Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Sorcerers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 9, 2024

Michael Reeves' "The Sorcerers" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with actor Ian Ogilvy; new program with editor David Woodward; new program with assistant cameraman Don Lord; audio commentary by film critics Kim Newman and Sean Hogan; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A few minutes is all it takes. Professor Marcus Monserrat (Boris Karloff) uses the device to flip a switch in the young man’s mind (Ian Ogilvy) and take control of it. After that, while the young man struggles to rationalize an avalanche of strange sensations, the professor begins pulling his strings like a veteran puppeteer. It has been a long time coming, so the professor and his wife (Catherine Lacey) can barely contain their excitement.

When the young man returns to the streets, the professor and his wife begin discussing the experiment’s next phase and quickly conclude that they deserve a treat. A rush of adrenalin that could make their old bodies feel what they were capable of during their youth sounds terrific, but the professor’s wife also requests an expensive fur coat. Several hours later, the young man abandons his girlfriend (Elizabeth Ercy) and breaks into a posh shop to pick up the fur coat. The professor and his wife can feel everything he does –- the blood rushing to his head, the overwhelming fear that he can get caught at any moment, the random bruises on his hands. When the young man eventually walks out, the professor and his wife collapse from mental and physical exhaustion.

While the professor prepares to reset the young man’s mind, his wife concludes that their new toy is too precious and needs to be retained. For the first time in many years, they clash, she overpowers him, and then becomes the puppeteer. For her next big treat, the professor’s wife forces the young man to become a cold-blooded killer.

Michael Reeves directed the The Sorcerers while working with a screenplay he co-wrote with Tom Baker, who shortly after again collaborated with him on the cult shocker Witchfinder General. Even though The Sorcerers was a smaller project done with a significantly smaller budget, boasting a completely different personality too, it is as good of a genre film as Witchfinder General.

At the center of The Sorcerers is a potent idea that has inspired countless genre films about individuals whose minds are treated as powerful switchboards and then used and abused for different reasons. In Targets, another film with Karloff that was completed a year after The Sorcerers, a young man again loses control of his mind and evolves into a psychotic killer. Several decades later, in Suspect Zero, Ben Kingsley penetrated the minds of various elusive killers without using a device and helped a frustrated FBI agent hunt them down.

But what exactly makes this idea potent and attractive to directors? Speculating how much of the impossible is possible. The rest is almost always ornamentation work that simply creates the environment in which a director wants to do the speculating.

In The Sorcerers, Reeves does his speculating in a pretty good Swinging Sixties environment, producing plenty of vibrancy and uplifting energy that counter the darkness and horror of its story. This gives The Sorcerers a flexible retro/contemporary identity that is quite unusual for a small genre film from the 1960s.

The leads handle their characters very well. Ercy, in particular, surprises with a great transformation that one could rather easily argue overshadows Karloff’s work. Of course, Ogilvy’s performance is the most dramatic one.

Reeves’ director of photography was Stanley Long, who went on to shoot the three cult Adventures comedies.

The Sorcerers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Sorcerers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

I do not have any other home video release of this film in my library. However, I will be shocked if it is revealed that in the past it has looked as good as it does on this new Blu-ray release. On my system, very large areas of the film boasted the type of quality I would expect to see from an excellent native 4K presentation of it, not a 1080p presentation. (I actually did upscale it to 4K too and thought that I looked sensational). Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to outstanding, and image stability is great. Color balance is fantastic, too. All primaries look lush, very healthy and properly balanced. All supporting nuances look equally convincing, too. Even the trickiest darker footage with plenty of different shadows looks excellent, without ever producing distracting crushing. I was particularly impressed by the club footage, which boasts most of the most impressive primaries. There is only one area early into the film with minor color instability and softness, but given the strength of the rest of the material, I am quite certain that this is an inherited limitation. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. I noticed a few tiny nicks, but there are no large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Sorcerers 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.

All exchanges are clear and easy to follow. The music in the nightclub sounds great, too. However, if you turn up the volume a bit, you will notice that in some areas extremely light background hiss begins to sneak in. It is never distracting. However, it is there, and I have to mention it because most viewers will probably notice its presence. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Sorcerers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Can't Get You Out of My Head - in this new program, Ian Ogilvy recalls how he became involved with The Sorcerers and impressions of Boris Karloff and his contribution to the film. Ogilvy also comments on the film's style, the era in which it was made, and his professional relationship with Michael Reeves. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Black Magic Camera - in this new program, assistant cameraman Don Lord recalls his work on The Sorcerers and comments on some interesting effects that were done in it, like the use of two discs that produced the visuals in the psychedelic material. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Controlling the Cuts - in this new program, editor David Woodward explains how he was brought in to work on The Sorcerers, and discusses a few unfortunate disagreements, some specific editing choices that were made (the car chase sequence is addressed), and the final edit of the film. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Trailer - presented here is an original trailer for The Sorcerers. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of archival black-and-white stills from The Sorcerers, posters from around the world, lobby cards, articles, and VHS/DVD covers.

• Commentary One - this audio commentary was recorded by film journalists William Fowler and Vic Pratt.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by film critics Kim Newman and Sean Hogan.

• Booklet - 36-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and technical credits.

• Cover - reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Sorcerers.

The Sorcerers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Can a very talented hypnotist permanently hijack the mind of a stranger and then control it from afar? Back in the 1960s, when The Sorcerers was conceived, the answer to this question would have been very quick and very short. But the truth is that no one really knows exactly what is or isn't possible. If you spend a night with Suspect Zero, you will learn that for years the U.S. government has been secretly working with individuals that can do precisely what Boris Karloff's character does but without a device. While a small film, The Sorcerers looks good and is surprisingly effective, so consider picking it up for your collection. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.