Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Meridian Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 22, 2018

Charles Band's "Meridian" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film and a featurette. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Beautiful but scary, isn't it?

During the ‘90s there were a lot of films like Charles Band’s Meridian that would regularly play late at night on premium cable channels that liked to spice up things over the weekend. I don’t remember seeing it, but if I had to guess I would say that Cinemax and HBO were the two most likely candidates that would have picked it up. Since it comes from Full Moon Entertainment’s catalog, it is very possible that it might have had a decent funding, but I doubt it because it ended up being a straight-to-video production. In other words, Band almost certainly knew that he was not hired to shoot a masterpiece.

The action begins in Italian where art restoration specialist Gina (Charlie Spradling) is hired by the Catholic Church to repair a very important painting. She is also asked to do it in forty-eight hours, which tremendously complicates her plan to meet Catherine (Sherilyn Fenn), a good friend she has not seen in years. Nevertheless, Gina meets Catherine and they visit her family’s castle, and while having fun together attend a performance stage by a traveling troupe of magicians. Later on, the entire troupe is invited to the castle where the mysterious charmer Lawrence Fauvrey (Malcolm Jamieson ) hypnotizes the two girls and they have a wide range of bizarre sexual experiences. On the following morning the girls discover that the performers have disappeared without a trace, and while trying to remember exactly what happened during the festivities their minds begin to play tricks on them. Eventually they part ways, but instead of calming down their minds unleash a sea of terrifying visions.

Jean Cocteau’s beloved classic Beauty and the Beast was probably the blueprint that provided the structure of Meridian, but I am not at all convinced that Band was ever consciously trying to shoot some sort of a contemporary copycat that borrowed bits from it. The vibe that runs through this film is very different. It is basically a Gothic psycho-thriller that unloads plenty of erotic content that is suitable for late-night viewing.

Oddly enough, the erotic content is treated as a necessary distraction and Band actually goes to work to do some really neat things to strengthen the desired atmosphere. The entire subplot with the painting is pretty darn spooky and very effectively expands the mystery that the two girls must figure out. Sadly, the finale is rushed so instead of choosing a darker and even more intense resolution that would have legitimized the Gothic mayhem Band wraps up the film in the most predicable of ways. It really does feels like he ran out of money and this was the easiest solution to get a complete film.

There is a surprisingly good soundtrack from the veteran maestro Pino Donaggio, who over the years scored many of Brian De Palma’s cult thrillers.

Meridian Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 ABC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Band's Meridian arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The release is sourced from a pretty good remaster whose only major limitation is the presence of some noticeable black crush. The rest looks quite good. Grain exposure can be better, but there are no wild anomalies that will affect negatively your viewing experience. The same can be said about density levels -- they can be better, but the visuals do not break down. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Color are stable and mostly nicely saturated, and there are even some decent nuances. Image stability is very nice. All in all, this is a fine presentation of what is clearly a budget-production that most likely won't get a serious makeover any time soon. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Meridian Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I was very surprised to discover that the film was scored by Pino Donaggio. Thankfully, the lossless track handles the music with great ease and allows it to open up the action in all the right places. I honestly think that because of the music the film becomes a lot more effective so in a way the solid balance and dynamics are a major bonus here.

Meridian Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage U.S. trailer for Meridian. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Original Full Moon Videozone -

• Reversible cover -

Meridian Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Meridian offers a very specific type of late-night entertainment, so it has to be approached with the right expectations -- or avoided for the exact same reason. I like Sherilyn Fenn and decided to give the film a try, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Brian De Palma's frequent collaborator Pino Donaggio had scored it. 88 Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from a decent master, which is the same master that Full Moon Features used for their North American release. RECOMMENDED to Fenn fans.