Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Daughters of Darkness 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 7, 2020

Harry Kümel's "Daughters of Darkness" (1971) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include audio commentaries by Harry Kumel and actor John Karlen; archival programs with interviews; vintage promotional materials; and lot more. Also included with the release is François de Roubaix's original soundtrack for the film, placed on a separate CD disc. In English or French, with optional English SDH, English, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In North America, Harry Kümel's "Daughters of Darkness" first appeared on Blu-ray in 2011, courtesy of Blue Underground. For an in-depth review of the film, please see Marty Liebman's review of this release here.

Daughters of Darkness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1 and encoded with HEVC/H.265., Daughters of Darkness arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K 16-bit master struck from the original 35mm camera negative that was supervised and approved by director Harry Kümel. On the 4K Blu-ray disc the restoration can be viewed with HDR and Dolby Vision.

Below I will comment on the technical presentations of the restoration on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray because they are actually quite different. Also, keep in mind that the screencaptures that are included with our review come from the 4K Blu-ray disc and the Blu-ray disc. They are also different. The screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray release are downconverted to 1080p.

4K BLU-RAY DISC

There are major improvements in all areas that we address in our reviews and they are instantly recognizable. For example, the new 4K master immediately reveals a dramatically better grain structure that alters the entire look of the film. On the previous release of Daughters of Darkness, which I have in my library, there are surface anomalies that produce a very uneven dated appearance. On the new master the surface anomalies are effectively eliminated and as a result there is actually a much better range of fine nuances that appear throughout the entire film. Furthermore, the film has a lot of darker footage that now boasts superior shadow definition, in some areas with drastically improved depth. Highlights are better balanced as well, so on a larger screen the improvement in quality becomes even more impressive. Predictably, density levels are superior. The new master also comes with a new color scheme. The primaries are lusher, better balanced, and healthier. Now, I viewed the new restoration with HDR and then also performed some comparisons with the 1080p presentation. I even upscaled the 1080p presentation to 4K. In native 4K, with HDR enabled, the color scheme boasts expanded nuances and in darker areas there instances where you will see ranges of finer nuances that are missing in 1080p. However, the new color scheme gives the film a more subdued appearance, with the ranges of white nuances in particular appearing more prominent in 1080p. The real reason for this uptick, however, is the fact that in 1080p some nuances are collapsed and either partially or fully eliminated. (You can see what type of a fluctuation to expect if you examine screencaptures #35, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40, which come from the Blu-ray). Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are absolutely no age-related imperfections to report in our review.

BLU-RAY DISC

There are a couple of obvious discrepancies between the 1080p and 4K presentations of the new restoration. The grain structure is slightly 'looser' in 1080p, but vastly superior to what you will see on the previous Blu-ray release. Highlights are balanced differently as well, with whites typically looking more prominent. (I explained why above). The lack of HDR/Dolby Vision enhancement obviously affects the overall color temperature of the visuals as well. Surprisingly, in darker areas shadow definition remains very convincing, with only a couple of sequences revealing slightly more prominent blacks. Density levels are excellent and when I upscaled to 4K I was genuinely impressed. All in all, given the format's native limitations, the 1080p presentation is just as stunning as the native 4K presentation. (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).

Daughters of Darkness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs: English Dolby Atmos, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Both discs also offer optional English SDH, French, Spanish, and English (for the French audio track) subtitles for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English Dolby Atmos track, which was created exclusively for the new 4K restoration of the film. I have the previous release of Daughters of Darkness and was able to perform some direct comparisons with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track, which I prefer. Basically, with the Dolby Atmos track enabled the entire film has a wider/bigger dynamic amplitude. This does not necessarily mean that is constantly more aggressive, rather it feels more opened up even in areas where there is just dialog and random sounds and noises. It is very healthy as well.

Daughters of Darkness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailers - three original trailers for Daughters of Darkness.
  
  1. U.S. Trailer for the new 4K restoration of the film. In English. (3 min).
  2. International trailer. Remastered. In English. (4 min).
  3. French trailer. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Radio Spots - four vintage radio spots for Daughters of Darkness. In English.
  
  1. Spot One. (0:30).
  2. Spot Two. (0:30).
  3. Spot Three. (0:30).
  4. Spot Four. (0:30).

• Alternate U.S. Titles - alternate opening U.S. titles for Daughters of Darkness. In English. (2 min).

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Locations of Darkness - in this archival program, co-writer/director Harry Kumel and co-writer/producer Pierre Drouot visit the old hotel that is seen in Daughters of Darkness, as well as some surrounding areas, and recall the film's conception and production. In English. (22 min).
  
