7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Izabella works at her aunt's shop in a small town in Poland. She is also a vampire.
Starring: Katarzyna Walter, Malgorzata LorentowiczForeign | 100% |
Horror | 75% |
Drama | 38% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Polish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of House of Psychotic Women Rarities Collection.
Kier-la Janisse has been on the busy side for Severin Films lately, what with any number of supplemental productions as well as both this latest
collection and the earlier, in some ways more grandiose,
All the Haunts Be Ours: A
Compendium of Folk Horror. In that regard, it's kind of ironic in a way that at least some "folk horror" outings tend to feature women who
are perceived to be psychotic, or perhaps if not afflicted to that level, emotionally troubled, in plot devices that see "innocents" confronted
with some otherworldly horror that no one else believes is real. The "psychoses" in this set are probably more overtly manifest, in that they
seem to be objective (mis?)behaviors rather than how others are interpreting those (mis?)behaviors, but one way or the other this is
another rather remarkable collection of films curated by Janisse that should attract some niche attention. This set is kind of a companion piece to the
eponymous tome Janisse published around a decade ago, which she termed "an autobiographical topography of female neurosis in horror and
exploitation films", and which is being republished in tandem with this set in an expanded version (Severin is offering a deluxe bundle featuring the
book).
I Like Bats is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. The back cover of this release states this was "scanned in 2K from the only 35mm print known to exist". This is one of those transfers that "is what it is", with the film's "curio" status probably helping to counterweigh against color timing that often seems skewed toward yellow and green, and with some recurrent if never too problematic age related wear and tear. Contrast is a bit anemic in some outdoor scenes in particular, and blacks on the whole are a bit milky. Detail levels are often relatively fulsome, including on some of the outfits and especially some of the odd accoutrements that are utilized as set decorations.
I Like Bats features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Polish. The film has an insanely earworm infested whistling theme by Zbigniew Preisner which you can hear just clipping slightly in its highest moments. Similar very slight distortion can be gleaned at various louder moments throughout the film, but dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and sound effects encounter no major issues, either. Optional English subtitles are available.
I Like Bats is something of an outlier in this set in that its depiction of an addled woman is played for a bit of whimsy, and at least in a moment or two, outright comedy. The entire film has a weird, drugged out ambience that is heightened by some theatrical performances. This has probably the least pleasing technical merits of Severin's House of Psychotic Women set, but everything is still perfectly watchable and listenable, and Janisse's introduction and the sui generis commentary by Kamila Wielebska may be especially alluring for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1986
Il demonio
1963
Лептирица | The She-Butterfly | Limited Edition
1973
2011
Tras el cristal
1986
地獄 / Jigoku / Hell | Standard Edition
1979
1993
狂った一頁 / Kurutta ippêji
1926
1969
La región salvaje
2016
No es bueno que el hombre esté solo
1973
Al otro lado del espejo / The Obscene Mirror / Le miroir obscène
1973
Chi o suu bara
1974
El fantasma del convento | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1934
Muerte en la playa
1991
Mahi va gorbeh
2013
دختری در شب تنها به خانه میرود / Dokhtari dar šab tanhâ be xâne miravad
2014
四谷怪談 / Yotsuya Kaidan
1959
Вий / Spirit of Evil
1967
Beyond the Darkness / Magdalena, Possessed by the Devil / Magdalena, vom Teufel besessen
1974