5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Horror | 100% |
Erotic | 18% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Hammer horror films have been a regular part of my review queue for years courtesy of releases like the very recently reviewed The Revenge of Frankenstein, Hammer Volume Four: Faces of Fear or even documentaries like Hammer Horror: The Warner Bros. Years, and in a way it's possible to appreciate Castle of the Creeping Flesh as a project that wanted to "out-Hammer" Hammer, or at least maybe combine a generic Hammer ambience with more of a Jess Franco flavor, in terms of offering a basically Gothic atmosphere in color, along with copious amounts of titillation, which in this particular case includes quite a bit of female nudity, for no apparent reason other than, well, female nudity. The result is often silly, and is probably not helped by the kind of hyperbolic dubbing job that frequently accompanies foreign horror films, but there's a certain lurid allure to parts of Castle of the Creeping Flesh which may appeal to cult movie lovers. The film's kind of tattered history is described in a supplemental text card (see screenshot 19), which gets into some of the almost random alternate versions, but kind of like Frankenstein's monster itself, Castle of the Creeping Flesh in any version is a kind of cobbled together mishmash of various horror tropes combined with a supposedly salacious subtext that is frankly not going to be all that arousing for many viewers.
Castle of the Creeping Flesh is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Film with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. As can be gleaned from information in the Film Notes supplement as detailed in screenshot 19, the only surviving element is an interpositive from which this was struck, and while there is still quite a bit of damage to be seen (as alluded to in the notes themselves and which can be spotted in several screenshots I've included with this review), this is often a rather striking presentation in terms of both palette and detail levels. The late sixties fashions are perhaps laughable at times, but renderings of patterns and fabrics is typically quite good and often excellent. Reds and purples look especially vivid throughout the presentation. A long kind of quasi-flashback sequence is intentionally dewy and very soft looking, as can be seen in screenshot 17. There are also several cutaways (no pun intended) to what looks like actual open heart, or at least open body, surgery, and some of those scenes may make the more squeamish viewer a little uneasy. Occasional day for night or downright dark scenes have blacks that can verge slightly toward purples at times. Grain resolves naturally throughout.
Castle of the Creeping Flesh features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or German, though it's obvious that both versions were post-looped, and the mismatch between lip movements and sounds emanating from them is more than noticeable, even when it's also clear that several of the principal actors were evidently speaking English during the production. The voice acting is completely over the top a lot of the time, as if some ADR director had indicated that no visuals would be accompanying the soundtrack, and so everyone had better emote, dammit! Fidelity is fine and has none of the occasional damage that is seen on the video side of things. The swingin' score also sounds fine. Optional English subtitles are available.
Severin continues to mine the seemingly unending world of cult cinema with this release, and once again they've provided a release with generally solid technical merits and an appealing slate of supplements, for those who are considering a purchase.
La comtesse noire
1973
Les lèvres rouges | Remastered Special Edition | 4K Restoration
1971
The Devil's Playground
1973
1971
Le viol du vampire | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1968
The Legend of Blood Castle | Standard Edition | Ceremonia sangrienta
1973
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga
1972
Schock / Beyond the Door II
1977
1974
Il fantasma dell'opera
1998
Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas
1977
Daughters of Dracula
1974
Il boia scarlatto
1965
4K Restoration | Danza macabra
1964
Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel Trecento... / The Reincarnation of Isabel | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1973
Evil Heritage
1976
5 tombe per un medium
1965
Il castello dalle porte di fuoco
1970
Il castello dei morti vivi | Crypt of Horror | Terror in the Crypt | Standard Edition
1964
Amanti d'oltretomba
1965