UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME VIDEO CELEBRATES

LEGENDS OF HORROR LANDMARK ANNIVERSARIES

AT COLLECTIBLE LOW PRICES

Frankenstein and Dracula Turn 70, The Wolf Man Turns 60
as Universal Studios Home Video Salutes Golden Era of Horror and Legacy of Universal's Classic Monsters

UNIVERSAL CITY, California, June 5, 2001 -- Universal Studios Home Video today announced its national campaign to create exposure for a new Golden Era of Horror in celebration of several "monstrumental" anniversaries that have defined Halloween entertainment for generations. On August 28, 2001, three classic anniversary monster titles - Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man - will be available at the new low price of $9.98 suggested retail each for VHS, along with a definitive boxed set containing the three titles on VHS for $24.98 SRP and DVD for $69.98 SRP. Joining in the monster madness are The Mummy's Hand, The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Tomb, and The Mummy's Curse for $9.98 SRP each and new DVD double features pairing classic titles of the horror genre for the first time for $29.98 SRP each. Pre-order close is July 24 for the DVD titles and August 7 for the VHS releases.

Universal Studios has established a long-standing reputation as the leader in horror films and 2001 is a landmark year in the genre as it marks the anniversaries of several Universal classics. It is the 70^th anniversary of Frankenstein (1931), starring Boris Karloff, considered by many critics to be the greatest horror film of all time. Based on Mary Shelley's gothic novel, the film, directed by James Whale, was a milestone in the genre, expanding the usage of special effects while Karloff's nuanced performance made the creature both oddly affecting and deeply terrifying. Dracula (1931), also celebrating its 70^th anniversary, stars Bela Lugosi and is one of the best examples in which gothic and supernatural elements combine to create an eerie, unforgettable story of the undead. The film established horror as a viable genre in the newly emerging era of talking pictures and was one of the most influential films of its day, appropriate for "adult only" audiences. Marking its 60^th year, The Wolf Man (1941) terrified moviegoers with its hair-raising special effects and its hauntingly touching story of a man turned into a ferocious monster that kills what it loves the most. Lon Chaney, Jr. portrayed the tortured title character.


Supported by Monster-Sized Promotions on AMC, Fox Family Channel and MSN

In a cross promotion with the American Movie Classics (AMC) channel, Universal's monster classics will be featured during a "Monster Movie Madness Festival" from September 29 through October 7, 2001. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon will air nightly on AMC. The program is expected to create more than 40 million total impressions, heightening awareness for the titles to a fever pitch entering the Halloween season.

Other promotions include the highly-anticipated "Scariest Places on Earth 2001 - Dracula's Dare" scheduled to air on the Fox Family Channel from October 19 - 31. Last year's "Scariest Places," hosted by Linda Blair, was one of Fox's highest-rated programs and promises to be even bigger this year. Midnight monster movie screenings are also scheduled nationwide along with 30 minute "History of Horror" infomercials to air beginning September 3^rd . "Shocktober" radio campaigns scheduled for October 17 - 31 with top stations in the Top 15 markets will offer on-air giveaways of DVD players, and a library of the thrilling Universal DVD titles, as well as VHS copies.

Online promotions include "MSN is Haunted" with MSN.com featuring Universal monsters throughout MSN sites in September and October, a dedicated event with 3,000 worldwide links, online games including Mummy Maze and Outsmart at Zone.com. Universal will also launch Horroronline.com, the ultimate source for Universal horror on the Internet.

New low prices on VHS & DVD

Over the years, classic monster titles have become well established in the minds of consumers and continue to captivate new audiences for their nostalgia and their amazing effects, achieved without the sophistication of today's computer generated technology. Universal Studios Home Video re-promotes these classics on VHS at the new low price of $9.98 SRP and on DVD for $24.98 SRP beginning August 28. The VHS/DVD slate includes Bride of Frankenstein*, Creature of the Black Lagoon*, Dracula - '99 Philip Glass*, Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula, Frankenstein*, Son of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera*, The Invisible Man*, The Mummy* and The Wolf Man*. In addition, Mummy Madness Returns with The Mummy's Curse, The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb, each available on VHS for $9.98 SRP. Pre-order close is August 7, 2001 for VHS and July 24 for DVD.

