7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An imaginative and somewhat disturbed young girl fantasizes about evil creatures and other oddities to mask her insecurities while growing up in rural Australia.
Starring: Rebecca Smart, Nicholas Eadie, Victoria Longley, Mary-Anne Fahey, Margaret RickettsHorror | 100% |
Drama | 38% |
Coming of age | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as a part of All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.
All the Haunts Be Ours advertises itself as "the most comprehensive collection of its kind", which may initially beg the question as to "kind of
what?". But the release also comes with a front cover sobriquet
proclaiming it "a compendium of folk horror", which may then beg the next obvious question as to what exactly "folk horror" is. In that
regard, this set
begins with a fascinating and diverse documentary which has its own subtitle referencing folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days
Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, which provides a veritable glut of clips from international films which director (and this entire set's guiding
light) Kier-La Janisse has assembled to help define the genre, but perhaps the best answer is to simply echo a certain Supreme Court Justice named
Potter Stewart who was trying to decide a case involving supposed pornography, and who famously opined, "I shall not today attempt further to define
the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I
know it when I see it. . ."
Celia, Child of Terror is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Severin's insert booklet offers only a brief "restored in 2K from original camera negative" mention. A glut of well lit, often bright outdoor, sequences help to support one of this transfer's chief assets, a really nicely saturated palette. Detail levels are typically excellent as well, and fine detail on things like Celia's pet bunny's fur generally are rendered precisely. Some of the stylistic choices, like a couple of sequences bathed in almost deep cobalt blues with the kids up to no good in a quarry don't quite muster the same levels of clarity and detail. Minor damage in the form of occasional nicks and scratches remain. Grain resolves naturally throughout.
Celia, Child of Terror features a nicely expressive DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track, though the film really doesn't exploit some of the over the top sound design that some other films in All the Haunts Be Ours do on occasion. Instead, a more naturalistic environment is offered, and the prevalence of outdoor material affords good opportunities for realistic ambient environmental effects. Chris Neal's score is also rendered without any issues, and dialogue comes through cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Some fans may remember that not only did the film version of The Bad Seed significantly change the ending from the original stage play, insult was perhaps added to injury by having an admittedly kind of funny closing credits sequence featuring Rhoda Penmark finally getting the spanking she had so clearly deserved for so long. In that regard, Celia, Child of Terror kind of takes the opposite tack, as if it to suggest taking a little girl's rabbit may justify homicide, among other "harmless" children's games. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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