  2. Playing the Victim - in this archival program, star Danielle Ouimet discusses her involvement with Daughters of Darkness, its erotic overtones, and reception. The actress also has some very interesting observations about Harry Kümel's directing methods. In English. (16 min).
  
  3. Daughter of Darkness - in this archival program, star Andrea Rau discusses her acting and modeling career and recalls how she was cast to play her character in Daughter of Darkness. In German, with English subtitles. (8 min).

• Commentary One - in this archival commentary, director Harry Kumel discusses in great detail the genesis of Daughters of Darkness, the intended visual style of the film and the specific material that was supposed to make it look 'scandalous', the key locations where the film was lensed, the overlapping of horror and erotica, the use of music, etc. The commentary is moderated by David Gregory.

• Commentary Two - in this archival commentary, star John Karlen recalls how he was approached and offered his part in Daughters of Darkness, and discusses the shooting of the 'scandalous' erotic sequence in the beginning of the film, the magnificent locations where parts of the film were shot (including the great hotel at the beach), the quality of the dialog/exchanges, the 'difficult' shower sequence, the cold July weather in Brugge and how it worked perfectly for the film's desired atmosphere, etc. The commentary is moderated by journalist David Del Valle.

• Commentary Three - in this new commentary, critic and author Kat Ellinger discusses in great detail the visual style of Daughters of Darkness and explains why it is a special genre film. The commentary was recorded exclusively for the Blue Underground.

• Poster & Still Gallery - a large collection of domestic and international posters, advertising materials, lobby cards, stills, personal photographs (Harry Kummel), and soundtrack/video/book covers. The content was compiled by Gregory Chick from Blue Underground.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailers - three original trailers for Daughters of Darkness.
  
  1. U.S. Trailer for the new 4K restoration of the film. In English. (3 min).
  2. International trailer. Remastered. In English. (4 min).
  3. French trailer. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Radio Spots - four vintage radio spots for Daughters of Darkness. In English.
  
  1. Spot One. (0:30).
  2. Spot Two. (0:30).
  3. Spot Three. (0:30).
  4. Spot Four. (0:30).

• Alternate U.S. Titles - alternate opening U.S. titles for Daughters of Darkness. In English. (2 min).

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Locations of Darkness - in this archival program, co-writer/director Harry Kumel and co-writer/producer Pierre Drouot visit the old hotel that is seen in Daughters of Darkness, as well as some surrounding areas, and recall the film's conception and production. In English. (22 min).
  
  2. Playing the Victim - in this archival program, star Danielle Ouimet discusses her involvement with Daughters of Darkness, its erotic overtones, and reception. The actress also has some very interesting observations about Harry Kümel's directing methods. In English. (16 min).
  
  3. Daughter of Darkness - in this archival program, star Andrea Rau discusses her acting and modeling career and recalls how she was cast to play her character in Daughter of Darkness. In German, with English subtitles. (8 min).

• Commentary One - in this archival commentary, director Harry Kumel discusses in great detail the genesis of Daughters of Darkness, the intended visual style of the film and the specific material that was supposed to make it look 'scandalous', the key locations where the film was lensed, the overlapping of horror and erotica, the use of music, etc. The commentary is moderated by David Gregory.

• Commentary Two - in this archival commentary, star John Karlen recalls how he was approached and offered his part in Daughters of Darkness, and discusses the shooting of the 'scandalous' erotic sequence in the beginning of the film, the magnificent locations where parts of the film were shot (including the great hotel at the beach), the quality of the dialog/exchanges, the 'difficult' shower sequence, the cold July weather in Brugge and how it worked perfectly for the film's desired atmosphere, etc. The commentary is moderated by journalist David Del Valle.

• Commentary Three - in this new commentary, critic and author Kat Ellinger discusses in great detail the visual style of Daughters of Darkness and explains why it is a special genre film. The commentary was recorded exclusively for the Blue Underground.

• Poster & Still Gallery - a large collection of domestic and international posters, advertising materials, lobby cards, stills, personal photographs (Harry Kummel), and soundtrack/video/book covers. The content was compiled by Gregory Chick from Blue Underground.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Soundtrack - included with the release is a CD disc with François de Roubaix's original soundtrack for Daughters of Darkness. Twenty-two tracks. Total play time: 50 min.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring Michael Gingold's "Daughters of Darkness: A Family History" and technical credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Daughters of Darkness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Viewing the new 4K restoration of Harry Kümel's Daughters of Darkness feels a bit like experiencing a psychedelic dream because at times the explosion of colors truly is quite overwhelming. The new Atmos track that was produced for the restoration is outstanding as well. Needless to say, this upcoming 4K Blu-ray release offers a tremendous upgrade in quality over the first Blu-ray release of the film from 2011. Buy with confidence, folks. This is yet another definitive home video release of a genre film from Blue Underground. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.