5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A group of scientists are working in a lab located on a distant planet. One of them, Sandy, is attacked, raped and impregnated by a monstrous creature. She then begins to stalk her colleagues one by one, killing them and drinking their blood.
Starring: Robin Clarke (II), Stephanie Beacham, Steven Grives, Rosalind Lloyd, Victoria TennantHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren, 1976-1987.
It might be an interesting bi-continental quiz to ask film fans in the United Kingdom if they recognize the name Herschell Gordon Lewis, while at the
same time asking film fans in the United States if they recognize the name Norman John Warren. My hunch (and it’s only a hunch) is that Lewis
might
fare a bit better than Warren (meaning at least in part that British cineastes might be more globally aware than Americans), but that said, the two
men are at least passingly comparable in that each offered exploitation outings that tended to
feature both scantily clad (and sometimes naked) women and horror elements in about equal measure. Arrow released the massive The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast* a
few
years ago which aggregated a bunch of Lewis’ films (there are other compilations available, including The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis* and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon
Lewis*), and now Powerhouse Films’ Indicator imprint has aggregated a quintet of Warren films to whet fans’ appetites. As with some of
Lewis’ efforts, the Warren films are often low budget affairs, but they arguably tend to be a cut above (no gore pun intended) some of Lewis’ films
in
terms of general production values and even performance acumen. All five films in this set have either already received Blu-ray releases in the
United States, or are about to as this review goes live (in the case of Inseminoid), but Powerhouse's website lists this set as offering
debuts of the films on Blu-ray for the United Kingdom market.
* Note: The links points to United States releases since there are reviews for some of those which some readers might be interested in
perusing, though there are UK releases of both
The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Inseminoid is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Powerhouse Films provided only check discs for the purposes of this review, with no supporting documentation, so I'm not privy to any verbiage that might be included in an insert booklet, but their website has the same generic "2K restoration, newly supervised and approved by director Norman J Warren" listed under its breakdown for every film in this set. This is a very appealing looking transfer for the most part, though grain can be quite thick in the effects sequences (as in the opening quasi-montage). That said, while heavy at times, grain resolves surprisingly well in the many very dark scenes in the cave environment, some of them which are moodily fog or mist enshrouded as well. Those scenes are dark almost by default, and while shadow detail isn't always perfectly optimal, there's often very nice depth to the image and some of the Argento-esque lighting choices like some very deeply vivid red hues pop extremely well. Several brief interstitials of the planet or explorers can be bathed in blue or pink, something that can perhaps work against fine detail levels, but which continue this presentation's generally very nicely suffused look. Almost all of the material "up top" (i.e., not in the caves where much of the film takes place) looks really nicely warm, with excellent general and fine detail levels. There is occasional crush in some dark scenes, and there's one short sequence starting at circa 54:25 that look just a bit rougher than the bulk of the presentation. My score is 4.25.
Inseminoid features an LPCM Mono track that is decently robust, offering good support for another electronic score (this one featuring lots of brass patches and an occasional clarinet sound). Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout, and some of the sound effects work is properly reverberent. There's good delineation in the many scenes where some characters are speaking through communication devices in spacesuits and others are speaking "live".
- Theatrical Trailer #1 (1080p; 2:13)
- Theatrical Trailer #2 (1080p; 1:47)
- Theatrical Trailer #3 (1080p; 1:02)
- French Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:28)
- Horror Planet Teaser Trailer (1080p; 00:31)
- TV Spot (1080p; 00:31)
Inseminoid is one of Warren's more interesting efforts from a stylistic standpoint (some of the lighting choices here are as Argento-esque as anything he did in the reportedly Suspiria inspired Terror), but the film simply can't help but seem like a retread of Alien. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package outstanding for those considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Indicator Series
1978
1958
Eureka Classics
1957
Indicator Series
1977
1958
Indicator Series
1987
1953
Premium Collection
1951
2019
60th Anniversary Edition|Limited Edition
1954
1957
2018
2013
1982
2016
1981
1977
Indicator Series
1957
Titan Find
1985
Black Label 027
1988