6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Loosely based on the notorious Richard Speck murders, this is the grim tale of a disturbed Vietnam vet returning home via Belfast, who invades a house shared by eight nurses and proceeds to terrorize and murder them.
Starring: Leonora Fani, Debra Berger (I), Mathieu Carrière, Christine Boisson, Myriam BoyerForeign | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Even if this film was released in a truncated version on video under the title Naked Massacre, it's obvious that co-writer and director Denis Héroux had more on his mind that making just another exploitation outing featuring a psychotic serial killer taking out a bunch of (often topless) women. Severin Films is offering Born for Hell in its original theatrical version for the first time on home video (the Naked Massacre version is also included as a supplement), and this release may well afford the film a bit of a reassessment, since it was evidently not widely seen during its initial theatrical exhibition. If Born for Hell isn't a "typical" slasher or even serial killer film, it may suffer from a bit of "reach exceeding its grasp" syndrome, as Héroux and his collaborators sought to transport the horrific mass murder of student nurses in Chicago at the hands of Richard Speck to the wartorn region of Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Héroux further attempts to inject a bit of contemporary sociopolitical commentary into the mix by having the perpetrator in this story, an unbalanced guy with the "meaningful" name of Cain Adamson (Mathieu Carrière) be a Vietnam War vet, one who is obviously suffering from his own kind of post traumatic stress disorder.
Born for Hell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states this was "scanned in 2K from an uncut 35mm print discovered in The National Archive of Canada". There are some obvious limitations in the source element which are probably most problematic in some of the dark material, where a "dupey" quality is evident, including lack of shadow definition and crushed blacks. In other, better lit, moments, things can look considerably better, but the entire presentation has a kind of wan look that, if not desaturated in the traditional sense, isn't especially well suffused. The outdoor material perhaps understandably looks best, and in these kinds of scenes, detail levels are commendable and things like Cain's green army jacket pop decently enough. There are changes in clarity and color temperature on hand, and some of the location moments in Belfast are a little rough looking. Grain is a bit gritty, per the source element, but resolves naturally. While not overly problematic, there are certainly signs of age related wear and tear here, including scratches and the like, some of which can be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review.
Born for Hell features English and French language tracks, each presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. There's an almost comical description of the many nationalities involved in the production during the credits, and what that means is no matter which track you choose, you're getting dubbed performers, and so as probably should be expected, "sync is loose" and lip movements are sometimes comically out of whack with the sounds emanating from them. I didn't notice any huge differences between the tracks other than the voice actors, and both provide clarity with regard to dialogue. Optional English subtitles are available.
Born for Hell seems to want to suggest that its titular location isn't just a description of war, but of all sorts of nefarious human behavior, and if that's an arguably trite thesis, the film almost pulls everything off. Some may feel, as I do, that linking the ideas in this film to a fictionalized depiction of the Speck murders may not have been a wise idea. Video encounters some hurdles due to a problematic source element, but audio is fine, and the supplements quite interesting, for those who are considering making a purchase.
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