Often overshadowed by fellow horror star Boris Karloff and associated largely with only one role (do we really have to name it?), Hungarian born Bela Lugosi's horror career was defined in part by some unfortunate choices, culminating in his final film work with the legendary Edward D. Wood Jnr., which Tim Burton has assured we all now rather love.

In the 1942 The Corpse Vanishes (released in England as The Case of The Missing Brides), Lugosi played deranged scientist Dr Lorenz, a man obsessed with keeping his aged wife eternally youthful. To this end he embarks on a killing spree murdering virgin brides and storing their bodies to extract the precious glandular fluids he requires to make a rejuvenating serum for her.

Lugosi makes full use of his talents in this black-and-white shocker from 1942, which also starred Angelo Rossitto (Mad Max Beyond The Thunderdome) and Tristram Coffin (King Of The Rocket Men). The Corpse Vanishes firmly established Monogram Pictures' hugely successful 'mad scientist' theme, which would be repeatedly revisited to sometimes fine effect throughout the 1940s.

The 1947 Scared to Death has earned its place in film history as Lugosi's only major film in colour. Here he played mysterious masked hypnotist Professor Leonide, a man who has apparently brought about the death of the female narrator, whose story unfolds in flashback and is told by her corpse! This Christy Cabanne-directed chiller also features memorable performances by Angelo Rossitto (Todd Browning's Freaks) and George Zucco (The Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Scared to Death will be released on UK DVD on 19th January 2009 and The Corpse Vanishes on 26th January, both by Network, both at the staggeringly low RRP of just £2.99 apiece. For that price don't go expecting major restoration work or a bucket of extras.