Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 1, 2020

In case there is by chance anyone who hasn’t yet seen Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, you might want to avert your eyes for a moment, since I’m about to ask a question which may involve a slight spoiler. For those of you who have seen Psycho, here’s my query: do you think the film would have been ruined if its key art and marketing material had given away the secret of Mrs. Bates' real identity? That question may come into clearer focus if you take a moment to look at the image adorning the cover of Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things, since it definitely gives away some of the not very well concealed subterfuge about the title character in this daffy film from 1971. What's kind of odd but also perhaps amusing about this latest offering from the "unique" label AGFA is that it includes a commentary by what the release itself terms a "queer film historian", and offers gay themed supplements, but the film itself never really "goes there" in any overt fashion as it documents the relationship between small time criminals Paul (Abe Zwick) and Stanley (Wayne Crawford). For reasons which are never really fully explained, the two have decided to hide out in Florida after a robbery, with Paul cross dressing and pretending to be Stanley's Aunt Martha.

The commentary track probably rightly refers to the films of Herschell Gordon Lewis (for those unacquainted with this frequently Florida based " auteur", Arrow released the immense The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast several years ago which may be illuminating), and there's a similar sexploitation angle here, as weird as it ends up being handled. What makes the film so completely odd is that it hints at a relationship between Paul and Stanley which never actually exploits (and/or sexploits) anything, coming off instead as a kind of Grade Z bus and truck version of Staircase. Suffice it to say that mayhem ensues due to some erratic behavior on the part of Paul which ultimately involves a whole host of tangential characters.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. AGFA's back cover states that this (like so many of their releases) was culled from a "2K preservation from the only 35 mm print in existence". The results will probably be a minor revelation to those who have only seen shoddy, in some cases bootlegged, VHS or DVD copies of the film, but there are still some pretty manifest issues here, both in terms of overall fading, but also in terms of some pretty bad damage at times. While that includes "expected" things like dirt and scratches, there are a few rather odd looking moments, including huge horizontal green streaks that occur early in the presentation (if you look just beneath Martha's eye in screenshot 1, you can see a bit of the green, though other moments which I just couldn't capture successfully have that same green streaking entirely across the frame). Clarity is widely variable, and a number of sequences feature a noticeably grittier grain field and less overall clarity than other moments. Color temperature fluctuates extremely widely throughout the presentation, often ping ponging between yellowish and greenish qualities.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things features an LPCM Mono track which is surprisingly spry, all things considered. The film has an unexpectedly baroque-ish influenced theme, which sounds fine, as do some of the more contemporary underscore cues. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly for the most part, though there are a couple of rough moments (which are typically accompanied by some damage in the visuals as well). Optional English subtitles are available.

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary Track features queer film historian Evan Purchell and AGFA's Bret Berg.


• Bonus Movie: The Drag Queen's Ball (1080p; 47:38)


• Short: Gay In III (1080p; 9:54)


• Short: Caught in the Can (1080p; 7:00)


• Early Queer Film Trailers (1080p; 14:13)

Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another completely out there offering from the folks at AGFA, and for those already attuned to the often gonzo releases this label puts out, Sometimes Aunt Martha Does Dreadful Things will most likely be appreciated. As with many AGFA releases, technical merits are hobbled by some intrinsic deficits of the element utilized. Also as with many AGFA releases, the supplements are appealing in their own demented way.