*Title also available on DVD for $24.98 (SRP).

VHS & DVD Boxed Sets

Universal will celebrate their monster anniversaries with an incredible 3-pack. The Definitive Collection that includes Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man will be available on VHS and DVD. Suggested retails prices for DVD is $69.98 SRP and $24.98 SRP on VHS. Eight classic monster titles will also be packaged in a boxed set for VHS and DVD. Titles in this collection include The Wolf Man, Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Bride of Frankenstein. The collection on VHS will be available for $69.98 SRP and on DVD for $159.98.

DVD Double Features

Universal Studios Home Video presents classic monster DVD double features for the first time, offering two great movies for one great price, $29.98 SRP. Pre-orders will be taken until July 24 and all titles will street on August 28.

Dracula's Daughter/Son of Dracula

Dracula's Daughter is the popular horror classic that picks up where Dracula left off. Several people are found mysteriously killed, their bodies drained of all blood, when the beautiful and mysterious Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) appears in London. In Son of Dracula, a young "morbid" heiress (Katherine Cornell) invites Carpathian Count Alucard to the U.S. Her boyfriend (Frank Stanley) and local officials are suspicious of the newcomer, who is interested in the "virile" soil of the New World.

Son of Frankenstein/Ghost of Frankenstein

In Son of Frankenstein, Wolf Frankenstein returns to his father's estate to claim his inheritance, where Ygor, his father's crooked shepherd, asks him to revive his father's creation - the Monster, who is lying in a coma. In Ghost of Frankenstein, Ludwig Frankenstein plans to replace the Monster's criminal brain with that of a brilliant scientist. But Ygor wants to have his own brain transplanted into the Monster's body - and he gets his wish!

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man/House of Frankenstein

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is an all-time classic horror hit from the 1940s, where Hollywood's best-known monsters collide. The terror-packed story stars Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's infamous monster and Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man. House of Frankenstein is the classic horror thriller of revenge and madness when a deranged scientist, Gustav Niemann (Boris Karloff), escapes from prison and overtakes the director of a traveling chamber of horrors. Neimann pulls the stake out of a skeleton, reviving the infamous count Dracula (John Carradine), and commands him to kill the man responsible for his imprisonment. Journeying to the ruins of Frankenstein's infamous laboratory, Niemann finds the frozen forms of the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange) and Wolf Man (Chaney) buried in an underground cavern. Niemann revives both creatures to kill two villagers who testified against his macabre experiments with corpses.

The Mummy's Ghost/The Mummy's Curse

In The Mummy's Ghost, the Mummy (Lon Chaney, Jr.), aided by an Egyptian high priest, kidnaps a young college girl who is the reincarnation of his lost love, the Princess Ananka. The Mummy continues his career of violence and murder in The Mummy's Curse when a construction gang clearing a swamp uncovers the withered body of his lover Princess Ananka.

The Mummy's Hand/The Mummy's Tomb

The Mummy's Hand is the acclaimed sequel to the popular original film, an expedition of American archeologists headed by Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford) traveling to Egypt in search of the undiscovered tomb of the Princess Ananka. In The Mummy's Tomb, a young Egyptian priest feeds the Mummy (Lon Chaney, Jr.) tana leaf fluid and sends him out at night to kill the last surviving members of the expedition responsible for defiling his lover's tomb.

Werewolf of London/Shewolf of London

In Werewolf of London, a renowned botanist (Henry Hull) searches for a rare Tibetan flower and must defend himself against a howling monster. Back in London, he is told the flower is the only antidote for keeping werewolves from harming the ones they love. He scoffs until the next full moon. The Shewolf of London is packed with hidden motives and surprising twists that keep the suspense building in this elegantly eerie chiller. A sensual, but naive, June Lockhart gives a standout performance as a desperate young heiress convinced that she's a werewolf responsible for a grizzly series of unsolved murders.

Universal Studios Home Video is a unit of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), a part of CANAL+, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, a new global leader in media and communications.

End Of Release. Copyright 2001 Universal Studios