6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The descendant of Elizabeth Bathory is abducted by a cult of self-proclaimed supermen who achieve this state of superiority by drinking from the "blood cows" (the people) kept at the "dairy farm". A strange ritual awaits her, involving her marriage to the cult leader, who forces her to help him satiate his desire for blood...
Starring: Chantal Contouri, Shirley Cameron, Max Phipps, Henry Silva, Rod MullinarHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.43:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
Music: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Rosemary's Baby is often cited as among the most disturbing horror films of all time, and it’s perhaps instructive to examine why this film—which after all, has virtually no jump cuts, blood and gore, or other hoary horror tropes—should linger in the subconscious so effectively. If you come into the film cold, meaning you haven’t read the Ira Levin source novel or have other foreknowledge of what’s really going on, you’re confronted by a seemingly idyllic marriage that is capped by an almost fairy tale like ability for the pair to get a much wanted apartment in an iconic New York City landmark. Sure, the neighbors are a little creepy, but you can’t have everything. Slowly, though, Roman Polanski begins introducing subtle indications of a burgeoning paranoia, and the viewer is left to ferret out whether Rosemary is surrounded by a really scary conspiracy or is “simply” going off her pre-natal rocker. One way or the other, Rosemary becomes an isolated, fragile young woman, not knowing whom to trust and feeling herself captive in some sort of prison which no one else around her sees. Contrast that now with the rather inverted way Thirst, a 1979 Australian horror film, gets its chills. Instead of keeping the audience in suspense about what’s going on, it spills the beans (and/or blood, considering the film is about vampires) from virtually the first moment, depicting an ancient society of blood suckers known as The Brotherhood who are attempting to reclaim one of their own who was raised outside of their influence. That person is a young Australian woman named Kate Davis (Chantal Contouri), who finds herself taken captive by The Brotherhood and initiated (against her will) into what The Brotherhood insists is her genetic legacy. Once again we have a woman alone, fighting almost unimaginable forces, and this time there’s absolutely no question that there is indeed a conspiracy. It’s a risky gambit, and if Thirst never achieves the level of scariness that Rosemary’s Baby did (an admittedly high bar), it’s uniquely unsettling in its own way.
Thirst is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.43:1. According to the press materials Severin provided with this release, this transfer was sourced off the original camera negative. Detail and contrast are certainly commendable here, but there are some niggling concerns nonetheless. Color timing seems odd to me, especially since some of the film is kind of a sickly yellow (so much so that flesh tones make people seem jaundiced) and other sections look relatively accurate. There are occasional stability problems (watch how the image jitters just slightly when the camera pans across a chain link fence as Kate arrives at the blood farm). Also there are instances of what is either print through or density problems the show up in anomalies like a series of vertical lines that appear on the bright blue sky in one of Kate's hallucinations (see screenshot 17). All of these issues are relatively minor but deserve mention. Generally this is a nicely organic presentation. It may not rise to levels of contemporary "sharpness", but it certainly is the best Thirst has ever looked on home video (admittedly a pretty low bar), and arguably since its theatrical exhibition. There does not appear to have been any overt digital manipulation of the image.
Somewhat surprisingly given the care Severin afforded the rest of this release, the audio tracks (English, Spanish and isolate music) are all standard Dolby Digital Mono. While this isn't a deal killer per se, it's probably inarguable that at least Brian May's nice score would have benefited from a lossless format. Dialogue is very cleanly presented however. Some of the looped screams have a bit of a boxy sound, but otherwise this track, while not overly impressive, suffices decently enough.
Thirst wasn't very successful even in its native Australia, and it never seemed to gain much of a foothold here in the United States. Severin is to be commended for helping audiences rediscover some of these long forgotten gems. This is a nicely moody outing that does get a bit weird when the drugs kick in. Performances are generally quite good (save for a bit of hyperbolism on the part of Contouri) and the film is surprisingly well directed by Rod Hardy. Severin has offered a generally nice looking Blu-ray that oddly features lossy audio. Recommended.
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