Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Two Evil Eyes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 13, 2019

"Two Evil Eyes" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional and production materials for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth; new video interviews with composer Pino Donaggio, assistant director Luigi Cozzi, co-writer Franco Ferrini, stars star Madeleine Potter and Ramy Zada; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 20-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Gingold and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The wife

Two of horror cinema’s greatest masters, George Romero and Dario Argento, direct two segments based on short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. However, the original concept for Two Evil Eyes was to be a four-part project, with two more segments directed by Wes Craven and John Carpenter.

The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar

When it becomes clear that a gravely ill businessman (Bingo O’Malley) has just a few weeks left to live, his younger wife (Adrienne Barbeau) and the handsome doctor (Ramy Zada) she has hired to look after him go to work to steal his money -- the doctor hypnotizes the old-timer and makes him inform his lawyer that he wishes to terminate all of his investments and accounts, while the wife quickly begins withdrawing as much cash as legally possible and moving the rest to her brand new account. However, while hypnotized the businessman dies and forces the two partners to begin improvising so that they can keep the ongoing large bank transfers uninterrupted. At first it seems like they would still manage to pull off the scam, but when the dead businessman’s soul tells them that it is stuck in the hypnotized body and ‘the other’ will come through it they panic.

Romero’s segment is the better of the two. It has a more interesting twist and superior atmosphere that ultimately make it appear spookier. Barbeau also nails her character, a double-faced gold-digger, who sees her life profoundly transformed, but not in the way she has imagined. Also, this segment has a better score from Brian De Palma’s favorite maestro, Pino Donnagio.

The Black Cat

Harvey Keitel is Roderick Usher, a jaded crime reporter who dismembers his girlfriend’s (Madeleine Potter) new black cat. However, the little creature refuses to leave his world -- or is it his mind? Eventually, Usher becomes overwhelmed by bizarre thoughts and visions and then plunges into the abyss of madness.

For a while Keitel keeps the segment intriguing, but the quality of the writing is underwhelming and eventually it hurts the story. Instead of clear direction and pure atmosphere, which make Romero’s segment attractive, Argento delivers only a sea of random references and special effects.

*Two Evil Eyes was first released on Blu-ray by Blue Underground in 2009. For additional thoughts on the film, please see Marty Liebman's review of the original release here.

Two Evil Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Two Evil Eyes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.

I do not have a copy of Blue Underground's first release of the film in my library and therefore cannot perform direct comparisons. However, this upcoming release is sourced from yet another magnificent 4K remaster that is on par with what the label delivered for Zombie and The New York Ripper. What this means is that you should expect a complete organic makeover that basically makes the film look brand new. In terms of delineation, depth, and clarity the results are truly quite remarkable, and on a large screen the fluidity of the visuals is also very impressive. There are a couple of darker sequences where there seems to be a bit of room for encoding optimizations, but I think that the quality of the presentation is still very solid. The color grading job is convincing. There are very nice ranges of healthy primaries and the supporting nuances look properly balanced. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Finally, the entire film looks spotless. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Two Evil Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, and French Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed both segments with the lossless 2.0 track and after performing some random comparisons with the 7.1 track I am absolutely convinced that it is the one to use. I find the balance on the 2.0 a lot more organic, while on the 7.1 track the entire audio field is opened up in a pretty dramatic fashion. Clarity, depth, and stability are outstanding.

Two Evil Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Trailer - a remastered trailer for Two Evil Eyes. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Gallery - a large collection of vintage promotional and production materials for Two Evil Eyes from around the world, which include posters, advertising materials, lobby cards. VHS and DVD covers, and Enzo Sciotti's original artwork. The materials were compiled by Gregory Chick. (1080p).

• Audio Commentary - in this new audio commentary, Troy Howarth, critic and author of Murder by Design: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento, shares a lot of interesting information about Dario Argento's attempts to enter the U.S. market, the production history and evolution of Two Evil Eyes, the various casting choices, the visual appearances of the two segments, etc. It is a very informative commentary from a man that clearly cares and understands genre cinema. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Blue Underground.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Two Masters' Eyes - in this archival program features clips from interviews with directors Dario Argento and George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects supervisor Tom Savini, executive producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento. The interviewees discuss Edgar Allan Poe's classic writings and their tone, the conception of Two Evil Eyes, and the film's stylistic appearance and production history. In English and Italian, with optional English subtitles. (30 min, 480/60i).

• Savini's EFX - this archival program offers a glimpse at the work that special make-ups effects supervisor Tom Savini did for Two Evil Eyes. In a series of clips, Mr. Savini actually explains in great detail how specific shots/sequences were made. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• At Home with Tom Savini - a personal tour of Tom Savini's home. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 480/60i).

• Adrienne Barbeau - this archival interview with actress Adrienne Barbeau was recorded by director Roy Frumkes during the shooting of Two Evil Eyes for his documentary The Definitive Document of the Dead. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 480/60i).

• Before I Wake - in this brand new interview, star Ramy Zada explains how he enters the film business and discusses his involvement with Two Evil Eyes as well as the film's longevity. The interview was conducted exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Behind the Wall - in this brand new interview, star Madeleine Potter discusses the evolution of her acting career, her contribution to Two Evil Eyes, and some of the unique qualities of her character. The interview was conducted exclusively for Blue Underground. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• One Maestro and Two Masters - in this brand new interview, composer Pino Donaggio discusses hie affiliation with Brian De Palma and the opportunities it gave him, and discusses the type of harmonic qualities he wanted for the soundtrack that he created for Two Evil Eyes. The interview was conducted exclusively for Blue Underground. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• Rewriting Poe - in this brand new interview, co-writer Franco Ferrini explains how he discovered and fell in love with Edgar Allan Poe's work, and discusses his collaboration with Dario Argento on The Black Cat as well as the conception of Harvey Keitel's character. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• The Cat Who Wouldn't Die - in this brand new interview, assistant director Luigi Cozzi (Devil Fish) explains what makes Edgar Allan Poe's stories unique and remembers what it was like to work with Dario Argento on The Black Cat. Also, there are some very interesting observations about the 'artistic competition' between Argento and George Romero. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (27 min, 1080p).

• Two Evil Brothers - in this new video interview, remembers his work with Tom Savini and some of the unique work that he did for various graphic sequences from The Black Cat. He also mentions a very funny experience he had the police in Pittsburgh after a 'dead body' was discovered by a stranger. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Working with George - in this new video interview, consume designer Barbara Anderson remembers what it was like to work with George Romero. There are plenty of comments addressing the production of Knightriders, Creepshow, Day of the Dead, and Two Evil Eyes. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Soundtrack - the original soundtrack for Two Evil Eyes placed on a separate CD. A total of 21 tracks.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Gingold and technical credits.

• Cover - 3D lenticular slipcover, plus reversible cover with vintage poster art.

Two Evil Eyes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Before I offer my final comments on Two Evil Eyes and its brand new 4K makeover I would like to mention something else, which is not unrelated. For as long as I remember Blue Underground's releases have always had fantastic, very elaborate galleries with promotional and production materials from around the world. The man that has been compiling them is Gregory Chick. These galleries are one of my favorite bonus features, on any release, and no one does them better than Gregory.

The upcoming release of Two Evil Eyes is another stunner from Blue Underground featuring a solid new 4K remaster of the film plus a great selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features. The label has also included Pino Donaggio's entire soundtrack on a separate CD. If you are a fan of the film, you just can't afford to miss the release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.