6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 1.5 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
In Medieval England, a sadistic duke plots to kill off all the heirs to the throne of England so he can claim he title crown for himself.
Starring: Gerald Jacuzzo, Susan Cassidy, Patricia Dillon, Neil Flanagan, Richard Mason (XII)Horror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 1.5 |
Note: This film is available as part of
The Dungeon of Andy Milligan.
Lovers of what might be charitably termed Grade Z Cinema have had a number of outstanding releases by a variety of labels over the past few
years.
Arrow has offered fans surprisingly deluxe-ified (that's a word, I insist) editions of The Herschell Gordon Lewis Feast and Weird Wisconsin: The Bill Rebane Collection, among others, while Severin Films has gotten
into
exploring this decidedly
odd nook and/or cranny with releases like
Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection. Severin's back with more, um, "masterpieces" with this inventively packaged homage to the
late Andy Milligan, a kinda sorta auteur whose professional life had more than its fair share of hurdles, and whose personal life
unfortunately
ended up not being much better. The 14 films (with one bonus film in HD, Toga Party) aggregated in this set are exploitation outings at
their "finest" (?), which means those with more
patrician tastes are probably well advised to steer completely clear of this release. Those with grittier sensibilities will find some at times oddly
entertaining
movies and Severin's usual supply of appealing supplements.
Torture Dungeon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Severin's booklet included with this release has the following information on the transfer:
Torture Dungeon (aka Macabre) has been scanned and restored in 2K from its uncensored 16mm camera reversal, which reflects Andy Milligan's original director's cut. Optical credits bearing Milligan's shooting title Macabre were never created, so the main title sequence is presented in its initial theatrical version, scanned from a 35mm release print held at the American Genre Film Archive. Audio was assembled from two sources: a 35mm optical soundtrack (which had been edited to conform to an MPAA 'R' rating), and the uncesored 16mm mag stripe.While there is once again some noticeable damage on display (see screenshot 9), this is another surprisingly robust looking presentation of a cult Milligan item, though, again, these things need to be judged in a reasonable context. The palette is especially nice looking throughout most of the film, though it does look slightly faded, so that, for example, reds can veer slightly toward oranges. There are a few passing moments of crush or inadequate shadow definition in the most dimly lit moments. As with all of the films in this set, there doesn't appear to have been any aggressive digital tweaking of the imagery, at least in terms of attempts to minimize a sometimes gritty grain field. I'm scoring this at 3.5, but that should be understood within the relative context of this set as a whole probably more than as an "absolute" score.
Torture Dungeon features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono that exhibits some of the passing deficits of many of the tracks on this set. This particular track actually has fewer of the extreme spikes and valleys in amplitude, and as such, dialogue is relatively clearly delivered. While the high end may again be too bright for some, there are fewer instances of hissing sibilance here, and not any major damage to report. Optional English subtitles are available.
Torture Dungeon is another completely gonzo Milligan effort that offers some kind of hilarious tangents to much more venerated material. Video has some noticeable damage, but an overall appealing suffused palette, and audio is generally listenable as well. The commentary offers some interesting information as well, for those who are considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1972
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1970
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1984
1968
Legacy of Horror | Theatrical and TV Cuts
1978
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Pelvis
1977
Slipcover Edition Limited to 2,500 | SOLD OUT
1973
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1965
Amanti d'oltretomba
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2014
La notte che Evelyn usć dalla tomba
1971
The Burning / Op de Drempel van de Gruwel / La casa del terror / Pyromaniac / Maniac 2: Non andare in casa / Nie chodz do tego domu / Das Haus der lebenden Leichen
1980
1970
Buio Omega
1979