”). When Regent and later his wife (Virginia Hammond) and children Betty Lou (June Vlasek/Lang) and Bobby (Nestor Aber) are kidnapped by the ruthless Roxor to obtain the death-ray device, Chandu knows he must use his hypnotic abilities to save both them and the world.

This he sets out to do with the help of his girlfriend, the beautiful Egyptian Princess Nadji (former Miss America Irene Ware) and comic alcoholic English sidekick Albert Miggles (Herbert Mundin). Meanwhile, an ally of Roxor named Abdullah (Weldon Heyburn) wants to possess Princess Nadji for himself and figures prominently among the dangerous obstacles Chandu must deal with.

The action moves along fast and furiously in only a 72-minute running time, with regular cliff-hanging climaxes and resolutions that call to mind a serial (and in fact two years later a 12-episode Chandu serial was produced, but starring Lugosi in the title role instead of as the villain).

“Chandu the Magician” is aimed primarily at juvenile audiences (and radio fans) with its escapist action-adventure and first-rate special effects (decades before CGI), and thus tones down or discreetly skirts around some of its adult themes. Nevertheless, it is still obvious that it was made before the Production Code crackdown, with some of its potentially disturbing violent implications, and especially when the lovely young Betty Lou is being auctioned off at the slave market in a clingy gown with little or nothing beneath it.

Besides plenty of over-the-top action, a large part of the film’s appeal is its striking look -- in setting, lighting, and camera composition. It was co-directed by Oscar-winning visual stylist William Cameron Menzies, a noted art director and production designer throughout the silent era and later for “Gone With the Wind,” among others, and Marcel Varnel, who was better-known a few years later for making comedies in England. The effective black-and-white expressionistic cinematography is by the great James Wong Howe.

The surviving 35mm elements on “Chandu the Magician” appear to have been in very good condition. Picture quality on Kino’s Blu-ray is quite sharp and film-like with good contrast that showcases the visuals nicely. Some scratches are visible but most of the dust has been digitally removed. A few grainy shots (besides obvious optical effects) may be due to dupe material in the preprint used for the scan. Audio is okay but shows its age.

Bonus features include a very good audio commentary by Gregory William Mank, a nice little featurette (in SD) about Chandu on radio and film, a brief restoration comparison, and trailers to two other Lugosi films: “The Black Sleep” and “White Zombie,” both also available on Blu-ray from Kino.

CHANDU THE MAGICIAN on Blu-ray -- Movie: B / Video: A- / Audio: B+ / Extras: B