Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 14, 2026

1980’s “Macabre” is “based on a true story,” following the strange ways of a woman destroyed by traumatic experiences, refusing to give up on love in the process. It’s billed as a horror film, but it’s not a production that’s concerned with building suspense, with the screenplay basically sticking with one major reveal and some climatic antagonism, while the rest of the feature sits around, waiting for a moment when it can expose its ghoulishness to viewers. The endeavor is the directorial debut for Lamberto Bava, who would go on to helm “Demons” and “Demons 2,” and for his initial outing, he’s challenged to make an engrossing movie that’s primarily filled with padding. “Macabre” eventually gets to ghoulishness, but it’s a long sit to more active encounters.

Jane (Bernice Stegers) is eager to get away from her husband, Leslie (Fernando Pannullo), and her kids, Michael and Lucy (Veronica Zinny), ready to spend an afternoon with Fred (Roberto Posse), her lover. During her sexual adventure, Lucy decides to get back at her absentee mother by drowning Michael. During the frantic drive home to tend to the emergency situation, Fred is killed in a car accident right next to Jane. Lost to grief and madness, Jane eventually returns to the setting of her affair, making use of a room inside a New Orleans home run by Robert (Stanko Molnar), a blind instrument repairman. Setting up a shrine to Fred in the bedroom, Jane begins to experience private sexual pleasures, which torment Robert, who’s looking to become the woman’s next lover. As Robert explores Jane’s mysterious affair, he encounters a locked freezer in the refrigerator, looking into her past while also managing the return of Lucy to her life.

Jane isn’t a responsible character, introduced as someone happily dismissing her husband and kids to enjoy a carnal event with Fred at a New Orleans apartment. “Macabre” makes the woman’s intent clear early in the picture, and it generates nightmare imagery in the murder of Michael, who’s taken out of competition for mommy’s love by his big sister, and man oh man, Lucy is a bad seed. Unfortunately, she disappears from the film for quite some time, with “Macabre” primarily interested in Jane’s return to the space she once shared with Fred, forced to deal with Robert while living there.

A blind man attracted to Jane, Robert becomes a detective in “Macabre,” striking out with his attempts to connect to the woman, while forced to listen to her orgasmic ways at night. Something is happening in the story, but Bava’s film isn’t in any rush to increase tension, gifting viewers chances to watch Robert open a can of soup and Jane make a bed. Real-time activity becomes a major part of the “Macabre” viewing experience, with the feature only paying marginal attention to potential horrors. There’s the mystery of the freezer, but even that takes quite some time to take shape, while elements of obsession aren’t forceful enough to command the snoozy viewing experience.

Three versions of the film are included on this release: “Macabro (Italian)” (90:47), “Macabre (English)” (89:47), and “Frozen Terror (English)” (89:47).

Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Macabre" is listed as "presented in Dolby Vision HDR, newly scanned and restored from the 35mm original camera negative." Detail is excellent throughout the viewing experience, capturing textured skin particulars on the cast, and costuming delivers strong fibrousness, exploring sheer lingerie and casual wear. Interiors are dimensional, preserving a look at decorative additions and information displays. Exteriors offer depth with tours of the city. Color is appealing, handling sharp primaries, including blood reds. Costuming offers more varied hues, along with design elements. Skin tones are natural. Signage is distinct, along with greenery. Blacks are deep, preserving evening events and low-lit encounters. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is nicely resolved. Source is in good condition.

Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are English and Italian DTS-HD MA tracks available for "Macabre." It's not a sonically impressive endeavor to begin with, and some age is found during the listening experiences, including slight fuzziness at times. Intelligibility is never threatened, with performances registering as intended. Music isn't crisp, but jazzy moods offer appreciable instrumentation and dramatic support.

Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains essays by Dakota Noot, Pierce Conran, and Danielle Burgos.

• Commentary ("Macabro") features film historians Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani, and Nathaniel Thompson.

• Commentary ("Macabre") features film historians Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani, and Nathaniel Thompson.

• Commentary ("Frozen Terror") features film historians Troy Howarth, Eugenio Ercolani, and Nathaniel Thompson.

• "The Bloody Beginning" (17:18, HD) is an interview with co-writer/director Lamberto Bava, who opens with a discussion of the multiple crises that've hit the Italian film industry over the decades. The interviewee recalls the relationship between his father, Mario Bava, and Dario Argento, and he details his own experiences with the helmer and his dad, who provided visuals and inspiration for Argento's early career. Talk turns to "Macabre," with Bava developing an idea from American news, quickly assembling the material while making his directorial debut with the project. The conversation also covers the decline of the film industry and Bava's complicated relationship with Argento today, lamenting the loss of the helmer's sense of risk and imagination.

• "New Orleans Gothic" (9:55, HD) is an interview with co-writer Pupi Avati, who fully admits right at the start of the discussion that he took professional opportunities strictly to travel the world, which is why "Macabre" is set in New Orleans. Avati offers his thoughts on director Dario Argento, and inspects scoring efforts on other pictures, exploring the creative process.

• "A Head for Producing" (18:18, HD) is an interview with co-producer/co-writer Antonio Avati, who explores his early career achievements, including work on Roberto Benigni's 1977 film debut. The interviewee provides some information on the making of "The House with Laughing Windows," and talk eventually turns to "Macabre," developing the script with his brother, co-writer Pupi Avati, trying to work through a few crazy ideas for the project. Memories from the New Orleans shoot are shared, and tensions with director Dario Argento are remembered, as the distribution company briefly used a post-screening comment from the helmer for marketing efforts. Casting is also analyzed.

• "Macabre Love" (22:55, HD) is an appreciation piece from expert Mark Thompson Ashworth.

• "Jazzing for a Murder" (22:18, HD) is an appreciation piece from film music historian Pierpaolo De Sanctis, who explore creative contributions from composer Ubaldo Continiello.

• Q&A (58:47, HD) is a 2025 discussion of "Macabre" with director Lamberto Bava.

• "Danse Macabre" (24:02, HD) is an archival interview with screenwriter Roberto Gandus.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:16, HD) and an International Theatrical Trailer (2:16, HD) are included.

Macabre 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Most of "Macabre" is a waiting game. It's 70 minutes into a 90-minute-long movie before the freezer situation is revealed and Judy returns to the story. There's some madness to enjoy in the finale, but Bava isn't going for visceral thrills. And there's a bizarre final shot that changes the entire tone of the film at the very last second, making one wish the whole picture went in a more supernatural direction. A fear factor doesn't develop in "Macabre," and pacing is a real problem, but there are a few highlights to appreciate, including Stegers's complete commitment to the material, delivering thunderous work that helps to sell the insanity Bava is tasked with communicating, but often falls short of properly realizing.