5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A group of students on an archaeology assignment in the Everglades decide to throw a dance party one night. The spot they choose happens to be the burial site of an ancient Indian medicine man named Tartu. He returns from the dead to take his revenge on those who desecrated his grave site...
Starring: Fred Pinero, Babette Sherrill, Bill Marcus (I), Mayra Gómez Kemp, Sherman HayesHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of He Came from the Swamp: The William Grefé Collection.
Anyone who thought Arrow Video had already released the mother lode of Florida based exploitation fare with their gigantic The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast set
from a few years ago had best be prepared to realize that the intrepid folks at this label known for catering to (cinematic) cultists of various stripes
may have in fact only been offering an appetizer of sorts. It’s kind of amazing in a way to hear Herschell Gordon Lewis himself singing the praises of
William Grefé in the feature length documentary They Came From the Swamp included in this new set devoted to Grefé’s work, but Lewis
actually makes a point of stating that he was the interloper on territory Grefé had already staked out, and that Grefé couldn’t have been
more gracious in welcoming Lewis to the far south fold, so to speak. It may be a little odd, then, that for at least some fans of exploitation cinema
Herschell Gordon Lewis’ name may be better remembered than that of William Grefé, something that may seem especially unexpected given the fact
that Grefé was at least occasionally able to muster A-list (or formerly A-list) talent like Rita Hayworth for some of his projects, an
accomplishment that probably never would have even occurred to Lewis to attempt.
Death Curse of Tartu is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Arrow's hardcover insert book has a full page devoted to the transfers of each of the films, starting with some generic overview verbiage and then some brief comments on each film:
All the films included in this collection have been restored from the best available materials. Whilst every effort has been made to offer up the best possible presentations, the results inevitably vary according to the condition of the source materials, some of which were in poor shape. We hope that this does not affect your enjoyment of the films.There is a definite drop off in quality between Sting of Death and this film, not necessarily due just to the differing sizes of the formats used for the transfers. Death Curse of Tartu's source element is in noticeably worse shape overall, with pretty rampant fading, lots of scratches and other damage, and a kind of overly worn appearance that may in fact make some older drive-in attendees a bit nostalgic. Flesh tones tend toward brown a lot of the time, and even relatively brightly lit outdoor material never really pops with much authority. Some of the "nature photography" almost looks like it was sourced from stock footage (I don't think it was, I'm just saying it looks like it), with sometimes even less detail and color saturation than the bulk of the presentation. There are wholescale changes in overall color temperature throughout this presentation, quite often within extant scenes (i.e., no edits, the color changes as the scene progresses).
Sting of Death was scanned from its original 35mm negative. The audio was sourced from a 35mm optical track negative.
Death Curse of Tartu was scanned from a 16mm print. The audio was also sourced from this print. The 16mm print - presumably a TV print - was found to have been trimmed for gore, so these missing shots were sourced from a lesser copy 35mm print and reinstated.
The Hooked Generation was scanned from a 16mm internegative. The audio was sourced from a 16mm optical track negative.
The Psychedelic Priest (AKA Electric Shades of Grey ) was scanned from a 16mm Ektachrome release print. The audio was also sourced from this print.
The Naked Zoo was scanned from its original 35mm negative, which had been recut to the Barry Mahon version of the film. In order to recreate William Grefé 's original director's cut, the footage unique to that version was sourced from a badly faded and warped 35mm workprint. The audio was sourced from a 35mm double edged track print and a 35mm track negative.
Mako: Jaws of Death was scanned from two 16mm prints, which were composited for best quality sections of each. The audio was also sourced from these prints.
Whiskey Mountain was scanned from a 16mm scope print. The audio was also sourced from this print.
All materials used in these restorations were supplied William Grefé , Lisa Petrucci / Something Weird Video, Vinegar Syndrome, Ed Tucker, and AGFA (American Genre Film Archive).
Death Curse of Tartu features an LPCM Mono track which is, like the video component, hobbled by some age related wear and tear, including hiss, pops and cracks which recur pretty regularly throughout. There are some brief skips here which might be attributable to shoddy sound editing (they typically happen at video edit points), and some of the sound effects, like the insane drumming that appears interstitially throughout the film, come off as boxy and shallow. Dialogue is rendered clearly for the most part. Optional English subtitles are available.
All of the films in this set save for Whiskey Mountain are presented two per disc, and so some supplements are more generalist in nature. This disc has the following supplements:
- Sting of Death (1080p; 2:06) has a watermark that says "SWV", which I'm assuming does not stand for Sisters With Voices.
- Death Curse of Tartu (1080p; 1:34)
This "second feature" knock off is undeniably goofy, but it does offer some good location photography and some relatively decent menace from all sorts of natural critters. Both video and audio have issues, but the supplements are very enjoyable, for those considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1966
1977
1971
1970
The Jaws of Death
1976
1968
1966
1986
1943
1981
1963
1954
Deluxe Edition
1920
1982
2016
Warner Archive Collection
1973
The Devil's Bride
1968
2005
2019
2018