House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 2, 2015

1974’s “House of the Living Dead” (aka “Curse of the Dead”) is a period piece about madness and murder, though it teases more visceral events early on, where the audience is treated to medical experimentation on a sedated baboon. What initially appears unsettling and possibly irresponsible soon transforms into a static genre picture that’s more the silent treatment than blossoming into a roaring ghost story. “House of the Living Dead” has oddity, but there’s not a suspenseful moment in the entire film, watching director Ray Austin feel around in the dark for a grim mystery that’s never even remotely achieved.

“House of the Living Dead” takes place in South Africa, which promises to give the production a chance to acquire expanse, stirring up any cinematic promise that happens to be around. Austin sincerely believes he’s crafting a classic nail-biter, including elements of voodoo and murder, but he’s rarely invested in pace, losing the film to needless exposition and banal dialogue. “House of the Living Dead” isn’t a regal picture, but Austin’s chasing an inflated tone that never takes hold, leaving the actors to manage a story that’s often of limited concern to the helmer.

House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented as a B-side to "Crypt of the Living Dead," "House of the Living Dead" arrives with an AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation, sourced from the 35mm print that's seen better days. Best filed in the "it's this or nothing" category of Blu-ray viewing experiences, there's quite a bit of damage to observe, with scratches and speckling, along with missing frames. Color is faded, leaving the print pinkish with moments of natural hues. Skintones are all over the map, periodically blazing bright red. Contrast isn't balanced out, while delineation is rough, finding plenty of scenes gobbled up by darkness. Detail is adequate, but hardly consistent. What's provided here feels "as is," which is an understandable problem (I can imagine the financial commitment required to clean up the feature is substantial), but doesn't make for a pleasant sit.

House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix displays some serious wear and tear, finding dialogue exchanges occasionally difficult to understand, while one brief segment of the movie (around the 60:00 mark) displays some significant damage. Music holds promise, with a degree of instrumentation preserved. Sound effects are exaggerated, making them bustle with activity, and atmospherics are adequate for this type of picture. Hiss is present throughout.

House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

House of the Living Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"House of the Living Dead" finally wakes for its finale, offering a payoff that any student of the genre should be able to spot coming from a mile away. Any surge in energy is welcome, but the feature is too comatose to benefit from a late inning interest is screen mayhem. Perhaps best left to B-movie fanatics and horror completists, "House of the Living Dead" isn't substantial enough to generate mass appeal.