Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Torso 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 12, 2024

Arrow released a 1080 version of Torso back in 2018 which offered generally secure technical merits and Arrow's typical bounteous supply of interesting supplements. The label has returned to the title for this new 4K UHD version.

Those interested can read both my Torso Blu-ray review of Arrow's 1080 release and Martin Liebman's Torso Blu-ray review of an older 1080 release from Blue Underground, where plot information and analyses of technical merits and supplemental materials can be found.

Torso 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: This release does not include a 1080 Blu-ray, so these screenshots are taken from the 4K UHD disc and downscaled to 1080 and SDR. Color space in particular is therefore not accurate, and I recommend those interested to look at some of the screenshots in my Torso Blu-ray review for a probably better representation of the palette. Because there is no 1080 disc in this release, the 2K video score above has intentionally been left blank.

Torso is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.66:1. Torso is evidently flying off the shelves for Arrow, and a retail version is therefore delayed (a check disc was provided in advance for purposes of this review), but Arrow kindly sent an advance copy of their insert booklet, which contains the following information on the restoration, information that is largely the same as what was offered in Arrow's insert booklet accompanying their 1080 version:

Torso / I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with mono Italian and English audio.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. The film was restored in 4K and graded in HDR10 at R3Store Studios, London.

Dolby Vision grading was completed by Fidelity in Motion, Florida.

Audio remastering was sourced from the original sound negatives and was completed by Þorsteinn Gíslason.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Surf Films.

This is another 4K presentation where those averse to thick, at times somewhat swampy looking, grain had best prepare themselves, though that said, once the optically printed opening credits sequence has ended, and aside from some later opticals like dissolves, grain is rather nicely resolved, adding an organic texture and only intermittently clumping and having a somewhat yellow tone. Fine detail levels see some noticeable improvement on admittedly mundane things like costumes and props. I mentioned in the 1080 review how that overall color temperature of that version was a bit cool, and I'm happy to report that HDR / Dolby Vision have warmed things a little at least, though there can still be an almost violet to blue hue to certain scenes. As with the 1080 version(s), the last section of the film has a bit more roughhewn quality, but I'd argue even in these moments detail levels enjoy at least a modest uptick from the 1080 version. My score is 4.25.

Torso 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kind of interestingly, Torso features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in Italian and English in place of the 1080 release's LPCM Mono tracks, though that said, to my ears they're virtually indistinguishable. While neither is probably going to set audiophiles' ears on fire, they each get the job done, albeit with a somewhat boxy and at times slightly reverberant atmosphere. While, as per Arrow's verbiage accompanying their original 1080 release (see my review), the film was obviously post looped, at least some of the leading players were just as obviously speaking English during the shoot, so some may prefer that soundtrack, since lip movements at least occasionally come close to matching the sounds emanating from them. The mix tends to prioritize either dialogue or score, with ambient environmental effects getting shunted off to the background, and with even "important" effects like the click of the shutter of a still camera in the opening sequence sounding just a bit anemic at times. Optional English subtitles are available.

Torso 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This 4K release has just slightly tweaked how Arrow offers the different versions of the film. See screenshot 20 of my review of the 1080 release for how that disc presented things. This disc does not offer the alternate titles of the English version as separate offerings, and instead offers the Torso title below as a standalone supplement.

• Original Italian Version (1:33:39), Hybrid English / Italian Version (1:33:00) and English Export Version (1:33:11) are accessible under the Choose Version Menu. The English Export Version bears the Carnal Violence title.


• Audio Commentary by Kat Ellinger


• All Colors of Terror (HD; 34:02) is a new interview with co-writer and director Sergio Martino.


• The Discreet Charm of the Genre (HD; 34:53) is a new interview with actor Luc Merenda.


• Dial S for Suspense (HD; 29:16) is a new interview with co-writer Ernesto Gastaldi.


• Women in Blood (HD; 24:59) is a new interview with Federico Martino, daughter of Sergio Martino and herself a filmmaker.


• Saturating the Screen (HD; 25:04) is a new interview with author Michael J. Koven.


• Sergio Martino Live (HD; 47:00) is a Q & A from the 2017 Abertoir International Horror Festival.


• Alternate Torso Titles (HD; 4:02) are sourced from an old VHS, and look like it. This was not included as a standalone supplement in the original 1080 release from Arrow.


• Italian Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:08)


• English Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:06)

As mentioned above, a retail version of this title is still forthcoming, but I can confirm this has a very nicely appointed insert booklet and packaging features a slipcover.

Torso 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Marty gave Torso an overall score of 3.5 when he reviewed the Blue Underground 1080 release , but I upped that slightly when I reviewed Arrow's 1080 version since I found Torso to be not just a fun mystery, but a kind of interesting deconstruction of vaunted gialli "norms". The naked women don't hurt, either (that's a joke, maybe). If Arrow's 1080 release was the clear winner in the 1080 sweepstakes when stacked up against the Blue Underground, this new 4K UHD version offers appealing technical merits (video probably a bit more than audio), and Arrow's typical supply of excellent supplements. Recommended.