Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 7, 2019

Say what you will about Ken Russell’s various biographical films about some of classical music’s most noted (sorry) composers and/or performers, they at least are fascinating examples of a post-modern sensibility being applied to what is often a pretty staid and formalized “biopic” subgenre. Lisztomania is an especially good example of Russell attempting to draw parallels between a 19th century classical music icon and 20th century rock superstardom, an approach that was none too subtly aided and abetted by Russell’s decision to cast Roger Daltrey in the title role, while giving a number of other rock stars supporting roles. Another 19th century legend who was something of a rock star in his own way, and who in fact inspired Liszt, was famed violinist Niccolò Paganini, a virtuoso of such overpowering technique that rumors circulated he had formed some kind of Faustian bargain for his abilities. That (hopefully) fictional underpinning informs the goofy horror opus Paganini Horror, a film which in its own way combines at least elements of 19th century music with a rock ‘n’ roll ambience, courtesy of a plot that sees an all girl group in the 1980s decide to record a previously unknown Paganini piece, leading to disastrous consequences where (perhaps literally) all hell breaks loose.

Paganini Horror has an interesting enough setup, but it never seems to know what to do with the material. Even some of the supposed horror angle turns out to be fashioned as supposedly “meta”, including a sequence that ends up being revealed as part of a music video. The main story involves a female rock group on the hunt for their next big hit, which brings in the involvement of Donald Pleasance in a glorified cameo as a mysterious guy named Mr. Pickett who delivers an equally mysterious piece by Paganini. The film has already shown a kind of peculiar vignette involving a child practicing Paganini, a child who then goes on to murder her mother, so the stage is set, so to speak, for more demonic influences courtesy of the violinist, but the film seems to want to make Paganini himself into the next Freddy Krueger, or something like that, once the story moves on to the fortress where Paganini supposedly sold his soul to the Devil.

The now probably kind of quaint 80s rock aspect to the film may be more of a calling card for some than any supposed horror and/or gore elements, since those are surprisingly tamped down. The film might have worked better had it gone for more of a spooky tale of possession rather than relying on a literal Paganini marauding around stabbing people, but some viewers may appreciate this nonetheless for some perceived camp content.

Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paganini Horror is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Severin is touting a 2K scan from the original negative, evidently culled from a 16mm source even though the IMDb lists 35mm in their technical specs for the film. For what it's worth, the lack of fine detail and general grittiness of this presentation struck me as having been sourced from a smaller format. The best thing about this transfer is probably the palette, which is rather vivid at times, especially with regard to reds and purples, though some of the more pastel laden hues, and even some of the "neutral" tones like whites and beiges can look a bit anemic. Sharpness and clarity are pretty variable, and even some midrange shots can lack much in the way of fine detail. Grain resolution issues are occasionally spotted, especially in some darker material, where noticeable splotchiness is evident. Some signs of age related wear and tear remain, but nothing of any major consequence.

Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paganini Horror features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks in either Italian or English, with both showing pretty evident signs of post- looping, with subsequent "loose sync", as some other boutique labels sometimes describe their audio tracks as offering. Amplitude is greater on the English track, and I personally liked the sound of it overall better than the somewhat clouded sounding Italian track. Music is decently full bodied throughout, with Vince Tempera's synth laden score occasionally sounding a bit cheesy, especially when attempting to mimic the violin.

Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Play it Again Paganini -- Interview with Luigi Cozzi (1080p; 30:31) is a fun trip down memory lane with the director, who talks about the genesis of the project and its production, including a kind of humorous connection to Christopher Lambert's then nascent film career. In Italian with English subtitles.


• The Devil's Music -- Interview with Actor Pietro Genuardi (1080p; 15:33) has some general biographical data as well as memories of the shoot. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Deleted Scenes and Alternate Ending (1080p; 8:53)


• Trailer (1080p; 2:52)


• Soundtrack CD featuring Vince Tempera's score is available as part of this Limited Edition of 3000 units.

Additionally, a cardstock insert features key art and a track listing for the CD.

Paganini Horror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kind of hilariously, there was actually another film about the famed violinist at the core of this story that also came out in 1989, Paganini, which some might be forgiven for mistaking as a Ken Russell film, when it was in fact directed by its star Klaus Kinski. Paganini is in its own way rather like some of the Russell classical music biopics, however, Lisztomania in particular, in terms of its melding of a story of a 19th century titan within the subliminal context of 20th century superstardom. There's no subtext of any kind in Paganini Horror, and as such fans will probably have to be content with some patently goofy dialogue, improbable plot machinations and (perhaps most disappointingly for horror fans) a relative lack of blood and guts. Severin's technical presentation here is somewhat hampered by a lo-fi source, but is certainly better than the only DVD presentation of the film I've personally seen (years ago on what I remember as being an import disc). The supplemental package also includes some fun content, for those considering a purchase.