6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Traumatized by her mother's death, young Susan is becoming possessed by the same demon that possessed her mother before she died. More and more her husband and psychiatrist are noticing the strange changes...
Starring: Marjoe Gortner, Bobbie Bresee, Norman Burton, Maurice Sherbanee, LaWanda PageHorror | 100% |
Supernatural | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (96kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
1983’s “Mausoleum” is a horror picture, and the genre is known for its appreciation for the strange and outrageous, with most producers looking for some way to help their endeavor stand out from the considerable competition. Co-producer/co-writer/cinematographer Robert Barich goes for extremity with the effort, and while the feature isn’t incredibly violent, its blend of ghoulishness and titillation is, in many ways, charming, helping to define the decade’s reliance on visual appeal to support lackluster plots. “Mausoleum” isn’t a finely tuned dramatic enterprise, but it does have lots of salacious material and something of a sense of humor, with Barich stopping just short of softcore material as he works to pay tribute to the everlasting appeal of B-movies and make one himself.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation delivers a clear look at the surprisingly interesting cinematography, which strives to create menacing mood with Argento-style colors, blasting purples and greens with demon interactions. More earthbound hues are retained, enjoying a brighter palette with suburban investigation, with garden and pool visits keeping their vivid appearance. Detail is excellent, and there's plenty of visual information to work through, from sexuality to monsters, while close-ups retain true texture. Costuming is also a highlight, finding touchable surfaces on stiff business wear and Bresee's many outfits, which preserve their silky appearance. Delineation is acceptable, making sense out of dark interactions and heavy clothing. Source is in reasonable shape, but some issues are detected, including slight flicker and judder, mild scratches, single- frame chemical damage, and rough reel changes with visible cigarette burns.
The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix provides an appealingly loud listening experience that emphasizes the growing demon menace, dealing well with monstrous developments and appearances. Dialogue exchanges are direct, handling surges in panic and softer, procedural lines without issue. Scoring is simplistic, but it retains position and balance, giving horror sequences required authority. Sound effects maintain intent.
"Mausoleum" has an engaging, low-fi sense of horror duty, offering real filmic style to boost production values, and demon design offers at least two distinct, chest-level surprises when it comes to the true threat level of Nomed. Performances are committed, which always helps the cause, with the cast believing in such ridiculousness, though one has to feel a little bad for Bresee, often standing still as her male co-stars take a few moments to rub themselves all over her before macabre antics begin. Goofiness is unavoidable, but iffy elements such as a special effects (for one automobile explosion, it's obvious the production is detonating a toy car) retain low-budget appeal, and Susan's reign of blood results in some nifty body shredding, even making use of a suburban mall to stage one of the nastiest kills in the picture. "Mausoleum" isn't tight, carrying on for far too long (the ending is endless), but there's fun to be had with its craziness and exploitation obsessions. It's not refined work, but it manages to keep attention on the screen for most of its run time.
1986
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