6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A young woman travels with her partner to England on the unexpected death of her brother. Staying with her sister-in-law, she finds her companion soon drawn into a satanic cult based in the house whose rites seem to centre somewhat on large-scale sexual congress.
Starring: Helga Liné, Tito Valverde, Alfred Lucchetti, Carmen Carrión, Vanessa HidalgoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 53% |
Mystery | 2% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Jose Ramon Larraz's "Black Candles" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with author and Spanish cinema expert Antonio Lázaro-Reboll; new program with author Gavin Baddeley; new audio commentary by critics Rodney Barnett and Troy Guinn; and Diego Lopez's documentary La Dama Del Fantaterror. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Black Candles arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.
I have a pretty old R2 DVD release of Black Candles which offers a pretty rough technical presentation of the film with all kinds of different issues. On top of this, I don't think it is entirely legit. Severin's Blu-ray release is sourced from a new 2K master that is one of the best that I have seen from the label in quite some time. In fact, excluding a few white specks, scratches, and small blemishes that pop up here and there, I think that it is outstanding. Indeed, on my system, the film had such a strong organic appearance that I feel pretty confident stating that Severin will end up having the definitive home video release of it. In terms of delineation, clarity, and depth the new 2K master delivers everything I hoped it would. Plus, the party that graded it did an outstanding job and as a result the overall color balance is excellent. Is there any room for meaningful improvements? Yes, but they are of the type that I usually describe as 'cosmetic'. For example, there are some minor density fluctuations that a 4K master would tighten up a bit. A few darker areas can reveal slightly better shadow nuances that could strengthen the perception of depth. The specks and blemishes could have been manually removed as well. But in its current form, which you may think of as 'raw', the new 2K master offers an all-around very solid organic presentation of the film, and I like it a lot. One last thing. The encoding on this release is very nice as well. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional yellow English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The English track is an original dub track that was done for the international markets. To be perfectly clear, most of the actors utter their lines in English, but they were overdubbed. Naturally, you should expect some minor unevenness and, given the production limitations, a fairly modest range of nuanced dynamics. Clarity and sharpness are very still very good. Depth is pleasing as well. I noticed a few minor pops, but they are not distracting. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.
Jose Ramon Larraz tried to discredit Black Candles for the exact same reason Peter Sellers wanted to destroy Hoffman. Over the years the popular consensus has been that Black Candles is just another sexploitation European film, but this is a very lazy description that is laughably inaccurate as well. The truth about Black Candles is that it is a direct portal to Larraz's mind, which for a while appears to have been a very strange incubator where stranger, even dangerous ideas were being hatched. Larraz realized that it was so after he completed the film, got spooked, and then tried to distance himself from it as best as he could. The evidence that it was so is in the manner in which the film was shot, which is pretty impressive and precisely the reason why what it shows is so disturbing. If you decide to see it, you will be pleased to know that Severin's new Blu-ray release is sourced from a very solid new 2K master. Also, it has four excellent exclusive new bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, but only to folks who have substantial experience with 'difficult' genre films.
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