6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young girl is caught up in a devil cult run by her evil uncle and cousin. She can trust no one and even people she thought were dead comes back to haunt her.
Starring: Michael Gough, Martin Potter, Candace Glendenning, Barbara Kellerman, Michael CrazeHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Note: This version of this film is available as part of Bloody Terror: The Shocking Cinema of Norman J Warren, 1976-1987.
It might be an interesting bi-continental quiz to ask film fans in the United Kingdom if they recognize the name Herschell Gordon Lewis, while at the
same time asking film fans in the United States if they recognize the name Norman John Warren. My hunch (and it’s only a hunch) is that Lewis
might
fare a bit better than Warren (meaning at least in part that British cineastes might be more globally aware than Americans), but that said, the two
men are at least passingly comparable in that each offered exploitation outings that tended to
feature both scantily clad (and sometimes naked) women and horror elements in about equal measure. Arrow released the massive The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast* a
few
years ago which aggregated a bunch of Lewis’ films (there are other compilations available, including The Lost Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis* and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon
Lewis*), and now Powerhouse Films’ Indicator imprint has aggregated a quintet of Warren films to whet fans’ appetites. As with some of
Lewis’ efforts, the Warren films are often low budget affairs, but they arguably tend to be a cut above (no gore pun intended) some of Lewis’ films
in
terms of general production values and even performance acumen. All five films in this set have either already received Blu-ray releases in the
United States, or are about to as this review goes live (in the case of Inseminoid), but Powerhouse's website lists this set as offering
debuts of the films on Blu-ray for the United Kingdom market.
* Note: The links points to United States releases since there are reviews for some of those which some readers might be interested in
perusing, though there are UK releases of both
The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Shock and Gore: The Films of Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Satan's Slave is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1 (it may interest some to note that the North American release's aspect ratio was 2.35:1). Powerhouse Films provided only check discs for the purposes of this review, with no supporting documentation, so I'm not privy to any verbiage that might be included in an insert booklet, but their website has the same generic "2K restoration, newly supervised and approved by director Norman J Warren" listed under its breakdown for every film in this set. If you look at screenshot 19, I've included the explanatory text that pops up under the Play Menu detailing some of the differences between the two versions of the film on this disc. The shared footage between the two (which is far and away the bulk of the footage) looked identical to my eye, but it's kind of interesting to note that the attack scene that was not deemed graphic enough for international exhibition looks considerably worse in its supposed original state in the Director's Cut, where at circa 7:33 it looks like things jump to some kind of dupe element that has some pretty significant damage, including huge lateral scratches (almost gaping holes) in the frame a couple of times, as well as a weirdly skewed palette and rougher grain. There's other roughness on display, including in the opening Brent Walker masthead, and this is a pretty grainy looking presentation most of the time, with some of the darkest moments, like the opening Satanic ritual, looking a little noisy at times. Those dark moments can also exhibit crush. Once the film gets into its main storyline, the palette is rather nicely suffused, though it looked a bit red to me, something that made flesh tones tilt toward purple. There's occasional slight frame instability.
I'm evidently considerably less pleased with the overall sound of the DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track on this disc than Brian was with regard to the track on the disc for the North American market. This is perfectly listenable and certainly gets all elements across, though there's persistent hiss and hum, with crackling also evident at pretty regular junctures. There are also what seem to be kind of inartful edit points in the soundtrack, as in an attack scene at around the nine minute mark. All of that said, the track does deliver the dialogue well enough, without any major issues.
- All You Need is Blood (1080p; 13:46) is a making of featurette.
- All You Need is Blood Outtakes (1080p; 32:42) are silent and play to selections from the score.
- Dream Sequence (1080p; 2:12) is in black and white and has no actual soundtrack, with a brief commentary by Warren included and then some of the score.
- Tea Party (1080p; 3:05) is also in black and white with a brief Warren commentary.
- 'U' Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:08)
- 'R' Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:10)
Satan's Slave has a few moments of angst, but it's a rather tame horror outing despite occasional dabblings into more gruesome territory. This is another Indicator release where the supplements rather than the film may be the main calling card. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Indicator Series
1987
Indicator Series
1978
Indicator Series
1977
Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel Trecento... / The Reincarnation of Isabel | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1973
Indicator Series
1981
The Crimson Cult
1968
1974
2013
Remastered
1971
Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga
1972
Indicator Series
1961
The Grim Reaper
1980
Count Dracula / Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht / El Conde Drácula
1970
1970
La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba
1971
1971
1971
Amanti d'oltretomba / The Faceless Monster 3D
1965
1971
The She Beast | Limited Edition
1966