Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 20, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Film Masters' Door-to-Door Maniac double feature release.

Film Masters is a newish label that has been curating some pretty, um, niche stuff with a number of their "double feature" releases in particular. Some of those releases, like Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child, seem to have a kind of "through line" uniting the two features, but I think many would be hard pressed to find a connective thread between Door to Door Maniac (originally released as Five Minutes to Live) and Right Hand of the Devil, other than that both feature focal criminals intent on some kind of rampage, and also that you're probably unlikely to see either of these films anywhere else unless you actually go out there hunting for them. Door to Door Maniac has the cult appeal of offering just one of two big screen featured performances by Johnny Cash (with an early turn by Ronnie Howard), while Right Hand of the Devil is a kind of wacky attempt by Los Angeles hairdresser and bit player Aram Katcher to go full "Ed Wood" (perhaps unintentionally in more ways than one) as a quasi-auteur.

Somewhat hilariously, at least for lovers of a certain level of kitsch, Door to Door Maniac is an "update", if not exactly a "new, improved" one, of the venerable Humphrey Bogart film The Desperate Hours (which was itself a remake). The comedic aspect perhaps enters the fray courtesy of focal bad guy Johnny Cabot (Johnny Cash), who luckily (?) can quell those "just taken hostage by an apparent madman" jitters by singin' and strummin' a tune for panicked victim Nancy Wilson (Cay Forrester). Unfortunately, some of those songs provide insight into what Johnny has in store for Nancy if her husband, bank vice president Ken Wilson (Donald Woods), doesn't agree to a hefty ransom payment being facilitated by Johnny's partner Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback).

There's one kind of nifty if relatively short lived "surprise" in this odd effort, concerning Ken's reaction to his wife being in peril, but this is otherwise a pretty melodramatic soap opera that at least offers a surprisingly feral turn by Cash as an unrepentant villain, albeit one with a certain musical talent. It's interesting to contrast the implied (and actually overt in a couple of instances) violence toward women Johnny exhibits, against the at least somewhat more reserved menace offered by Bogie in The Desperate Hours. The fact that this is framed as a flashback perhaps sucks a bit of energy out of an almost predetermined outcome that sees truth, justice and a momentarily troubled marriage all prevail. I mentioned in my The Desperate Hours Blu-ray review how that film kind of tended to "deconstruct" general perceptions of the Eisenhower era's emphasis on law and order and safety of the home environment, but moving ahead a few years, Door to Door Maniac might suggest that someone had ripped that "Ike scab" off, exposing a still festering wound of an America trying to pretend that Happily Ever After wasn't just for fairy tales.

Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Door to Door Maniac is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Masters with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in either 1.85:1 or 1:33:1. I've offered five screenshots in each aspect ratio from more or less the same frames, so that those interested can see the differences, but I didn't see anything overly problematic, at least generally in terms of things like too much / too little headspace and the like. Film Masters tends not to provide a ton of technical information on its releases, and includes only a front cover statement that this is a "new 4K transfer for original 35 mm archival elements", albeit without specifying what those archival elements might be. There is some occasional damage on tap here, mostly in the form of scratches, but overall whatever restoration was attempted has delivered a generally intact viewing experience, with decent contrast and rather appealing detail levels in close-ups. There are moments of passing softness (including a couple of moments that look like focus pulling issues). Grain resolves naturally.

Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's a bit of background hiss and occasional sibilance in Door to Door Maniac's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track, and some boxiness that actually tends to accompany dialogue and sound effects more than the score (including the original title song, "Five Minutes to Die", warbled by Cash). The thinness and kind of hollow reverberance is most noticeable in moments like gunshots, as in an opening vignette. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available, and Film Master also provides optional subtitles for the commentary track.

Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Recreated 2024 Door To Door Maniac Trailer (HD; 1:33)


• Commentary with Daniel Budnik and Rob Kelly

Door-to-Door Maniac Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's maybe a little surprising that this re-released version of Five Minutes to Die didn't attain more traction, since Cash had scored a number of major hits between the film's original theatrical exhibition and the re-release. This is a historical curio and has an interesting cast, but it's too rote by half, even if there's a kind of deconstructionist twist in terms of the reaction to a spouse being taken hostage. Technical merits are generally solid, if not consistently optimal, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.