Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Angel Heart 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 14, 2022

Lionsgate continues apace (albeit somewhat intermittently) with its sometimes perplexing roll outs of 4K UHD product of previously released (1080) titles. Kind of amazingly, my Angel Heart Blu-ray review of Lionsgate's original Blu-ray release came out well over a decade ago in 2009, which may be one of the longer "gestational periods" given the 2022 release year for this new 4K UHD version. Lionsgate is offering this new release, which is housed in a nicely designed Steelbook, as a Best Buy exclusive, which may make the release even more perplexing for those without that particular emporium nearby, though of course the internet provides other access for purchasing.

For those not conversant with this strange, haunting film, or who might want a bit of a brush up on its plot dynamics, my Angel Heart Blu-ray review may provide at least a good starting point. That review also offers screenshots and a listing of the 1080 disc's minimal but interesting supplements.

Angel Heart 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc.

Angel Heart is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. I've often joked about Lionsgate unloading "remainders" of old 1080 product with "new, improved" 4K UHD releases of titles they've already brought out, and it looks like they've done that again with this release, with regard to the 1080 disc in this package, which does offer different silk screen art than the first version, but otherwise seems to be identical, down to an including the "old style" gear logo for Lionsgate. The same can't be said for the 4K UHD disc, which sports a StudioCanal logo (it's probably worth noting, however, that both the original Lionsgate Blu-ray release as well as this one sport StudioCanal branding on their cases). The 4K UHD iteration has some interesting differences in terms of overall look, and it struck me as being just a tad brighter overall, which, when combined with Dolby Vision and/or HDR, actually doesn't detract from the spooky atmosphere but arguably supports it better since there's at least some more shadow detail discernable in this version. The palette is beautifully robust quite a bit of the time, and some of the hellish reds in particular assume an almost shocking vibrancy in some scenes. Detail levels enjoy a noticeable uptick in some close-ups in particular, despite a prevalance of kind of hazy lighting conditions. As was the case with the 1080 version, there are a couple of noticeable downturns in clarity and upticks in what is generally already a pretty gritty looking grain field. I've sometimes been less than enthusiastic about some Lionsgate 4K UHD releases shot on film in terms of grain resolution, and while grain here is positively chunky looking at times and kind of yellowish, I didn't notice anything really problematic. My 4K score is 4.25.

Angel Heart 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the 4K UHD disc offers a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix that is missing from the 1080 disc, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the 4K UHD disc and the 1080 disc in this package sounded to my ears identical to the first 1080 release, and so I'll simply repeat my comments from my original review here. The DTS HD-MA 5.1 mix offers some excellent low frequencies throughout the film which help maintain an aura of menace and dread. The repeated whispers of "Harry" and "Johnny" emanate from the side channels with the sort of subconscious terror that haunts a recurrent nightmare. The bulk of the film is simply dialogue, and that is presented cleanly and crisply through the front channels. Surround channels kick in in a couple of great sequences, notably the "voodoo" ritual, where the chanting and drum beats surround the listener with a cacophony of sounds, the "raining blood" sex scene which made the film so infamous before its release, and in a couple of car chase scenes. Otherwise, this is a remarkably subtle sound mix for a horror film, one which makes something seemingly banal like the sudden burst of chickens cackling a portent of terror. Pine's saxophone offers a reedy, almost vocal underpinning to Trevor Jones' underscore, and it is mixed well throughout the film. Optional English subtitles are available.

Angel Heart 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kind of interestingly, if again somewhat perplexingly, Lionsgate offers two somewhat different slates of supplements on the 4K UHD disc and the 1080 disc included in the SteelBook, though the good news is that the 4K UHD disc finally offers the rest of the excellent supplements that adorned the Special Edition DVD release of the film. The 1080 disc repeats the supplements of the original Lionsgate Blu-ray release (see my Angel Heart Blu-ray review for a few more details, but they're listed below). The 2160 disc has some of the same supplements as on the 1080 disc, along with some different ones. The SD supplements from the 1080 disc and some other archival SD material are upscaled none too convincingly on the 4K UHD disc and are delineated by an asterisk (*) below.

4K UHD Disc

• Introduction to Angel Heart with Director Alan Parker (HD*; 1:16)


• Audio Commentary with Director Alan Parker


• Alan Parker Interview Excerpt from Cinéastes des années 80 (HD; 26:39) looks like a later piece than some of the other supplements and is not limited solely to Angel Heart.


• News Features (HD*; 6:48) offers some archival EPK material.


• Personality Profiles

  Mickey Rourke (HD*; 3:37)

  
  

  Lisa Bonet (HD*; 3:39)

  
  

  Alan Parker (HD*; 3:12)

• Additional Interviews

  Alan Parker (HD*; 8:07)

  
  

  Lisa Bonet (HD*; 1:34)

• Behind the Scenes Footage (HD*; 1:32)


• Teaser Trailer (HD*; 2:35)


• A Background in Voodoo

  Voodoo. . .The Truth (HD*; 11:59)

  
  

  New Orleans Voodoo Connection - The History of Voodoo (HD*; 20;36)

  
  

  Dance as Worship: The Meaning of Dance & Music (HD*; 6:24)

  
  

  Ashe (HD*; 10:03)

  
  

  Voodoo Macumba Dance Ensemble (HD*; 8:55)

• Behind the Scenes Gallery (UHD)

1080 Disc

• Audio Commentary with Director Alan Parker


• Introduction with Director Alan Parker (SD; 1:16)


• Selected Scene Commentary with Mickey Rourke (SD; 14:08)


• Interview with Director Alan Parker (SD; 8:12)


• Interview with Mickey Rourke (SD; 21:42)


• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:35)

Additionally, a digital copy is included. The SteelBook packaging offers a crisp looking illustration of Rourke at a diner, with maybe a "secret" or two lurking in the shadows. The palette is kind of gray-brown and makes the illustration look almost like an old etching.

Angel Heart 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As was probably clear to anyone who read my review of the original Blu-ray release of Angel Heart, I consider this to be a rather effective thriller on any number of levels. The film has the hypnotic power of a dream gone horribly, horribly wrong. Rourke has probably never been better, perfectly understated for almost all of the film, which makes the astounding climax all the more remarkable. De Niro is creepy fun as the client hiring Harry Angel, and Bonet is sexy if nothing else. But this is Parker's show all the way, and with a stellar crew he has crafted one of the great post- Rosemary's Baby horror thrillers, a film which, like Polanski's masterpiece, manages to make seemingly everyday events overflow with menace and dread. This new 4K release sports generally nice technical merits, and for fans of supplemental material, the even better news is the 4K UHD disc contains the rest of the supplements from the old DVD. The SteelBook packaging is rather elegant in its own way as well. Highly recommended.