6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
This Thriller/horror movie tells the tale of a young girl who is terrified that her insane mother will take her away from her beloved foster mother. One day, the crazed real mother attempts to contact the girl at school, but her foster mother has a premonition and gets there in time to protect the girl. Eventually though, the real mother and her boy friend, a carnival clown, succeed and takes her away, leaving the bereaved foster parents to enlist the assistance of a parapsychologist to help them interpret the foster mother's terrifying dreams and psychic connection to the girl and find her before it is too late.
Starring: Sharon Farrell, Edward Bell (II), Jeff Corey, Chitra Neogy, Richard Lynch (I)Horror | 100% |
Thriller | 7% |
Psychological thriller | 7% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is currently available as part of American Horror Project Vol. 1.
The acronym WEHT is typically utilized to wonder where stars of yesteryear have gotten to, and it may be perfectly applicable to at least a
couple of people who show up in the three films included in Arrow Films’ American Horror Project Volume 1. But “what ever happened
to”
might also be used with regard to the films themselves, for this initial trio of offerings may be relatively little known to even some who consider
themselves to be diehard horror fans. The Blu-ray era has been a boon to lovers of horror, with any number of cult items seeing the high
definition light
of day courtesy of a gaggle of licensors and/or niche labels. Many if not most of those offerings, though, were probably at a somewhat higher
level of general public recognition than the three films included in this set, which is not to say that those films were automatically of a higher
quality than the three collected here. Arrow nonetheless seems to be well aware that they’re dipping into a stratum of
horror films that may be perceived as “lesser” material, but each of these initial three offerings has something unique about it, if only frankly
some inherent weirdness.
The Premonition is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The booklet accompanying American Horror Project Vol. 1 offers the following information about the provenance of the elements used for the transfer and the transfer itself:
The original CRI was scanned in 2K resolution at OCN Digital, USA. Kodak Digital Ice was used to remove instances of dirt and debris during scanning. Grading was performed on the Baselight grading system at Deluxe Restoration, London. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, light scratches and other forms of film damage were removed or improved through a combination of digital restoration tools.While there are occasional slight contrast issues at play here (understandable given the provenance of the elements utilized for the transfer), this is probably the overall best looking film in American Horror Project Vol. 1, despite some general softness in the presentation. Colors are reasonably accurate looking, if just slightly pallid at times, with blues and reds resonating quite strongly and some nice outdoor photography providing well lit scenes which offer decent levels of detail. Close-ups can fare even better than decent levels of detail, with some looks at Lynch's face showing not just the clear signs of scarring around his jowls but some of the efforts of the make-up team to ameliorate them. Some of Sheri's "visions" offer intentionally tweaked imagery which provides blown out contrast and severe color grading, two aspects which understandably deplete detail levels. There are still typical signs of age related wear and tear here despite the restoration efforts, but overall things look very good. Grain resolves naturally and provides substantial texture and depth to the viewing experience.
The Premonition's LPCM mono track was sourced from the original 3-strip magnetic reels according to the booklet included with American Horror Project Vol. 1. While lacking significant depth, things sound very good throughout this presentation, with all dialogue rendered cleanly and clearly, and both ambient effects and Henry Mollicone's score delivered without distortion or any other damage.
- Terminal Point (1080p; 40:45)
- Vernal Equinox (1080p; 30:08)
- A Rumbling in the Land (1080p; 11:05)
The Premonition has a certain silliness to it, and there is at least one maddeningly convenient coincidence that propels the plot forward, but there's an undeniable mood to this film which is helped immensely by some truly disturbing performances. Technical merits are generally very good, and the supplemental package quite substantial. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1973
Special Edition
1976
1977
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1978
Gritos en la noche / Screams in the Night
1962
1979
Collector's Edition
1986
Stridulum
1979
2017
2015
2012
Collector's Edition
1988
1981
2009
Fox Studio Classics
1958
1978
1984
Warner Archive Collection
1981
1990
Dr. Blood's Coffin
1961