5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Third film installment of the popular HBO series "Tales From the Crypt". A remake of the 1943 film "I Walked with a Zombie".
Starring: Jennifer Grey, Craig Sheffer, Tim Curry, Daniel Lapaine, Kristen WilsonHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
No good deed goes unpunished.
There was a time when Tales from the Crypt was the big thing on television, or at least it seemed that way to preteens
trying
to catch a forbidden glimpse into that then-mystical world of adult-oriented premium cable television. A radical program that promised blood and
nudity and other, various adult themes and hosted by a frightening crusty demon with scraggly hair and a few crooked black teeth who seemed like
an amalgamation of Freddy's wit, Jason's decay, and Chucky's size, the show earned big numbers and featured bigger name guest
stars and directors to stretch that appeal even wider. Such popularity would invariably bring about the inevitable expansion into film. 2002's
Ritual is the third of three such
films,
following Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood. Does Ritual capture the same magical
success and
promote the same sense of allure, intrigue, and forbidden goodness of the television show?
Nope.
Don't expect to see much of me.
Ritual: Tales From the Crypt makes its Blu-ray debut with a lackluster high definition transfer that shows moments of goodness but generally leaves viewers wanting quite a bit more than Echo Bridge has to offer. The image does offer a fairly steady grain field that's not particularly overbearing and that does help shape a passably film-like transfer. However, crisp details are rather few and far between. Softness is only a rare occurrence, but the image never ascends into the upper echelons of strong Blu-ray clarity and dazzling textures. The color palette varies wildly throughout, both deliberately within the film's visual parameters and as a result of just a dim, uninspired presentation. Bright hues threaten to pop upon Alice's Jamaica arrival, but most lower-light scenes fail to offer much stability or vibrancy. Light bleeding, overpowering reds, and warm flesh tones are common. Blacks vary quite a bit as well, appearing deep and true in some spots but pale and sometimes lightly purple in others. The print shows excess wear and tear in the way of dirt and scratches and other unwanted print impurities, but it settles down quite a bit after a rough open. Light edge enhancement also appears in various shots. All in all, a barely passable but very much forgettable transfer that could have been much better.
Ritual: Tales From the Crypt features a fairly active and fundamentally effective DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The track may lack surround elements, but it does manage to create a rather spacious front end sound field. Music and ambience both nicely spread across the front, yielding potent but pleasant volume at reference levels as well as acceptable clarity. Crackling fires, noisy nighttime insects, and other natural sound elements manage to make their way into the stage with enough presence and sonic accuracy to realistically paint various aural pictures throughout the film. A few big action-oriented effects play with a good jolt of energy, and a jam session in chapter seven spruces up the musical elements. Dialogue plays with suitable clarity and evenness. This isn't a memorable listen, but it serves a midlevel movie and a lower-end Blu-ray as well as should reasonably be expected of it.
Ritual: Tales From the Crypt contains no supplemental content.
Ritual: Tales From the Crypt isn't anything remotely special, and it isn't even anything all that memorable. It isn't even anything that could be classified as a must-see, for that matter. This is strictly time-killing Horror cinema at its most disposable. The movie is made well enough; it's technically sound, adequately acted, and it's not a total bore, but there are literally hundreds -- if not thousands -- of movies with more all-around value than this. And for those expecting Tales from the Crypt, just replay the first few Cryptkeeper minutes because afterwards this is nothing but a standalone movie. All that said, it's possible to do far, far worse on a lazy sick day. That just speaks to the wild variations in quality in cinema as well as the nearly countless choices available. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Ritual: Tales From the Crypt offers middling video, uninspired audio, and no extras. Rent it when superior options are exhausted.
2019
1984
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2016
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Also Includes = I Eat Your Skin and Blue Sextet
1970
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1991
1932
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1996
1966
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1989
50th Anniversary Edition
1968
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1981
Zombi 2 / Zombie Flesh Eaters
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2022
2019