6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A witch put to death in 1692 swears vengeance on her persecutors and returns to the present day to punish their descendants.
Starring: James Houghton, Albert Salmi, Lynn Carlin, Larry Pennell, Jacquelyn HydeHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
1982’s “Superstition” (also released under the title, “The Witch”) heads into some bizarre directions with its tale of a household haunting. The screenplay (credited to Galen Thompson) seems to be aiming for simplicity, using an appreciation for formula to set-up a showdown between humans and a particularly nasty witch, finding a way to tap into industry trends of the day as chills turn into gore, giving the production a slasher-style tilt. During the ride, the material takes some oddball detours with ill-defined characters and limited sleuthing, but the primary push of the macabre is handled capably by director James W. Roberson, who strives to delivering the basics of genre entertainment when overall cinematic construction is faulty. “Superstition” is engaging, mostly due to its velocity and graphic content, with Roberson wisely inching away from logic as the material takes on more personalities than it can handle. Time periods as well.
Offering a fresh scan for its Blu-ray debut, "Superstition" arrives with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. The viewing experience is clear, with terrific detail to help the horror aspects of the feature, finding gore zone visits appealingly textured and grisly. Clothing retains professional crispness and exploitative sheerness, and facial particulars are displayed with sharpness, doing well with a character like Elvira, whose face is a road map of age and pain. Colors are alert and communicative, with deep greenery to support outdoor adventures in the rural setting. Costuming provides varied hues as flashy swimwear is introduced, and bloodshed retains a deep red. Skintones are natural. Delineation remains comfortable, making sense of shadowy encounters around the house. Grain is fine and filmic. Source displays some stretches of damage, with scratches and speckling common, along with subtle shifts in color when different elements are utilized.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix secures the horror mood of "Superstition," offering clean dialogue exchanges which dip down to a few hushed conversations and rise with more excitable reactions to terrible things occurring the house and around the property. Silence for suspenseful tours is preserved, adding to tension. Scoring is appealing, with encouraging instrumentation, delivering support and steady volume. Sound effects are capable, accentuating violent situations.
"Superstition" doesn't win with drama, but there's a surprising amount of violence in the picture, most of it vivid. One character is offed via a grape press located in a wine cellar, while another is hit in the chest with a saw blade while standing near a construction project, with the spinning steel working its way through bone and flesh. It's absurd, but Roberson offers fun special effects and editorial speed, and the movie as a whole gets better as it goes, finally identifying Elondra's menace and Thompson's only effective weapon against such an enemy. "Superstition" is a capable distraction, doing better with nonsense than storytelling, also boasting performances from actors working very hard to believe everything they're saying. Such commitment always helps, presenting the helmer with thespian focus to inspire a compelling haunting.
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