Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Paranoiac Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 8, 2010

Oscar-winning cinematographer and director Freddie Francis' "Paranoiac" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include optional music and effects track, the film's long-unseen original trailer, as well as Blu-ray-only exclusive of a high-definition stills gallery of rare materials. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Face of Fear

Oliver Reed (Blood in the Streets, The Devils), is Simon Ashby, a man with a serious drinking problem, who is determined to drive his sister, Eleanor (Janette Scott, Invasion of the Triffids, Contest Girl), crazy in order to have their family’s fortune for himself. The two siblings are under the care of their Aunt Harriet (Sheila Burrell, The Desperados), who already has Eleanor convinced that she is on the verge of madness because she often sees visions of her late brother Tony.

Much to everyone’s surprise, a man appears claiming that he is Tony (Alexander Davion, With These Hands...). Eleanor immediately embraces him and the two begin spending a lot of time together. Gradually, Eleanor also begins to realize that she may not have been as sick as Simon, Aunt Harriet, and her personal French nurse, Francois (Liliane Brousse, The Parisienne and the Prudes), have insisted.

Sensing that things are getting out of control, Simon decides to eliminate Tony and Eleanor - but his plan backfires and makes everything even more complicated; he begins drinking more than ever before. When Aunt Harriet steps up and attempts to help him, a terrible secret is revealed.

The first Hammer film directed by the legendary Freddie Francis, Paranoiac blends melodrama with old school British Gothic horror. Reed is undoubtedly the star of the film, though admittedly the character he plays isn’t as appealing as it could have been.

The fairly straightforward narrative contains three mini-climaxes. The first one occurs rather early into the film when it is revealed that Eleanor’s sexy French nurse, Francois, is actually Simon’s lover. The second one occurs after Tony and Eleanor return from a picnic trip to a picturesque beach. The third and most effective one is at the end of the film where a terrible secret is revealed. There are also a number of small twists, most of which appear to have been at least partially inspired by such classics as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Les diaboliques.

Like Reed, the rest of the cast is solid - Scott’s emotional meltdowns are never overdone; Burrell undergoes a sizable and very effective character transformation; Davion looks remarkably relaxed, and even though his character is slightly underdeveloped he is still excellent; and Brousse has only a few notable lines but truly makes the most of them - while the camera casually studies her luscious figure.

Technically, Paranoiac is unlikely to impress viewers who are well familiar with the Hammer catalog, but it definitely won’t disappoint them either. Cinematographer Arthur Grant’s (Dracula Has Risen from the Grave) lensing, for instance, is very smooth and elegant. Elisabeth Lutyens’ moody score is also striking, wonderfully enhancing some of the finest scenes in Paranoiac.

Clocking in at approximately 80 minutes, Paranoiac should have been slightly longer. As suggested earlier, some of the main characters feel somewhat underdeveloped, and a few of the secondary themes not handled as well as they could have been. The finale, as effective as it is, also feels rushed. Still, Paranoiac is a genuinely entertaining film with a terrific Gothic atmosphere.

Paranoiac Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Freddie Francis' Paranoiac arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

This is a very strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is impressive, clarity very pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is also quite remarkable - the variety of different blacks, grays and whites look lush and well saturated. There are no traces of heavy noise alterations; the film's grain structure is very much intact. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. On the contrary, blown through a digital projector, the high-definition transfer conveys very pleasing depth and tightness. This being said, I noticed a few minor flecks popping up here and there as well as a few tiny scratches. However, large cuts, marks, or serious damage are nowhere to be seen. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Paranoiac Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Music DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (only the music and effects). For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is pleasing. Generally speaking, however, its dynamic amplitude is rather limited - there are only a few truly memorable scenes in the film where the special effects impress. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable and very easy to follow. Additionally, there are no serious balance issues with Elisabeth Lutyens' music score. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.

Paranoiac Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.

Music and effects audio track - presented as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.

Trailer - long-unseen original trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 480/60i).

Ephemera - exclusive to the Blu-ray release of Paranoiac selection of original production stills, lobby cards, and posters from 1963. (1080p).

Paranoiac Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is terrific to see that the Hammer films are starting to come on Blu-ray. Looking at what the great crew at Eureka Entertainment has done with Freddie Francis' Paranoiac, I can hardly contain my excitement as there is a very large number of these films that I would love to revisit. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed is also Region-Free! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.