Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Man Who Haunted Himself Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 29, 2024

Basil Dearden's "The Man Who Haunted Himself" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Roger Moore's confidant Gareth Owen; new program with cast and crew interviews; archival audio commentary by Roger Moore and writer/producer Bryan Forbes, moderated by journalist Jonathan Sothcott; documentary film; vintage promotional materials; original trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The target

It is an intense crash that instantly transforms the car into a pile of scrap metal. However, the driver is successfully pulled out of it and rushed to a nearby hospital, where several doctors begin fighting for his life. The driver's heart stops for a minute, possibly two, but a shiny defibrillator manages to get it going again. At the end of the procedure, for a few seconds, the cardiac event monitor displays two active heartbeats and confuses the doctors, but after one of them abruptly disappears, the driver is left to recover.

Several weeks later, the driver, Harold Pelham (Roger Moore), a board member of a big London-based company, resumes his participation in a complex discussion about a potential merger with an ambitious competitor. He is the only one to oppose the merger, but because his opinion has tremendous weight, a decision is made to reexamine its conditions. At the same time, another board member reveals that someone has been passing top-secret information to the ambitious competitor, and Pelham begins investigating the leak. But the deeper Pelham digs, the more paranoid he becomes because he discovers that a doppelganger is irreversibly rearranging his entire life.

The Man Who Haunted Himself is the most unusual film in the cinematic legacies of its creator and star but for completely different reasons.

Basil Dearden completed The Man Who Haunted Himself in 1970 and just a few years later was decapitated in a horrific car accident. This car accident took place on a London bridge and in the exact same spot where the main protagonist of The Man Who Haunted Himself is involved in another horrific car accident. In an archival audio commentary, Moore shares some chilling details about it, which are restated in a new program featuring his good friend and biographer Gareth Owen.

The Man Who Haunted Himself had a disappointing run at the British box office, but Moore repeatedly stated that it featured his favorite performance. It was because his complex character allowed him to reveal a wide range of acting skills, many of which were not needed for the famous parts he had in the James Bond films, the TV sensations The Saint and The Persuaders!, and several other successful action-oriented films. According to Owen, Moore frequently insisted that The Man Who Haunted Himself deserved a drastically different fate and blamed its producers for failing to market it properly to the public.

Anthony Armstrong’s short story “The Case of Mr. Pelham” provided the original material for The Man Who Haunted Himself. However, while this material features some outstanding twists and turns, even by contemporary standards, The Man Who Haunted Himself is fascinating to behold because of Dearden and Moore’s brilliant management of its unique character. In fact, it is probably better not to write character but characters because with the introduction of the doppelganger the camera begins following two completely different individuals.

The narrative construction is very interesting and feels very contemporary. As Moore enters what initially appears to be a bottomless rabbit hole, the narrative does some quite unique overlapping that repeatedly challenges the viewer to guess whether the character in front of the camera is the survivor of the car crash or the mysterious doppelganger operating as a master chameleon. Despite some clues about what may be coming ahead, this makes it almost impossible to guess correctly the resolution of the drama.

The man operating the camera was Tony Spratling, who shot numerous episodes of The Persuaders!.

The Man Who Haunted Himself Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Man Who Haunted Himself arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

In the United States, The Man Who Haunted Himself made its high-definition debut with this release from Kino Lorber in 2019. I have it in my library and can confirm that it is sourced from the same master that StudioCanal provided for this recent Australian release.

The master is very nice. It does reveal a few small limitations, but it produces visuals with strong and very attractive organic qualities. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth are always very pleasing. There are a few areas where darker nuances can be slightly more convincing, but all indoor and nighttime footage looks wonderful. Small density fluctuations can be observed, but virtually all are introduced by the original cinematography. In fact, I am quite certain that a new 4K master will exacerbate the most obvious ones, like the one present during the survivor's encounter with the doppelganger at the end of the film. However, there is room for some encoding optimizations that can strengthen grain exposure. Color balance is very good and convincing. Yes, in a few spots some minor adjustments can be made to improve saturation levels, but balance is right, which is why there are no distracting anomalies. Image stability is very good. Finally, I did not see any large cuts, debris, marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Man Who Haunted Himself Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any distracting age-related anomalies to report in our review. All exchanges sound clear, sharp, and easy to follow. I think that dynamic intensity is very good too, but the film's sound design clearly has limitations. If there is any room for improvement, it would be in areas where minor rebalancing tweaks can be made. I cannot see how the car chases and crashes can be made to sound any better without affecting the integrity of the original sound design.

The Man Who Haunted Himself Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Man Who Became a Friend - in this exclusive new program, Gareth Owen, who worked very closely with Roger Moore during the final fifteen years of his life, explains why The Man Who Haunted Himself was a very special film for the famous actor, and shares some interesting information about its production, promotion, and reception. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• The Men Who Were Haunted - in this exclusive new program, actor Freddie Jones, camera operator James Devis, first assistant director Roger Guertin, second assistant director Dickie Bamber, assistant art director Michael Pickwoad, and production manager John Comfort recall what it was like to work with Roger Moore and Basil Dearden on The Man Who Haunted Himself. Several of the commentators also agree that The Man Who Haunted Himself was one of the best films Moore made. In English, not subtitled. (32 min).

• Roger Moore, A Matter of Class - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the live and illustrious career of Roger Moore. Included in it are clips from interviews with Moore, Michael Caine, Gregory Peck, Carroll Baker, and Jackie Collins, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Gene Feldman in 1995. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Case of Mr. Pelham - this archival of the famous series is based on Anthony Armstrong's original short story that inspired The Man Who haunted Himself. Tom Ewell plays the man who falls in the rabbit hole. Directed in 1955. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Roger Moore and writer/producer Bryan Forbes, and is moderated by journalist Jonathan Sothcott. It is excellent. Moore shares a lot of information about the production of The Man Who Haunted Himself and the strange death of its director, the film's frustrating publicity campaign and disappointing box office receipts, the different parts he was offered over the years, and the evolution of his career. Also, there are some more generic comments about the state of the British film industry before and after The Man Who Haunted Himself was completed.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons.

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for The Man Who Haunted Himself . In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Photo Gallery - a large collection of vintage promotional materials for The Man Who Haunted Himself. (21 min).

• Booklet - 16-page booklet with reprinted vintage pormotional materials and articles for The Man Who Haunted Himself.

The Man Who Haunted Himself Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Roger Moore had every right to claim that The Man Who Haunted Himself is a special film, and not only because it is unlike the other films he made over the years. It is an unorthodox mind-bender that feels like a successor of the classic Italian gialo crafted for the next generation of genre film connoisseurs. In it, Moore gives a tremendous, unforgettable performance, too. This Blu-ray release from Imprint Films offers a solid presentation of The Man Who Haunted Himself with a terrific mix of exclusive new and archival bonus features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy The Man Who Haunted Himself, consider tracking down a copy of Lucio Fulci's mind-bender Perversion Story, which was completed a year earlier).