Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		2.5

Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 28, 2023

There must be an eco-horror cloud on the review horizon as evidenced by any number of titles passing through my queue lately, including contemporary offerings like The Tank and more "vintage" productions like this one, which perhaps only goes to show how weirdly popular this particular niche in the genre has been. This film actually sports its alternate title Alien from the Deep in the actual credits, but this isn't the same sort of subterranean, or perhaps more accurately subaquatic creature in the 2023 film linked to above, and in fact as less than artful as rather large swaths of this film can be, it does feature some really fun miniature effects.

Greenpeace activists Jane (Marina Giulia Cavalli, billed as Julia MC. Kay) and her camerman Lee (Robert Marius) are hot on the trail of a story involving the wonderfully named evil corporation E-Chem, a hunt which after some interstitial melodrama finds the pair more or less stranded on an island that may not have Dr. Moreau, but does have E- Chem's martinet security chief Col. Kovacks (Charles Napier, the closest thing to an American marquee presence in this film), as well as at least one horrifying creature.

Alien from the Abyss is not exactly a whirlwind in the narrative department, and in fact you can almost feel writer Tito Carpi and director Antonio Margheriti (billed as Anthony M. Dawson) struggling to get this loose knit monster story to a reasonable feature length. There's no denying the kind of combo platter of gonzo and schlock that this film offers, but that may frankly be part of its peculiar allure. Even if the film is questionably competent in any number of arenas, this Blu-ray has some really sweet supplements devoted to Margheriti (see below).

Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Alien from the Abyss is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. The back cover states this was "scanned in 4K from the original negative" and for such a lesser known cult item, it's in remarkably good shape and often looks very well detailed and suffused in this presentation. The island setting provides a lot of nice outdoor location work, and things like bright skies and ocean waters are often beautifully vivid (even if the waters can be a little green at times), and fine detail is typically excellent on everything from natural items like textures on fabrics or grizzled beards to the more fanciful creature effects. Grain is tightly resolved and encounters no real resolution hurdles, with an understanding that there are some opticals at play which can affect things.

Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Alien from the Abyss features English or Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. Toggling between the two tracks revealed very little overall difference to my ears in terms of general mix and amplitude, but the over the top voice work on the English language track may either delight or annoy, depending on your personal sentiments. There's occasional very slight wobbliness that can be discerned in some of the scoring in particular, but overall dialogue and effects are presented without any major issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• From the Center of the Earth (HD; 12:52) is the first of two (three, if you count some of his on screen appearances in The Outsider) sweet interviews with Antonio Margheriti's son Edoardo, himself a director. Subtitled in English.


• The Outsider: The Cinema of Antonio Margheriti (HD; 1:01:32) is a nice career overview of Margheriti's filmography, co-produced and directed by Edoardo Margheriti. This has some English speakers, including some of the soundtracks, but is generally in Italian with English subtitles.


• Son of The Outsider: Interview with The Outsider Director Edoardo Margheriti (HD; 13:31) focuses on the documentary and Margheriti's wishes to honor the legacy of his father. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (HD; 2:45)

Alien from the Abyss Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is one of those releases where the supplements may actually outshine the actual feature. Antonio Margheriti will probably be better remembered in the long run for efforts like Castle of Blood or dare I say Cannibal Apocalypse, but the way that Edoardo Margheriti has honored his father with the supplements on this release can't help but impress. Technical merits are generally solid (especially some surprisingly vivid video) and the supplements extremely well done, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.