Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Shanks 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 30, 2024

If you wanted to make one of the strangest movies of the 1970s, I suppose there’s no better creative team to do it than director William Castle and star Marcel Marceau. One is a practiced salesman of genre entertainment, creating a long list of B-movies that occasionally employed gimmicks to help boost box office fortunes. The other is perhaps the most famous mime artist in history, charming audiences for decades with his extraordinary bodily command. 1974’s “Shanks” is a collaboration between the men, who labor to find ways to bring Ranald Graham’s screenplay, “a grim fairy tale,” to life. In a way, Castle and Marceau are wildly successful, generating an unnerving feature that achieves some of the dark whimsy it’s hoping to find. Dramatically, the material isn’t quite as commanding, losing a sense of storytelling hustle as it goes. It’s certainly a memorable viewing experience, hitting a few peaks of insanity while highlighting outstanding mime work from the cast, making for a supremely bizarre effort for more adventurous audiences.

Malcolm (Marcel Marceau) is a beloved puppeteer in town, charming the locals, including young Celia (Cindy Elibacher), who’s desperate to have the older man perform on her birthday. Malcolm lives to please the kids, but his home experience is dire, living with his stepsister, Mrs. Barton (Tsilla Chelton), a mean woman who pushes the mute man to support her financially. She’s married to Mr. Barton (Philippe Clay), but he’s a raging alcoholic, of no use to anyone. An employment opportunity arrives from Walker (Marceau), an elderly man who lives in a remote mansion. He requires help from a lab assistant, as the senior citizen has managed to reanimate the dead, experimenting on animals to great success. Malcolm enjoys the job and the money, but when Walker dies, he returns to his harsh reality, inspired to put electrodes on the deceased, giving the puppeteer full control over the once lifeless body. Inspired to follow this idea, Malcolm ends up killing Mr. and Mrs. Barton, once again working with the electrodes to present the couple around town, achieving a functional relationship for the first time as Celia grows curious about what’s going on.

Malcolm, like Gamera, is a friend to all children. He presents puppet shows in town, winning over the kids with his skills and sense of humor, but Celia is especially fixated on his abilities, desperate to have him perform for her special day. This relationship is meant to be kindly, but writing doesn’t treat it as a friendship, as Malcolm is somewhat obsessed with the teenager, adding a layer of uneasiness to an already unsettling picture. “Shanks” deals with death and murder, but Castle isn’t completely committed to a horror show, preferring to find the weirdness of it all, including elements of science as Walker uses a frog and a rooster to display his reanimation experiments, enjoying this success alongside an assistant who’s simply happy to be away from his home, where all kinds of misery awaits him.

“Shanks” is most inspired once dead bodies start piling up and Malcolm finds ways to deal with the mess, pushing electrodes into the deceased. A display of grim puppetry takes over the feature, putting the cast to work articulating this dark physical manipulation, which is first tested on Walker and soon put to use on Mr. and Mrs. Barton. There’s some comedy in play as Malcolm tests out this new reality, bringing the Bartons to town to interact with the community, making them appealing for the very first time (Castle cameos as a shopkeeper). Marceau obviously shines the brightest during these sequences, putting his skills to work, joined by a gifted supporting cast capable of selling a most macabre situation.

For additional information and analysis, please read Jeffrey Kauffman’s 2013 Blu-ray review.

Shanks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray.

"Shanks" was previously issued on Blu-ray in 2013, and returns with a new UHD release from Cinematographe, listed as a "new 4K restoration from the 35mm original camera negative." A fresh scan of the feature supplies a richer viewing experience, as colors are vivid throughout. Cooler hues are found around living spaces and the mansion, securing deep blacks. More vibrant displays are provided by character appearances, including the redness of Mrs. Barton's hair and the pinkness of her costumes. Town decoration also maintains steady primaries. Detail is strong, securing skin particulars on the cast and their often strange looks. Costuming remains fibrous. Makeup and puppet textures are also defined. Interiors are open for inspection, and exteriors are dimensional. Hightlights are tasteful. Grain is nicely resolved, remaining film-like. Source is in good condition, with some mild wear and tear.

Shanks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix maintains crisp dialogue exchanges with the limited conversations it offers. Musical support is sharp, with defined instrumentation. Sound effects are appreciable.

Shanks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"New Interview with producer Steven North" is listed on the packaging, but isn't included on this release.

• Booklet (40 pages) includes essays from Heather Drain, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Murray Leeder.

• Commentary features film historians Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw.

• "Marcel Marceau on 'Shanks'" (25:35, HD) is a conversation with the actor, who shares his love for Hollywood, drawn to big names in the industry. Producer William Castle (described as a "grown-up child") offered the legendary mime an opportunity to act, presenting him with "Shanks," which was a chance to get away from horror entertainment. Marceau explores his experience on the film, struggling to define his particular set of skills for the screen, and he also examines his relationship with the industry, following Castle's lead to make something different for an audience that wasn't ready for it. Heart control is an unusual topic to detail, as Marceau is capable of slowing down his ticker, unaware that Castle was fighting health issues at the time of production. The interviewee analyzes the feature's initial reception, acknowledging the commercial failure of the endeavor, but he's quick to celebrate Castle's work.

• "No Words for the Dead: Reanimating William Castle, Visual Language and The Path to 'Shanks'" (15:36, HD) is a video essay from Daniel Kremer.

• Radio Spots (1:59) provide two commercials for "Shanks."

• T.V. Spot (:32, HD) is offered.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Shanks 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're thinking, "Gee, I hope this movie ends in a violent conflict with a motorcycle gang," well, you're in luck. "Shanks" actually gets stranger as it unfolds, finding the third act offering a dinner party where a human finger is severed, and ruffians make their way into Walker's mansion, generating trouble for Malcolm's perfect world. One can sense Castle trying to stretch the picture as much as possible during the climax, creating some unwelcome padding that slows down the endeavor. And it's debatable if Malcom's adventure is even all that interesting to begin with. "Shanks" is more confident as a showcase of mime work, putting on a visual show of bodily movement and ghoulish control that's entertaining and unnerving, especially when the offering was handed a PG rating during its theatrical release. Castle and Marceau maintain an odd collaboration in the flawed film, but they certainly create memorable moments along the way.