Sci-Fi Chillers Collection Blu-ray Review

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

The Sci-Fi Chillers Collection brings together three sci-fi creature features from the 1950s and 1960s, remastered and restored by Paramount. The first disc in the collection contains the two black and white films The Unknown Terror and The Colossus of New York. In the former, A millionaire, married to his best friend’s former girlfriend, leads an expedition into cave near a rural Mexican village to find her missing brother, her embittered and crippled ex along for the search. There they find a mad scientist who has created a dangerous fungus creature who is feeding on the locals. The film is bathed in noir-like visuals, and the typical B-movie charm. Despite some plot holes, especially in the third act that call into question the premise of the dangerous infectious fungus, this one is still a fun watch. The Colossus of New York, shot on a shoestring budget, finds a genius humanitarian on his way to collect the Nobel Peace Prize struck dead in a motor vehicle accident. Rather than leaving him for dead, his father, a brain surgeon, keeps his brain alive and transfers it into a robot. The robot awakens, first with the same gentle demeanor, but soon grows into an uncontrollable terror with superhuman powers.

Lastly, the only film in color in this collection, is Destination Inner Space. In this most typical of the three creature features has a group of scientists working in an undersea station who discover an alien ship. When they bring a strange cylindrical object back to the station from the alien ship – because of course they do – it births an alien creature — that could double for the creature from the black lagoon — that goes on a rampage.

The films in this collection are the kinds of films that came out of the so-called “poverty row” studios and would be the fodder of drive-in theaters, but they are fun little films, quick, with brief run times. These are nothing to think too hard on, just enjoy the ridiculous monsters, mad scientists, and overuses of stock footage stretch the budget.

Purchase Sci-Fi Chillers Collection [The Unknown Terror / The Colossus of New York / Destination Inner Space] [Blu-ray] on Amazon.com

The Video

The three films in the Sci-Fi Chillers Collection are new HD masters taken from 4K scans. The Unknown Terror (2.35:1 AVC 1080p) is the best looking of the two black and white films that populate disc one, with inky blacks and high contrast. There is a good bit of grain, but some shots show a little bit of smooth, waxiness in the faces. It is not that one would say this has been overly DNR’d. but it appears slightly on occasion. The Colossus of New York (1.85:1 AVC 1080p), also in black and white, has flatter cinematography than The Unknown Terror, not has high contrast, but the detail is there and has a thin layer of grain. There is bit more apparent source damage in this one like scratches and some sparkle, but it is overall a good and satisfying presentation. Lastly, populating its own disc, there is Destination Inner Space (1.85:1 AVC 1080p), the only color film in the collection. This one, part from the transitional scenes where grain becomes coarse and there is more damage apparent, looks quite good and crisp. Perhaps given it is in Eastmancolor, it is naturally not as high contrast as the two black and white features in the collection, but the colors look very appealing in that sixties B-movie kind of way, with lots of primaries and Crayon colors.

The Audio

Each film comes with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track. There is trivial difference in audio quality between each film. None of the films is going to offer a soundtrack that competes with modern mixes, obviously, but for mixes from the era, these sound quite good, free from a lot of noise, popping, clipping, and sibilance.

The Supplements

Each film in the collection gets an interesting audio commentary, with the commentary for The Unknown Terror from Stephen R. Bissette being the standout for his relaxed, often humorous commentary and to-the-point trivia. There are also “sidebars” on The Colossus of New York and Destination Inner Space respectively, between Bissette and Tim Lucas, where the pair discuss the films, the productions, and more.

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary for The Unknown Terror by Artist and Film Historian Stephen R. Bissette
• Audio Commentary for The Colossus of New York by Tom Weaver, Larry Blamire, and Ron Adams
• Audio Commentary for Destination Inner Space by Film Historians David Del Valle and Stan Shaffer
• Sidebar on The Colossus of New York with Tim Lucas and Stephen R. Bissette (1080p; 01:03:04)
• Sidebar on Destination Inner Space with Tim Lucas and Stephen R. Bissette (1080p; 00:38:25)
• The Colossus of New York – Trailer (1080p; 00:01:36)

The Final Assessment

A fun collection of B-movie sci-fi horror films that looks great in these new HD transfers from Kino Lorber. These are just perfect for passing the time with some popcorn during a not so serious movie marathon.

Sci-Fi Chillers Collection [The Unknown Terror / The Colossus of New York / Destination Inner Space] is out on Blu-ray May 28, 2024 from KL Studio Classics.

Purchase Sci-Fi Chillers Collection [The Unknown Terror / The Colossus of New York / Destination Inner Space] [Blu-ray] on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: Not Rated
• Studios & Distributors: Emirau Productions | Regal Films | Paramount Pictures | Kino Lorber
• Directors: Charles Marquis Warren (The Unknown Terror) | Eugène Lourié (The Colossus of New York) | Francis D. Lyon (Destination Inner Space)
• Written By: Kenneth Higgins (The Unknown Terror) | Thelma Schnee, Willis Goldbeck (The Colossus of New York) | Arthur C. Pierce (Destination Inner Space)
• Run Time: 230 Mins.
• Street Date: 28 May 2024
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 | 1.85:1
• Video Format: AVC 1080p
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles: English SDH