Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Torture Garden Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 1, 2017

Note: 'Torture Garden' is currently only available in a three-film collection from Mill Creek.

Come one, come all! This 1967 British Chiller, starring Burgess Meredith, Jack Palance, and Peter Cushing, tells the story of a carnival performer known as Dr. Diablo (Meredith) who lures in customers with the promise of cheap thrills and a devilishly good performance. His basic wares fail to impress, but he promises something a little more...sinister...to those who dare step behind the curtain, and pay him five additional pounds. He finds five customers in the gaggle from the original show willing to hedge their bets (with the promise of a full and swift refund if they're not satisfied). As each of them falls under his trance, they experience a detailed flash of their fates to come.

Torture Garden Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Torture Garden's 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded transfer would benefit from some TLC. The image appears processed, flat, smooth...its filmic bona fides are lacking, its grain structure a bit soupy, its details often smooth and somewhat pasty. Edge halos aren't uncommon. Print wear is minor, but evident. Contrast fluctuates. Blacks border on crush. Fine detail is rarely good, never mind exemplary. Faces lack much in the way of pinpoint definition. Clothes are fairly smooth. Environments are likewise lacking textural nuance. The color palette pushes a bit warm, leaving skin tones rather rosy. Contrast favors a dialed down, mildly dark appearance, reflective of the film's uneasy, intimately frightening stories. The image is fairly clear and benefits from the 1080p resolution, offering increased stability and overall clarity, but even as it looks rather good at-a-glance it exhibits some issues that hold it back, unfortunate because the foundation of an excellent image is readily evident.

Torture Garden Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Torture Garden's Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack comes as expected, harsh at times, lacking range, struggling to find and maintain clarity. The opening carnival music and surrounding din is unkempt, crunchy, scratchy. There's precious little range or extension far out to the sides; effects push towards the middle with a cramped, muddled flavor. Much the same may be said of score, which finds healthier definition but struggles to push the front stage's borders. Various effects are crude, effective to be sure at a baseline level but only supporting the movie, not enhancing the experience. Dialogue at least finds its way towards the middle, too. Imagining is fine and seems to be in its proper place. Dialogue clarity is fine given the material's age and the disc's technical constraints. Prioritization is of no concern.

Torture Garden Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Torture Garden contains no supplemental content.

Torture Garden Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Torture Garden is a decent little Chiller with some good ideas, some interesting and involved short stories, and a quality performance from Burgess Meredith. More psychological "thinking man's" horror than straight grisly, blood-soaked venture, it's a solid enough vintage British Horror film that is unfortunately lessened by a very pedestrian Blu-ray. The image quality is decent enough at-a-glance but shows some serious issues upon closer examination. Audio is what one would expect of a 2.0 lossy track and an aging source. No extras are included. The release's saving grace is its very low price (as part of the three-pack bundle referenced above).