Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 1, 2015

During a horror movie craze that revived the works of Edgar Allan Poe for the big screen, producers scrambled to locate another wellspring of ghoulish activity to exploit, finding hope in author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Adapting selected works to form an omnibus event, 1963’s “Twice-Told Tales” attempts to find terror in strange stories of obsession, murder, and perversions of science. Bringing in star Vincent Price to act and host the effort is a step in the right direction, but director Sidney Salkow isn’t the finest judge of pacing, dragging out intriguing situations of torment past their expiration date.

With “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment,” “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” and “House of the Seven Gables,” the trilogy has a substantial amount of misery to examine, with Price taking leading man duties in all segments. The stories range from gross to dire, while “Daughter” nearly carries into science-fiction by way of the Grimm Brothers, exploring a saga about a poison flower and its deadly touch. “Experiment” is the most successful of the chapters, primarily due to Price and co-star Sebastian Cabot’s interplay and its operatic twists, getting the entire effort off to a compelling start.

Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.67:1 aspect ratio) presentation provides a detailed look at production achievements, with encouraging textures on costuming and close-ups, while more macabre elements are open for inspection. Softness is present, but crispness tends to win out in the end, isolating the most interesting aspects to "Twice-Told Tales." Offering powerful primaries, colors are nicely refreshed for HD consumption, with bold hues on fabrics and set decoration, while blood retains its intended horror. Delineation doesn't struggle during the viewing experience, holding securely through extensive evening encounters. Source carries some mild speckling and a few scratches, but no overt damage was detected.

Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't handle nearly as impressively as the visual presentation, emerging with a muddier sound that doesn't develop the nuances of the mix. Dialogue exchanges are clouded and periodically crispy, missing clean potency to best bring out heated encounters. Scoring is on the thick side, lacking rich instrumentation. Atmospherics are present but unremarkable. Hiss runs throughout the listening experience.

Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Richard Harland Smith and Perry Martin.

• "Trailers From Hell" (3:04, HD) sits down with a breathless Mick Garris to briefly discuss "Twice-Told Tales," Vincent Price's appeal, and Garris's own feeling about the picture and its obvious Poe-chasing.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:43, HD) is included.

Twice-Told Tales Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Twice-Told Tales" limps to a finale, with every segment in need of a tighter edit. The feature is permissive with performances instead of remaining attentive to timing, losing a grand sweep of fright along the way. "Twice-Told Tales" is handsomely mounted, and it comes together quite well in certain moments, but it does require some patience to endure, especially when the production feels the need to dawdle with lukewarm dramatics instead of charging full steam ahead as a nightmare machine.