5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
For years considered a lost Franco film (after having played at a single theater in Belgium), Nightmares Come at Night was rediscovered in 2004 and has been recognized as a key film in the evolution of Franco's cinema, which in 1970 was assuming a dreamlike logic, governed more by the director's libido than the traditional horror movie structure.
Starring: Diana Lorys, Soledad Miranda, Paul Muller, Jack Taylor (II), Colette GiacobineHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 62% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.65:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When low-budget horror and Euro-sleaze auteur Jesus "Jess" Franco died this past April, at age 82, he left behind an enormous body of work, with over 150 features to his credit in a career that spanned from 1959 until this year, when poor health left him unable to complete his final movie, Al Pereira vs. the Alligator Women. We can certainly use the word "prolific" to describe his output, but even the most ardent Franco fans will acknowledge that many—if not the vast majority—of his films are totally forgettable. In his creatively lean years, he churned out one X-rated grindhouse cheapie after another, paying the bills but disassociating himself from any real consideration as a serious filmmaker. (Or, at least, one to be taken seriously.) Still, inside this sea of sleaze, several films worthy of lasting appreciation have bobbed to the surface, notable for their unexpectedly buoyant mixture of deliberate artiness and low-brow voyeurism. Redemption Films and their distribution partner, Kino-Lorber, have been reissuing these more-successful Franco efforts in deluxe Blu-ray editions, and their latest batch of titles includes three films—The Awful Dr. Orlof, Nightmares Come at Night, and A Virgin Among the Living Dead—that find the director at his most visually compelling.
Colette Jack and Diana Lorys as Cynthia and Anna
Included on the disc is a great little featurette that has Kino Blu-ray producer Brett Wood explaining the picture quality peculiarities inherent in Nightmares Come at Night given the film's low budget and strange lost-but-now-found history. Wood discusses how the 35mm print used here —the same one that was discovered in 2004 and used for Media Blasters' DVD—was actually a quick answer print not intended for distribution, which explains why there are some haphazard hairs and bits of debris that were permanently burned into the image during its creation. (An answer print is used by the filmmakers to do a final check on the coloring, look, and feel of the finished project before proper copies are made for theatrical exhibition.) Along with these burned-in marks, the picture also displays the usual assortment of age-related markings, from small fleeting white specks to long vertical scratches that run for several seconds at a time. Wood was able to attenuate some of this damage—he shows us a before and after sample—but the cleanup was by no means comprehensive. On the plus side, the lack of a significant digital overhaul means the 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is also largely free from digital artifacts, over-filtering, or other effects of careless meddling. The print may be scuffed up, but it looks entirely natural and filmic, with a visible layer of grain. (Grain spikes almost ridiculously during the flashback scenes, but this, according to Wood, was all part of Franco's intent.) Clarity is drastically improved from the DVD, and it's also clear that the print has been balanced out by an attentive colorist.
Kino gives us two audio options on the disc, the original French track and a more contemporary-sounding English dub, both presented in uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 mono. The English dub feels a little off to me—it's not nearly as good as the ones for A Virgin Among the Living Dead or The Awful Dr. Orlof—so I'd recommend staying with the French mix. Like the picture, the track has its share of age-related damage—a low-level hiss at times, some pops and crackles—but given the film's age, budget, and background, this isn't unexpected. All thing considered, the the mix is still very listenable, with clear-enough dialogue, good projection, and a high end that doesn't sound overly brittle or harsh. The highlight is Bruno Nicolai's eclectic score, which goes from discordant horror cues to funk-jazz freakouts and back again. The disc includes optional English subtitles.
It's no forgotten masterpiece, but Nightmares Come at Night—which was presumed lost for three and a half decades—is well worth seeing for Jess Franco fans, who will find it evidential of many of the director's better qualities, like his ability to to conjure up dreamy, uneasy moods that leave us questioning his stories and characters. Kino/Redemption's Blu-ray release improves greatly on older standard definition versions, and the included audio track featuring Video Watchdog editor Tim Lucas is essential listening for those seeking a more thorough understanding of the film and it's wider space inside Franco's career. It goes without saying that these Franco releases aren't for everyone—and even some diehard Euro-horror hounds may find them dull—but those who enjoy the director's erotic amalgam of arthouse and grindhouse will want to invest in this latest batch of titles. You know who you are.
The Man with the Severed Head / Las ratas no duermen de noche
1973
2017
Primitif | Savage Terror | Standard Edition
1980
Night of the Howling Beast / La maldición de la bestia
1975
La vampire nue | Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1970
2014
1972
1996
L'ultima Preda del Vampiro / Curse of the Vampire | Slipcover in Original Pressing
1960
El sádico de Notre-Dame
1979
Slipcover in Original Pressing
2018
1990
La fiancée de Dracula
2002
Emanuelle e gli ultimi cannibali
1977
Delirio di sangue / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1988
1986
1989
Limited Edition | La noche de Walpurgis / Werewolf Shadow / Werewolf and the Vampire Woman / Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman | Slipcover in Original Pressing
1971
1991
Standard Edition
1980