HOME ENTERTAINMENT : Karloff Stars in Cult Favorite ‘Dark House’

A year after they created a sensation with “Frankenstein,” director James Whale and actor Boris Karloff teamed up for the deliciously entertaining 1932 cult favorite “The Old Dark House,” which makes its home video debut Tuesday on Kino Video ($25).

Based on J.B. Priestley’s “Benighted,” this bizarre black comedy finds Karloff--in his first starring role--playing Morgan, a hideously scarred mute butler with a drinking problem and violent temper. Three weary travelers (Melvyn Douglas, Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart) get more than they bargain for when they’re caught in a downpour and seek refuge at the old dark house occupied by Morgan and the Femm family.

Unfriendly and psychotic, the Femms consist of a religious fanatic sister (Eva Moore), her browbeaten, cowardly brother (Ernest Thesiger), their pyromaniac brother (Brember Wills), who is kept under lock and key, and their 102-year-old androgynous patriarch (John “Elspeth” Dudgeon). The craziness heats up when a cockney lord (Charles Laughton) and his showgirl mistress (Lillian Bond) also take refuge in the house. Great fun.

Also new on Kino is the wonderfully outrageous 1935 action-adventure “She” ($25), starring Helen Gahagan (Mrs. Melvyn Douglas), Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce and Helen Mack. Based on H. Rider Haggard’s classic adventure novel, the RKO release was produced by Merian C. Cooper of “King Kong” fame. Hoping to duplicate his “Kong” success, Cooper spared no expense with the special effects and lush Art Deco sets.

Scott plays a dashing young adventurer who, heeding the words of his dying radium-poisoned uncle, leads an expedition into the uncharted Arctic in search of the fountain of youth. But what he and his two companions (Bruce and Mack) discover is a lost city deep in the Earth that is ruled by the fearsome goddess “She Who Must Be Obeyed” (Gahagan). She’s every wish and whim is granted by her subjects, who engage in pagan rituals and other mysterious rites. And She wants Scott, but he only has eyes for Mack. The over-the-top finale is a real kick.

“She” was Gahagan’s only film. The Broadway actress later became a Democratic congresswoman from the 14th District in California from 1945-49. Her career ended in 1950 when the liberal Gahagan ran against and lost to Richard Nixon in a vicious Senate campaign.

If sophisticated comedy is more your cup of tea, check out FoxVideo Studio Classic’s “How to Steal a Million” ($20). In this charming 1966 comedy, Audrey Hepburn plays the daughter of an art counterfeiter who enlists the aid of a handsome, blue-eyed private detective (Peter O’Toole) to steal one of her father’s creations from a Paris art museum before the authorities discover it’s a fake. Deftly directed by William Wyler, who guided Hepburn to her Oscar for “Roman Holiday.”

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Remembering James: Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the death of legendary actor James Dean. Though he starred in just three movies, “East of Eden,” “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant,” before his death at 24 in a car crash, Dean also appeared on several TV shows. A few of Dean’s TV performances are available on video.

In “The Evil Within,” a “Tales of Tomorrow” (Rhino Home Video) episode from 1952, Dean has a small part as a scientist worried about his partner (Rod Steiger), who has discovered a serum that unleashes the evil within people.

In “Westinghouse Studio One: Abraham Lincoln” (Video Yesteryear), also from 1952, Dean has a tiny but showy role as a Union soldier sentenced to death because of dereliction of duty. And in the 1951 religious drama “Hill Number One” (Rhino), Dean makes one of his first TV appearances playing John the Baptist. It’s not Dean’s finest hour.

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Documentaries: “Modern Marvels” (A&E; Home Video, $20 each) is an informative look at four of the greatest engineering achievements of modern times: the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty and Las Vegas. Jack Perkins narrates. The series originally aired on the Learning Channel.

“Varga Girls: The Esquire Magazine Images of Alberto Vargas” (White Star Video, $20), is an enjoyable examination of the exquisite airbrush images created by artist Alberto Vargas during the mid-’40s infancy of Esquire magazine that launched the “pinup” as an art form. To order call 800-4Kultur.

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The Killer B’s: Corey Haim, Ami Dolenz and Keith Coogan star in the deadly comedy-drama “Life 101” (Monarch Home Video). Haim plays the new kid on a college campus, circa 1960s, who gets life lessons from his hippie roomie (Coogan) and love lessons from a female student (Dolenz).

Don (The Dragon) Wilson headlines “Bloodfist VII: Manhunt” (New Horizons Home Video), the latest entry in the successful kick-boxing action series. This time around, Wilson is on the lam after he’s framed for a murder. The action sequences are fun, but Wilson’s acting leaves a lot to be desired.

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New This Week: Disney has restored the visual and audio elements of its beloved 1950 animated classic “Cinderella” (Walt Disney Home Video, $27) for its video re-release (it originally was released for a limited time in 1988). “Cinderella” looks absolutely gorgeous and is still a delight for children (and adults) of all ages.

Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline star in Lawrence Kasdan’s “French Kiss” (FoxVideo), a romantic comedy about a woman, jilted by her fiance, who finds love with a crazy, cunning Frenchman.

Albert Finney received glowing notices for his performance in “The Browning Version” (Paramount Home Video), as a stern British prep school instructor forced out of his job and ridiculed by his young wife (Greta Scacchi). Matthew Modine also stars.

Anthony LaPaglia plays a hardened hit man who falls for his intended victim (Mimi Rogers) in the offbeat thriller “Bulletproof Heart” (Republic Home Video).