Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Slaughter Hotel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 23, 2014

Fernando Di Leo's "Slaughter Hotel" a.k.a. "La bestia uccide a sangue freddo" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video U.S. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival interview with actress Rosalba Neri; archival documentary film; and deleted scenes. Also included with this release is an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Chris Alexander. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The killer

Beautiful young women are taken to a secluded asylum, where a team of doctors are paid to help them recover. Some of the women have suffered serious nervous breakdowns, some are suicidal, and some are addicted to sex. But some of the doctors do not seem entirely normal, while a few of the nurses can’t stop flirting with the patients.

The fun activities in the asylum are disrupted when someone begins killing the beautiful women with the period weapons displayed in one of the institution’s elegant baroque rooms.

The key to enjoying this utterly absurd film from Italian maestro Fernando Di Leo is to be fully aware that it is not to be taken seriously. Indeed, it is a rather wild exercise in style whose one and only goal is to thrill with a very specific type of atmosphere. Everything else -- the structure of its narrative, the logic behind the twists, and even the character transformations -- is secondary.

The film combines elements from two different genres. On one hand, the killings were unquestionably choreographed and shot to make it appeal to giallo fans. Indeed, the camera movement, the framing and even the lighting clearly imitate the standards set by early giallo classics. (See Dario Argento’s The Bird With the Crystal Plumage). On the other hand, the prolonged erotic sequences are hardly surprising, as Italian and especially French thrillers from the same period had a very lax attitude towards nudity. (See Lucio Fulci’s Perversion Story and Alain Robbe-Grillet’s Trans-Europ Express). The end result is probably best described as an experimental psycho-sexual giallo which was meant to sell well in Italy and France, but for entirely different reasons. (More than likely this is precisely the reason why a more explicit version of the film was distributed in France).

Slaughter Hotel may appear slightly uneven at times, but it is undoubtedly a very elegant film. The young women look fantastic, with Rosalba Neri in particular looking stunning in her black outfit, and the period decors are great. Silvano Spadaccino’s score is also very elegant and perfectly fits the film’s atmosphere. (A few years later, Spadaccino will also score Di Leo’s erotic comedy To Be Twenty, with Gloria Guida and future adult star Lilli Carati).

Klaus Kinski and Margaret Lee have small roles as well, but Slaughter Hotel isn’t a film in which they deliver memorable character performances. In fact, both are clearly underused.

Raro Video’s release of Slaughter Hotel features a version of the film that is approximately 94 minutes long (01:34:07). Also included on this release are additional scenes which Raro Video took from a 35mm negative print of a French uncut version of the film (the additional footage is approximately 3 minutes long). The more explicit uncut French version has been available on home video before, but there are some additional edits on it and a small amount of footage from the current version is missing from it. The Blu-ray release has the original English and Italian audio tracks.

Slaughter Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fernando Di Leo's Slaughter Hotel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video U.S.

The high-definition transfer is problematic. There are traces of digital corrections which appear to have been applied in an attempt to tone down the scanner noise that becomes visible during well-lit sequences. As a result, detail and clarity are compromised, and many of the darker sequences look disappointingly flat and smeary (see screencaptures #19 and 20). There are traces of sharpening corrections as well. Unsurprisingly, virtually the entire film has a harsh digital look which can be quite distracting (see screencaptures #5 and 10). The relatively good news here is that colors are lush and well saturated. The film is also free of large debris, cuts, stains, and damage marks. Despite a few uneven transitions -- obviously due to the fact that there is some missing footage -- overall image stability is very good. Lastly, during select dark sequences I also noticed macroblocking and compression artifacts sneaking in. All in all, it is disappointing to see that yet another very good cult film from Raro's catalog does not have the organic appearance it should have after it transitions to Blu-ray. And in this case, I must mention that it is actually quite easy to tell that what is under the layer of scanner noise/digital corrections is of very high quality. This could have been a wonderful presentation of Slaughter Hotel, even more convincing than Mondo Macabro's presentation of Pasquale Festa Campanile's The Slave. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Slaughter Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Raro Video U.S. have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Clarity is very good, but there are some minor balance fluctuations. However, this should not be surprising because the International Version features original overdubbing. Additionally, there are a couple of sequences on the same version for which there are no existing audio elements. The music and the audio effects are well rounded and stable. There is no distracting background hiss.

Slaughter Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lady Frankenstein's Memoirs - in this long and very informative video interview, Rosalba Neri (Anne Palmieri) discusses her career, the personal and professional relationships she had with different directors (Ottavio Alessi/Top Sensation), her attitude towards sex and the manner in which it is depicted in the films she appeared, her work with other popular genre actresses (Edwige Fenech, Barbara Bouchet, Jenny Tamburi), etc. The interview was conducted by Manlio Comarasca for Nocturno Cinema/Cinema Bis Communication in 2004. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (19 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are extra scenes which Raro Video U.S. took from a rare 35mm negative print of a French uncut version of Slaughter Hotel. Some of the scenes are silent and some with music only. (3 min).

• Asylum of Fear - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the production history of Slaughter Hotel. Included in it are interviews with director Fernando Di Leo, actress Rosalba Neri, and composer Silvano Spadaccino. Olivier Pere, Quinzaine/Cannes Film Festival executive, also discusses the key differences between the French and Italian versions of the film. In Italian and French, with imposed English subtitles. (33 min).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring Chris Alexander's essay "Slaughter Hotel". (The author is editor of Fangoria and Delirium Magazine).

Slaughter Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I really like the films Raro Video U.S. bring to Blu-ray, but some serious adjustments must be made so that they look as good as they should. At the moment, many of these releases come with too many issues that make them virtually impossible to recommend. If the right adjustments are made, Raro Video U.S. could be one of the most exciting labels on the market. Consider adding Fernando Di Leo's Slaughter Hotel only if you can find it on sale.