Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 20, 2020

Note: The scores above are averages for the set, and with so many films in this collection with such widely varying technical merits, my suggestion is to pay more attention to the individual scores on the separate reviews.

Time’s up! You’ve had almost four years to finish getting through The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast, Arrow’s immense package devoted to one of the exploitation titans of his (or any) era, and so you should have more than enough free hours by this time to start wending your way through Severin Films’ even more immense package (in terms of films and supplements if not in terms of the package itself) devoted to another titan of exploitation cinema, the redoubtable Al Adamson. This handsome set aggregates an amazing 32 Adamson films (albeit some of them are different “versions” of some of the same basic material, and at least a couple have already had standalone releases), along with some appealing supplements and a rather nicely done booklet.

For reviews of all the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson Blu-ray review (this review points to the standalone release, which is available separately)

The Female Bunch Blu-ray review

Psycho a Go-Go Blu-ray review

The Fiend With the Electronic Brain Blu-ray review

Blood of Ghastly Horror Blu-ray review

Half Way to Hell Blu-ray review

Five Bloody Graves Blu-ray review

Blood of Dracula's Castle Blu-ray review

Dracula's Castle Blu-ray review

Horror of the Blood Monsters Blu-ray review

The Fakers Blu-ray review

Hell's Bloody Devils Blu-ray review

Dracula vs. Frankenstein Blu-ray review

Brain of Blood Blu-ray review (this link points to the previously reviewed version that was part of Severin's The Hemisphere Box of Horrors release)

Angels' Wild Women Blu-ray review

Satan's Sadists Blu-ray review

The Naughty Stewardesses Blu-ray review

Blazing Stewardesses Blu-ray review

Girls for Rent Blu-ray review

Nurses for Sale Blu-ray review

Jessi's Girls Blu-ray review

Black Heat Blu-ray review

The Dynamite Brothers Blu-ray review

Mean Mother Blu-ray review

Uncle Tom's Cabin Blu-ray review

Black Samurai Blu-ray review

Death Dimension Blu-ray review

Sunset Cove Blu-ray review

Cinderella 2000 Blu-ray review

Nurse Sherri Blu-ray review

Carnival Magic Blu-ray review (this link points to the standalone release from Severin, which is available separately (see the review for more information on an earlier Blu-ray release))

Lost Blu-ray review

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplementary material for each film (if any) is detailed in the above linked reviews. Additionally, this is housed in what amounts to an oversized DigiBook, with each disc in a cardstock sleeve "page" that reproduces poster art for the various films. (One issue I had with regard to the packaging was in trying to get the discs out of the cardstock sleeves, which I found rather difficult to do at times. Several of my discs ended with thumb prints as a result, and two had minor scratches, with the result being they temporarily wouldn't play correctly, though after a thorough cleaning, they did fine.) There's also an exhaustive and extremely interesting booklet by Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes detailing Adamson's history and the films in the set.

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a way it was instructive to watch all of these Adamson films in a "binge-a-thon", because it soon became evident that it wasn't only his "repertory" company that he used over and over. There are numerous plot elements (naked women, snakes, cars plummeting over cliffs, women on horseback, rapes, kidnappings, and more naked women) that Adamson returned to again and again. One of the things that delights this Salt Lake City born guy is the fact that Adamson probably shot in Utah more than even John Ford did. The films? They're unabashedly (and maybe even unashamedly) low rent, but they're almost always enjoyable in their own gonzo way. Technical merits here are pretty variable, but Severin has really provided a nicely designed package with some very appealing supplements and a very handsome insert booklet. The many commentaries by Samuel M. Sherman are especially illuminating and enjoyable. For "discerning cineastes" if for no one else, Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection comes Recommended.