7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A Shakespearean actor takes poetic revenge on the critics who denied him the Best Actor of the Year award.
Starring: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Harry Andrews, Coral BrowneHorror | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Douglas Hickox's "Theater of Blood" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by screenwriter/producer Alan Spencer; an archival episode of Trailers From Hell; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Theater of Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from the same old master that MGM licensed to Arrow Video for this Region-B release of Theater of Blood in 2014. I can't say that it does a decent job of reproducing the film's native qualities. From time to time it produces pleasing close-ups, but most of the darker footage looks very flat and/or soft. On a larger screen it is frequently easy to see how the grain becomes very noisy and begins to collapse. Color balance can and should be a lot more convincing as well. Color saturation, in particular, can be dramatically improved, and if it is, the entire film will acquire a much more attractive appearance. Image stability is good. Some small blemishes remain, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I think that the lossless track is quite good. However, if it is remastered there will be areas where clarity and balance will be improved. How much? The difference won't be dramatic, but while I was revisiting the film I could identify small areas with minor fluctuations that will be addressed with modern digital tools. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.
Douglas Hickox's Theater of Blood was Vincent Price's favorite film. It isn't difficult to see why -- it has a tremendous cast and its blending of humor and horror is very effective. It is also complimented by one of the very best soundtracks that I have heard created for a film of this caliber. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old and rather shaky master that was supplied by MGM. I want to recommend it because Theater of Blood is a very fine film with a terrific wicked sense of humor, but it would be a shame if it turns out to be its definitive release on the home video market. This film deserves a better treatment. RECOMMENDED.
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