6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A search for a winning lottery ticket in his dead father's grave causes Sardonicus' face to freeze in a horrible grimace, until he forces a doctor to treat his affliction--with even more grotesque results!
Starring: Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe, Oskar Homolka, Vladimir SokoloffHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 16% |
Drama | 1% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, French
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
An old fashioned story full of gallantry, graciousness, and ghouls.
Curses can be ugly things, and when combined with an unimaginable lust for money -- and going to ghoulish extremes to get it -- expect
something really nasty to happen. Mr. Sardonicus hails from a simpler time for Horror, a time when slow reveals, thick atmospheres,
cheesy
dialogue, and over-the-top performances dominated the landscape, not simple blood and guts but real, genuine terror. At least most of the time.
Mr. Sardonicus isn't really all that terrifying, largely because it's wholly unbelievable. There's no real catch, few scenes of any real urgency,
and
a resolution that's a little too cleverly simple for its own good. Yet it's absolutely a product of its era, complete with silly Twilight Zone-inspired narrated bookends and a "punishment poll" at
the end in
which Director William Castle pretends to scan the audience, totaling the number of "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" votes to either show the
villain
mercy or throw him
to the proverbial wolves. It's a movie in rather good taste considering its genre, offering mostly clean fun, and it probably worked a little better
back in
the day when audiences
(and reviewers) weren't so desensitized to cinema terror.
Captor and captive.
The black-and-white Mr. Sardonicus doesn't represent the finest in colorless Blu-ray goodness, but the transfer is surprisingly stout and probably better than what fans might have reasonably expected of an old title on budget Blu-ray. It doesn't start too promisingly, though, showing some pale blacks and poor gradation between shades of gray, resulting in some blocky, clumpy backdrops in the London exteriors. Once the action shifts to Dr. Cargrave's office, it tightens up nicely and hardly ever lets up, save for a few more unsightly outdoor shots. The image proves very stable and nicely defined, whether primary elements, such as character and clothing details, or background elements that retain a sharpness and accuracy all around the frame. The interior of the Sardonicus mansion is also prime real estate for picturesque details; both the open, inviting, nicely appointed living areas and the grimy, rougher textured "torture chamber" area both reveal excellent details. The transfer also shows off the well done and largely seamless Sardonicus makeup, a real pleasure in those shots in which it's visible for more than a second or so of screen time. Generally, the print looks clean, with light grain intact. However sporadic pops and speckles do appear, usually infrequently but spiking occasionally. All in all, this is a solid presentation from Mill Creek.
Mr. Sardonicus features a terribly bland DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack that should be the poster child for "lifeless." Certainly this is no multi-million dollar production with A-grade sound design, so the boring presentation can certainly be understood in context. It's puny and utterly unconvincing at all times, save for dialogue. The spoken word comes through with commendable evenness and accuracy, but forget much of anything more. Music plays with no range beyond the center, ditto any of the few sound effects scattered throughout, such as a ringing bell on a ship and a "rumbling" locomotive that ambles "through" the stage. There's no clarity or oomph to any of the effects, and combined with zero range, the net result is a boring listen but one that doesn't really impede one's ability to enjoy the film, either.
Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Mr. Sardonicus contains no supplemental content.
Mr. Sardonicus cannot claim to be the best, most frightening film of its era, but it's most certainly a fun, albeit at times a bit stiff, Horror/Thriller. It lacks the grisly scares of today but focuses more on character and plot than gore and atmosphere, a winning combination that makes even a film such as this that stretches genre credibility a fair, sometimes even fun, little excursion. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Mr. Sardonicus features very good video and unsurprisingly bland audio. Recommended at its budget pricing.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Eliza Graves
2014
2015
1964
2015
2014
2014-2016
1932
1961
Night of the Demon
1957
2013
1971
2016
Includes "Drácula"
1931
Dracula / Warner Archive Collection
1958
1952
Warner Archive Collection
1933
1942
1939
1936
2020