Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.0 |
| Video |  | 3.5 |
| Audio | | 3.0 |
| Extras | | 3.0 |
| Overall | | 3.0 |
The Oblong Box Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 13, 2015
Returning to Edgar Allen Poe for creative inspiration, star Vincent Price is once again the best match for the author’s reserved intensity. 1969’s “The Oblong Box” returns Poe to the screen, this time with a tale of body-switching, voodoo, and sibling guilt, teaming Price with Christopher Lee to goose the horror legends atmosphere. Suspense is teased throughout “The Oblong Box,” but never achieved in full, leaving the bulk of the feature to the actors, who do a fine job snapping the effort out of its periodic slumber.
Ghoulishness is promised with “The Oblong Box,” which explores the testy sibling dynamic between Julian (Price) and Edward (Alister Williamson), with the latter in the throes of black magic disintegration, refusing to show his hideous face to the world. Death emerges while deception carries throughout, leading to the doorstep of Dr. Neuhartt (Lee), a corrupt medical professional overwhelmed by it all. Blackmail is launched and relationships are mangled, leaving “The Oblong Box” with plenty of room for escalation. The second half finally gets the feature moving, but it’s surprising find the effort in such a talky mood, with most action here reserved for murder sequences. It leaves the viewing experience frustratingly uneven.
The Oblong Box Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation emerges with mild filtering, flattening the viewing experience to a modest degree, diluting richly filmic qualities. Detail is acceptable, finding facial close-ups and ghoulish particulars providing touchable textures, while costuming remains fibrous. Hues are intact, keeping period with darker blues and grays. Bloodletting adds some primary punch, and Edward's crimson hood provides a pleasant boost of color. Delineation has its struggles, with evening excursions slipping into solidification. Source is isn't overtly damaged, but speckling and some debris remains.
The Oblong Box Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix presents a basic blend of suspense elements, while the overall track takes a few brief dips in consistency. Dialogue exchanges are stable and expressive, preserving dramatics and varied accents, holding intelligibility. Scoring is louder but supportive, with acceptable instrumentation and pronounced placement to emphasize conflict. Atmospherics are satisfactory, working with environmental changes and horror creaks and groans. Hiss is present throughout the listening experience.
The Oblong Box Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Commentary features film historian Steve Haberman.
- "Annabel Lee" (9:46, HD) is a short Poe adaptation from 1969, narrated by Vincent Price.
- And a Theatrical Trailer (1:56, HD) is included.
The Oblong Box Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
"The Oblong Box" improves as it goes along, and the acting does a tremendous job selling the nightmare director Gordon Hessler has difficulty constructing. Poe's black humor and horror are sustained to satisfaction, and there a handful of visual achievements that cause necessary unease. However, "The Oblong Box" isn't forceful enough with its genre ingredients, trying to remain weirdly respectable as it explores the feral highlights of serial killing and live burials.
