6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
The plot revolves around a series of murders taking place in a New England home - a home which happens to be hiding a particularly gruesome secret within its basement walls.
Starring: Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza, Silvia CollatinaHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 31% |
Supernatural | 14% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
You shouldnt have come.
The House by the Cemetery is a derivative snoozer of a Horror movie that could have been better but plays out by the book and masquerades
as a Horror movie by
inundating the screen with gore rather than thrills and chills. It's one of Director Lucio Fulci's (Zombie) lesser pictures to be sure, but as far as hardcore, visceral
experiences go, they don't come much more complex, complete, and grotesque as this. Much like the aforementioned Zombie, The House
by the Cemetery is a frustrating picture at best. With a potentially strong but unfulfilled plot line and all sorts of additional problems, the movie
just can't compete with more
polished and complete genre pictures, but if it's gore that the viewer craves above all else then this is an unbeatable experience. Also like
Zombie,
it's a movie with a built-in audience; knowing what it is and what it has to offer, most will know right off the bat if they will want to give it a spin or
stay far, far away.
Born to be bad.
The House by the Cemetery's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is all-revealing. Detail is fantastic. Whether at film's open where dusty and dingy hardwood floors are seen in great close-up detail or the various hardcore gore effects that are seen at several point throughout, the image proves superbly clear and well-defined in 1080p. Clothing and facial textures are strong, too, and the image sports a fair bit of natural depth. Grain is light but accentuates the transfer's film-like look. Colors are steady and natural, whether bright blue clothing or the more dull house interior shades alike. There are some stray hairs and a few speckles, but the print appears to be in very good condition. Blocking and banding are generally non-factors, but there is a little bit of harmless wobble accompanying the opening credits. Black levels are relatively strong and yield minimal crush; the dark, shadowy basement scenes look quite good. All said, this is a very strong transfer that fans are sure to love.
The House by the Cemetery arrives on Blu-ray with a satisfying DTS-HD MA 2.0 losses soundtrack. The track is a touch scratchy to start and yields the occasional unnaturally crunchy sound effect, such as when Mr. Boyle adjusts his sleeping son's blankets in one shot. Music is handled efficiently across the front; it's fairly spacious and crisp, not the best or clearest presentation ever, but certainly solid and well-designed with what range is available to the track. Light atmospherics -- primarily the sounds of the country -- are sprinkled across the front. Heavier effects, whether during action scenes or anytime there are screaming characters and random scary noises, such as a cacophony of banging sounds in chapter nine or the screeching of a bat in the following chapter, are handled with adequate clarity, volume, and effectiveness. The sound does seem to momentarily drop out in chapter fifteen in a scene featuring Bob trapped in the basement. Dialogue is clear and center-focused throughout. Despite no surround support, this is a quality, effective soundtrack from Blue Underground.
The House by the Cemetery creeps onto Blu-ray with a good number of extras, both interview featurettes and promotional materials alike.
The House by the Cemetery isn't kin to the modern "torture porn" sort of movie, but it shares with that subset one undeniable truth: they both relish the visual atrocities committed in them well ahead of story and characterization. The plot of The House by the Cemetery does enjoy a fundamentally sound story based in something of a supernatural world, and while it's explored, it's not resolved to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion; it seems as if there are many factors alluded to, but not fully revealed or resolved. Weak acting -- including one of the most annoying child leads in memory -- and a poor script just can't be overlooked, even in a movie with solid atmospheric direction and complex gore effects. Well, with a movie like this, those who like it know they like it and those who don't either know they won't or haven't seen it yet. Blue Underground's release offers strong video, good audio, and a long list of extras. Recommended to fans.
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