Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Legacy Collection DVD Review (Universal)

Alfred Hitchcock Presents is a 1955 suspense television series co-written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, The Birds, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rope, and Dial M for Murder). It was directed by Robert Stevens (The Alfred Hitchcock Hour), Paul Henreid (Dead Ringer), Herschel Daugherty (Thriller), Norman Lloyd (Tales of the Unexpected), Arthur Hiller (Love Story), Alan Crosland Jr. (Wonder Woman), James Neilson (Batman), Justus Addiss (The Twilight Zone), John Brahm (The Outer Limits), Robert Stevenson (Mary Poppins), Don Taylor (Damien: Omen II), Don Weis (Freddy’s Nightmares), Stuart Rosenberg (The Amityville Horror), Robert Florey (The Vicious Years), and many others. It was produced by Joan Harrison (The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Eye Witness, Circle of Danger, Suspicion, Journey to the Unknown, and The Most Deadly Game). It followed by The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and 1985’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It’s time to explore a variety of tales featuring horror, mystery, crime, thriller, and drama hosted by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock. This television anthology series delivers short stories of pure terror and insanity through the eyes of the master of suspense!!!! Alfred Hitchcock Presents is a classic television show that provides so many different weird and wild episodes. It’s a darker look at a harsh reality. 5 of the episodes were written and based on the work of author Robert Bloch (Psycho, The Hunger, Bates Motel, Monsters, Asylum, Tales from the Darkside, Torture Garden, Circle of Fear, Thriller, and The Skull). Presents gave the audience a more personal look at Alfred Hitchcock and his personality. It showed a new side of the guy that’s usually behind the camera. He just elevates each story before and after they are done. He even directed 17 episodes for it. That’s all he could do at the time because movies always kept busy. It’s one of the best when it comes to 50’s television. It featured some really dark material and it always had impressive scripts that kept you guessing until the very end. There’s all kinds of familiar faces that show up here. The talented cast included Vincent Price (House on Haunted Hill), Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry franchise), Robert Redford (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), Steve McQueen (Bullitt), Charles Bronson (Death Wish franchise), Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights), Robert Duvall (The Godfather franchise), Walter Matthau (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three), Leslie Nielsen (Creepshow), William Shatner (Star Trek franchise), Teresa Wright (Shadow of a Doubt), Peter Falk (Columbo), Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane), John Williams (Dial M for Murder), Robert Horton (The Green Slime), Dick York (Bewitched), Norman Lloyd (Saboteur), Julie Adams (Creature from the Black Lagoon), Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein), Denholm Elliott (Indiana Jones franchise), Robert Loggia (Big), Rip Torn (Men in Black franchise), Harry Dean Stanton (Wild at Heart), James Coburn (The Great Escape), Veronica Cartwright (Alien), Clu Gulager (The Return of the Living Dead), Darren McGavin (A Christmas Story), Martin Balsam (Psycho), John Cassavetes (Rosemary’s Baby), Roger Moore (James Bond franchise), Peter Lorre (M), Vera Miles (Psycho), Barbara Steele (Black Sunday), Bette Davis (All About Eve), and Michael J. Pollard (Bonnie and Clyde). It’s on the same level as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. It’s no surprise but some of the best episodes that really stand out the most were directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock like Revenge, Poison, Bang! You’re Dead, Lamb to the Slaughter, and The Perfect Crime. I also really enjoyed Man from the South, And So Died Riabouchinska, The Cure, The Greatest Monster of Them All, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and The Right Kind of House. It has everything from Real Estate wars, A Sinister bet, Vengeance, Murder, Mayhem, Serial Killers, Crime, Holiday Horror, A Vicious snake, Mystery, Exploitation, Car accidents, Terror on the Road, Paranoia, Evil Magician, Greedy Producers, Suicide, and so many other fascinating concepts for it’s 263 episodes. I love theme for this, it’s been stuck in my head since I revisited Alfred Hitchcock Presents. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. Lots of the stories still hold up and they are relevant despite made so long ago. Alfred Hitchcock Presents is a total blast. It’s so much fun and entertaining, it’s not afraid to push the limits on it’s morbid reality, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this standard definition presentation and special features from Universal Pictures! These 480i (1.33:1) transfers on all 263 episodes are the same restorations as their earlier home video releases. Considering how old they are, Alfred Hitchcock Presents looks better than expected. I’m really hoping it gets a HD release someday. Just a note, it’s missing 5 episodes because of licensing issues. It has English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono tracks on this 34 disc set. The audio is good for what it is. It really depends on the episode but there’s a good amount that pop out a little more than the others. The dialogue is very clean, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has the 15 minute “Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Look Back” from 2005. It has interviews with Norman Lloyd, Patricia Hitchcock, and Hilton A. Green. It has the 6 minute “Fasten Your Seatbelt: The Thrilling Art of Alfred Hitchcock” from 2009. It has interviews with John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, William Friedkin, Joe Carnahan, and Eli Roth. It has archive footage from Alfred Hitchcock himself here. It comes in a high quality slipbox with all 7 seasons in their own separate cases. This is a must own for any Alfred Hitchcock fan. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!