Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Hand That Feeds the Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 15, 2021

The relatively recent release on Blu-ray of Nosferatu in Venice found Klaus Kinski toward the end of his career (and life) recreating one of his most iconic horror roles, in a film that ultimately ended up surrendering to the actor's growing imbalance and perhaps even irrationality. Kinski's earlier performance as Nosferatu the Vampyre had given him one of his best remembered roles, and forever linked him to a pantheon of cinematic blood drinkers which includes everyone from Bela Lugosi to (yikes) George Hamilton. For those who may have wondered how Kinski might have fared in another venerable horror franchise, namely Frankenstein, there are a couple of Kinski films that might potentially fill at least part of the bill, including The Hand That Feeds the Dead. This film comes from an earlier time in Kinski's life and career, when he was arguably not completely out of control, and he gives a relatively restrained performance here as Professor Nijinksi, a guy who, despite his surname, does not indulge in dance but instead is obsessed with "curing" a badly disfigured woman named Tanja (Katia Christine). In this case, the cure may be worse than the symptom, at least for unwitting victims providing the cure courtesy of skin transplants that Nijinksi hopes will "paper over" scars from burns that Tanja suffered long ago.

The Hand That Feeds the Dead was evidently made in tandem with another 1974 horror opus, Lover of the Monster (also available on Blu-ray from Full Moon, though I haven't yet received a review copy). The two films share not just many of the same principal cast, but crew and even locations, not to mention tethers in their story lines, both of which refract certain elements of Mary Shelley's legendary tale of a "man who made a monster", to quote the subtitle from Universal's equally legendary 1931 film version. It's interesting to note in this regard that this film's version of the good (?) doctor Frankenstein is actually trying to help someone perceived (even by herself) as a "monster", which might have given this film a bit of emotional resonance if the production didn't seem so rushed and, at times, arbitrary.

The whole foundational premise of a Dr. Frankenstein type attempting to aid a disfigured or deformed person, albeit in probably obviously harmful ways, may remind more than a few horror film fans of some of the Hammer outings like The Revenge of Frankenstein (note the link points to a German Blu-ray, since I reviewed that version), but there's the added element here that a couple on their honeymoon, Alex (Ayhan Işık) and Masha (Katia Christine), become virtual prisoners of Nijinski after their horse and carriage has an unfortunate accident, which the film seems to allude may have been caused in some way by either Nijinski or his very Igor- like henchman, Vanya (Erol Taş), whom one assumes is not Nijinksi's uncle (what is it with the character names in this movie, anyway?, which also include a guy named Ivan Rassimov from Tanja's back story).

The film actually begins with another weird vignette which is probably not properly explained, which seems to show Nijinksi "controlling" the hapless Vanya courtesy of a tuning fork like thing that actually looked to me like a pair of tweezers. The editing in the film is not always supportive of the narrative, and this sequence is just one of many that may leave some wondering about finer points in the storytelling, but the overall story here proves to be reasonably interesting, despite its obvious referents. The fact that Katia Christine plays both the disfigured Tanja and new bride Masha may hint none too subtly at how "perfect" Masha is to "help" Tanja with a new face and all, but then the film has a neat little detour that keeps the third act fun.

There are some more out there elements at play as well, including Tanja's own obsession with a really freaky looking little doll, and a sidebar or two featuring relatively explicit girl on girl bedroom action. All of that may only serve to highlight how kind of refreshingly tamped down Kinski is throughout much of the proceedings.

The Hand That Feeds the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Hand That Feeds the Dead is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Full Moon Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Full Moon kind of buries its lead in its back cover verbiage, only getting around to stating that this transfer was culled from the original 35mm negative at the end of the first paragraph, after disclosing that this release offers the film uncut for the first time in North America. The back cover also states that the film has only been previously available via "VHS dubbed bootlegs and inferior transfers". This version offers the original Italian language with burnt in subtitles, but presentationally it is better looking than any version I've previously seen. There are some deficits in the day for night and blue graded material in particular, but in more normal lighting regimens, the palette pops very nicely and detail levels are frequently quite commendable. Some of the film seems intentionally designed to highlight buttery yellows, beiges and ochres, and those scenes look nicely warm. There are also some impressively lurid reds in some of the bloodier moments. Grain resolves naturally throughout and I noticed no major compression anomalies. My score is 4.25.

The Hand That Feeds the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately, it's two steps forward with regard to video and one step backward with regard to audio, since only lossy Dolby tracks are available, in either 2.0 Mono or 5.1. The surround track definitely opens up the score in particular, and in fact sounded a bit hotter overall to my ears than the other track. Occasional ambient environmental sounds have been positioned in the side channels in particular, but the surround track is not really going to blow the minds (and/or ears) of anyone. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. As mentioned above, English subtitles are forced on this release.

The Hand That Feeds the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Euro Cult Trailers includes:

  Barbed Wire Dolls (HD; 00:55)

  
  

  Blue Rita (HD; 2:28)

  
  

  Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (HD; 2:37)

  
  

  Sexy Sisters (HD; 1:02) actually features the title Satanic Sisters in the trailer itself.

  
  

  Voodoo Passion (HD; 00:56)

  
  

  Women in Cellblock 9 (HD; 1:00)

The Hand That Feeds the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Hand That Feeds the Dead is a good deal of fun if taken on its own kind of loony merits. The film is neither particularly subtle nor innovative, but it does have a decently Gothic air, and the third act detour for the character(s) played by Christine also keeps things lively, even if a traditional horror movie "comeback after a supposed death" for the chief villain is completely predictable. This could have been a contender, as they say, if just a little more development had been offered, especially with regard to interactions between Nijinksi and Vanya, but Kinski is enjoyable in this quasi-Frankenstein role. Technical merits vary from solid (video) to improvable (audio), for those who are considering a purchase.