Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 4, 2024

Lionsgate is on another round of SteelBook releases via their relationship with Wal-mart, offering this film and several other recent releases in new and ostensibly improved packaging. For collectors who also keep track of imprints as well as packaging, both this film and the simultaneously released The Gate are from the Vestron Video Collector's Series. The actual disc contents are the same as the wide release from several years ago.

Those interested can find a plot summary and my reaction to the film and its technical presentation in my The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray review.

The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked review.

The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked review.

The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This disc repeats the rather nice array of supplements from the first release, as follows:

• Audio Commentary with Director Ken Russell is often hilarious, with biting self deprecation but a nonstop defense of the film's more hyperbolic elements.


• Audio Commentary with Lisi Russell, in Conversation with Film Historian Matthew Melia is considerably more restrained than the Ken Russell commentary, but provides a lot of biographical and production data.


• Worm Food - The Effects of The Lair of the White Worm (1080p; 27:08) features great interviews with SFX artists Geoffrey Portass, Neil Gorton and Paul Jones.


• Cutting for Ken (1080p; 9:32) is an interview with editor Peter Davies, one that's kind of interesting when one considers Russell states in his commentary that he doesn't really need an editor since he edits in his head before he even shoots.


• Trailers from Hell Featuring Producer Dan Ireland (1080p; 2:45)


• Mary, Mary - An Interview with Actress Sammi Davis (1080p; 15:42) has some fun reminscences of the shoot.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:11)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 2:59)

Additionally, the SteelBook packaging offers an almost lurid array of teal and purple tones, with the arresting front panel image of Amanda Donohoe and a back panel suggesting an almost Lovecraftian whirlpool sucking characters to their fate. The interior panels are once again arguably not that memorable, with a somewhat "anamorphically squeezed" rendition of some memorable key art on the left and what might be jokingly referred to as a more "traditional" religious symbol on the right (though the blue makes it a bit hard to make out). A digital copy is also included.

The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As I kind of alluded to in my now long ago review of the first Blu-ray release, I'm kind of a fan of Ken Russell's more gonzo proclivities, and as such may be more tolerant of some of the excesses of Lair of the White Worm than the general populace. I've long joked that Lionsgate deliberately gets rid of its remainders through repackaging efforts like this or by including 1080 discs in "new, improved" 4K UHD releases, but in this particular instance, the good news is the supplements are excellent and may well appeal even to those without any special interest in the film itself. The SteelBook packaging offers some striking imagery and a rather unusual color scheme. Recommended.