6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A woman is taken to a mysterious clinic whose patients have a mental disorder in which their memories and identities are disintegrating as a result of a strange environmental accident.
Starring: Brigitte Lahaie, Vincent Gardère, Dominique Journet, Bernard Papineau, Rachel MhasHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Kino-Lorber and Redemption Films are back with another round of movies by low-budget Euro-sleaze auteur Jean Rollin, best known for his many, many, many lesbian vampire films. His penchant for sapphic bloodsuckers certainly defined his early career—which blended le fantastique and surrealism with campily erotic softcore—but by the late 1970s, Rollin had transitioned to shooting more straightforward grindhouse pornos, making eleven in two short years under the pseudonyms "Michael Gentil" and "Robert Xavier." His following three movies under his own name are among his most unusual, and show a willingness to explore some new thematic territory. 1978's The Grapes of Death is a kind of French-ified version of George Romero's The Crazies, the following year's Fascination looks at sanguinary obsession from a different and surprisingly elegant perspective, and 1980's Night of the Hunted is a strange piece of proto- Cronenbergian psycho-oddity. Kino/Redemption released Fascination a few months ago, but this week we'll be taking a look at Grapes and Hunted.
Like the other Jean Rollin titles—and just about all Kino/Redemption releases, for that matter—Night of the Hunted is essentially presented "as- is," with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer of a 35mm print that hasn't been significantly touched up or restored. These means you'll see frequent white/black specks, occasional scratches, and light color fluctuations. None of this is particularly distracting—especially if you're used to watching low-budget niche horror films from the '60s and '70s—but it is very noticeable. Personally, I don't mind the light print damage on these kinds of films; it imparts a sense of the film's history, in a way. Regardless, just giving Night of the Hunted a new high definition remaster is enough to blow away previous standard definition home video releases. Natural film grain is visible, clarity is greatly improved—although Rollin doesn't always, or even often, get his subjects in perfect focus—and the image has a good sense of color balance and density. The only anomaly I spotted here was some light banding and pixilation—evidence of compression—in a few scenes, but it's hardly visible from a normal viewing distance.
The film's uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 track is also affected by age/budget-related issues, so you will hear some quiet hissing, light crackling—along with a few louder crinkles—and the occasional splice pop. Much of this probably could've been attenuated somewhat with digital filtering, but none of it is overly harsh or grating. It is what it is. What matters most is that the French dialogue is listenable and the woozy, ominous scoring sounds decent. The disc defaults to English subtitles, but these are optional.
The oddest entry in Jean Rollin's filmography, Night of the Hunted trades the director's normal preoccupations—lesbian vampires, crumbling cemeteries, deserted beaches—for a soft sci-fi mood piece about an amnesiac and her escape from a medical facility in a sleekly modern high rise. This is a far cry from Lips of Blood or The Iron Cross, and that's precisely why it's worth watching for Rollin's fans. Those less familiar with the director's work may want to start with his dream-like environmentalist zombie movie The Grapes of Death—also releasing on Blu-ray next week —which provides a better, more accessible entry point. As usual, Kino-Lorber and Redemption Films are presenting these Rollin titles as is—that is, without any significant digital cleanup or restoration—but the films look better than ever in high definition and include a few interesting supplements as well.
La nuit des traquées | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1980
La nuit des traquées | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1980
Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1979
Le viol du vampire | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1968
Lèvres de sang | Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1975
Les deux orphelines vampires | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1997
1958
Riti, magie nere e segrete orge nel Trecento... / The Reincarnation of Isabel | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1973
La vampire nue | Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1970
Le frisson des vampires / Strange Things Happen at Night | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1971
La comtesse noire
1973
1970
Gritos en la noche / Screams in the Night
1962
Les démoniaques | Limited Edition | Indicator Series
1974
Daughters of Dracula
1974
The Legend of Blood Castle | Standard Edition | Ceremonia sangrienta
1973
Schock / Beyond the Door II
1977
Il fantasma dell'opera
1998
1973
1971
Collector's Edition
1970
1971