6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An over-the-top aria of reincarnated lovers, sheer nightgowns, sapphic hunger, interdimensional damnation and frenzied 'opera.'
Director: Renato PolselliHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 64% |
Erotic | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Severin's Danza Macabra: Volume One — The Italian Gothic Collection.
Severin has fired up its trusty candelabra and gone exploring in another bunch of nooks and crannies in whatever castle it keeps it stash of Italian
Gothic horror films, and come up with this interesting quartet of offerings, two from the mid-sixties and two from the early seventies, though rather
interestingly given this set's title of Danza Macabre, there's no inclusion of Castle of Blood, which, as of the writing of this review, is available only as a bonus feature on Severin's release of Nightmare Castle. While the films
themselves in this set may be hit and/or miss for some (maybe even many), they all have moodiness and even style on occasion, and as usual,
Severin has
aggregated some really interesting supplemental features to help sweeten the pot (cauldron?). The fact that this collection has been branded with a
noticeable Volume One probably suggests more exploring in dim, dusty, cobweb laden corners may be in store, though wearing sheer
negligees may
be optional, based on your own preferences with regard to apparel.
A troupe of beautiful young dancers find themselves stranded in a sinister, spooky old castle, not knowing that it is home to a group of vampires.Perhaps unsurprisingly, that same plot summary can be used more or less interchangeably for this film, though that précis hardly hints at some of the gonzo proclivities of this film. In what almost plays like a bus and truck version of No Exit as reimagined by some "visionary" musical director like, say, Tom O'Horgan, The Monster of the Opera finds a troupe of performers in a spooky theater that evidently has not just some nefarious history, but also a resident vampire named Stefano (Giuseppe Addobatti, billed as John McDouglas). Leading lady Giulia (Barbara Hawards) is being plagued by troubling visions, and while the show may or may not go on as a result, there are all sorts of wacky doin's on tap leading to a kind of delirious climax that may suggest outré choreography is at least as effective as a stake through the heart for certain kinds of pesky interlopers.
The Monster of the Opera is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. The back cover of this release touts that this is the film's "worldwide Blu-ray premiere" and that this was "scanned in 2K from the original negative". The result is a very pleasing, organic viewing experience that preserves the film's nice black and white cinematography that may admittedly not quite be traditional chiaroscuro, but which still has some nice, appropriately spooky use of light and shadow. While some fine detail can momentarily falter in some of the dimly lit scenes in the theater, for the most part patterns on outfits and textures on props are typically precise and well rendered. There is some minor age related wear and tear which has made it through whatever restoration gauntlet was employed. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.
The Monster of the Opera features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Italian. Like several of the tracks on the films in this set, this one offers a generally solid and fluid presentation of both dialogue and in this case music, though there is a noticeably thin sound that can lead to some high frequency sibilance and maybe just the hint of brashness in the highest registers of some cues. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Years ago when I was a kid growing up in Salt Lake City, whoever the Miss America contestant from Utah that year was did an "interpretive dance" of the famous Mormon story of crickets being swallowed by seagulls, and if that doesn't provoke a giggle or two, I can't help you, but I have to say some of the dance movements in this film may be even more comic at times. Still, there's at least a fair amount of Gothic trappings scattered amidst this unabashedly peculiar work. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very appealing. For genre lovers if for no one else, Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1965
Il castello dalle porte di fuoco
1970
1971
1976
Sie tötete in Ekstase
1971
La fille de Dracula
1972
Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1979
Special 2-Disc Limited Edition
1971
La mansión de los muertos vivientes
1982
Les deux orphelines vampires | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1997
1975
La vampire nue | Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1970
Zirneklis
1991
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1993
Slipcover in Original Pressing
2018
El amanti del mostro
1974
Standard Edition | El Aullido del Diablo
1988
La revanche des mortes vivantes | Standard Edition
1987
La fiancée de Dracula
2002
Delirio di sangue / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1988